«Bathandekayo,» ubabizile, omunye wabo waphendula wathi kuye, «ungangitshela ukuthi lesikhumbuzo sikuphi kwaNogog’s NOS?»
– Futhi lapha, – isisebenzi sigqekeze ikhanda lakhe, – ndawo ndawo lapha. – futhi wakhomba odongeni olungenalutho naku-anaanarel: kusukela kulokho okwakukhona kulo kwakukhona izimbobo kuphela odongeni nesipeni esingagxiliwe, usayizi wepuleti elintshontshiwe elinekhala lomuntu wesigaxa. Ugogo wafa ngokushesha ngenxa yokuhlaselwa yisifo senhliziyo. Kulokhu ukudluliswa kwethu kwaphela. Konke okuhle. To
U-Ottila waphuza enye ingilazi waya kolala.
Ebumnyameni obelele embhedeni waconsa phansi futhi wakhwela ukunqoba uhlangothi lomkakhe, owayeshaya ihlombe. Akazange anyakaze. Lapho ekhwela phezu komkakhe futhi ephakathi kodonga nenkosikazi yakhe, wamangala ngokuhlwitha nomoya ophuma ezindebeni zale nxenye ethandekayo. U-Ottila wadonsa umoya kakhulu futhi waphakamisa isifuba sakhe esiphezulu, esikhulu kakhulu kunekhanda lakhe, wanamathela ekhanda ngemuva ngemuva kwekhanda lakhe lapho elele khona umkakhe. Ubeke izindlebe zakhe kwelingaphansi futhi wamboza indlebe engenhla nesifuba sakhe. Ukuhlwitha wanyamalala, futhi waqukula njengomntwana, ngemfudumalo nenduduzo.
Ekuseni uvuke wazilungiselela ngomcamelo. Kwakungekho nkosikazi. Waya endaweni yokuwasha futhi, esezigezile, wembethe ingubo ephelele. Waya emnyango wesango lokungena eStrongpoint, waphatha isibambo, futhi… Umnyango wavuleka kuye ekulesi simo futhi wagxaza, okwamanje wacindezela isibambo somnyango, edonsela u-Ottila esikhaleni seStrongpoint, kube sengathi ngaphandle kwesidalwa somoya. Yandiza yahamba yaya eMount Wife. Isisu esinamabele asigaxwe futhi saphonsa i-precinct emuva.
– Uyini? Izoldushka!? – Wabuza ngokumangala ngempukane futhi ngemuva kwalokho wezwa izinhlungu emhlane ekhanda lakhe, washaya phansi.
– Sula izinyawo zakho, ngageza lapho. wakhonkotha futhi eqhubeka nokumba phansi, eguqa emuva engezansi, emuva kuye. Iphoyisa lizungeze imbongolo yalo, lisula imilenze, lagquma ngezindlebe zonogwaja, langena ehhovisi. Into yokuqala ayenzayo, wagibela esihlalweni, wabe eseya ocingweni olusetafuleni wamsondeza kuye. Wathatha ucingo, wahlala emaphethelweni etafula walubeka endlebeni. Washayela ucingo umphathi wakhe, wanikina imilenze, walinda, wabala izindebe.
– Ullah! – ezwakale ngakolunye uhlangothi lwecingo ngemuva kwezwi lamashumi amahlanu.
– Comrade Marshal? Lokhu kubiza uMnu. District General Klop.
– Ahhhh… nguwe lowo? – UComrade Marshall wayengajabulanga, – izinto zinjani endaweni entsha? Awuzange ufonele isikhathi eside, uqale ukhohlwe ukuthi ngubani… u … eh, okuphakelayo.
– Cha, unjani, Eximendius Janis oglu Snegiryov. Akunasizathu sokuphazamisa ikhanda lakho likhulile ngeze.
– Baska, uthi, umfushane?
– Uh… cha, ngiyaxolisa, vuka ikhanda.
– Kulungile, ake sibheke ngokuhamba kwesikhathi, mayelana nezindinganiso zabangaphansi nabanikazi. Yebo, yini onayo, into ebalulekile?
– Yebo!!!
– Yini oyikhohlisayo, i-pygmy akuyona isiRussia?
– Uxolo, yebo.
– Kulungile, sizokhuluma ngemikhawulo yesilinganiso esamukelekayo sezingxoxo zocingo, esamukelwa ekufundweni kokuqala komhlangano owisishayamthetho waseMoscow naseRussia.. Futhi-ke, kuthiwani ngawe, Sneak Bug? Futhi wozani masinyane, ngephuze umhlangano.
– Ubuke izolo kusihlwa kukhishwa olandelayo weSikhungo Sezingcingo?
– Cha, ngine-DiViDishka. Futhi yini?
– ESt. Petersburg, kwebiwe itshe lesikhumbuzo eNose.
– Futhi yini?
– Ngithanda ukuphenya leli cala, uma ungangivumela, O Hon. Mnu.
– Yini enye ekhaleni, akekho noyedwa ongibikele yona, khuluma ngokukhanyayo. Yisiphi isikhumbuzo esinqunywe umlomo?
– Well, noGogol..
– Anqamule ekhaleni likaGogol?
– Cha, uGogol unendaba nge-FNL.
– Futhi yini?
– Kuhlonishwa le ndaba, kwakhiwa itshe lesikhumbuzo eSt. Futhi ngiyazi ukuthi ngubani owenze lokho.
– Awunakhaya noma yini? Akekho omunye. Ungubhedu. Futhi ufunani kimi?
– Qeda leli bhizinisi, ikheji.
– Ngakho-ke xakeka, yini inkinga? Kepha kuphela ngesikhathi sakho samahhala.
– Kepha ngizodinga izindleko, izindleko zokuhamba, ukudla, indawo yokuhlala amahhotela, ukugibela amatekisi.
– M-yebo. Kwakudingeka ukuqala ngalokhu. Lokho nje ukufika eSt. Ungasishintsha esiteshini noma, okubi kakhulu, endaweni engenamakhaya engaphansi. Uyoshwabadela ngabo. Emadolobheni nezinyawo ungahamba ngezinyawo zase-St. Akunamali kwisabelomali ngize ngiqede ukwakha leli kheji. Hhayi-ke, uyangiqonda?
– Futhi kusuka kudeski lwemali le-Strongpoint yami? Ngikhethe lapha inhlawulo kubalimi abahlangene.
– Futhi kuningi?
– Yebo, sekwanele okokuqala.
– Kulungile. Yithathe ku-akhawunti. Uma uxazulula inkinga, ngizokukhokhela izindleko zamarisidi okuthengisa, kodwa cha?! Akukona ukuthi ngithathe isinqumo, ngoba imali isesidlangalaleni.
– Kuhle, Eximendius Janis oglu Snegiryov. Vele, anginaso isikhathi esincane, kepha ngiza nokuthile. – U-Ottila wabeka phansi ifoni walala etafuleni, izingalo zeluliwe.
– Nangu, ibhizinisi elisha! Manje bazothola ngami ePetrovka 38.
Kuvulwe umnyango, nobukhulu obukhulu buka-Isolde Fifovna, nengxenye yakhe enkulu.
– Uyodla? – ubuze ngobumnene, – futhi ungagxili etafuleni, ngiyisule futhi.
– Ngizoba nokudla kwasekuseni lapha!
– Kusho ukuthini LAPHA? Ngabe nginjengomlindi noma okuthile? Iya ekhishini udle njengawo wonke umuntu. Ngeke ngithwale.
– Ngingathanda, kodwa uMarshall kufanele angishayele ucingo.
– Marshal? Ngingasho njalo. Bese ulinda. Indodana izoletha manje okusele. Bese wehla etafuleni, uSherlock Holmes… Hahaha … – wahleka wangena engxenyeni yesibili yendlu.
Kuvulwe isicabha sangaphambili komgwaqo, kwathi uCorporate Incephalopath wavele emnyango.
– Ngingaba nayo i-cartridge?
– Ngena uhlale phansi… Sinebhizinisi… Kusasa sizokuya eSt. – U-Ottila wasukuma, waguquka wahlala esihlalweni.
– Kungani?
– Itshe lesikhumbuzo elenziwe ekhaleni likaGogol lifuna.
– Aaaaa … – I-encephalopath ingene yahlala esihlalweni sabangaphansi nabavakashi, iphonse unyawo onyaweni. –