On the Wings of Hope: Prose (Recognized)

Gift

"And you won't check my QR code, all right? I really don't have one, truly, honestly! I am not marked, you know? We, the untagged, have become almost like outcasts now..."

Judging by the sour face of the guard standing with a rifle at the ready near the entrance to the shopping mall, it was clearly noticeable which great-grandfather and how courageously would strangle all these fascist innovations that have been showering on his nondescript descendant's head and purse as of lately, almost like from a horn of plenty or some other horn, thereby giving him, the glorious successor of the family, an extremely instructive and very timely example. Shifting from one foot to the other for a long time, as if from internal cold and cautiously squinting at the video cameras hanging on the walls, after a while the guard, nevertheless, waved his hand in a sign of permission.

"Okay, come on in. At least show me the phone for the sake of formality. One way or another, you're our first visitor today for the whole day. As if the whole city died out overnight, God save us! I'll too be kicked out of here soon if there are no buyers going around..."

"Thank you, mister guardsman!" Alice exclaimed joyfully, almost clapping her hands. "I'll run around here in a jiffy, just to take a peek, okay? I am very, very interested in what is going on here in the capital today! As well as to buy a gift."

Having never received an affirmative reply from the guardian of the new trade order, who suddenly started to diligently examine the tips of his polished shoes, Alice rushed headlong through the opened glass doors, intending if not to buy (she had almost no money for this course of action), then at least to admire from afar all those wonderful curiosities that this huge trading monster could offer to them, unwanted guests of the capital.

What kind of surprise that was when she discovered that there were no sellers at all standing behind the counters of the shops sparkling with Christmas lights and garlands! The glass doors stood wide open, the festive lights were still painting their unique patterns on the walls, reflecting from the mirrors fixed on the ceilings and floor, and around, as far as the eye could see, not a single living soul was visible. It was as if she, a new-found guest of the capital, suddenly found herself in her own mystical Looking Glass.

"Buy us!" a thin voice suddenly came out from somewhere in the distant depths of the boutique, into which Alice wandered in the shopping center.

"And me! Take me too!" a dozen new ones chattered back to it.

"And don't you forget about me, I'm on sale now!" someone purred very closely.

"Who are you? Where are you hiding? Come on, show yourself immediately, or I'll... well... call the police, right!" Alice shouted back at them, looking around in fear.

"It's us, pretty things!" came a chorus of merry chuckles in response. "Buy us now!"

"Things? And where are all the people? Where are your sellers? Is this some new form of trading magic? I don't understand anything!" Alice threw up her hands in surprise.

"People? Why people? Things!" a multi-voiced chorus of voices sang back to her.

"But surely there should be people around to make things right? People are not things, and what are things without people? You've got me completely confused right now!"

"Put us on!" shouted the red patent leather shoes that suddenly jumped out of the box, right in front of the stunned Alice, starting to dance some kind of weird unfamiliar dance right away.

"Try me on!" tenderly whispered a lilac dress with a large cutout on the back that started spinning on the mirrored floor, paired with shoes, now and then trying to drag Alice standing in the center of the hall, taking her by the arm with its sleeve.