Erlan smiled, watching his daughter, and headed to the kitchen. Everything in this house exuded peace and happiness, every small movement and sound seemed to be harmoniously woven into its rhythm. Finding himself in the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator door, where he was met by a cool breeze of freshness. Erlan took out a decanter of apple juice, which he had recently made himself from apples picked in his garden.
Having poured himself a full glass, he took a sip, feeling how the refreshing taste of the drink filled his body with a pleasant coolness. The juice was exactly the way he liked it: a little sour, with a light sweet aftertaste. These moments, when he could relax in silence and enjoy the fruits of his labor, were especially valuable to him.
However, his thoughts were interrupted by the vibrating signal of his mobile phone lying on the kitchen table. The phone, as always, was nearby, because Erlan often received calls for work or other reasons. Seeing the name of Ruslan, his old friend, on the screen, Erlan happily answered the call.
– Hi, Yerlan. How are you? – Ruslan’s cheerful voice rang out, which always sounded cheerful, even when talking about serious things.
– Hi, Ruslan. You always feel when I’m about to call you, – Yerlan answered with a slight smile, continuing to slowly walk around the house, holding the phone in one hand and a glass of juice in the other. – I just got home from work. Here, I’m enjoying the juice from my apples. This year’s harvest was great. And how are you?
– I’m fine, like any other person, – Ruslan chuckled. – I just wanted to know how your inventions are doing. Everything is ordinary and boring here in Astana, and you’re in Almaty, the city of creativity. I miss you and want to come to you. Well, tell me.
Yerlan stopped in front of one of the paintings on the wall, depicting a starry sky illuminated by soft moonlight. Taking a deep breath, he felt excitement rising inside him. He was ready to share his latest successes and hopes with his friend.
– Yes, Ruslan, I have one serious thing, – Yerlan began, feeling excitement rising inside him. – I recently developed a completely new closed system that can extract colossal energy from air under high pressure. Imagine a small disk half a meter high that has enormous lifting force. I called this invention DAG – Disk of Anti-Gravitation. Ruslan paused for a second, digesting what he had just heard, before his voice rang out again, slightly surprised:
– Wait, Erlan, what could this be used for? – Ruslan interrupted him sharply. – Of course, it sounds amazing! But you know, I’m not an engineer like you. So what is this, what did you call it, LHC for?
Erlan couldn’t help but smile at this persistent mispronunciation.
– No, it’s called D-A-G, DAG, – he corrected his friend, continuing to explain. – So far, I only see two main applications: aircraft and power plants. Although, perhaps, other options will appear, I don’t know yet.
Ruslan thought about it, his voice became more serious:
– And how much fuel will your planes and stations consume?
– That’s the point, my friend, that no fuel is needed, – Erlan answered, his voice was surprised, as if he himself did not yet fully believe it. – Everything works on clean energy, which this system can extract directly from the air. I myself do not believe it, but the calculations confirm it.
There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds before Ruslan spoke again:
– Hello, Ruslan, can you hear me?
– Yes, yes, I hear you well. I was just thinking, – answered Ruslan. – I know you, Erlan, everything you do is always very serious. Have you made a prototype yet?
– Not yet, – admitted Erlan, looking around at the pictures on the wall. – I am working on improving and simplifying the design. But you know, it will all come down to funding. Without investors, I will not be able to bring it to the end. Sometimes my hands just drop.
Ruslan thought for a moment before speaking again:
– Hold on, Erlan. I am sure that the investments will come. A little patience and persistence – and everything will work out.
At that moment, a horn of an approaching car was heard outside the window. Erlan looked towards the window, his attention was distracted.
– It seems that Aida and Sanzhar are back, – he said, heading for the door. – We need to go. Let’s call later?
– Of course, I’m in touch, – Ruslan answered, and Erlan heard short beeps on the line.
Erlan put the phone on the table and headed for the exit, anticipating a meeting with his wife and son. Evening family joys awaited him ahead, and he was ready to dive into them head first.
1:5 Mother and son. The door of the house swung open softly, letting Aida and Sanzhar into the spacious hallway. The aroma of freshly cooked pizza instantly burst inside, awakening the appetite even of those who, it would seem, were not hungry. Aida, with a slight tiredness on her face, but with sincere joy in her eyes, was holding several boxes of pizza in her hands, as if she were bringing a small holiday into the house. Next to her, beaming with a wide smile, Sanzhar proudly held a Forbes magazine, solemnly raising it above his head, as if showing the world his family achievement.
– Congratulate me! – Aida joyfully exclaimed, crossing the threshold and feeling how home comfort instantly envelops her.
Before she could finish speaking, Zhaniya ran down the stairs with a light clatter. Her eyes shone with joy when she saw her mother and brother. Suddenly everything in the room came to life, filled with children’s laughter and a sense of celebration.
– Hooray, it’s a party! – Zhaniya screamed, running up to her mother and brother, her ringing voice echoing throughout the house.
Yerlan, hearing the noise, came out of the kitchen, holding a still unfinished glass of apple juice in his hand. His face lit up with a smile when he saw that his entire family, gathered at that moment, was overflowing with joy. He watched with interest as the children gathered around Aida, as if she had brought not only pizza, but also something much more – a feeling of happiness and peace.
– Dad, look! – Sanzhar exclaimed, quickly running up to his father and proudly showing off the magazine. – Mom was published in Forbes!
Yerlan took the magazine from his son’s hands and, smiling as he flipped through its pages, saw the flashing faces of famous businessmen, politicians and public figures. On one of the spreads, his gaze lingered on an article whose title read: “Modern Neurology: Standards and Challenges.” An approving smile appeared on Erlan’s face.
– This is great, and I thought that only big businessmen and politicians were published here, – he said, continuing to leaf through the magazine.
– And now big scientists, – Aida added with a smile, watching how her success pleased her family.
– Well, I didn’t even notice how big you became, – Erlan joked, slightly raising one eyebrow.
– Now you’ll get it from me, – Aida responded with a playful threat, pretending to swing the magazine.
The family scene filled with laughter when Erlan pretended to defend himself from an imaginary attack, and Sanzhar and Zhaniya giggled, watching their parents’ cheerful squabble.
– Dad, why didn’t they publish you? – Zhaniya suddenly asked curiously, turning to her father.
Yerlan looked thoughtfully at his daughter and then, with a soft smile, said:
– When