That night Lina didn’t find herself by the black door.
It was already behind her.
The city itself led her forward.
The streets grew wider and wider.
The stone houses gradually faded away.
Tall arches replaced them.
Columns.
Great squares.
It seemed as though she had reached the heart of the city.
At first she heard people.
For the first time.
Not shadows.
Not echoes.
Real voices.
Laughter.
Arguments.
Footsteps.
The closer she got, the louder it grew.
Around a bend, an enormous square opened up.
A market was bustling within it.
It was bigger than anything Lina had ever seen.
Hundreds of stalls.
Thousands of people.
No one was in a hurry.
No one was haggling.
Everyone looked calm.
As if they knew exactly what they’d come for.
The strangest part was that there were no objects on the stalls.
No fruit.
No clothes.
No books.
Only small wooden signs.
On one was written:
PEACE OF MIND
On another:
CONFIDENCE
Further on:
LOVE
INFLUENCE
INSPIRATION
CHARISMA
TALENT
PATIENCE
HAPPINESS
Lina stopped.
– What is this…
She didn’t even notice she was speaking aloud.
– A market.
An old vendor answered.
As if he had been waiting for her.
He wore a plain gray cloak.
His face was completely ordinary.
The kind you’d forget a minute later.
Only his eyes.
They were unusually alive.
– What do you sell?
– What people want most.
– And where is it all?
The vendor smiled.
– Already in your hands.
Lina looked at her palms.
They were empty.
– There’s nothing there.
– Are you sure?
She looked up.
The vendor was already serving another person.
A young man stood at the stall.
– I want courage.
The vendor nodded.
– I can give you that.
– How much does it cost?
– Nothing today.
The young man smiled.
– Seriously?
– Of course.
The vendor placed a hand on his shoulder.
– You’ll pay later.
The young man walked off.
Lina noticed something strange.
His gait changed instantly.
His shoulders straightened.
His gaze grew firm.
He looked like a different person.
– What will he pay?
Lina asked.
– He doesn’t know yet himself.
Further on, a woman was buying love.
An old man – peace of mind.
A young girl – beauty.
Everyone left happy.
No one paid.
It seemed absurd.
Lina walked over to another stall.
A single glass vessel sat on it.
Inside, a warm yellowish light swirled.
The sign read:
SELF-CONFIDENCE
– May I look?
– Of course.
The vendor opened the vessel.
The light rose.
Briefly circled around Lina.
And dissolved into the air.
Lina felt a strange calm.
As if all her doubts had suddenly vanished.
She smiled.
It was a wonderful feeling.
– Beautiful.
– Yes.
– And how much does it cost?
The vendor said nothing.
– I’m asking seriously.
– You always see the price later.
Lina stepped back.
Something about this place was wrong.
Everyone was smiling.
Everyone was getting what they wanted.
And yet…
She felt a heaviness.
As if something invisible lurked beneath the beautiful surface.
An old well stood in the middle of the square.
A blind man sat beside it.
He wasn’t selling anything.
Only listening.
Lina approached.
– Why aren’t you selling anything?
– I am selling.
– What?
– Questions.
She was puzzled.
– Who buys those?
– Those who no longer want to lie to themselves.
The man smiled.
– I can tell this is your first time here.
– Yes.
– Then you don’t know the rule yet.
– What rule?
He lifted his head.
Though he was blind, it seemed as if he were looking straight at her.
– In this market, no one pays with money.
At that moment, the same young man walked past them.
The one who had bought courage.
Only now he looked different.
His gaze was bold.
But…
He paid no attention at all to those around him.
A little girl ran up to him.
Said something.
He didn’t even turn around.
He walked on.
Lina frowned.
– What happened to him?
The blind man answered calmly:
– He received courage.
And gave away sensitivity in return.
Next, a woman walked past.
She held flowers in her hands.
She was smiling.
She looked like she was in love.
But walking past an old beggar, she didn’t even glance at him.
– And her?
– She bought love.
– And?
– She sold the ability to be alone.
Lina felt her chest tighten.
– So…
Everyone loses something?
– No.
The blind man shook his head.
– They give it away themselves.
– Why?
– Because a person always thinks…
That they’re giving up a small thing.
Until one day they realize…
That they themselves were made up of those small things.
Lina looked slowly around.
Suddenly she began to see more.
Thin threads trailed from every person.
Barely visible.
Some were golden.
Others gray.
They led back.
To the vendors.
Each thread was attached to something invisible.
One person was missing spontaneity.
Another – curiosity.
A third – patience.
A fourth – conscience.
No one noticed it.
Only Lina.
– They don’t know…
She said quietly.
– No.
– No one told them?
– They were told.
The blind man smiled faintly.
– But a person always hears only what they want to hear.
The market slowly began to fade.
The noise grew distant.
The people’s voices turned into an echo.
Lina looked at the square one last time.
Above the main gate, which she hadn’t noticed before, a few words were carved.
ANYTHING CAN BE OBTAINED.
Only now did she notice the smaller inscription beneath it.
Barely legible.
If you agree to become smaller.
She woke up suddenly.
It was still dark.
She lay motionless for a long time.
Only one thought spun through her mind.
She picked up the black notebook.
Opened a new page.
And wrote:
People rarely sell their soul.
After a long pause she added:
More often, they sell off small pieces of themselves.
A moment later a final line appeared.
One day there’s no one left who can say, “I.”