1930

Munich was bustling, despite the late evening and the pouring rain. Cars were speeding around, sending up columns of water from puddles, and rows of umbrellas were moving steadily along the sidewalks, then scattering in different directions as a thunderstorm approached from the west. Despite this, the customers at the Burgerbräukeller were making noise, drinking beer, and grinning at the overly accommodating waiters. Today, the large hall, heated with human breath, was once again filled with laughter and the clinking of glasses. it was even stuffy here, which involuntarily made you want to go to the exit, to replenish the chest with cool air and let the dizziness shake the tired body.

beer slightly relaxed you and pulled you a little smile on the rosy face, when you realized that you need to unwind. legs were a little heavy, but still strong enough to hold you. around were the same drunk people as you: someone shoved himself snacks with his fist, someone was already falling asleep on the table. some were laughing, shaking their bodies, while others were silently staring at the wall with drunken eyes. people... beautiful and terrible at the same time.

The hallway was much quieter and cooler. When you entered, you saw a couple embracing, who immediately pulled apart at the sight of you. The intrusion into their intimate moment did not weigh heavily on you, so you continued on your way... until you turned your attention to the conversation taking place in the far corner of the quiet hallway. it was definitely not a worker, but rather... the owner and an uninvited guest. your legs carried you against your will, while curiosity played in your blood.

—...I don't care if you've been fooled, it only means that you're to blame for your own stupidity, — a powerful, smoky voice boomed. — I'm not your doorman or your mother. Go to your room and stay out of sight of the guests, I don't want to incur losses due to your pathetic appearance.

And then a young man of about sixteen ran out into the corridor, as if by inertia. He looked rather unattractive: unpleasantly thin, with his glasses pushed to one side, and a bird's nest for a hairstyle. His shirt and vest hung on him like on a hanger, and his trousers were held up only by his belt. As soon as he saw your figure, he straightened up and tried to hide, but the owner, a gray-haired and overweight man with a red face, came out right behind him, smiling hurriedly at the customer, as he should.

— Good evening! Are you lost? Oh, you saw the little boy... Well, he's my personal cockroach, so to speak. Tell me, little one, what's your name?

— Gert... Gert Ure, — the lad muttered, adjusting his glasses, almost embarrassed at being introduced as a toy on a shop-shelf.

— Speaks good enough for a feeble-minded man, doesn't he? — And immediately the owner's heavy, big-fingered hand fell on Gert's shaggy head and patted it like a dog's. — he came to me a couple of days ago, trembling like a stray dog, and asked me to give him a room. you know why? he was on his way to the local psychiatric hospital, he said, with a prescription from a village doctor. what a joke! Of course, they kicked him out right away. So he came to me, almost crying, and said he needed a place to stay. Well, I took pity on him. For fifty marks, how could I not?

Apparently, he wanted to say something else, but he was distracted by one of the waiters, who asked him to come over for a "customer issue." Being left alone with a mentally disabled person is something you haven't encountered before.

Ure stood awkwardly, looking down at the floor and twisting his right foot on the toe. In fact, he resembled a doll, albeit one with a visible defect. He even had a strange smell, like mothballs. it must have stunk of his clothes.

— I... I'm not a complete fool, — Gert continued to justify himself, like a clockwork toy, raising and lowering his gray eyes. — I may not go to the movies or read fairy tales, but I can smell and hear well. It's not completely silly, is it?..