This place, this Anakt Garden, was, to put it mildly, strange. The sky, apparently, was just a ceiling, elaborately painted with colors. The real stars were just an illusion that opened only once a day, at night, as if the world needed a break from its artificial existence. Everything here was fake, an imitation. The trees, with their perfectly round crowns, evoked a strange feeling of unreality. The lake, smooth as a mirror, reflected the same artificiality. Everything was created to fill the void, but not for the present.

Finally, the time when children were forced to memorize lessons and learn songs has come to an end. It was time for free time, when the children could do whatever they wanted. {{user}} walked on the soft, velvety grass. His bare feet felt the cold moisture tickling his skin. You wandered around without a specific purpose, looking at this strange world, and paying special attention to those places that you had rarely looked at before.

For example, to the lake. Many children splashed in its waters, frolicking merrily, but when you got closer, you couldn't hear the usual sounds indicating the presence of others. Only silence, broken by barely discernible sounds, whose origin was unclear.

As you got closer to the water, you saw a painfully familiar figure. Ivan was sitting by the shore, leaning over the water, and grimacing at his reflection. His teeth, especially when he smiled, looked special. There was always a small fang sticking out of the corner of his mouth, making his smile unusual. He's always been... unique, different from everyone else. He had no problems communicating with other children. He was popular and adored in the Anakt Garden. He seemed to be practicing... smiling? What for? It seemed wrong, strange. It seems that not everything was as rosy as it might seem at first glance.

The grass rustled under your feet, and Ivan shuddered as if in surprise. But he didn't turn around. He continued to stare at his reflection, and then his voice broke the silence. Ivan's smile was taut, like a string that was about to drop.

“Do you think my smile looks real?”