Song By Unreality

Chapter 4

"What other country would you like to be born in?"

"Somewhere in South Korea."

(from Rina's interview with 'Around The World' magazine)

"Fool?! You completely banged your curly head!" Manya blazed with righteous anger, not letting Yura insert a word. With her hands on her hips, she stepped on him until she completely cornered him.

Yura pressed his shoulder blades against the cold wall, put his palms forward and again tried to calm his raging sister:

"Manya... It won't be long! Just for the job..."

"Won't be long?!" Manya roared and waved her hand in the direction of a stray dog the size of a great Dane sprawled on the parquet, in whose unwashed fur the burrs were entangled. "And then where will you put it?! Will you throw it back on the street?!"

"Well... I haven't thought about it yet."

"Haven't thought! You stopped thinking at all!"

"Manya, we agreed on everything," Yura whined and touched her wrist. But Manya pulled her hand away, as if she had been burned by nettles.

"We didn't agree! I was against it!"

"I'm out of work! And this dog is my chance to make sensational stuff!" Yura went on the offensive in response, realizing that it would not be possible to soften his sister. The culprit of the quarrel moved its brown eye, got up on its long paws, clattered its claws on the parquet and fell on the light carpet. Fortunately, his sister hasn't noticed it yet.

"So take this dog for yourself! What do I have to do with it?!"

"Manya, I explained it," Yura sighed wearily. "You just need to take the dog to the instructor's classes and find out what Volkov and his wife know about Rina's disappearance."

"And how do you imagine it?! How am I going to question them?!"

"Well... I don't know. You'll think of something!" Yura gave up and looked over Manya's shoulder. The dog began to scratch itself behind the ear with delight, strewing the carpet with fleas, burrs and lumps of dried mud.

Manya nervously jerked at the sound and, seeing such a picture, went into a scream:

"Get out of here! Fool dog!"

The dog squinted at her, but it didn't stop scratching. Yura, looking at the dog combing fleas with such pleasure, involuntarily put his hand to his hair and scratched the back of his head.

"It's got fleas like horses! Out, they're already galloping across the carpet!" Manya continued to shout. "How can such a dog be allowed into the house? And to the playground for other dogs?!"

"We'll wipe out the fleas," Yura wasn't at a loss. "And we'll take it to the vet."

Manya glanced sideways at her brother and let out a long sigh. Apparently, she was tired of screaming herself, because she asked more calmly:

"Where did you find it?"

"It's he, Manya. At the bus stop, lying under the bench. Poor and unhappy."

"And he followed you?" the sister doubted and again made an attempt to drive the dog off the carpet.

"Followed?" Yura grinned. "As well! Anyone will go for a piece of fresh boiled sausage!"

"Okay. So, we can no longer feed him," Manya said sarcastically.

But Yura realized that she had given in, so he detached himself from the wall and took a step towards his sister.

"Manya, now we will take the dog to the vet. And then you'll make a phone call and make an appointment with a dog handler..."