The Romanov Diary

Chapter twenty two

May 30, 1918

Anastasia opens her eyes, expecting to be greeted by the empty walls of the Ipatiev House and the constant feeling of fear and oppression. But when she does, all she sees are tall buildings, people walking around in weird clothes talking to themselves and windows with moving pictures are everywhere to be seen. They look like video tapes but far more advanced than what she's seen, and they're in colour. Loud and fast cars speed by her, way different from the cars she's used to. She looks around, both with panic and delight. A hand sneaks into her fingers and she turns around.

Milo.

He's standing beside her, smiling in a pair of blue pants and a white t-shirt. Anastasia looks down at herself. She's wearing a white skirt - much too short and inappropriate for her time -, short white shoes and a black t-shirt. A golden chain hangs around her neck and matching earrings dangle from her ears. Her hair has grown back and it's up in a high ponytail. She's never seen such clothes before. The sky is the same as home, except for big white birds made out of metal that flies over the blue sky. The air is different as well. It smells like a mixture of fumes and sweat from the people walking by. Neverending amounts of people walk past them, wearing the same unusual clothes. Sounds that she's never heard before enters her eardrums, providing her brain with both confusion and a wish to learn where these strange sounds come from. Apart from Milo, she doesn't recognise a single soul.

The rest of her family is nowhere to be seen.

"Milo, where are we?" Anastasia asks, both worried and excited.

"You're in London, in my time." Milo smiles and begins to walk with her. "I'll show you around, follow me!"

Anastasia looks at all of the shops around her, trying to process all of the new impressions. The windows show her foods, candy, toys, clothes and things her own imagination never could invent. The cars look so different, they are probably what fascinates her the most. They come in all different colours and shapes. But the clothes are also extraordinary. She feels incredibly uncomfortable with her bare legs. Back home, showing too much of your ankles or shoulders could cause hysteria. But no one seems to care here. She's not the only one wearing a short skirt or dress and after a while, she grows more confident in her new look. It actually feels kind of nice to feel the cool breeze against her skin, and she feels more free than she's done in a long time.

"Why are people talking into those small boxes?"

"Those are mobile phones. You know the ones back in Russia, the telephones? These are the same but much easier to use and you can carry them everywhere."

She's amazed by everything Milo tells her. The windows with moving pictures are called TV:s. And the music doesn't come from live bands. They are recorded and come from radios and speakers. Lamps shine over the big city with different colours - red, blue, green, yellow... Her life back in Russia seems so grey and boring compared to this.

Milo takes her on a bus, and Anastasia pupils grow bigger as they ride on the big red double-decker. And the fact that she can move around in public without being recognised or fearing for her life makes her smile.

They walk around in London for what feels like hours. Milo shows her all the important attractions - the Tower, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus... If Anastasia would have had to choose her favorite sight, she wouldn't have been able to choose. Everything she sees is different and new to her, and she loves it. Even the smells and tastes of the food they eat excites her, both her mind and her taste buds.

"Let's go and watch a movie!" Milo says after they've enjoyed a meal of fish n' chips and runs into the cinema with Anastasia close behind, hand in hand.