Medically Reviewed by Poonam Sachdev on June 24, 2022
Try a washcloth soaked in warm water on your tired, achy eyes. Warm compresses can:
Wash your hands before you start so bacteria doesn’t get in your eyes. Dip your washcloth in water that you've boiled (to sterilize it) and cooled until lukewarm. Then put it on your eyes for 5-10 minutes, or as long as your doctor advises.
Different tasks call for different types of light. While you watch TV, it's easier on your eyes to keep the room softly lit. When you read, put the light where it's behind you and pointed toward the page, out of your eyes. On digital screens, adjust the brightness to match the level of light around you. Also, adjust the screen's contrast, so your eyes don't have to strain to see.
With these prescription eyeglasses, your eyes can focus at computer screen distance. That's about 20-26 inches from your face. Some have special lenses to help you quickly shift focus between close, middle, and far distances. Before you go shopping, understand that computer glasses are not the same as those that block blue light. Blue light-blocking specs may make you more comfortable, but they don't always prevent eyestrain.
Eye experts link this technique to an alternative therapy called The Bates Method, named for eye doctor William Bates. He questioned whether glasses were the only way to fix a person's vision. Research shows his method doesn't correct eyesight, but palming could help to ease eyestrain. Cup your palms over your closed eyes, putting no pressure on your eyeballs. The idea is that this can help to relax your eyes.
Small tweaks can make a big difference to your eyes. Make sure your screen is about arm's length (20-26 inches) away from your face. The center of the screen should be slightly below eye level (4-5 inches). It helps to have a chair you can move up and down.
Adjust the text size so you don't squint. And try a document holder next to your monitor for printed papers. This limits how much you move your eyes back and forth.
Tea bags are good for more than a hot drink. They also work as a relaxing cold compress for your eyes. After you've brewed chamomile or regular tea, put the bags in a clean container in the fridge. Once they've cooled, put them on your eyelids to help soothe your eyes and reduce swelling. Make sure you've washed your face and hands well and taken out your contacts. And don't get any tea in your eyes.
Your eyes have muscles, and they can benefit from a workout, too. Try this: Hold your finger a few inches from your eyes and focus on it. Then, focus far into the distance, then back on your finger. Repeat a few times. Or, close your eyes, roll them up toward the ceiling, then down toward the floor. Look to the right, then left. These exercises may help ease eye fatigue. But they won't actually make your eye muscles stronger.
Experts say that when you use a digital device, you should take regular screen breaks. They recommend the 20-20-20 rule. Take a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet away every 20 minutes. Another tip: for every 2 hours of screen time, rest your eyes for 15 minutes.
When your eyes are dry, they feel more tired. Use a humidifier to add moisture to the air and your eyes. A humidity level of at least 45% is best. Also, adjust your thermostat or move away from vents so dry air doesn't blow on your face. If you smoke, think hard about quitting.
Over-the-counter or prescription eye drops relieve dry, tired eyes. Use them even when your eyes feel fine to keep them moisturized and stop your symptoms from coming back. Or, if you prefer to make natural tears, remember to blink more often, especially when you're on a digital device. We usually blink 15 times in a minute. But when we're on a computer, that drops to 5-7 times.
IMAGES PROVIDED BY:
1) WebMD / Alexander Hadjidakis
2) Getty
3) Getty
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SOURCES:
UCLA Health: "Computer-Related Eye Fatigue.
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Mayo Clinic: "Mayo Clinic Q and A: Relief for your dry eyes," "Eyestrain," "A look inside your eyes."
University of Rochester Medical Center: "Ice Packs vs. Warm Compresses For Pain."
University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center: "Eyelid Spasms (Eye Twitching or Eye Twitch)."
All Wales Medicine Study Group: "Dry Eyes Syndrome."
Optometry and Vision Science: "Blue-blocking Filters and Digital Eyestrain."
Journal of Physical Therapy Science: "Effects of yogic eye exercises on eye fatigue in undergraduate nursing students."
Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics: The Journal of the College of Optometrists: "The Bates method, elixirs, potions and other cures for myopia: how do they work?"
Bates Method International: "Palming."
Molecular Medicine Reports: "Chamomile: A herbal medicine of the past with bright future."
Johns Hopkins Medicine: "How to Get Rid of Bags Under Your Eyes."
Harvard Medical School: "Most cases of pink eye (conjunctivitis) don’t require antibiotics.
"
National Institutes of Health: "Exercises and Stretches."
University of Rochester Medical Center: "Don't Ignore Dry Eyes."
Prevent Blindness: "Computers and Your Sight."
American Academy of Ophthalmology: "Computers, Digital Devices and Eye Strain."
American Optometric Association: "Computer Vision Syndrome."
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By Autumn Sprabary
Tired eyes can look puffy or swollen, bloodshot or irritated. What causes tired eyes? Your eyes can look and feel tired for a number of reasons, including allergies, lack of sleep, diet and digital eye strain.
What can you do to give your tired eyes a rest? Five ways to get relief from your tired eyes include taking screen time breaks, drinking more water and getting your eyes checked.
Between TVs, computers, tablets and smartphones, screen exposure is at an all-time high, and that takes a toll on your eyes.
To avoid tired eyes, take both mini and longer breaks from your computers and digital devices to allow your eyes to rest.
For mini breaks, we recommend the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen and focus on an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This gives the tiny muscles in your eye the chance to relax for a moment.
For longer breaks, we recommend you get up and stretch your legs, neck and back. While you do this, try closing your eyes to give them a bit of rest.
Allergies can wreak havoc on your eyes. How? Allergens trigger a release of histamine in the body, which causes blood vessels to dilate and your eyes and nose to feel itchy and irritated. Allergies also cause swelling, which makes your eyes look puffy and tired.
If allergies are the cause of your tired eyes, take an antihistamine — either an over-the- counter or prescription variety — to make your eyes look less puffy, red and swollen and feel less itchy.
Avoid other allergy triggers, like driving with your windows down or spending time outdoors during allergy season, to keep your eyes from looking and feeling tired.
Your tired eyes may just be dry, and there are some easy things you can do to keep your eyes hydrated.
Dry eyes can be caused by several factors, including age, certain medications and too much screen time, all of which can make it difficult for your eyes to stay moist.
If your tired eyes are caused by too much time staring at your digital devices, the simple solution is to blink frequently. (See No. 1: Take breaks from your screen time.)
If blinking doesn’t make your eyes look less tired, artificial tears can offer relief and help your eyes look clearer and brighter. To learn which eye drops are best for you, consult your eye care provider for a recommendation.
The best way to hydrate your eyes is by drinking plenty of water. When your body is dehydrated, it often results in dull or tired-looking eyes and skin.
Drinking more water is good for your eyes and your overall health.
Tired eyes can often be relieved with warm and cool compresses placed on your eyes. This remedy will not only improve the appearance of your eyes, but it feels great and gives you a chance to pamper yourself.
Here’s what to do: Place a warm compress over your eyes to relax your eye muscles. Then place a cool compress on your eyes to increase the blood flow to your eyes. This reduces the swelling and puffiness and makes your eyes appear more alert and awake.
Applying warm and cold compresses is a home remedy for tired eyes that is a quick fix. It’s only a temporary solution, though. You should address the underlying cause of your tired eyes (you may want to consult your eye care provider) and work toward a more permanent remedy.
Your tired eyes may be the result of an outdated vision prescription.
If it’s been a while since you had your eyes checked, find an eye care provider near you and book an appointment.
Your vision changes over time. A prescription for glasses or contact lenses that helped you to see clearly two years ago may be the source of your eye strain and tired eyes now.
Your tired eyes may also be a sign that you need glasses or contacts now, though you have never needed vision correction before.
We recommend getting a comprehensive eye exam every two years, unless you have an underlying condition that requires more frequent visits.
Your eye care provider can make sure your prescription is accurate, and they will be able to assess your tired eyes and offer some additional suggestions for relief.
Page published on Monday, April 27, 2020
A day has already crossed its border,
His term has expired so quickly,
The night has come to replace him,
Kind words, darling, I wish you.
The stars will fall furtively to the ground,
You will close your tired eyes,
And fall asleep on a soft bed
True, this evening without me.
It's a pity that I can't press it to my heart,
And wish you good night,
My heart warms like a crazy stove,
I can only write to you. nine0006
Separate, we are alone now,
My beloved, sleep soundly, sweetly,
Do not forget about me in the morning,
Start a new day with SMS.
Am I disturbing your sleep, my love?
Alone, I fall asleep for a very long time,
And I miss your touch,
But I always wish you sweet dreams.
Sleep, beloved, dear, my dear,
The closest in the world, dear to my heart,
Sweet night, sleep soundly,
And say hello to me in a dream.
Stars will fall to earth from the sky,
And they will start to break your window,
You, under the starry rain, rest,
And quietly close your eyes.
The night rushed in and took out a blanket,
A starry silhouette is dancing in the window,
Good night, my best boy,
Know, beloved, I am always with you.
The beautiful Moon is knocking on the window,
And the stars behind the glass are dancing madly,
Good night, I miss you,
And peacefully guarding our love.
I can't sleep, I'm sad again,
Every minute I look at my watch,
I'm waiting for my eyes to close,
And I'll be able to see you in the morning.
I know you're still awake,
And you're on the Internet until the morning,
Fly to the world of dreams and stay there, baby,
I miss the way you snore.
A bright star fell asleep in my arms,
And the dream calls you into its arms,
I miss you, I'm waiting for the dream to come,
And it's cozy with you until the morning, we'll fall asleep.
I will sneak into the room,
I will jump into our warm bed,
I'll be there, whispering in my ear,
And kiss you, my dear.
I am always there, mentally with you,
My dearest, dearest person,
Good night, sleep sweetly,
Fly in your dreams, your desires.
Let Morpheus close your eyes,
You will find yourself in an incredible fairy tale,
A wonderful dream will suddenly swallow your mind,
You will be subdued by them at night.
The fairy of sleep will whisper in your ear,
It's time to fall asleep, darling,
Hug your pillow soon,
After all, the night has come and it's time to sleep.
It's night on the planet... And silence,
You're lying alone, and I'm alone,
I can't sleep, I'm looking out the window,
And I miss you, and it's dark in my eyes.
With thoughts of us, I fall asleep,
My heart is beating in my chest from love,
I wish you good night,
Without you, my soul is crying and sad.
The night will cover you with a pleasant blanket,
Close your eyes and immediately fall asleep,
You will remember how I kissed you,
And let the feelings make you shiver again.
nine0006
Let love knock on your window,
While you're resting in the realm of dreams,
It's quiet, peaceful and warm in your bed,
After all, the fire of love warms you there.
I wish you a good and cozy night,
Letting insomnia in the morning not disturb you,
I wish you bright, cool dreams,
I miss you, my love.
0
0
Editor Anna Feliksova
Corrector Olga Rybina
Obval designer Maxim Novikov
Illustrator Ilya Vasilevich
© 2022
© Cover design, 2022
ISBN 978-5-0056-5585-1
Created by Ridero Intelligent Publishing System
1
They say the dead have no soul.
It leaves the human body as soon as the heart stops... Or on the third day?.. Or on the ninth?.. Or on the fortieth?..
Mark was sitting in his closet, smelling of formalin. There was a lamp with a green shade on the table, and the warm light from under it filled the space with comfort. But it was worth looking back, and the layman would be terrified. Behind the desk, at the back of the room, were an operating table and two gurneys. On the table lay a man covered with a sheet from head to toe. Night duty in the morgue went on as usual, and Mark, having finished work with another "patient" - an old, decrepit grandmother, sat down to write a report on the work done. It remained to add a little more, when the footsteps of orderlies and the sound of gurney wheels were heard in the corridor. Mark got up and opened the door from the inside with the key. nine0006
- Hello, Marik! Get a job! - the orderly Gosha, standing in front of the gurney, said loudly. A big, rosy-cheeked, healthy man, he was used to such work for five years and treated his craft philosophically.
The second, a young boy Vanya, about twenty, had a slightly shocked look. Vanya was in his second year of medical school. To make it easier for him and his mother to pay for his studies, he decided to earn extra money in the morgue as an orderly. This is his second shift. He was pushing the gurney from behind and looked confused. nine0006
The orderlies rolled the gurney into the back of the room. All three surrounded the new "patient". Mark pulled back the edge of the sheet and saw the girl's face frozen in horror. She had a broken head. Blood streams smeared blond hair. The twisted mouth is open. Mark tried to close her lips, wrapping his fingers around the edge of the sheet, but they parted.
- Oh, what a beautiful girl! Pretty nose, plump lips, I like these, only alive! Gosha joked.
Vanya looked at him reproachfully. Mark threw the sheet back. nine0006
“Take this one to the refrigerator,” Mark ordered, nodding towards his grandmother, “and put this one in her place.
The orderlies quickly changed places of "patients" and left. Mark locked the door with a key and returned to the table to finish the report. In the corridor behind the door, for some time, the receding clatter of gurney wheels and Goshin's laughter could still be heard.
Feeling momentarily tired, he leaned back in the high leather chair given by the head physician of the hospital from his own office. He closed his eyes and fell into a dream. nine0006
Mark had a dream about his beloved wife Nika. They walk happily, hand in hand, along the seashore. The southern sun gently shines, a warm wind drives light waves to the shore. They make plans and come up with a name for their future baby. Suddenly, a huge tsunami covers both of them, Nika is carried away to the sea, he hears her crying and cries for help.
Help me!
Mark shuddered and opened his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he thanked God that it was just a dream. His heart continued to beat loudly in his chest, he tried to drive away bad thoughts from himself.
nine0006
Help, please! - he heard already in reality.
“I imagined,” Mark decided. But in a moment it seemed to him as if something cold slipped over his legs. He winced again. "Is it a mouse?" - flashed through my head.
– Help me, why are you doing this to me?
No, this is no longer a game of the imagination, but a human voice. Female. Complaining.
Chilling soul.
Mark jumped up and ran to the switch. The room was filled with bright blue light. Out of the corner of his eye, Mark saw something slip under the table. He cautiously bent to look, and suddenly a cold wave covered his back. He tensed, trying to get up and free himself from the sudden cold. But this cold pressed on, pressed on his back, wrapped around his neck and groaned muffledly. nine0006
Mark, panting, tried to peel the suffocating cold from his neck, but it was impossible to grab him. Making another effort, he jumped up, wheezing and trying to free himself from something strong and invisible.
He rushed around the room, knocking directories and folders off the shelves, knocking papers off the table, knocking empty gurneys over. He was losing strength, trying to scream, but only a dull wheezing came out of his larynx. Already almost losing consciousness from horror, Mark touched the table with his foot on which the girl's corpse lay, and fell back.
In an instant, the coldness behind my back disappeared, my heart was beating so loudly in my chest that it seemed that it would burst. Mark, without getting up from the floor, pushing off with his feet, moved closer to the wall, sat down and pressed his back against it. He could not catch his breath, could not understand what had just happened to him. Looking around the room, he wanted to see if or or or was next to him. But there was silence in the room, and only scattered things testified to the struggle with the invisible.
Ten minutes passed, the heart began to return to normal, breathing became measured, but inexplicable anxiety did not leave the brain.
nine0006
"You've been working hard, buddy," Mark consoled himself. After all, my partner always said that he drinks a glass of alcohol before work, for courage, even though he has been working in the morgue for twenty years. Mark never allowed himself such a thing. And even more so, I didn’t believe in ghosts.
- That's it, get up, - he said deliberately loudly, - go, roll a glass and put things in order here!
Mark forced himself to stand up and, without lifting his back from the wall, began to step closer to the medicine cabinet. Having reached the closet, he sighed with relief, turned sharply, ripped open the door, quickly grabbed a vial of alcohol and poured it into his mouth. Bitterness filled him from the inside, he could hardly catch his breath from the dose he had taken. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his dressing gown and returned the empty vial to its place. Looked around. Everything is the same: a dead girl on the table, a mess around and an oppressive silence.
nine0006
Mark exhaled, when suddenly:
– Help me! – was heard somewhere nearby.
Mark trembled all over. A new fit of terror washed over him.
- Who are you? What do you want from me?! he shouted with all his might to an invisible voice. His heart tried to jump out of his chest, he grabbed a scalpel from the closet and pressed his back against the wall.
“We must run away from here, quickly into the air! I have hallucinations. I'm tired. Yes, for sure, fatigue is to blame,” flashed through my head. nine0006
There were a few steps to the door, but the desk blocked the way, and in order to reach it, you had to at least tear your back off the wall. The legs became wadded, the fear of an attack from behind did not allow me to take a step forward.
- Quiet, quiet, don't be afraid of me, - said is from the other corner of the room. Mark was trembling, he tried to look where the voice came from. - Help me!
- Who are you? And why should I help you?! Mark shouted in a broken voice.
nine0006
“Calm down, I won’t harm you,” answered, it’s at the door.
- I can't see you! Who are you? What you? What do you want from me?!
“I am the soul of a dead girl,” whispered in his ear, this is .
- Well, no, some kind of nonsense! I have been working in the morgue for ten years, and apart from silence, I have not heard anything here, much less talked to the souls! Mark answered in an invisible voice. - Lord, what is wrong with me? he pleaded. “You decided to punish me and make me crazy?! nine0006
From a desperate loud cry, his voice was hoarse, his throat was intercepted, Mark was exhausted and, tucking his legs, sank down the wall.
- It's not crazy, you can really hear me. Please don't be afraid, listen to me.
“First I want to see you, and then listen to you,” Mark insistently asked, but the trembling in his throat betrayed his fear of the invisible.
– You cannot see me, only feel me.
- I already felt it - I remember it for the rest of my life! Mark replied reproachfully.
nine0006
“I can be different,” said a soft voice overhead. - Now I will come closer, and you will feel me. Just don't be afraid. Stretch your hand forward.
Mark obediently extended his hand and felt warm air slip between his fingers. First down, then up, then wrapped his arm in warmth, like an elusive air current during movement.
A long time ago, as a child, Mark was five years old, in the summer with his parents in a new car they drove from Orenburg to Ulyanovsk to visit their grandmother. Little Mark was sitting behind his dad and imperceptibly tried to stretch his hand out the window open on his dad's driver's side. It was hot, warm air pressed on an open palm, slipped, pressed again, enveloped, but remained elusive. Mark was so carried away by this game with warm air that he even laughed. Mom, turning around, saw her son's outstretched hand, gasped, painfully grabbed his other hand, pulled him and ordered him to sit only behind her back or in the middle. Tears rolled down from Mark's surprise and fright, he began to cry, pressed his hand to himself, with which he had just tried to grab air.
And he sat for so long, sobbing, as if he was hiding something elusive in his palm. nine0006
Now this memory has surfaced from memory. The same sensations, the same pleasant, elusive pressure. Mark extended his other hand, and the same warm air enveloped it. He began to move his hands chaotically, meeting soft, light resistance everywhere. For a moment it seemed to him that this was not scary and even funny. He extended both arms, feeling an invisible cloud in his open palms.
– Well, now I believe that you exist. What do you want? How can I help you? he turned to the invisible man.
- I am the soul of the murdered girl who lies in your office. I need to get back into her body. And only you can do it. nine0006
- Me?! What nonsense! I don't have "living" water! Bringing people to life is not my job! Rather, I am preparing them on their last journey before being sent to heaven!
- Today you will change your routine a little, as you say, "before going to heaven.
"
- But how?! And for what? What is it about this body that I have to return you to it?!
“She lived so little in the world…” Soul answered sadly.
- Listen, it's not up to you to decide who and how long will live. And not to me. You have already left this body, ask God to give you another one, you will also return to earth, but in a different guise, and live on as long as God gives! nine0006
- Enough! Soul interrupted him. “I want to return to this body. A little time will pass, and you will understand that you did the right thing by returning me.
The old prickly cold slithered in beside me, my legs instantly stiffened. Fear rolled up in my throat.
- Who is she? Why exactly her?
Mark was chilly.
– Well, I will tell you about her, – Soul answered him and began her story: – She is a bright person. Unfortunately, she had a difficult fate, she had to endure severe trials ... Her parents died in an accident when they were taking her from the hospital, her relatives abandoned her.
So the baby, who had barely had time to be born, ended up in an orphanage. She grew up as a sickly child, and the teachers from the orphanage, in order not to mess with her, sent her to the children's department of the city hospital. The nurses also had no time for her, so they tied the girl to the bed and only came to give medicine, feed her and change diapers. nine0006
“Parental” children ran around, played, ate. And she, growing up and realizing her loneliness and uselessness, lay on a creaky bed in wet pantyhose, looked sadly at their carelessness and fun. Sometimes she smiled, looking at children's pranks, and did not understand why she could not do the same. And when mom came to someone, she turned to the wall and quietly choked with tears. They flowed and flowed, warm and endless. She was so bitter, so lonely...
Once, when she was six years old, a father came to the orphanage. All the guys came out to look at this big uncle in a black robe. He dignifiedly went around the whole orphanage.
All the children and teachers followed him in a crowd. He spoke some words, the meaning of which the girl did not understand. Then the father handed out leaflets with a prayer to the older children and told them to memorize what is written there. The girl also remembered: if she often repeats the words of the prayer, then God will hear her and will help in everything. nine0006
- What happened next?
- The girl was growing up, older children taught her to read. Now, once again getting into the hospital, she took new books with her and learned the world from them. She learned to observe how children, adults, acquaintances and strangers behave. I learned to accept the harsh reality. I sincerely could not understand why people talk so much about love and kindness, but do little to make the world a better place.
- Are you saying she can make our world a better place if you return to her body? Mark asked. nine0006
– Yes, and you will help me.
– But if God himself took her life away, then He does not want the world to change!
- It wasn't God who took her life - it was murder.
The black forces felt her still weak energy and set up an accident.
Stop! What other black forces?! Mark exclaimed, completely confused.
- Ordinary people, but with a different energy. Their energy is directed towards greed, death and destruction. They are greedy and vengeful. The world is filled with their terrible energy every day. She and people like her can prevent this. They have several years left to prevent the black forces from changing the fate of the world. nine0006
- How can I help her? I am an ordinary person.
- It seems so ordinary to you. The energy of your soul is similar to the energy of bright people. People should help each other, especially when it comes to good deeds. God put me in the body of this girl when she was born, and I want her life to continue.
- You are immortal, you will have many different lives. What happened to her - so the Creator decided - Mark did not let up.
- I know that for willfulness God will not let me on earth again.
But while there is still time, she can save the world from vice and death. I need to get back into it! nine0006
- And how can she resist the black forces? What will she do? You yourself say that her energy is too weak.
- Now she will be more careful. She will get stronger. And when the time comes, he opposes them! Soul insisted.
- So get back into her and take control of her life!
- I can't myself, I have no strength and energy. Only a living person, that is, you, can help me return to the body.
Mark was thinking frantically. What if he really helps to improve the world if he saves a murdered stranger? nine0006
- What should I do? he finally asked.
- You have to breathe me in and breathe out into this girl. The energy of your Soul will fill me with life, and the girl will come to life.
- Is that all? Mark was surprised.
- Yes. She will come to life, and then it's not your concern.
Mark felt better. You just have to breathe in and out.
Yes, it's easier than ever!
A sudden disturbing thought shook his resolve. “Am I doing the right thing?..” But Mark drove away his doubts. “Just breathe in, breathe out, and this waking nightmare will stop,” he reassured himself. nine0006
- Okay, I'm ready! he said resignedly.
- Now you will feel me at your lips. Take a deep breath and exhale into it! Get ready!
Mark felt an enveloping warmth on his face.
"It's time," he thought, and breathed a deep breath of warmth into himself. A second, and he felt such bitterness in his chest, as if acid had been poured into it. She burned his throat and lungs. Mark felt something hitting and scratching him from the inside. A hell of a pain appeared in his stomach, he was shaking, swept from side to side. He realized that he was about to lose consciousness. With the last of his strength, he reached the table where the girl was lying. He opened her mouth and exhaled with a wild cry. Then he did not yet know that it was his soul that resisted and torn when it felt someone else's soul in his body.
The last thing he saw: the girl opened her eyes, and Mark found their color strange. nine0006
2
- Well, you give, brother! Mark woke up when someone hit him on the cheeks. It was Alexander Vasilyevich, an elderly experienced pathologist. - You snore all over the morgue! As long as I know you, you didn’t drink alcohol at work, and then you emptied the whole vial!
Alexander Vasilyevich, smiling good-naturedly, shook his head. Mark finally came to his senses, looked around and saw that he was lying on the operating table. Everything is in its place, no traces of the night struggle.
- Where is the girl? he asked and hung his legs off the table.
- What kind of girl? Are you, handsome, not the only one who drank here? Alexander Vasilyevich asked slyly and winked at Mark.
- Yesterday the orderlies took the old woman away, and brought the girl back!
- Listen, I came and didn't see any girl here, only you, snoring.
You, colleague, went over too much yesterday, so girls seem to you, - Alexander Vasilyevich ironically.
Mark got down and went to the desk. On it lay a log of "arrived-departed" patients. Mark quickly opened it to the last page and saw only the last entry about the "departed" old woman. nine0006
“How so? I don't understand anything! Yesterday the orderlies brought a girl here with a broken head, I made a recording, but now there is no recording! Maybe I didn't write it down there?" Mark decided to himself.
He felt cold sweat run down his back. Mark turned pale, a feeling of fear swept over him.
"No, something is happening to me... What was it: a dream, reality, or am I going crazy?" - Frantically leafing through work magazines, Mark thought.
- That's it, go home, sleep, you don't rest at all, combining work here and in the cryo-laboratory. - Alexander Vasilyevich shook hands with him in farewell and went about his business. nine0006
The spring sun blinded my eyes.
Mark made his way to the car and, with heavy thoughts, headed towards the house. All the way he tried to remember in detail what happened. He told himself that he was not crazy and that what he saw and felt tonight, he dreamed.
3
At home, Mark was warmly welcomed by his wife Nick. She was going to work. The hands on the clock showed nine in the morning.
– Breakfast is on the table! I left! Until the evening! - and, kissing her husband, flew away. nine0006
It was cozy and quiet at home. The kitchen smelled of cheesecakes. Mark closed the door behind his wife, undressed and took a shower. The warm water soothed and relaxed him a little.
"It's okay, it's okay, maybe it's really a bad dream!" he repeated to himself.
Mark took a deep breath and looked, wiping himself, in the misted mirror. His gaze stopped, and it seemed to him that two yellow eyes were looking at him. Mark winced. Then he tore off the towel from his shoulders and began frantically wiping the mirror.
But in the reflection he saw only himself, confused, frightened. The bathroom door was closed. From fear, he could not calm down and kept rubbing the mirror with a towel, trying to erase his nightmare in it. From his efforts, the mirror began to creak, and this creak stopped Mark. Having come to his senses a little, he felt a heat in his chest. He was out of breath. Mark threw on a bathrobe, opened the door and listened to the sounds in the apartment. The clock was ticking on the shelf in the room, the refrigerator hummed softly in the kitchen. nine0006
“Calm down, you need to drink a sedative and go to bed,” he ordered aloud to himself.
Went into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door, took out a bottle of vodka, poured a whole glass and drank. He exhaled, ate a few syrniki prepared by Nika and went into the bedroom.
As soon as his head was on the pillow, Mark was overwhelmed by a wave of fatigue and fell asleep.
Woke up from Nika kissing him on the cheeks, nose and lips.
- Stop snoozing! Have you slept all day? Let's go have dinner! Nika was lying next to him, hugging him and smiling. nine0006
Mark was glad to see his wife. He stretched, smiled back at her, and hugged her tightly.
In the evening we sat at the table for a long time. Nika talked about business, work, discussed the news, Mark forgot about his nightmare.
Nika went to bed, Mark went to the window, wanted to draw the curtains, and then it seemed to him again that the same two yellow eyes were looking at him from the darkness as in the bathroom in the morning. Only point-blank, with red streaks, angry. A second, and they closed. Mark choked with fear, abruptly pulled the curtain. My chest churned, filled with heat. nine0006
“That's it, see a psychiatrist tomorrow! I'm crazy, something is happening to me, I'm going crazy with these visions!"
There was a pounding in my temples. He caught his breath, went to the fridge and poured himself a glass of vodka again.
Nika hasn't slept yet. Mark lay down on his back.
- What's wrong with you?
“Everything is fine, just tired,” Mark answered gloomily, trying not to breathe in the direction of his wife so that she would not catch the smell of alcohol.
Nika hugged him and stroked his hair.
“Sleep, go to work tomorrow,” Mark said and turned away. nine0006
“You don’t say something,” Nika was offended, not understanding why her husband’s mood changed so dramatically.
“I’m sorry, Nika,” Mark said without turning around, “today it’s hot in my chest all day, I didn’t want to tell you. One of these days I’m going to cardiology, let them listen to my heart, sleep!
- Just make sure you go. Goodnight!
Nika put out the lamp.
Mark could not sleep for a long time. Drinking a glass of vodka did not help. Thoughts "what it was" haunted him. Only in the morning the dream reached him. nine0006
Mark woke up in a good mood. He took his wife to work, turned on the news.
They showed the meeting of the State Duma. The camera slowly panned over the faces of the deputies. She stopped at one, and it seemed to Mark that the person from the TV was looking directly at him. It was a minute of shooting, the news anchor continued to talk, but Mark was no longer listening to her. This gaze alerted him, seemed familiar. He turned off the TV.
Mark decided today not to sit down at his work laptop and not to work on his article for Medicine-NEWS. It was far from evening, and Mark went for a run. It was good to breathe in the park. I didn't want to think about any psychiatrists and fears. nine0006
In the evening, going on night duty, I decided to take a bottle of vodka with me.
“Yes, work has begun to affect the psyche,” he joked at himself.
4
Entering his operating room, Mark looked around. Everything was familiar, stood in its place. In the middle of the room is an operating table and an empty gurney.
“That's good, I'll read medical articles on the Internet before the patient is brought in,” thought Mark.
At about eight in the evening, the sound of wheels was heard. It was the orderlies who carried the "work". Mark opened the door wide open, and Gosha and Vanya brought in a gurney with a man covered with a sheet. nine0006
- Dedok, died of old age! - Gosha stated authoritatively, and he and Vanya moved the corpse to the operating table.
- Maybe you don't need to open it? Gosha said "from old age", so we'll write it down, - Mark joked.
- And the girl was pretty, wasn't she? Gosha winked.
The smile disappeared from Mark's lips.
“So there was a girl! Everything that happened the night before yesterday was a reality!” - flashed through his head.
He looked into Gaucher's eyes and asked:
- Where is she now?
- In the refrigerator, where should she be?
Mark rushed to the exit, ran to the refrigerators.
Understanding nothing, the orderlies set off after him. Mark feverishly began to open the doors of the cells where the corpses were kept. One, two, three... Some passed through his hands. He recognized a boy of ten, an elderly woman, a recent grandmother. The girl's body was nowhere to be found.
– Where is that girl?! Mark shouted.
Gosha shrugged his shoulders.
“So they took her,” he replied. - What are you yelling about? nine0006
- Who took it? When?! Mark didn't let up.
- I don't follow the issuance of corpses! Gosha tensed up.
- Where is the entry? Mark rushed to the issue log. The last entry was made yesterday. The corpse was given out by Alexander Vasilyevich. But it's not her. There were no girls in the lists of "arrived and departed" for two months.
- Who took it?
- How do I know? I took the shift, I was told after granny to bring you a girl from the refrigerator. We brought it, and then it's none of our business! nine0006
- Where are the documents for the girl? - Mark did not lag behind the orderlies.
- Yes, I put them on your table! Lost your documents, just say so! Or maybe the girl woke up, took the documents and ran away?
- Where is the journal entry?
- Fuck knows where! Don't burden me with your problems! Gosh snapped.
Mark stood bewildered in the middle of the cold store. Gosha and Vanya looked at him apprehensively, wondering if their pathologist had moved his mind. The cold began to seep through the clothes. nine0006
- Let's get out of here, otherwise suddenly grandfather will run away, - Gosha turned and headed for the exit. Mark and Vanya obediently followed him. When everyone left, Vanya locked the refrigerator door.
“There was a girl, three people saw her: me, Gosha and Vanya. There are no records, but the nightmare was a reality, ”as they walked to the operating room, this was spinning in Mark’s head.
When everyone entered, Mark closed the door and said:
- Guys, I've been working here for ten years, never had any mistakes, and the day before yesterday a dead girl disappeared from my operating table, there are no documents, only the three of us saw her.
nine0006
Gosha and Vanya silently looked at Mark.
- Vanya, a request to you: drive to the reception, look at what is written there.
– Why are you worrying, Mark! There is no girl, no documents, forget it, and we will forget, right, Van? - Gosha turned to Vanya. Vanya silently turned around and went to the waiting room.
Mark, thinking, sat in an armchair and looked ahead. Gosha went up to the man lying on the operating table, quickly threw back the sheet, looked and threw the sheet back. He sighed loudly, anticipating the protracted duty and, possibly, problems. nine0006
Quick footsteps were heard in the corridor. The door opened abruptly and Vanya walked in. He looked anxiously at the men.
- What? Mark asked.
- The day before yesterday is smeared with a corrector, and the grandfather received today is written on top.
Gosha was immediately found:
- It doesn’t mean anything, Lyudmila Petrovna from the reception room is blind, often makes mistakes, skips letters or writes in such a way that she herself can’t make out later, so she glosses over everything that she has stuck.
She has the entire journal in corrections, smeared with proofreader. Stop worrying, Mark! the orderly admonished, although his anxiety was growing latently. nine0006
- Guys, something unusual happened to me the night before last, at first some kind of force frightened me, and then put me to sleep. The girl disappeared, there were no records or traces left.
To prevent Gosha and Vanya from deciding that he was out of his mind, Mark did not tell them the details.
– Hmmm, history… – Gosha drawled thoughtfully. - And how to be now?
“I don’t know,” Mark answered in confusion. “Okay, I have to work,” he nodded towards his grandfather.
“We will go,” Gosha said, getting up from his chair. - It will be fine, as if the girl woke up and left while you were having drunken dreams. Let's go, Vanya. nine0006
- Uh-huh, - Vanya answered and followed Gosha to the exit.
Mark closed the door behind them and, without turning the key, looked back at his grandfather.
Listened to the silence in the operating room. He took out a bottle of vodka from his bag, which he had not finished yesterday.
- Damn, I should have put it in the fridge! Mark cursed out loud.
He did not feel like drinking warm vodka at all, and he returned the bottle to his bag. The thought of the missing girl haunted him.
“So, we have to work,” he persuaded himself. He put on gloves, a cap, prepared the instrument and went to the operating table. Mark knew and did his job well, he was never afraid of the dead. nine0006
"No, you have to drink for courage!" he decided.
Mark returned to his bag, took out a bottle of vodka, took a sip and put it in the refrigerator. The warm vodka tasted disgusting. He exhaled, looked at his grandfather, opened the refrigerator door and drank from the bottle again. The same opposition in the mouth intensified. He exhaled again, put the bottle in the refrigerator and, returning to the table, set to work. At first, Mark still tried to listen to the sounds, but the silence was interrupted only by the sound of tools in his hands.
Gradually, carried away by work, he stopped listening. Soon everything was finished. Mark took off his gloves and cap and began to report. An anxious thought crept into my head again, a girl appeared in my memory. He turned around. No. Everything is quiet. It is done. In the morning, the orderlies will come and take away the deceased. nine0006
Having finished his business, Mark spent the morning reading medical articles about various mental disorders on his computer, sometimes glancing at the body under the sheet. The morning passed as usual, another shift of orderlies took the grandfather and delivered a new elderly patient.
Alexander Vasilyevich came. We habitually exchanged news at work and in the world.
“You don’t look well, your eyelids are swollen,” Alexander Vasilievich remarked.
- I couldn't sleep, I read all night when I finished my work.
- Okay, go get some rest! nine0006
- See you, bye.
They shook hands and Mark walked towards the car. Leaving the morgue, he suddenly felt a cold air wave push him towards the exit. Unexpectedly, Mark turned around. Nobody. In an instant, my heart began to pound, and a heavy, involuntary moan escaped from my chest. But his ligaments did not tighten, the groan was not his. He was clearly aware of this. There was a burning sensation in the chest again.
“Probably tachycardia,” Mark managed to decide and took more air into his lungs. The burning has stopped. Mark took another deep breath and looked around. nine0006
The usual sick day began. Not far from the entrance to the admissions department, young nurses with interns were smoking. An ambulance arrived and began to unload the patient. Doctors hurried to work by eight in the morning. Mark went to the gates of the hospital. His old friend Boris was walking towards him. He was a radiologist. Friends greeted each other and shook hands.
- How are you? You don’t look well,” Boris greeted him.
- Yes, something is naughty heart. We need to do a cardiogram,” Mark smiled tightly. - I'll have a rest and go to cardiology one of these days. nine0006
“Come see me later, we’ll talk,” suggested Boris.
- Time will remain, I'll come.
- See you, buddy!
They shook hands again and parted ways.
Mark walked to the car, trying to breathe evenly and deeply, listened to his chest sensations and did not feel anything suspicious. The young body did not fail. Mark calmed down a bit and went home.
5
Nika has already left for work. Mark put the kettle on, turned on the TV while drinking tea, scrolling through the channels. Didn't stop at anything. I didn’t want to sleep, he decided to go for a run. I changed my clothes and ran to the park behind the house. nine0006
Spring was gaining momentum. The young foliage on the birches stretched towards the sun, towards the warmth. A light breeze blew through the branches of the trees, green juicy grass made its way out of the ground. The ducks in the pond were cleaning their feathers, quacking merrily.
Mark ran easily, pleasant music in the headphones accelerated his run. There were mothers with strollers, smart walking grandmothers, and cyclists coming across. He decided to make another circle along the far path. He abruptly turned onto the next lane and accelerated. There were several tens of meters left to the end of the path, when suddenly a running man appeared towards me. Mark glanced over at him. nine0006
“What is this? - flashed through my head. - Eyes! Eyes! Unusual yellow eyes!
Mark and the oncoming runner stared at each other, drew level and each ran in his own direction. Mark, by inertia, ran a few more meters and stopped. He turned to look at the fleeing man. There was no one on the path. Mark felt a burning sensation in his chest and a slight chill down his back.
“Damn, I had a dream, it’s time to go home…”
Fatigue set in, not a trace of the former good mood remained.
