Why did the leading space powers of the USSR and the USA suddenly lose interest in the Moon? Either they made grandiose plans for its development, even colonization, then for decades there was silence. This happens when everything is known and there is no point in continuing the study, or when such unexpected results are obtained that the work goes into the secrecy phase. The first option is doubtful: there are no less questions related to the Moon even now. But here's the second one...
Signs of a lunar mind?
In 1977, a book by a certain J. Leonard was published in the UK entitled “There is Someone Else on Our Moon” and with the subtitle “Amazing Facts of Intelligent Life on the Moon Discovered.”
An excavator the size of a city on the surface of the moon! This is just one of the author's stunning revelations. According to him, only a very narrow circle of specialists knew about the powerful mechanical devices that American astronauts saw working in the craters of the Moon, about bridges, viaducts, dome-shaped structures and other structures on the lunar surface.
Who this J. Leonard is is unknown. In any case, this is a person who had access to extensive, including top-secret information. He was able to talk with many NASA officials, study thousands of photographs, and listen to hours of tape recordings of conversations with astronauts.
Thirty-five photographs (each with a NASA code number), dozens of detailed drawings made, according to the author, from high-quality large-format photographs, 230 pages of text listing facts and documents, statements from NASA experts and an extensive bibliography lead to a stunning conclusion: NASA and many scientists world-famous people have long known that signs of intelligent life have been discovered on the Moon!
Disinformation? But then the reaction to this publication is amazing. No rebuttals, no comments, no discussion of any kind. Are the pictures fake? But the author in the appendix gives the address where you can get copies of them.
Maybe NASA leaked information? Here is J. Leonard's own hypothesis: “I'm starting to think that NASA is presenting these photographs with the attitude: “Here they are. If you - the public and the scientific community - are not too interested or blind to see these oddities, that's your problem. We don’t have funds in our budget for your education.”
Few people knew about Leonard's book. Its circulation, according to competent people, immediately disappeared from store shelves. The second edition was published in 1978 - the same result. Only copies that were accidentally exported abroad, including to the USSR, remained. But it seems that the Moor still did his job. In 1981, a book (“Alien Bases on the Moon,” by Fred Steckling) was published in the United States, full of facts and NASA photographs depicting UFOs and other phenomena on the Moon and in its environs. In 1992, a book with similar content was published in Japan.
Mysterious light
"Wow!!! - Astronaut Harrison Schmitt, pilot of the Apollo 17 lunar module (December 7–19, 1972) could not contain his surprise already on the first revolution around the Moon. “I just saw a flash on the lunar surface!.. A bright small flash on the northern edge of the Grimaldi crater... where there was only a narrow strip of light.” (It was in this place that Apollo 16 pilot Ken Mattingly saw a flash of bright light).
The next day it was the turn of another pilot, Ronald Evans, to be surprised: “I would never have believed it!” I am right above the edge of the Eastern Sea. I just saw a bright flash with my own eyes! Right at the end of the furrow..."
One of the serious authorities in the field of the physical and geological nature of the Moon, Dr. Farouk El-Baz, a consultant and assistant to many American astronauts, commented on these observations: “There is no doubt that this is something grandiose: these are not comets, and this is NOT of NATURAL origin !
Strange light phenomena on the lunar disk have been noticed for a long time. Flashes, luminous stripes, moving spots of light were described in detail by researchers of previous centuries. More than 900 recorded cases date back to the 16th century alone.
The library of the Royal Astronomical Society contains information about strange light spots and light fluctuations on the Moon. By April 1871, 1,600 such cases were recorded in the Plato crater alone. Observers saw a flickering blue light or a cluster of specks of light that looked like bright, needle-like dots gathering together. W. Herschel (1738–1822), the founder of stellar astronomy, who discovered the planet Uranus and several satellites of Saturn and Uranus, recorded about 150 very bright spots on the surface of the Moon during a total eclipse.
White sparkling dots arranged in an arc, tiny dots and streaks of light are especially often observed in the Sea of Crises. Sometimes these are tiny dots and stripes of light, united into some kind of figure, sometimes periodically flashing light, similar to intelligent signals.
The attention of astronomers has long been attracted by a strange light in the craters of Aristarchus and Plato. Bright red flashes in the area of the Aristarchus crater sometimes cover areas of several kilometers and are more often observed above dome-shaped structures. Moving objects are observed in the Sea of Tranquility. In 1964, light or dark spots were seen there at least four times, moving tens and even hundreds of kilometers in a few hours. On September 11, 1967, for 8–9 seconds, Canadian researchers observed a dark rectangular spot with purple edges moving from west to east over the Sea of Tranquility. It was clearly visible until it entered the night area.
After 13 minutes, a flash of yellow light was recorded along the path of the spot near the Sabine crater. And, apparently, it was no coincidence that a year and a half later, Apollo 11 landed on the moon in this area. The study of lunar soil at the landing site surprised experts. The soil was melted by a light source 100 times brighter than the Sun. Experts believe that the source of radiation was at a low altitude above the Moon. But these are not the engines of the Apollo lander.
In 1968, NASA published a summary of the observations in the Chronological Catalog of Lunar Event Reports. Among the 579 phenomena the following were named: moving luminous objects; colored trenches lengthening at a speed of 6 km/h; giant domes that change color; a large luminous object, the so-called "Maltese Cross", observed on November 26, 1956; geometric figures; disappearing craters and other things that cannot be explained. The catalog also records the speed of movement of the mentioned spots in the Sea of Tranquility - from 32 to 80 km/h.
Logic dictates that the vast majority of lunar phenomena simply remain outside our field of vision. After all, there is also the other side of the Moon.
Something lands, something flies
In the summer of 1955, V. Yaremenko from Odessa looked at “countless lunar craters, mountains and seas” through a homemade telescope. “Above the disk, parallel to its edge, at a distance of approximately 0.2 lunar radius, a luminous body flew, similar to a 3rd magnitude star under normal observation,” he recalls. – Having flown a third of the circle (it took 4–5 seconds), the body descended along a steep trajectory onto the lunar surface. It was quite large and... manageable! And artificial satellites did not yet exist in those years...”
Here are the observations of V. Luchko from Lvov (March 31, 1983): “About 2 hours 30 minutes. on the clear, almost full disk of the Moon... a rather large dark body was noticed, quickly and smoothly passing along a slightly curved path through the northwestern part of the disk in the direction from west to east. His journey took no more than a second. After a short period of time, exactly the same (or the same) body again crossed the Moon at the same speed and in the same direction...” That same night, Luchko managed to notice six appearances of the same bodies (or the same one). “In all cases, it was a relatively large, dark, even black body of irregular shape, perfectly visible against the background of the shining lunar disk.”
Our television has repeatedly played a video recording of a shadow moving across the surface of the Moon, which was made by a Japanese amateur astronomer. If this is not a hoax, then the size of the shadow (about 20 km in diameter) and the enormous speed of movement (about 400 km in 2 seconds) suggest a high technical level of the object that left it.
On March 15, 1992, astronomer E. Arsyukhin observed a rapid zigzag flight over the Moon of a black square body about 5 km in size. During observation, the object flew about 500 km at the same speed as the “Japanese” one - 200 km/s.
Astronautics gave a new impetus to the study of lunar mysteries. Photographs of the Moon taken from spacecraft, and information obtained during flights and landings on the Moon, forced NASA to seriously study the Earth's satellite. A special program was created to study LTP (“random phenomena on the Moon”, Russian abbreviation - LF, lunar phenomena). Experienced public observers were involved in the program. The results of the research are not known to the general public.
Only hypotheses
Examining photographs from the book by J. Leonard, researcher at the Association for Engineering Dowsing O.A. Isaeva identified zones with an increased energy background on the surface of the Moon and came close to determining the chemical composition of the sources of anomalous radiation. There is reason to believe that these objects contain technetium. This radioactive element, promising for nuclear energy, was obtained artificially on Earth only in 1937; it does not occur in its natural form in nature.
Various theories and hypotheses have been used to explain light LFs. They tried to explain them by flashes in the eyes of astronauts, which occur when cosmic particles hit the brain or eyeball. However, light phenomena are also observed by terrestrial researchers who are not subject to such cosmic bombardment. In addition, flares from cosmic particles are described as instantaneous, and even many hours of glow or periodic flickering in the same place have been observed on the Moon.
They try to explain flares on the Moon by meteorite impacts on rocks and rocks. However, this can only explain occasional short-term and one-time effects. M. Jessup, a mathematician and astronomer who seriously substantiated the connection between UFOs and the Moon, noted that in both the 18th and 19th centuries, spots of light were observed on the Moon for an hour or longer. The moon sparkled, sparkled, flared. And the probability of two meteorites hitting the same place in a relatively short period is negligible.
It has been suggested that at one time gases could have gotten under the uncooled lava flows on the Moon, but now they are released. But gases spontaneously released in nature, as a rule, do not have color, rhythm, shape or size. And all this is on the Moon. It was not possible to connect the glow of “gases” with the influence of ultraviolet rays from the Sun. Glows are also observed when the Sun does not illuminate the lunar surface.
It has been hypothesized that the Earth's magnetic tail accelerates solar particles that bombard the Moon, causing flares and luminescent excitations. But in this case, the glows and flashes would not have been tied for centuries to certain areas on the Moon (there are 90 of them!).
The hypothesis of volcanic activity contradicts the official NASA concept, according to which our satellite is a relatively dead planet. In addition, the tremors usual for an eruption would have been recorded by a network of seismographs installed on the Moon. However, they were silent even on April 25, 1972, when in the area of the Aristarchus and Herodotus craters a “light fountain” was recorded, which at a speed of 1.35 km/s reached a height of 162 km, shifted sideways by 60 km and dissolved.
In 1992, American astronomer M. Kentone reported strange tremors on the Moon: “Their strength... reaches 12–14 points on the Richter scale. If this process continues for another six months, the Moon will burst and scatter into two halves... Two moons can cause people to experience a state of frustration, mental splitting, and group insanity. The reaction of the animal world, where instincts prevail, is unpredictable..."
Many scientists recognized that tremors on the Moon were something new in scientific observations, but did not believe that the Moon could break apart. And they were right.
Vitaly Pravdivtsev
Photography - shutterstock.com
I never believed in magic or any mystical crap. Like all men, I believed that this was the lot of women who had watched enough films or read books. But one day changed my whole life.
My work involves constant moving from city to city, I don’t have my own car, I don’t like riding buses, and flying by plane is too expensive, so my choice fell on trains. I love traveling on the train; sometimes here you can meet very nice people and talk with them. I always liked communicating with people, from them you learn all the news and understand that we are all alike in some way.
And then one day before boarding, when the platform was full of people, a young beautiful girl caught my eye. I don’t know why she caught my eye, it seemed like there were a lot of beautiful girls everywhere, but she pulled me towards her, my heart beat as if it was ready to jump out of my chest. She looked at me point-blank, those brown eyes sparkling like sapphires. And suddenly she disappeared.
I didn’t look for her; it would have been stupid of me to look for the person I had been staring at on the platform. Calmly entering my compartment, I thought about how to make myself more comfortable. And guess what? This young lady comes to see me. Walking quietly to her place, she sat down silently. I also didn’t really want to have a conversation with her, especially since I wasn’t good at communicating with girls. Several hours passed and it became dark outside the window; only the two of us were in the compartment. I decided to lie down and get some sleep.
Opening my eyes, I felt warmth, this warmth spread throughout my whole body. Half asleep, I saw this beauty sitting on me and whispering something. This night was the most beautiful night of my life. The next morning we woke up naked and in the same bed, it was beautiful, I myself, in confusion, did not understand how this could happen. We met and I was just even more fascinated by her. Afterwards we talked for a month and I found out that she was expecting a child. As a decent man, I decided to get married, but for some reason my fiancee refused and wanted us to get engaged after giving birth. It wasn’t strange for me and I just decided to be with her all these months.
The time for giving birth was approaching, I will never forget that night, at night I woke up from the fact that my wife was again sitting above me and tightly squeezing my throat. Where does such a woman have such unreal strength? Her voice was no longer gentle, she spoke in a language I did not understand and in a terrible voice, I would call it possessed. Frightened, I threw her aside; I didn’t dare hit her, since she was carrying my baby. Having collected my things, I flew out of the house and came across a neighbor who was looking out of the house. Her eyes were terribly frightened, and she held a cross in her hands. From her I learned that a girl lived in this house, whose boyfriend abandoned her while she was pregnant, and she decided to commit suicide. This apartment was unattended for a long time, and then every year men came to it and died in it. The neighbor heard all these terrible sounds, but no one believed her. This story gave me goosebumps, and I still decided to return home. When I walked in, there was no one there, only the windows in the bedroom were wide open; looking down, I didn’t see anyone there. After which I quickly packed my things and left this house. So then look at the beautiful girls after that.
Margaret Evans Porter
Mysterious stranger
London
- So you're leaving the city?
Oriana found it hard to believe it herself.
“I decided that it would be better for everyone.” “She did not understand whether the count approved of her decision, since the indifferent tone in which he asked his question and, as always, the imperturbable expression on his face did not make it possible to guess his true feelings. Turning to the guest present during her conversation with the Count, Oriana serenely said: “Harry, please fill his lordship’s glass.”
When the pretty black-haired young woman brought a bottle of claret to the count's glass, Lord Rushton's dark, attentive eyes ran over the slender female figure and lingered slightly on the low neckline. Oriana, meanwhile, unfolded the letter she was holding in her hand.
“I believe that this letter will eliminate your doubts, Count.” “Omitting the words of the ardent greeting, “My precious, beloved Anna,” she began to read aloud what followed: “My behavior last evening deserves every censure. Drinking too much brandy is no excuse for my discourtesy. I ask you to forgive me and hope to beg Lisa’s forgiveness by falling at her feet. I also sincerely hope that the next time we meet with you, I will already be her husband. Yours faithfully, Matthew." – Oriana smiled disarmingly at the Count. “As you can see, I pose no threat to your daughter’s engagement.”
- I'm not sure about that.
“I’m not Matthew’s lover at all,” Oriana objected.
Her relationship with Matthew was in no way defined by that word. They were completely undefinable.
“Few will believe that after his defiant behavior in your box at the Covent Garden Theatre,” said Rushton.
“I tried to expose him,” Oriana said.
“It’s true,” Harriot confirmed. “But he was drunk, rowdy and flatly refused to leave.”
– Is it true that after the end of the performance he followed you and climbed into your hired carriage? – The Count looked at Oriana.
- Unfortunately yes. “I couldn’t push him out without making an already bad situation even worse,” she answered quite reasonably.
In the carriage, the distraught and unhappy Matthew cursed and moaned. He is the most lost man in London. He has a lot of debts. He mortally insulted Lady Lisa, but she never truly loved him. Their engagement is over. After long and sorrowful lamentations, he suddenly laughed like a boy and asked Oriana to marry him.
“I will not be calm until Powell and my daughter stand hand in hand in front of the altar,” the count spoke harshly. “His recklessness has caused irreparable damage to your reputation.” Your difficult relationship with him has bothered me for many months, and I have repeatedly asked you not to encourage him.
Twisting a curl of her chestnut curls around her finger, Oriana replied:
“Matthew doesn’t need encouragement at all.” And please calm down, Rushton. I'll settle this matter by leaving town.
-Where are you actually going?
- To Chester.
Her answer clearly surprised the count.
- To such a distance?
– The Women's Philanthropic Society is organizing a charity concert for the benefit of poor women who have recently become mothers. Mrs Billington is unable to speak and Mrs Crouch is unwilling. And Anna St. Albans received an invitation to sing in this concert.
Oriana curtsied deeply.
“This is a worthy reason,” the count remarked.
“Then I will proceed to Liverpool to perform there at the Royal Theater - for my own enrichment.” Harry's friend Mr. Akin offers a fee large enough to cover travel expenses. - Brightening with a smile, Oriana concluded: - I believe that the ladies in Cheshire and Lancashire will copy my dresses just as slavishly as the ladies in London.
Oriana glanced at the silk flowers and flowing ribbons—the St. Albans corsage—that adorned the bodice of her dress. The hem of the dress was trimmed with a fluffy frill with a pale pink ribbon running through it - the “St. Albans frill”. The toes of shoes peeked out from under the frill, the color of which was called “St. Albans blue” in London. Oriana's ability to create new fashion was considered unsurpassed.
She turned to the count:
“My friendly efforts to restore your daughter's engagement will deprive me of the opportunity to attend the races at Epsom and Ascot.” My only consolation is the races in Chester for the Grosvenor Gold Cup, fortunately I will definitely get there.
“Truly obsessed with horse racing,” muttered the Count. - This Stuart blood of yours, damn it.
Three pairs of eyes turned to the portrait of King Charles II, which hung on the wall next to the portrait of Nellie Guinn of the Drury Lane Theatre, the king's mistress. Peering at the image of her great-great-grandfather, Oriana remembered that he often neglected public interests for the sake of his own desires.
She sacrificed her own pleasures, leaving London at the height of the social and theatrical seasons and during the main races of the year. She was leaving her confidante Harriot, her friend Matthew, her comfortable home in Soho Square, and so on and so forth, and she was not at all happy about the prospect. However, staying in the city would mean being involved in a scandal, as happened three years ago. The consequences of that scandal were very serious.
Oriana moved to the sofa, picked up a Neapolitan mandolin and, plucking the strings, said:
– All my songs will be sad, and listeners will shed a sea of tears.
The count's face softened.
“I will send my best draft horses to the main postal stations along your route to Chester.” Take advantage of them, I insist on this.
Oriana could easily pay for the trip, but she saw no reason to refuse such a generous offer.
- Thank you. I won't have to worry about whether the travel conditions will be good. My maid Suk will go with me. Her relatives live in those places, and she really wants to see them.
The Count wrote short notices to those post stations where Oriana and her maid would have to stop, and gave the name of the best hotel in Chester. Then he took Oriana's hand in his.
“If you mention my name in this county, you will receive the best service everywhere.”
Touching Oriana's fingers with his dry lips, the count bowed politely, nodded to Harriot and left.
“He’s so cold and unapproachable,” Harriot noted, following the count’s city carriage as it passed by the living room windows.
Margaret Evans Porter
Mysterious stranger
London
- So you're leaving the city?
Oriana found it hard to believe it herself.
“I decided that it would be better for everyone.” “She did not understand whether the count approved of her decision, since the indifferent tone in which he asked his question and, as always, the imperturbable expression on his face did not make it possible to guess his true feelings. Turning to the guest present during her conversation with the Count, Oriana serenely said: “Harry, please fill his lordship’s glass.”
When the pretty black-haired young woman brought a bottle of claret to the count's glass, Lord Rushton's dark, attentive eyes ran over the slender female figure and lingered slightly on the low neckline. Oriana, meanwhile, unfolded the letter she was holding in her hand.
“I believe that this letter will eliminate your doubts, Count.” “Omitting the words of the ardent greeting, “My precious, beloved Anna,” she began to read aloud what followed: “My behavior last evening deserves every censure. Drinking too much brandy is no excuse for my discourtesy. I ask you to forgive me and hope to beg Lisa’s forgiveness by falling at her feet. I also sincerely hope that the next time we meet with you, I will already be her husband. Yours faithfully, Matthew." – Oriana smiled disarmingly at the Count. “As you can see, I pose no threat to your daughter’s engagement.”
- I'm not sure about that.
“I’m not Matthew’s lover at all,” Oriana objected.
Her relationship with Matthew was in no way defined by that word. They were completely undefinable.
“Few will believe that after his defiant behavior in your box at the Covent Garden Theatre,” said Rushton.
“I tried to expose him,” Oriana said.
“It’s true,” Harriot confirmed. “But he was drunk, rowdy and flatly refused to leave.”
– Is it true that after the end of the performance he followed you and climbed into your hired carriage? – The Count looked at Oriana.
- Unfortunately yes. “I couldn’t push him out without making an already bad situation even worse,” she answered quite reasonably.
In the carriage, the distraught and unhappy Matthew cursed and moaned. He is the most lost man in London. He has a lot of debts. He mortally insulted Lady Lisa, but she never truly loved him. Their engagement is over. After long and sorrowful lamentations, he suddenly laughed like a boy and asked Oriana to marry him.
“I will not be calm until Powell and my daughter stand hand in hand in front of the altar,” the count spoke harshly. “His recklessness has caused irreparable damage to your reputation.” Your difficult relationship with him has bothered me for many months, and I have repeatedly asked you not to encourage him.
Twisting a curl of her chestnut curls around her finger, Oriana replied:
“Matthew doesn’t need encouragement at all.” And please calm down, Rushton. I'll settle this matter by leaving town.
-Where are you actually going?
- To Chester.
Her answer clearly surprised the count.
- To such a distance?
– The Women's Philanthropic Society is organizing a charity concert for the benefit of poor women who have recently become mothers. Mrs Billington is unable to speak and Mrs Crouch is unwilling. And Anna St. Albans received an invitation to sing in this concert.
Oriana curtsied deeply.
“This is a worthy reason,” the count remarked.
“Then I will proceed to Liverpool to perform there at the Royal Theater - for my own enrichment.” Harry's friend Mr. Akin offers a fee large enough to cover travel expenses. - Brightening with a smile, Oriana concluded: - I believe that the ladies in Cheshire and Lancashire will copy my dresses just as slavishly as the ladies in London.
Oriana glanced at the silk flowers and flowing ribbons—the St. Albans corsage—that adorned the bodice of her dress. The hem of the dress was trimmed with a fluffy frill with a pale pink ribbon running through it - the “St. Albans frill”. The toes of shoes peeked out from under the frill, the color of which was called “St. Albans blue” in London. Oriana's ability to create new fashion was considered unsurpassed.
She turned to the count:
“My friendly efforts to restore your daughter's engagement will deprive me of the opportunity to attend the races at Epsom and Ascot.” My only consolation is the races in Chester for the Grosvenor Gold Cup, fortunately I will definitely get there.
“Truly obsessed with horse racing,” muttered the Count. - This Stuart blood of yours, damn it.
Three pairs of eyes turned to the portrait of King Charles II, which hung on the wall next to the portrait of Nellie Guinn of the Drury Lane Theatre, the king's mistress. Peering at the image of her great-great-grandfather, Oriana remembered that he often neglected public interests for the sake of his own desires.
She sacrificed her own pleasures, leaving London at the height of the social and theatrical seasons and during the main races of the year. She was leaving her confidante Harriot, her friend Matthew, her comfortable home in Soho Square, and so on and so forth, and she was not at all happy about the prospect. However, staying in the city would mean being involved in a scandal, as happened three years ago. The consequences of that scandal were very serious.
Oriana moved to the sofa, picked up a Neapolitan mandolin and, plucking the strings, said:
– All my songs will be sad, and listeners will shed a sea of tears.
The count's face softened.
“I will send my best draft horses to the main postal stations along your route to Chester.” Take advantage of them, I insist on this.
Oriana could easily pay for the trip, but she saw no reason to refuse such a generous offer.
- Thank you. I won't have to worry about whether the travel conditions will be good. My maid Suk will go with me. Her relatives live in those places, and she really wants to see them.
The Count wrote short notices to those post stations where Oriana and her maid would have to stop, and gave the name of the best hotel in Chester. Then he took Oriana's hand in his.
“If you mention my name in this county, you will receive the best service everywhere.”
Touching Oriana's fingers with his dry lips, the count bowed politely, nodded to Harriot and left.
“He’s so cold and unapproachable,” Harriot noted, following the count’s city carriage as it passed by the living room windows.
“I shared this point of view until I got to know him better.” But he was very supportive during my darkest days, just like you, Harry. I will never forget this. And I completely understand his concern about Matthew's behavior.
Harriot sighed.
“Mr. Powell is so full of life, he’s so funny—a perfect match for you.” And you like him.
“I like him enough to help him save his marriage to the heiress of a large fortune, whose father intends to pay off his debts.” Matthew is desperately in love with Lady Lisa, and he attacked me only to make her jealous. I have been a widow for six years, but during this time I have received only one worthy proposal for marriage - and even then it was made as a joke. - Oriana laughed quietly and added: - I even thought about accepting it to see how Matthew would get out of this situation.
“I’m sure you’ll get married again,” Harriot encouraged her friend.
– Who needs the illegitimate daughter of a singer from the Covent Garden Theater and the Duke of St. Albans? My distant ancestors were an actress and the king of England. Such a pedigree cannot attract a respectable gentleman, and my profession only emphasizes my status as an illegitimate. I'm just a "brat of this St. Albans." Every dress and every hat of mine is shocking to the ladies who don’t want to notice me, let alone talk to me.
– Unlike their husbands and sons.
– Yes, but the reasons for such attention are not the best.
“I am not interested in the social position of the person I will marry,” Harriot admitted, “as long as he loves me.” And he was very rich.
After a pause, Oriana said thoughtfully:
“Maybe I should act like the heroine of that ridiculous play we saw at Covent Garden when this story with Matthew happened?” Retire into the wilderness, into a quiet village, and live there under a false name. Look, I would have impressed some young man with a vivid imagination with my aristocratic manners and mystique.
“Silly, the first thing he will notice is your beauty,” her friend objected. - Wait, the season at Drury Lane is over, I’ll come to you in Liverpool. All merchants and industrialists visit the theater. You and I will find rich gentlemen who will court us, lead us to the altar and fulfill our every whim.
“In 1997, I initially visited my grandparents near Voronezh. It was from them that I heard this story. The locals all know it, my grandfather told me that at the end of the last century there was an estate in those places (he doesn’t remember where exactly). The impoverished owners decided to sell it, and very cheaply. One young man from the office, Mikhail, came from Voronezh.
Mikhail visited the estate several times and the last time, when he had completely decided to buy, he stayed overnight because of a thunderstorm, and suddenly there was a knock on the door. Mikhail lit a candle and saw: a blonde with long hair, a slender figure, and a beautiful young face entered the room. She apologized for not being invited, and asked “no, no” to anyone, otherwise they are strict in their family. Yes, I was so bored that I couldn’t cope with the temptation and not visit the guest buyer. They talked for a long time, probably almost until dawn. When leaving, the girl promised to visit Mikhail again if he found an excuse to stay in the house for another day. This is what he did, lying that such a serious purchase is not made on the fly - everything needs to be examined in detail. And the owners, for some unknown reason, pestered him for almost half a day with questions about whether he slept well. “Yes, good, good, wonderful,” Mikhail waved it off and went for a walk around the estate. Of course, I also managed to visit the store, where I stocked up on wine, fruit, sweets, and hid a bouquet of gorgeous roses in the stroller. By nightfall the stranger appeared, as promised. Mikhail began to treat her, but she refused everything, although she clearly showed that she liked him. She didn’t even say her name: she smiled mysteriously and said that he would find out later. They say that she very persistently asked whether he was serious about buying a house. Mikhail answered that he would definitely buy it, even tomorrow, and he looked lovingly at the golden-haired beauty. The girl was very pleased with his answer, but behaved strangely - she refused wine and fruit. She said that tomorrow she would have to leave for a month to visit relatives in another province. Then Mikhail made up his mind - he fell, as they said in the novels, on his knees and asked for the hand and heart of a stranger.
She smiled affectionately, looked at him strangely and said that she could not answer right away, his habits were too cavalry. But in order to leave him hope, he will take three roses and chocolates as a gift. I reminded her once again not to tell her family anything about their secret meetings. She said that they would definitely meet again. That's where we parted.
Both my old people and my neighbors all claim that Mikhail bought the house. A month passed, then another, and no news from the beauty. And then he decided to break his promise and ask his relatives about her. The former owners moved to Voronezh - Mikhail went straight to them. When they heard what the case was about, they became agitated, everyone turned pale and asked to come in tomorrow. He did not insist - tomorrow is tomorrow. And the next morning the servant gives him a surprise: they say that you are not ordered to be received either today or tomorrow - never. Mikhail tried to catch the owners of the estate in the city, but they managed to get rid of him in every possible way. I made inquiries with the city government and the police: it turned out that except for the old owner and his two middle-aged sisters, no one lived on the estate.
So he lived as a bachelor in his country house before the revolution - he still could not forget the wonderful night vision. He fell in love so much that all other women were indifferent to him. And in 1917, Mikhail, on some inspiration, decided to rebuild the house. Why, I didn’t even know. And so, when they were breaking down the corridor leading to that very room, a niche opened in the wall... In it, as if alive, stood a golden-haired beauty, and at her feet lay a box of chocolates and three fresh roses! As soon as the cache was opened, it literally began to melt before our eyes until it turned into a handful of dust. He buried it in an urn in the cemetery, ordering a statue from Skulitgora based on his own sketch. They say that she still stands intact in one of the Voronezh cemeteries. True, again no one can really say which one is exactly the one
– night love – ghost. I saw it myself: they created a lot of beautiful girls - go and find out which one is the one.
That's all. The estate was burned down during the civil war, and Mikhail disappeared somewhere in the vastness of Russia.”