Valery Rubin

“It's us, God...” by Valery Rubin

Are you there, God? It's me... The real human talent is destruction. Not creation, but destruction, you heard me right. We arrogantly, single-mindedly, and, let's face it, effectively destroy nature, the basis, the basis of our existence, given to us from above. Every creature for every creature, remember? Did you hear that the last white rhinoceros died in Sudan? That the number of lions on the African continent and tigers in South Asia has dwindled so much that there is nothing to talk about. That the polar bear in the Arctic? — Very rare....

3 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“There is nothing better than bad weather” by Valery Rubin

Sitting in the bar gets boring, and for the regulars, our appearance here is suspicious. Irene says she hasn't been to the movies in a long time. A movie is a movie. I found a horror film, the kind I don't watch myself and don't recommend to others, not without love scenes, of course, who'd be surprised. But we safely made it to the finale. It was raining the same, shallow and boring rain outside. Visibility is poor, like through a veil. - Why are you sad? - I'm not sad. Why should you say that? - I can see it.  You can hear the wa...

3 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“I'll tell you a story...” by Valery Rubin

Submitted to Contest #101

The boss spoke, Alex listened. - Civilization is dying. People have gone mad. For the sake of money, they're willing to do any meanness and murder. Morality? - Nothing to talk about, a waste of time. The church is not able to talk sense into sinners. Their ranks multiply, growing like mushrooms after the rain. Parishioners come to the service in the temple of God, listen to sermons, place a candle, praise Him, but the next day everything repeats again. They confess that they have done wrong, lied, harassed, stolen, raped... just to atone for...

20 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Detective is life” by Valery Rubin

Submitted to Contest #100

The morning haze was gone, and the usual humid heat was coming. The sultry sky had taken on the colour of the faded blue overalls issued to the working class in factories and plants. The asphalt was melting. Minimarkets, with their colourful windows, beckoned for fruit and vegetables. Young girls wandered back and forth in lightweight shirts and shorts. But I wasn't tempted. I was not in the mood to store, to lust after the beautiful sex, or to kill my health under the southern Israeli sun. At home, we have air conditioning and the kind of p...

11 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Barcelona... Barcelona...” by Valery Rubin

Barcelona... Barcelona... How long have I wanted to visit the city, the foundation of which is attributed to the mythological hero Hercules? In the city of ancient history, the center of world culture, where tourists lead all the roads and air routes, where you can admire the creations of the wizard of architectural design Anthony Placid Gaudi and Cornet, the great Gaudi. The Sagrada Familia, the House of Batlló, the House of Milla... What can I say: Barcelona needs to see!.. And here I am. With my prayers and according to my wi...

4 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Spain? Why not... Your home is where you live” by Valery Rubin

Submitted to Contest #98

So that was it. I remembered the phone number that my supervisor had given me for emergencies, that I could always call and be helped, immediately evacuated from whatever country I was in at the time — sort of like an "emergency" for a sick person. You've drawn too much attention to your personal. Enough, no more adventures, and it's time to disappear from the radar screen. The question is, where will the Speedo boots take me? That's for me and me alone to decide. Well, of course, there can be no doubt: Barcelona, the international airport E...

21 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Bounty” by Valery Rubin

Submitted to Contest #97

Nostalgia. Nostalgia. Who among us, boys, did not dream of a heroic profession in a distant childhood. Become an astronaut, a pilot, a football player? Other times, other manners. Most people choose a portfolio of bankers, financiers, managers, at the worst, officials or politicians. Yes. But someone, admit it, dreamed of being a pirate, huh? To step, so to speak, on a pirate path, to lift "Merry Roger," to shoot from cannons of the main calibre on a royal flagman ... Pistols and machetes - ready? Surrender your vessel, or you're going to di...

20 likes 2 comments 2

Read story

“Perpignon. The best place for business meetings” by Valery Rubin

Submitted to Contest #96

So that's what it is, Perpignan. I'll be damned. Three in one: France, Spain, and Catalonia, come together here under the hot Mediterranean sun. I didn't know it was possible. It's a place where you live both in France and Spain at the same time, on a completely legal basis. The wide, sandy beaches are just a few miles to the east and the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees with their ski slopes to the west. The world-famous resort of the Costa Brava is a 90-minute drive from Perpignan, while the hustle and bustle of Barcelona are less than tw...

25 likes 2 comments 2

Read story

“To Argentina. Urgently. On business” by Valery Rubin

Submitted to Contest #95

This is a real story, as far as any story can be real, not made up. But who makes up stories, since it is already History? - Historians, of course. And if History is at odds with reality, who should we turn to? - Right, to historians. The correct and interpret everything in the light of current events and trends. It is not worth getting upset about such insignificant things because our past is still unpredictable, and our future is in a thick, impenetrable swamp. You know as well as I do that we are living in times far worse than ancient His...

13 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Night librarian” by Valery Rubin

Submitted to Contest #91

- What have you got there? Show me your references, young man. I hope you're not a reader or a bibliophile. - I like to flip through a book before I go to sleep, but my friend doesn't pick up books at all. Here's my recommendation, if you'd like to see it. My name is Shimmie. I worked in the archives of the Academy of Sciences. I have a bachelor's degree — a philologist by training. - What do you mean, you have a degree, and you don't read books? - But I wouldn't say I like reading. I've read enough in my life. My head is swollen from books....

14 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Quo Vadis, Domine?” by Valery Rubin

Submitted to Contest #90

The fundamental human talent is destruction. Not creation, but destruction, you have not misheard. We arrogantly, purposefully, and, it must be admitted, effectively destroy the nature, the basis, the basis of our existence, given to us from above. Every creature for every creature, remember? Did you hear that the last white rhinoceros died in Sudan? What do we care about? - I see... That the number of lions on the African continent and tigers in South Asia has dwindled so much that there is nothing to talk about. A polar bear in the Arctic?...

16 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Pink flamingo” by Valery Rubin

I wake up, and I see a vast pink spot. Pink flamingo. The sun's rays breaking through the leaves of maples, the curtain on the window, draw a picture on the wall, a magical illusion, an attraction that is possible only in autumn. Autumn in Canada is the time for raspberry-coloured sugar maples. Why "sugar"? The answer is simple: juice is collected from trees, transformed into maple syrup by a simple technological process. The sugar maple leaf is Canada's national emblem, while maple syrup is a trademark of Canada. Like Niagara Falls or hocke...

5 likes 0 comments 0

Read story