And here he is, at a depth of thousands of meters, in the blueish darkness of water. He wants to die, but he is denied it. And forgiveness is denied, too. He keeps silent with infinity around him, he remembers day after day and face after face. What can be more natural than a miracle? Who was the first to say that?
Now he can definitely see the sunlight. Up there, above the ocean abyss is far, far away. The sun can't get in here, science denies it.
Science. Science can't really do anything.
Moreover, to know infinity.
The face still appeared before him. My elder sister. She smiles, sculpts a figure of a penguin out of clay. He blows on it, pulling his lips into a tube. The penguin comes to life and walks along the lakeshore. The sister laughs. In a few days she dies: she has some incurable form of cancer. And three-year-old Colt Browning will forget this day. To remember many years later. What could be more natural than a miracle? These are her words. She smiled, kissed him on the forehead and disappeared from his life. Maybe that's why the words "Colt, there are wizards in the world" once didn't surprise him as much as they could. Maybe that's why he immediately gave his consent to the questionable task.
Browning opened his eyes with an effort. He wanted to think a little more about the strange Pervert family, because he was completely finished in this damn ocean, in this infinity, in his personal Gethsemane garden. But he did something else. He raised his head. As soon as the water column, holding by the throat allowed it.
- If you hear me and I have the right to return... Give me a sign.
Thoughts seemed to be pressed by water, too. They didn't want to think normally, but Browning tried his best. He hoped they would hear him. No, I knew they would. And…
Something with the splash appeared next to it, crashing into the water. In the first minute, when the bent Ugorus Luzh tried to talk, bubbles flew out of his mouth, immediately turned into little dolphins and began to circle around his head senselessly. Having noticed his mistake, Ugorus hastily snapped his fingers and formed around them something like a small circus dome - only without tigers.
- There...- Luzh exhaled, leaning against the wall. - Miss Susie... the children...
- Quiet, my son, Browning slapped him on the shoulder. Hearing my own voice was pretty strange. - What's going on with you?
- Bubblegum... - Looge lowered his head. - It was all him...
Browning wasn't suddenly happy about it. He experienced about what a criminal would have experienced, probably, if he had robbed a bank the day before the money was cancelled and mythical socialism imposed on his teeth was introduced in the country. Bubblegum, huh? But Browning almost wanted to believe that there really wasn't a single bad person in Pervers. A great sinner. Meanwhile, Ugorus continued to sprinkle the head with ash (apparently magical), not imaginary, but quite real, extracted directly from the mantle pocket:
- This is my fault. If I could guess, all this wouldn't have happened to you either! And I know that I have no right to ask for your help because we have caused you to lose your faith! A colleague... like you... Father... Reverend... I...
A second or two of Browning decided. Finally, he answered:
- Faith? Me? What are you talking about, she's with me, as always. Can't ask for help? Then just ask for it. As it is written in Scripture, knock and you will be opened.
- A... - Thinking about it, Luzh shook off a decent slide of ash from his head and knocked on the air dome. - Will you help to eliminate the most matte Arnold squad from the Ministry to save our pedsoldiers?
Browning smiled against his will:
- Of course, Ugorus. Go ahead. Probably... I am still more of a detective than a priest.
Before he disappeared and appeared in Rector Bublgum's office, he felt the water pressure again. With his head back, he looked up. The sun was shining in thousands of meters. Browning wasn't sure yet that the noisy appearance at the bottom of the Luzhge ocean was a sign that God had completely forgiven his adventurous servant.
And it wouldn't disappoint anyone.