Plague fair

“There are no constant friends and no constant enemies, only interests are constant” – Winston Churchill.

A silver airbus landed at Heathrow Airport. The London air was moist and fresh.

– Solomon Grande? – the British border officer read in the passport, – the purpose of your visit?

– Business. To participate in a scientific congress.

– Are you a scientist? In what field?

– Actually, I'm an infectious disease doctor, a plague specialist. We will have a conference here on this topic.

The officer slapped the stamp in the passport. The way to the country was open.

– Solomon!

It was Yesenia's voice. They met on the social media, first on a professional basis, and then friendly relations began.

This is exactly how Solomon imagined Yesenia: with her father's Irish-toned nose, her transparent, ever-smiling eyes, and her unusually white-skinned. But, her figure was fattening, figure she took after her Colombian mother.

Solomon joyfully stepped forward and they embraced like good friends.

–Welcome to London! So tell me, how did you arrive?

–There is no direct flight from our country. I flew through Rome.

They approached the silver “Golf”.

– Hey Solomon! We've the steering wheel on the right and the passenger on the left. Look, don't confuse.

Yesenia laughed lightly. Solomon liked this lack of complexes very much.

Soon they reached the city center. Solomon peered avidly at the famous London landscape. He is in the capital of Great Britain-unbelievable, but true! His report was included in the congress program at the last moment.

–Thank you, Yesenia! It was you, who facilitated my arrival.

–Your work on the plague is unique. Without it, no one would have considered my opinion.

Yesenia drove into the famous Oxford Street and turned towards the prestigious May Fair district, and soon the car pulled up at the door of the Victorian-style hotel.

The spacious hall was fragrant with spring. Right in the middle were huge vases with freshly cut branches of blossoming Sakura trees. Real wood burned in a large fireplace. Around them, sitting comfortably in armchairs, the guests read the latest newspapers.

Solomon's attention was attracted by rare photographs on the walls. On one of them, Sir Winston Churchill with his constant cigar was depicted at the entrance to the hotel. On the other- Her Majesty the Queen of England in front of the hotel.

They approached the front desk, behind which stood a graceful blonde girl.

–Sir, unfortunately, your room will be ready by three o'clock. Please wait in the meantime.

–Yesenia! You'll have to keep me company until three o'clock.

–Aren't you tired? Would you like to take a nap in a armchair by the fireplace?

– Napping during the day in this splendid city, in the company of such a charming girl! That's outrageous.

– Then let's go, sir!

They walked along the streets of May Fair, and the girl told the guest about London.

Solomon liked the company of Yesenia more and more. The ease of communication, the eternal charming smile on his face-all this attracted him very much.

– Listen Yesenia! If you don't mind, let's have some to eat. I won't turn down an English steak with chips.

– That's a good idea. There's a cheap but cozy pub not far away where the chef makes wonderful steaks. Let's go.

– A fine drink, – Solomon said, smacking golden ale in the pub.

– The ale is pumped from barrels stored in cellars. Previously, the water in the Thames was a source of all sorts of infections, including plague, and the inhabitants used ale as drinking water.

–So the plague killed the people here to?

–It did, and more than once. Rats and fleas. The banks of the Thames were crawling with them. There were many inhabitants. They settled in the slums next to the river. The years 1665 and 666, Satan's numbers, were fateful for London. It began with the great plague. People were not buried in time, and corpses were dumped into the marshes. At the same time a great fire broke out in London. All the shacks and wooden buildings burned. The city was nearly destroyed, but most importantly, the slums and rats disappeared, and with them disappeared the plague.

Solomon listened carefully to the story.

– And where are these swamps now, where they threw those who died of the plague?

–They are right under us, – Yesenia said in a whisper.

–Under us?

–Yes! The May Fair was built on the site of former swamps where corpses were dumped. Then there were fairs, hence the name. Well, now there are expensive hotels and restaurants.

–Are you saying that under us are the bones of those who died from the plague?

Solomon's eyes sparkled, either from ale or from the word "plague".

–Yes! Thousands of bones, victims of a terrible epidemic. But now it is not customary to talk about it out loud. You see, Solomon, everyone forgot about the plague. For many, it simply does not exist.

– Because doctors and antibiotics were able to curb it and keep it under control. But, as soon as this control relaxes, the irreparable happens.

Their faces were so close that they could feel each other's breaths.

Solomon's cell phone beeped.

"Welcome to London, Solomon," the message was.

At the end, there was the signature "Yersinia".

–Something serious?

– What a stupid English joke!

– Why do you think it's English? It could be from another country.

– Maybe. But, notice who it's signed by. Just when we were talking about the plague, Mrs. Yersinia herself sends me a message. Isn't that what plague bacillus is called in microbiology?

– Did you think that this letter was from me? So know, Solomon – my name is not Yersinia – plague bacillus. My name Yesenia, very different and means “beautiful”!

Yesenia said this in an offended voice.

– Yes! You are really beautiful! Okay, let's forget this stupid joke.

– Solomon! Your eyes say it's time for you to sleep.

Solomon silently agreed with Yesenia. His eyes closed on their own.

Soon he was alone, going up to the his room.

A beam of mean English sun penetrated the room through the curtain.

After a quick breakfast of English style eggs and bacon, Solomon went to the porter.

An elegantly dressed middle-aged man approached Solomon.

– Good morning, sir! Let me introduce myself, my name is William Spencer. I'm the head of hotel security. If you have any problems, please come to me personally. Here's my card.

– Thank you very much. But, so far I have only one problem – to get to the conference on time.

A London cab drove Solomon to his destination. He was on his way to the conference he had dreamed of all his life.

Solomon got out of the car and looked at the well-built building of the middle of the 20th century.

After filling out an application and other formalities, Solomon received his badge and the conference program.

"Where is Yesenia?" he thought.

"I'm in a cafe, on the third floor"– a message came from Yesenia.

She was sitting at a table in the company of a swarthy guy.

–Meet Solomon, my friend Carlos, who arrived from Colombia.

–Pleased to meet you, – said Solomon.

Carlos had black curly hair that contrasted with colorless eyes. His appearance was not credible. However, they began to drink coffee. Carlos and Yesenia talked to each other in Spanish, and Solomon got bored.

“ The third one is clearly redundant” thought Solomon and said:

– Okay, my friends. I'll go and listen to the lecture on genetic engineering,

–See you later, when you're free, – answered Yesenia.

The day flew by imperceptibly. An SMS from Yesenia came to the phone.

"I suggest we take a boat trip on the Thames."

"Great idea! Where and when? "

"Meet me at the pier near Big Ben in half an hour”.

The first thing Solomon saw as he drove up to the rendezvous point was that Yesenia was alone, fortunately without the unpleasant Carlos.

She was wearing a tight black dress that both accentuated and highlighted her not modeled but attractive figure. Her lush ashy hair was folded into a purple headscarf, and a necklace of black pearls adorned her snow-white neck.

– You look just gorgeous! You have great taste! – Solomon said.

They sat in the catamaran as it sailed down the Thames. They sailed on, and Yesenia told about the sights of the British capital that came into view as they sailed.

Solomon listened, and his gaze was drowned in the abyss of her large, clear eyes.

What a miracle Mother Nature had created by crossing her children from different parts of the world-an Irishman and a Colombian! The creation turned out to not have a very model-like appearance, but after all, women are not born to strut around on catwalks with long legs and a subtle body. Women are born to attract the attention of men, who will appreciate them and want to have offspring from them. That is how Mother Nature intended it, and that is the process, that is now taking place between Yesenia and Solomon.

By the end of the river walk, the London weather had broken up-the clouds over the Thames had cleared and the sun was shining.

Yesenia face lit up even more.

– We must ride that wheel in this weather,– she said, pointing to the "London Eye".– I hope you're not afraid of heights.

–With you, Yesenia, I'm not afraid of anything.

They crossed to the left bank of the Thames and soon found themselves in a glass cabin at a height of 140 meters. The view from there was amazing.

Yesenia untied the purple kerchief and let loose the luxuriant tresses of her ashy hair, whose fragrance enchanted Solomon and made him take his eyes away from the panorama of the city.

– You're beautiful! – said Solomon softly.

Their faces drew together. It seemed that they would kiss each other a moment later.

Yesenia was the first to come to senses. She pulled away slowly, looking around with a smile at the other passengers in the cabin.

Over the Thames, the night lights were lit.

–It's time for me to go home, Solomon, and you go to the hotel and get ready for tomorrow's performance.

Solomon completely forgot that he had a performance tomorrow. So, he returned to the hotel, went down to the business center and plunged into work.

"Good evening, Solomon."

An unfamiliar caller requested contact on the screen.

"Who are you and what do you need?"

"My name is Yersinia."

"Yersinia is the name of the plague microbe."

"And I am the plague microbe. Now your report is about me.”

"How do you know what I'm doing right now?"

Solomon looked around. There was no one in the business center.

“You are looking for me in vain. You will not find me. I'm a little.”

How does she manage to find out about everything that happens to him?

"Can you turn on the camera and show yourself?"

"Do you want this so much?"

"Yes, I want to see you."

"Well, look Solomon, you asked for this yourself. It’s not my fault."

Solomon hesitated. Why should he be afraid? After all, the plague isn't transmitted over the Internet.

"I didn't change my mind. Turn it on.”

Yersinia's video window lit up, and Solomon made out a female figure sitting with her back to him. Suddenly, rats appeared and began to climb on the back of the sitting woman.

–Turn to face me, Yersinia! Turn around!

The figure turned sharply, so that the rats flew off shoulders. Solomon gasped in horror. The terrible Mask of Death was looking at him! In the next moment, there was terrible hysterical laughter.

Solomon put an end to this nightmare with one click. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead. The sound of the phone suddenly ringing threw him up in his chair.

– Hello! Solomon! -he heard the voice of Yesenia.

–Yesenia is you?

–It’s me. So I decided to call you.

–You did the right thing. Please turn on the camera. I really need to talk to you live now.

Yesenia turned on the camera.

–Look, this is my bedroom.

She herself was in a pink nightgown with lace sleeves. After the nightmare, Solomon took pleasure in looking at the object of his sympathy.

–You don't really stare at my sleepy face.

–Come on! Is it possible to see it on a tiny screen? I just want to see you.

– Well! That enough. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight Solomon.

– Goodnight Yesenia.

When Solomon opened his eyes, it was already light enough.

Solomon opened the toilet lid to empty his bladder and saw something that made him slam the lid back on with a cry. A huge rat bounced around inside.

Solomon hurriedly pressed the flush button and, after waiting a little, carefully opened the lid again. The rat was still there. Solomon rushed out of the room and ran into the hall, shouting loudly:

–There's a rat in my bathroom!

If a bomb had exploded in the hall, it would have had less effect than what Solomon said. Half-naked, barefoot, with tousled hair and bulging eyes, he looked like a madman.

The first person to run up to him was the head of the hotel's security service, the same Mr. Spencer. He quickly took Solomon by the arm and led him aside.

–Mr. Grande, please calm down and explain what it all means?

–I want to ask you, what does it mean when I wake up and see a rat in the toilet bowl?

–Sir, you understand that with your obscene appearance and the word "rat", you are spreading panic in our hotel and scaring off visitors.

–I understand everything very well, but, what can I do, if I have a rat in the toilet? Do not doubt that if there were an elephant, I would gladly say the word “elephant”.

–Mr. Grande, understand. Our hotel's 100-year reputation is at stake. Rats can't just show up here. This is a carefully planned provocation, and therefore, I ask you to describe in detail everything that happened to you.

Solomon told everything that had happened to him, not forgetting to mention Yesenia, her friend Carlos, the messages sent by Yersinia, and even more so, yesterday's terrible communication on the computer.

Spencer listened to him attentively, took some notes, and said:

–Sir, you will now go to the conference and behave as you did yesterday. I mean to take part in scientific meetings and also to continue the carefree pastime with Yesenia. I asked for one thing, so that no one would know about our conversation. No one should suspect that you shared your doubts with me with your friend Yesenia. It is possible that she is involved in this case. Yesenia is the only one in this city who has complete information about you. Is it true?

–Yes, it is!

–Do you already have my card? Now you write down your phone number.

Solomon came to the conference. At last came the solemn moment, which he had been waiting for all his life. At a highly professional forum in the imperial capital, his name and the name of the country were announced.

He ascended the pulpit.

–Dear chairman, ladies and gentlemen, Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to speak at this prestigious forum.

The fact that our society has forgotten about the plague is the great merit of doctors of several generations, including ours. However, such well-being can lull our vigilance and cause the plague to reappear with even greater force. After all, it is enough to steal or buy a developed antibiotic-resistant strain of the plague bacillus, inject it into a chicken embryo, dry it, place it in an aerosol can, and inject it into the ventilation system of any institution, or just a residential building. You know, colleagues, how contagious the plague infection is. Of course, modern medicine will be able to weaken and localize the focus, and if earlier the death rate from the plague was up to 90%, now it is much lower at up to 10%. However, I think that none of those sitting in this hall doubts that fear and panic will seize our society if plague patients appear among us.

There was complete silence in the hall. Everyone listened with interest to the speech. Yesenia was also present in the hall and listened attentively to him.

Suddenly, Solomon saw how Carlos sat down next to Yesenia and began to say something quickly to her. Yesenia's face tightened and became concentrated.

Solomon continued his speech by presenting to the public interesting data from previously unpublished methods and experiments.

Suddenly, Solomon saw that Yesenia's place was empty. Carlos disappeared with her.

"Where did they go in such a hurry? – thought Solomon, – and the phone is turned off!”

At this time, the chairman called a break, and those present in the hall began to go out.

Solomon ran up to the third floor towards the cafe; it was empty there.

A message has been received on the mobile phone. Solomon immediately opened it; it was from Yersinia.

"Don't look for her."

The number again was undetectable.

“Come back to the conference!”

“Someone is watching my every move. And this someone is very close."

Solomon began to look around carefully. Nothing suspicious.

"This someone controls my every step."

Solomon looked down. The break ended and the conference participants entered the hall.

Instead of going downstairs, Solomon quickly walked towards the cafe.

–Where is your emergency exit? – he asked the waiter.

– Over there, through the kitchen.

Solomon passed the kitchen and went down to the first floor in the service elevator. Another door, and now he was in the backyard.

"Do you think you could hide from me?"

Solomon took off his badge, turned it over in his hand, and, without thinking, threw it into the trash.

"Now let, the plague bitch, look for me in the garbage."

London cab pulled up in front of his raised hand.

–Where shall we go, sir? – asked the taxi driver.

–To the Tower, – called Solomon, the most popular excursion route in London.

The taxi arrived to the Tower. Solomon bought a ticket and headed to the fortress. The guide talked about the history of the Tower, about the ravens, about the prisoners, and about the jewels of the Royal dynasty. The phone was still silent and Solomon calmed down.

"So all this time she followed me through this stupid badge."

Solomon dialed Yesenia's number.

The phone was still off. He nervously tossed it into his pocket, but then the bell rang.

–Hello, Mr. Grande. Did I disturb you, sir? – Solomon recognized Spencer's voice.

–Absolutely. I'm even glad you called.

–It something the matter, sir?

–Yes, it happened. Yersinia monitoring my every step.

–Where are you now?

–On a tour of the Tower.

– Fine. After 30 minutes, go to the Royal treasury. This is the safest place in London. I'll meet you there.

–Agreed.

Solomon entered the royal treasury with a crowd of tourists. A huge wall was showing a movie about the coronation of the Queen of England. Then began the treasury itself. Solomon noticed the massive half-meter-thick iron doors.

"What a safe place this is,"– he thought, as he looked at the crown, which bore a huge diamond.

–Good afternoon, Mr. Grande, – someone nearby said softly.

–It's good to see you, Mr. Spencer.

–A very original place for rendezvous, isn't it, sir? – Spencer smiled, -Do not be surprised, but this is the most protected place in London. Here, every inch is carefully viewed and recorded. I know this well. I worked in the tower security service for 7 years. Now tell me, what happened to you today?

Solomon began to tell the story in order, not concealing the disappearance of Yesenia, the letters received from Yersinia, and the badge thrown into the trash.

Spencer listened carefully and said.

–To be honest, I don't see any crime, sir. Someone's stupid jokes that you take too painfully. Drive back to the conference, sir, and for God's sake, don't take it so personally.

Spencer's words calmed Solomon somewhat and he regained his peace of mind. They headed for the exit. Solomon got into a taxi and drove towards the institute.

Phone rang. The number was unfamiliar but memorable because the last digits coincided with the date of Solomon’s birth.

– Solomon, where are you? – he heard Yesenia's voice.

–Is that the same I wanted to ask you. Where did you run after my performance? And the phone is off.

– They took my mother to the hospital. She had another heart attack. I was with her the whole time. My phone has been dead since morning. I'm using the other one now. So, Solomon, where are you now?

–I was on a tour of the Tower.

–Have you gone f…