“That is.⁠ ⁠…” I was confused for some reason. “Yes, of course⁠ ⁠… that very same.⁠ ⁠…”

“And you want me to go to her , to ask her⁠ ⁠… to.⁠ ⁠… Don’t you ever dare to say another word about it!”

Leaning over, she walked away.⁠ ⁠… Then as if she remembered something, she turned around and cried:

“I shall die; be it so! And it is none of your business⁠ ⁠… what do you care?”

Silence. From above pieces of blue towers and walls were falling downward with terrific speed⁠ ⁠… they will have perhaps hours or days to fly through the infinite.⁠ ⁠… Unseen threads were slowly floating through the air, planting themselves upon my face, and it was impossible to brush them off, impossible to rid myself of them.

I walked slowly toward the Ancient House and in my heart I felt that absurd, tormenting compression.⁠ ⁠…