The Newspaper Read online

  Chapter Two – Saturday

  A cup of black tea in an unusual cup holder stood on the small brilliant tray on the table of the editor of the newspaper "The Horn". By the ligature of the letters with different typographic style the cup holder was decorated. There was a spoon near the tray. Kondrat Kirillovich sipped tea, wiggling his whiskers.

  "Tanya, what is the news from the department of outstanding?" The editor asked.

  "The article about the minister is most reputed." The secretary said and placed the report in front.

  "Who could doubt it? So." Kondrat Kirillovich stretched, slurping tea.

  "The newspaper 'The Trumpet of Democracy' writes 'According to the newspaper 'The Horn' tonight a crash was happening that could...'" The secretary began.

  "Tanya, read the main only." Kondrat Kirillovich enjoyed.

  "The Newspaper 'The Hooter of the Proletariat' says 'periodical publication 'The Horn' in its article argues, that minister Ilonov, being drunk... '. 'The Siren of Pluralism' writes: 'With reference to the newspaper 'The Horn' late at night has happened car accident..." Tanya continued.

  A phone call interrupted the story. The secretary has picked up the phone. Tanya listened for a long time. Her eyes extended in the process of conversation. She squeezed the button on the phone and whisper asked the chief. "Kondrat Kirillovich, here is the call from the Ministry."

  "Let them leave a message." The editor took a sip of tea.

  "Kondrat Kirillovich is on meeting now. Please, leave a message." The secretary wrote down something in a notebook and hung up.

  "Threatened?" Kondrat Kirillovich asked.

  "Not yet, but... Well, tried. They want us to give a refutation, even the text was dictated." Tanya felt confused and shrugged.

  "And what do they want?"

  "To write, well, it was not the Minister, was a junior officer and not on Porsche but on Volga (TN: Volga is high-priced Russian car, hasn't produced from 2010 year). And the traffic lights just switched off at the time of the accident." Tanya looked at the editor.

  "Traffic lights? Well done! There were not traffic lights there. Here is, we clearly read 'unregulated pedestrian crossing'" The chief slammed yesterday's newspaper "The Horn".

  "They want it to be in today's release, Kondrat Kirillovich."

  "Tanya, do not change anything in today's newspaper, let's imagine that there was not the call, well... have not caught. Let's wait. But give the text to the outsourcing department, just in case. Today is Day off - they just work. Let them prepare a disproof."

  "And it's true, isn't it?" The view of the secretary rushed up.

  "What a question! You know, we cannot print lies on weekdays.

  On Tanya's table, behind green plants, the yellow bulb has lighted up on the switchboard.

  "Kondrat Kirillovich, Stepan Mefodievich wants to talk to you. I connect." She clicked the buttons.

  "Yes, Mefodich, what's up?"

  "Kirillich (TN: short patronymic of Kirillovich), here are some people in the uniform and the principal of them is a prosecutor apparently, want to see you. They said that having a dispatch for you."

  "Arrange them in full, with questionnaires and let in."

  "Okay, understood. Will do." The guard said. The editor hung up.

  "And that's interesting. Tanya, please, prepare a tea for the prosecutor and his retinue." Kondrat Kirillovich took his tray with a glass and put it in a desk drawer.

  The three men entered the cabinet of the editor of the newspaper "The Horn" without knocking. Two were in black police uniform; one was in a dark blue uniform of the prosecutor, three large stars on his shoulder straps said that he was the colonel. Tanya involuntarily jumped up from her seat and remained standing. The colonel didn't greet anyone, went to the table and showed identity Kirillovich Kondrat, having opened it in front of his nose. The editor has read an open document without an embarrassment.

  "Are you the editor of "The Horn?" Man with stars on the blue uniform asked, snapping the identity and without waiting for an answer, he continued. "You have a letter." He laid out the envelope with official government stamp on the table. "All the best and my advice to you - decide the issue as soon as possible." The prosecutor turned in place, like in a parade and left the cabinet, accompanying with his guards.

  "Maybe you want some tea?" Kondrat Kirillovich only had time to shout after.

  "You see what a beautiful stamp!" The editor unceremoniously tore open the envelope and took out the letter.

  "Is it from...?" Tanya asked and sat down in her seat.

  "What do you think? From the Prime Minister!" He stroked his hussar's mustache below.

  "Threatened?" Tanya asked, peering from behind the flowers.

  "Yes – We, said, don't need such kind of media with a yellow tint. At the 'top', they like the strange turns of phrase. But well done his henchmen, have written an article, here listen:

  'Such a date, in such a time, being drunk, the driver of the car Moskvich (TN: Moskvich is low-price Russian car, hasn't produced from 2001 year), driving the car and driving through a red light, knocked assistant deputy minister of the Meat and Dairy industry, Mr.... so and so. The victim with a broken arm in a state of moderate severity hospitalized. The identity of the driver installed. He appeared to be a mechanic sixth category, Mr.... At the moment, he is arrested, is under investigation and testifies. A criminal case under article 'Violation of traffic rules and operation of the vehicle' was sued. He faces up to four years imprisonment.'"

  "Yes... something about the henchmen I got excited." Kondrat Kirillovich remarked angrily.

  "Do even Prime Minister's assistants also from 'those'? Only protocols, and they know how to write." Not expecting an answer and watering flowers from a watering can the secretary asked.

  "Request, please, the outsourcing department - do they have all week refutations ready? And this letter, tell them, let them word for word in today's edition on the front page. What to do! Today is Saturday... day off, today we can." Kondrat Kirillovich fatigue, sat down, pulled out of the drawer tray of tea and put it in front, looking thoughtfully at the crumbs shot up in the glass of tea leaves.

  "And one more thing, Tanya warns Stepanida Mihaylovna that the newspaper cannot be used for personal purposes."

  "She lost her cat again, Kondrat Kirillovich. She said that had visited all neighbors in horticulture. And how could she find it? Call the police? Look, what gorgeous flowers she brought me." Tanya turned red Gerbera flower to the chief so he could see it.

  "Nevertheless, such ads have no place in the newspaper. Even in the Personal ads. Well, what is this? 'In the South-Western horticulture a cat has lost, named Stefan. He is assumed to be in the family of Trefilov.' Though the name of the cat could not be writing, so I didn't guess. Did she find it?

  "Of course, Kondrat Kirillovich, she has found the cat, as she read our newspaper yesterday. We have only the truth on weekdays. Family of Trefilov indulged the cat with fresh fish, so it didn't want to leave."

  "Oh, 'Shinri' (TN: word shin-ri is translated from Japanese as the truth)..." Fingering a moustache, sighed Kondrat Kirillovich.