The Blur Way

By Tony Gland

This book tells about a young man who is 21 years old. He moves from Russia to the USA and starts to study at the New York University. Parallelly he works in a publishing house and helps the editor in chief communicate with readers of the newspapers "New York For Everybody". In the process of this work he learns what he really needs in life...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tony Fedorsky
• Release date: Oct 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781547504886

Book preview

The Blur Way

Tony Gland

––––––––

Translated by Nina Šoltić 

The Blur Way

Written By Tony Gland

Copyright © 2017 Tony Gland

All rights reserved

Distributed by Babelcube, Inc.

www.babelcube.com

Translated by Nina Šoltić

Babelcube Books and Babelcube are trademarks of Babelcube Inc.

PROLOGUE

Several people in white robes stood in a circle in complete silence. Their faces were white as chalk and their clothes incredibly vivid and bright. White clouds hovered around them, but that was not a surprise as they got used to it long ago. They did not know for how long they were here. They knew only one thing – it was this unique place, where a man dwells before and after his earthly life.

One of the people in white robes made a light wave of his hand, and all the rest, as if they simultaneously received the signal, lowered their heads. The man started to pray, and all the rest listened to his words carefully. His prayer was not loud, nevertheless, each word was weighted and filled with deep meaning. After a few minutes, the man finished his appeal to God and raised his head. Everyone else did the same.

An incredibly loud voice, wading to the bone, sounded after few moments. This voice was like lightning, everyone situated in the Kingdom of Heaven knew to whom it belonged. However, no one standing in the circle felt fear as they knew perfectly well that hearing this voice was a great honour.

- I welcome you, brothers! – the voice of the Holy Heavenly Father rose. – I invited you all here to choose one of you who will agree to visit Earth and do a special task for me. You know that every person in the world has a purpose, otherwise they would not be created according to my will. But only few people had a special mission throughout this planet’s history. Specifically, they brought people back to the origins of faith - repenting and serving me. The names of my sons are, I believe, known to you – they are Jesus Christ, Mother Theresa and the prophet Joseph Smith. But now I need one more person – one of my sons, who will purge the world in this most difficult time, who will make it better and kinder. I gathered you here as I believe that one of you can take this mission upon himself.

Seven men, standing in a tight circle up to that point, now distanced themselves from each other; they were several meters from each other and were linked by some invisible thick thread. They could not see the Holy Heavenly Father in his physical form, but they could feel his spirit which got inside them and held them in his strong embrace. Each of the men was dedicated to his own thoughts: some had ambiguous smiles playing on their faces, some became a little saddened, some simply bowed their heads; however, one thing was clear – the words which the men heard a few moments ago reached their hearts and left a significant mark.

Meanwhile, the fatherly strict but not harsh voice was heard again:

- So, who amongst you would like to visit Earth?

A beautiful young man with dark hair and brown eyes raised his head.

- Maybe I could try it, Holy Heavenly Father, - he said.

- Okay, Tony, good. Are you sure you want that experience?

- Yes, absolutely, - the young man nodded without hesitation.

- Then... - It seemed that the Heavenly Father wanted to say something extremely important, but someone dared to interrupt him this time.

- Wait! – A middle-aged man with a beard shouted. – Please, Lord, send me to Earth. I can fulfil your divine will and guide this planet to the right path.

- No, Cedric, Tony will go to Earth. This is my final choice and I will not change it, - the Lord concluded sharply.

Cedric raised his hands to Heaven and cried.

- But why? Why did this happen? After all, I lived a righteous life and I was preparing myself for this. It is not fair, my Lord!

- I decide what is fair and what is not, Cedric. – the Spirit said reproachfully. Your job is only to accept my will in all situations. Everyone approach Tony.

Cedric, meanwhile, fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands, but stopped crying. After a few moments he found the strength to get up and approach everyone else. Tony was standing in the middle of the circle and everyone else put their hands on his head and stood around him.

In the next moment, God’s voice sounded again, but not as loudly as before. He sounded paced and calm, as a river, which flowed without depending on the circumstances and weather conditions:

- My son Tony, I bless you for the fulfilment of this mission on Earth and I pledge to give you strength to complete this task assigned to you, and also to support you in your actions. You will get through everything set before you and will get irreplaceable experience and my eternal blessing. So be it, amen.

After this, six men moved away from the circle in which Tony stood. But after a split second, a blinding flash occurred and instead of the young man, only a cloud of heavenly dust was left in the circle.

The oldest of the men took off his hood, which was covering his white face, and said enigmatically: God works in mysterious ways.

New York, 1995

Fate is unfair only at first glance.

O.M. Aïvanhov

Forty-seven-year-old Alan Bitter stood motionless before the window in his living room. The third arrival of the strange messenger carried the same requirements as the previous two. With his mind, Alan understood that this was resolved but he could not accept it with his heart. He looked at his child and, involuntarily, his eyes filled with tears. The time has come and now he was supposed to hand his child to the people from some other land. It was truly awful but Alan knew that he did not have any opportunity to fix this.

Certainly, Alan was wealthy enough and he could pay as much as was needed, but he knew that money would not help him now. About six months ago, a man came as a messenger of God to Alan’s home, and, in fact, he was not made from flesh and blood. He seemed... Intangible and shone with a very bright light. To this time, Alan remembered the stranger’s first appearance in his home with horror.

It happened at night a few weeks ago. Bitter was fast asleep after a hard day’s work, and suddenly felt that someone was softly calling his name. He immediately jumped in bed, trying to chase away the remnants of his dream. To his incredible surprise, it was not a dream at all – a man in white robes really stood before him. Something like a glowing halo hovered above his head and a long trail of strange light stretched behind him - not the moonlight or any other kind of light - Alan was unable to understand. The trail stretched into the distance, leaving the window and getting lost in the vast smoothness of the sky.

Trying to analyse what he saw, Bitter put on his horn-rimmed glasses with trembling hands. Lord, what is this? – whispered Alan, mostly to himself. But, to his surprise, the man in white robes heard him and spoke:

- I do not want to hurt you and my intentions are pure. I only do the will of God and I am his messenger in this world.

Alan Bitter’s brow was covered in sweat. Not a trace remained of his former sleepy state.

- I do not understand... - He was trying to speak as smoothly as possible, but he managed it with difficulty. – What do you want? Who are you?

- Your son was bestowed with great honour, - the stranger said calmly and warmly. – He was chosen by God and entrusted with a special mission.

- What mission? What are you talking about?

The man in white robes folded his hands together and looked at Bitter intently:

- Sometimes people cannot understand all that is happening because they are limited by their mind. Only God sees and knows everything. I merely know and do his will.

Alan felt a fit of rage. Why speak about this madness at all?

- Get out! – Bitter cried. – I do not want to hear any more! I will not give my child to anyone.

There was not a shadow of embarrassment nor surprise on the glowing face of the man standing in front of Bitter.

- Fine, I will leave. But think about our conversation once more later. It is a great chance for your son to do the society a great favour. I see that you are a reasonable and kind person. And I am sure you will make the right decision.

With these words, the man in white robes turned around and went to the window, from whence the carpet of moonlight stretched, with slow, smooth steps.

- Wait! – Alan cried suddenly. – What do you want?

The man in white turned around:

- Right now you are incapable of hearing that information.

- But still, - Bitter did not give up.

After a small pause, the stranger said:

- Your son cannot stay with you at the moment. He has to be handed to other people for education, to some other land.

- What?! – Alan barely managed to utter. His eyes widened with fear, a big lump formed in his throat.

The man in white put his leg on the window, preparing to leave.

- I was warned that this will not be easy. See you later, - he said and went to the carpet of light, stretching from the windowsill to the sky. To Alan’s surprise, the stranger did not fall down, he stepped quietly onto the light trail, as if it was a real hard cover.

Bitter looked at the wide open window with opened mouth. He did not remember a situation in his life when he was this bewildered. The first explanation that popped into his head was that everything that occurred was just an illusion. But after a second, Alan dismissed this assumption. This was not an illusion, - he repeated to himself again and again, - I saw this man and I know that I really talked to him.

Nevertheless, it was almost unreal to believe all this. Alan, try as he might, could not sleep a wink more that night and gave up, in his attempt to find peace, wandered into the kitchen where he threw a handful of grains into the coffee grinder. Then he wandered into the baby’s room and carefully looked at his sleeping son.

All in order, – Alan breathed a sigh of relief.

Having entered the kitchen, he filled a cup with fresh brewed coffee and started drinking it in small sips. While listening to the monotonous sound of the table clock, he stared blankly out the window, where the streets of New York gradually woke up from dreams.

Many thoughts revolved in the man’s head, the major of which were: Why do they need Anton? Who, in reality, was the visiting man? and Have I gone mad?

Sharply shaking his head, Bitter headed off to the bathroom to wash up. Taking his glasses off and splashing a handful of cold water on his face, Alan was trying to erase all events of the now-ending night from his mind. But doing that was almost impossible. The image of the stranger stood firmly in front of Bitter.

For the next three days the man tried to force himself to stay at the office and do all the necessary work. Bitter occupied a prominent position in a major pharmaceutical company and was working as a staff manager. Usually, it was easy for him to cope with his work, and he literally flew around the office, charging everyone with energy. However, he barely managed the work in the recent days. The images of the man with a glowing halo came to his mind, his head was throbbing, everything was falling apart...

Alan had nightmares every night: his boss Greg Fulton threatened to fire him... Then his ex-wife came to his home and said that they should live together again and raise their child together... And, finally, a man in glowing robes walked into his room through the window and repeated everything he had said the first time...

Suddenly, Alan realised that the last image was not a dream at all. To his horror and, at the same time, surprise, Bitter saw the man surrounded with a glowing aura in front of him.

God, help me... This cannot be, – Alan whispered, barely moving his lips.

- Alan, I will repeat this once more: your son will not be in any danger if you yield to my request. – The voice of the stranger sounded soft, nevertheless it echoed in Bitter's head.

- And if I do not yield to it? – asked Alan challengingly.

- That is not possible. God works in mysterious ways, - he heard the smooth voice of the stranger.

- Who are you? – Alan asked quickly, deciding to change tactics.

- I already explained it to you that I am the messenger of God. Alan, do not try too hard to analyse this situation with your mind. I simply ask you to believe. All religions of the world are filled with utmost wisdom and many believers perform great miracles. But all that would be impossible without faith. – The messenger came closer and warmly looked into Alan's eyes. – Just trust me.

- Why should I believe you? – Bitter said, still suspicious, but calmer, even with a slightly tired voice. – Yes, I believe in God, but where is the guarantee that you are not... A magician or a fraud?

The stranger smiled:

- There are no magicians in the world who can walk on air. - The he waved his hand: - Have you ever seen this?

- No, - Bitter confessed, remembering the path of light.

- Then why do you still not believe me?

Alan burst out laughing:

- You still have the audacity to ask this question? The second time you come to my home and try to convince me that I have to give my child away to God knows where. Is this normal, in your opinion?

The messenger, surrounded by white aura, stopped him by a calm gesture of his elongated hand:

- Alan, I know that some things are hard to understand, but still... Listen to me one more time.

Bitter sighed hard and, hesitating slightly, nodded:

- Fine, speak. – Anything, as long as you leave, – flashed in his mind.

- Our planet is in danger, - the messenger said in a serious tone. – People have long departed from moral norms, and a lot of them do not believe in God anymore. They believe in science, anti-science, education, anything but the Lord.

- You are mistaken, - Bitter interrupted him. – There are many believers in the world. Even amongst my friends...

- Alan, I have the overall situation in mind. In recent times, many people only pretend to believe. In reality, it is all a lie. – The messenger smiled bitterly: - You can go to church without having faith. You can pray without really talking to the Lord. You can read the Scriptures without understanding their true meaning...

After this, the Saint took fifteen minutes more and tried persistently and earnestly to prove to Alan that people on Earth already lost their true faith. Bitter could agree with much of what the stranger told him, but he still did not understand how did all that fit with his new-born son, Anton. The baby was now peacefully asleep in his crib in the next room and Alan felt a strong urge to go there and hug him.

Meanwhile, the messenger still talked about people’s negligence, about the decay of modern generations and much else... Bitter felt like he was coming down with a migraine. He sighed sadly, rubbed his temples and walked to the opened window to breathe in some fresh air. The messenger was, meanwhile, just finishing his lesson:

- Right now, the evil is not locked away where we are accustomed to look for it. Oftentimes we do not even see it when it is right in front of us.

While passing by the Saint, Alan accidently brushed him with his shoulder, but to his surprise, he felt nothing. It was unbelievable... The Saint was not made of flesh and blood, like a normal person. He was similar to some kind of hologram from a science fiction movie. Fascinated, Bitter stopped in his tracks and ran his hand through this man. The hand passed freely, he felt only a slight chill.

Unbelievable, - Alan thought. – How is this possible?

- What, you still do not believe? – said the Saint quietly, returning Bitter to reality.

- I thought that you were...

- Of flesh and blood? – the messenger suggested.

- Yes. – Bitter gulped.

The man with the glowing aura smiled:

- Flesh and blood – that was given to us by God for the life on Earth. Heaven, however, is governed by a different set of laws and our earthly body is of no use to us there. Because of this, you should have believed me immediately. But you did not do that, you justifiably decided that I am a man.

Alan was deeply shocked. Unable to look away from the messenger and fascinated by his glow, he stared, without blinking, in front of him. At that moment, Bitter thought that the Lord himself had come down from Heaven and was standing in front of him. Alan’s soul was suddenly filled with some sort of peace, which he did not experience in a long time. All thoughts were lost from his head at once, only the prayer Our Father came to mind. But he did not even want to utter it now. He wanted to watch the light in front of him and bask in the feeling of incredible bliss...

- Approximately, this is what we experience when we come to the Kingdom of Heaven, - the Saint said with deep respect, bringing Alan from a deep trance. After a pause, the messenger added: - Unfortunately many people forgot that they can feel it here and now, on Earth. Your son’s mission should remind them of that.

- But, how will he do that? – Alan barely managed to say. – Are you sure that he even can?

- Yes, he is capable of that, - the messenger confirmed with light pressure. – Of course, initially, he will not know his purpose, but everything will become clear later. The hand of God is going to lead him along his life’s path.

- You mentioned that he will be brought up in another land, - said Alan cautiously. – Can I ever see him?

- Of course, you are not parting with him forever. According to God’s plan, he will be there until the moment of his maturity. Then he will return.

Alan breathed a sigh of relief. I can see my son. Thank God!

- Can you tell me the exact date and year of his return? – he asked loudly and impatiently.

The messenger shook his head:

- No one knows that. But believe me, when that happens, you will certainly know about it.

Bitter nodded in agreement, although it was evident that something inside him broke, he was in a state of confusion. After coming to his bed, he sat down and put his head in his hands.

After a moment, Alan looked at the Saint with hope:

- Do you guarantee it?

The messenger paused.

- Not me. God guarantees it, – he said quietly but very thoughtfully.

- I think you have no reason to distrust him.

A minute passed, at which time Alan nervously ruffled his hair.

- Fine, - he said finally. – What do I have to do?  

- Rest until tomorrow, - the Saint said carefully. – You need strength. Be prepared for my arrival tomorrow night, shortly before midnight.

Alan nodded. Then he slowly inhaled and exhaled.

- Do you need anything else from me?

- No, only the child, - the messenger said calmly. - I have to go. I will see you tomorrow. – The man turned around, preparing to leave.

- Wait! – Bitter called him.

- Yes? - the said Saint softly.

- And these people... - Alan begun hesitantly, referring to the future parents of his son. – Are they good people?

For a few seconds it seemed that the messenger was thinking. Actually Alan knew it was not like that. The Saint was familiarized with everything beforehand. Just, obviously, he did not want to reveal the whole truth.

- Yes. They are very good, - the Saint said with a warm smile. – And at the given moment, he needs them specifically.

The messenger’s answer touched Bitter very much.

- But why? Why does he not need me now?

- Alan, you will understand everything in time, – the messenger reassured him. – I have to go now. See you.

With these words he left through the window and took a few steps on the carpet of light, after which he disappeared in the evening air. Almost immediately, his path disappeared behind him.

Alan took off his jacket and threw it on the sofa. A swarm of questions appeared in his head again, alas, he could not answer any of them. Bitter walked around the room with his hands in the pockets of his trousers. Only 24 hours, - the thought was stuck in his head, - and they will take him away from me... For an unknown period of time.

Suddenly, Alan had a simple, but at the time, incredibly good idea. This will solve everything, - Alan smiled conspiratorially, then hastily fetched a large travel bag and quickly started to throw things inside. Having put everything that was essential in, Bitter rushed to the laptop – I have to look for the upcoming flights from New York. Any state, any city, I want anything...

Drumming rapidly on the keyboard with his fingers, Bitter found a few flights; the next one leaving in an hour exactly.

- New Jersey, - Bitter read. – Suitable. With several mouse clicks, he bought two tickets for the flight. Having closed the laptop hastily, Alan shoved it into a case and then packed it into his travel bag.

Next, Alan Bitter closed the window tightly and dialled the taxi service from his iPhone. – Hello, I need a taxi to the Kennedy airport, - he said quickly into the phone. – Yes... Yes, come as quickly as you can. Thank you.

Bitter breathed a sigh of relief and went to the baby’s room. We leave this place in five minutes, - he whispered, caressing his son, - forever. And they will not be able to find us.

At that moment, Alan felt some kind of a force inside himself, which urged him to stay. It enveloped him and whispered: - Do not do this. Stay. Bitter struggled to get these urges out of his head, but they, on the contrary, came back with a renewed force.

Why Lord? – cried Bitter suddenly to himself. – Why all this? Help me, Lord, save me from all opposing forces. Alan did not even realise that he started to pray, uttering the prayer Our father. He had read The Bible a few times and knew many passages by heart, but Our father came to mind most often. Alan could not tell that this was his favourite passage from The Bible, but he agreed that it was one of the most iconic ones.

Alan did not know how much time he spent praying. He was awakened, kneeling, by a persistent and familiar sound. His tiny son lay beside him, wrapped in a diaper.

Fumbling on the floor with his hands, Bitter realised where the sound was coming from. The taxi service was calling him on his iPhone. With a trembling hand, Alan pressed the button, accepting the call.

- Good evening, Mr. Bitter. A taxi just pulled up in front of your house. It is a yellow Sedan.

Bitter was quiet. Something incredible happened during prayer. He could not explain it, but somehow he got the answer he was searching for the whole day. Now he knew that he does not need to go anywhere.

- Mr. Bitter? – A demanding female voice of the dispatcher was heard through the phone.

- Yes, I am here, - Alan replied. – Excuse me, I changed my mind. I do not need a taxi after all.

- Are you sure?

Bitter rejected the last doubts at once:

- Yes.

***

The following day Alan took another day (the third one in the last week) off work, saying that he is feeling incredibly bad. His boss Greg let one of his best employees stay at home, but not without reproach.

Bitter tried to spend every possible moment with his son. The time flew treacherously quickly – it felt as if someone changed the numbers on the clock in secret.

Alan was doing everything he could. He cooked breakfast and lunch all by himself, washed all the baby’s clothes, so that he can wrap his son in clean clothes in the evening. He also cleaned the flat – he washed the floors, vacuumed all carpets and carefully wiped the dust.

But, of course, Alan tried to spend most of the time with his son. It seemed that he always walked by him a million times, but only today he really saw all his facial features, every mound and ridge on his skin. Alan wanted this day to last on and on, but at this time, he felt his fate overtaking him rapidly, there was no refuge or escape.

Midnight was coming. Alan, forgetting everything, looked through the open window; into the distance, from whence a man was to appear, a man whom Bitter was expecting and not wanting to welcome at the same time.

The night took over everything, and nothing was visible in the room anymore, but Bitter did not care. He, on the contrary, wanted not to be seen by anyone right now.

Is all this really happening to me? – Alan asked himself.

Beside the man stood a hand carriage in which lay a heavy lump wrapped in a fresh diaper. Can he really change the world in the future? – Alan asked himself this question. – Surely, God himself can’t descend from Heaven and send his messenger to Earth?

Perhaps everything is possible in this world, – Alan answered his own question.

Suddenly, a faint light appeared in the distance. Then it started to grow bigger and bigger, turning into a light path. A white figure of a tall man, walking on this carpet, appeared in the distance. He was approaching quickly and, after a few seconds, Alan was able to recognize the familiar face and clothes.

Surely, no one can see him, except for me? – the man thought with horror. Indeed, it was midnight but people could still be seen on the streets. Alan thought it was risky for the messenger to move around in the sky, where everyone could see him. However, apparently he does not care, – the man concluded.

The messenger calmly entered through the open window and waved his hand warmly and friendly to Bitter.

- Everything in order? – he asked.

Alan barely managed a smile:

- Yes, if it is possible to say so, - he said.

- This is truly a great event; whose importance you may not understand yet. But it is not expected of you to understand. – The messenger touched Alan’s shoulder with his intangible hand. – The only important thing is that you carried out God’s will.

- Believe it or not, this did not bring me great joy.

- Yes, but remember Abraham from the Old Testament. He also agreed to sacrifice his son Isaac and he was blessed for it afterwards. And his son, as you know, was also all right.

Bitter grinned, realising that the ongoing situation replicates the scene from Old Testament in a frightening manner.

- Well, take him, - said Alan roughly, pointing to the hand carriage standing at his feet. – I have carried out your will after all... Long goodbyes, unnecessary tears... - He barely managed to say, feeling a lump forming in his throat inevitably.

The messenger, surrounded by light, took the hand luggage.

- Alan, I understand your sorrow, but believe me, soon it will change into joy and pride for your son.

Bitter said nothing.

- Actually, you carried out God’s will, - the Saint continued – and for that, you will be blessed. Such an honour presents itself only to the few.

- As far as I know, all people are blessed from birth, - Alan said indifferently, watching the carriage intently.

- True, but this is a special blessing, - the messenger said thoughtfully and, hesitating slightly, added: - It is difficult to describe it with words. Suffice it to say that only few are honoured this way.

- Thank you, but... I do not need any blessings, - Bitter said categorically, wiping away the tears that appeared on his face with a handkerchief. – I do not owe you anything anymore. Leave.

- Yes, pardon me, - the Saint said apologetically. He went back to the window, holding the carriage with the baby, nodded his head slightly: - Farewell, Alan.

Bitter did not reply. He observed the departing streak of light in complete silence. Soon it disappeared completely and Alan could not tell if it existed or not.

Bitter closed the window slowly, covered his face with both hands and began to sob helplessly

***

After just a few moments, thousands of miles away from New York, the same man in white robes walked silently through the deserted streets of Borovsk. In his right hand, he held a red bassinet with a baby.

Nothing in this world happens by accident, - he thought smiling. – Even this colour.

Approaching a wooden cottage, the messenger saw a light on the second floor. Larissa Fedorsky was working late, as always.

This too, was sealed beforehand, – the thought occurred in the Saint’s head.

Carefully placing the carriage at the front door, the messenger neatly put a note inside it, after which he uttered a short prayer and disappeared into the night.

The next morning, Larissa and Gleb Fedorsky discovered an abandoned baby on their porch. There was a small piece of paper inside the carriage, with a short explanation: This is Anton. Take care of him.

Chapter One

Ordinary Life in Borovsk

Russia, 2016  

It does not matter from what you die,

It is much more important why you were born.

Omar Khayyam

Anton Fedorsky barely found the strength to open his eyes and look at the ringing alarm clock. It was 6:30. He did not want to get up nor do the daily jog, but it was impossible to cancel. Removing the covers, the boy got up and went to the bathroom.

Despite the fact that it was only August, it was already cold enough outside, so Anton took a wool sweater with him. However, he knew that he is probably not going to need it because the cold weather was Anton’s favourite; when it came, the boy preferred to wear light clothes.

Two months have passed since Anton graduated from the University of Borovsk, but the young boy felt as if this significant event occurred only yesterday. At that time, Anton was preparing to enter a Master’s programme along with many of his fellow students, but the young boy decided to take a year off to determine the way in which he was going to build his future life. Only few days remained before his trip to the USA for his autumn internship. Anton had been looking forward to it for the whole year.

Watching the street, the young boy felt a pleasant breeze of the morning air and smiled sincerely. It was the perfect running weather today, fifteen degrees Celsius and no signs of rain. Having arrived to the stadium near his house, the boy threw his sweater onto the first row of seats and started jogging around the stadium. Anton’s standard morning run was three kilometres, but today he decided to give his muscles a rest and limited himself to two. Having run the first circle, Anton habitually returned his thoughts to his upcoming training in the USA.

In many ways this was an unexpected decision. As a matter of fact, in the last few years, Anton’s studying turned into an obligation which he performed out of respect for his parents, and himself as well; after all, it was foolish to leave the university after you have put a lot of time and effort into it. The problem was not even his profession – he always like psychology but, in addition to it, he had a lot of questions.

Due to some characteristics of the Russian education system and strong emphasis on theory, Anton felt that he cannot apply his skills in practise and really help people in solving their problems. And one day, while surfing the internet mindlessly, the boy accidently stumbled on an ad which gives Russian graduates the opportunity to go to New York and participate in a psychological study which allocated a grant. To participate in this programme one had to pass a competitive selection procedure (the competition, by the way, was quite large). Anton filled in an online application, but he did not put much hope into passing to the next round and being called for an interview. However, fate made this happen. The interview was fairly simple, even for Anton, even though the boy could not boast with perfect English. The questions were mainly about Anton’s Bachelor’s thesis. Having answered them without much difficulty, Fedorsky waited for the results of the interview. They came two days later in an email: the email said that he got the grant for participating in the research project and also that the costs of accommodation and insurance will be covered. Naturally, Anton was astonished with this gift from above, especially because only 50 students from the whole world were chosen for the grant. Therefore, calming his feelings and sensing the significance of this event, the young boy started to prepare for the trip and to brush up on his English because the programme started in less than a month.

Anton Fedorsky was now able to say that he found the necessary confidence for the trip to a new country, but alongside it, a lot of emotions and worries remained. His main worry was the thought that he was not going to feel comfortable in the USA. Needless to say, Russia was a country with its shortcomings (and big ones at that), but in the end, Anton was born in this country and he got used to it. It was unclear what he expected from the move – even for a short time.

However, the opportunity of travelling to the USA outweighed everything else. This was Anton’s dream throughout his life, and for the first time, it could come true.

After completing his run, Anton did the breathing exercises and gradually came around. Both parents were proud of his son – the nature endowed him with tallness, pleasant deep voice, calm personality, diligence and many other magnificent qualities. He was also popular with the opposite sex; however, he never had a girlfriend.

On his part, Anton always loved and respected his parents. He appreciated his mother as she was always able to listen to him, advise and help. Anton’s father was a very serious man and they did not communicate often, however, Anton remembered perfectly that his father never judged nor rejected him in difficult situations; on the contrary, he always tried to find the right solution to the situation.

Quite often, Anton regretted that his parents disagreed and that his father did field work, coming home only rarely. However, when you are twenty-one it is possible to understand such things. In the end, I can communicate with him as before, and as far as I am considered he will always remain one of my closest people, – Anton constantly reminded himself.

When he came home from his run, Anton carefully unlocked the doors, so that he would not wake his mother. Anton’s mother, Larissa worked as an editor in chief of a local magazine, writing about the life of the city. Larissa’s duties consisted of choosing articles for each number, editing those articles and coming up with the titles for them. Although the woman did most of her work in the office, something always remained for home. Yesterday, having worked late, Larissa fell asleep by the computer, surrounded by printouts and several magazine issues. Anton, having awakened to go to the bathroom, saw his mom in this position, moved her gently to the bed and covered her with a blanket.

Now when he was relieved that Larissa was still sleeping; he went to the kitchen quietly and made breakfast quickly. Touching his food only slightly, Anton suppressed hunger and went to take a shower. After showering, he went to his room, opened the window and started to do yoga breathing exercises – he did them every day, sitting in the lotus position after his run. That helped him to calm himself down and restore his body to the normal state after intense physical stress. Yoga teachers told the boy that yoga balances consciousness, helps perceive all events calmly, almost without emotions. Anton did not completely understand all this deep philosophy; it was much more important to him that he was able to put himself in order after stress or exercise.

After forty minutes, Anton finished the breathing exercises and meditation and returned to the kitchen, where he found his mother, awake and sipping coffee happily.

- By the way, coffee causes addiction, - Anton said with a smile.

- Maybe, but it helps me to cheer up, - Larissa retorted.

Anton took a cheese sandwich from the table.

- Did you finish the article yesterday? – he asked.

- Yes, almost. I still have to do several minor things, but overall it is finished.

Having chatted for another few minutes, Anton went to the porch and breathed in the fresh summer air. The weather was warm and pleasant. In the corner of his eye, he noticed the freshly grown weed in the garden. He headed off to the garden confidently and started to pluck it vigorously and without mercy. He spent the next hour digging in the ground and tidying the raised ground beds. Lately, he was the only one who cared about this – his mother was too busy at work and his father was rarely at home.

After finishing the routine work, Anton was pleased and relieved with the result and wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. He sat in the rocking chair located on the porch, yawned and felt that his eyelids were closing. Glancing at his watch, the boy smiled and thought that he had half an hour to spare. Why not use it for a nap?

Chapter Two

The First Meeting with Religion

We are told that when Jehovah created the world

he saw that it was good. What would he say now?

George Bernard Shaw

The rest of the day passed without any particular events. Only three days remained before the trip and the mental stress grew with every passing minute.

Anton had no idea what to expect from the trip to New York and that scared him most of all. The informational document, posted on the website for student exchange, did not say much. Fedorsky took the printout of the page from his desk once again and glanced at the text: The students selected for this programme will be obligated to give full support to the professors and researchers for the organisation of the psychological research... The main goal of the research is to identify the behavioural differences in teenagers and adults and to use this results for further scientific goals. Then there was a long list of the candidates’ requirements, accommodation conditions and the need to stay in the country for the duration of the programme – three months.

Three months, – Anton said to himself. After all, it is not long, but on the other hand... Fedorsky looked through the window – he could see the familiar Borovsk State University, from which he graduated recently. In the background he could see a lot of companies and factories providing half of Russia’s regions with rare metals and fabrics.

Anton experienced love for his home city, although he could not exactly explain why. Maybe he was like Lermontov: I love my land, but with a queer passion. The people here were not very friendly and, during his stay here, the boy had to suffer a lot of insults and embarrassments. However, there was a different side to it: while living in Borovsk, Anton Fedorsky received life experience every day, which deposited in his subconscious constantly. Now, when it was almost time for the trip to the USA, Anton felt that a certain part of his life is behind him, meaning it was time for something new. New and unknown.

The boy did not know what kind of experience awaited him. A strange emptiness sprang in his heart, mixed with anticipation for something light and breath-taking. Tearing his gaze from the window, Anton lovingly ran his hand on the torn volumes of The Bible, Quran, The Book of Mormon and Bhagavad Gita, which stood peacefully on the book shelf in Anton’s room. Every day, usually towards the evening, Fedorsky took one of these books, depending on his mood and read a few pages. This was a ritual, which originated five years ago, when Anton was sixteen.

Anton loved to remember those times. Back then he was not interested in religion, not even close. His hobbies were music, computer games and soccer. He worked diligently in school, but he was never distinguished with special achievements. He got nicknamed lucky in his class because he managed to get high scores in exams without preparing for them much. In fact, his secret was simple – nature endowed Anton with a tenacious mind and he was able to, when needed, reproduce long forgotten moments and facts.

At that time, Anton had already started to notice that people were endowed with unequal abilities. For example, he had a fine mind, but could not sing or draw at all. His school friend Andrew had an excellent aptitude for mathematics, but was completely ignorant in history and English language. Also, some guys in Anton’s school built relationships with their classmates easily, and others – try as they might, could not do that. Questions multiplied in Anton’s head exponentially, but there were no answers.

The situation could be resolved with his future profession; Anton understood he needed psychology. His parents tried to dissuade him from this strange decision because, in Russia, psychology was still not a very popular science. From their point of view, it would be more logical if their son studied engineering, mathematics or, in extreme case, journalism (his mother Larissa advocated the last profession especially). But Anton still insisted and enrolled to the university to study psychology and, in general, he did not regret it. Of course, the level of education at the university was not the highest, but there were some professors who lighted the fire in students to excel at their discipline.

The main amount of work fell to the students’ shoulders. Anton disappeared in the library for hours in order to gather materials for his research papers. And eventually, it was fruitful, Fedorsky defended his thesis brilliantly and graduated in the top five students for academic achievement in his class.

But all these achievements probably would not happen if Anton did not experience the support of higher spiritual forces during the time of his education. As it was already mentioned, when Anton was sixteen, he experienced a religious revolution.

One day, when he was returning home after class, walking through the park, he met two foreigners, they were talking amongst themselves cheerfully and were heading towards him confidently. Ever since childhood, Anton experienced some constraint when he saw foreigners on the street, he cowered involuntarily and was afraid to say anything in their presence. The young boy suspected that the main reason for this was the persistent language barrier. While he was in high school, Anton could not speak English very good and it was not exactly his favourite subject. Only later, when Anton started to interest himself in the language on his own, he discovered that there was nothing complex in speaking that language and the main thing was – it helped him overcome his fear. Now, when he was twenty-one, he calmly texted and talked to many people in English, but then, at sixteen, all was different...

- Извините, вы говорите по-английски? Excuse me, do you speak English? – one of the Americans asked in Russian.  He was stocky, fit and pleasant in appearance. He had a bag on his shoulder, a notepad and a pen in his hands.

- Yes, - Anton mumbled. Incomprehensible, unrestrained fear started to rise