Game of imagination

The results of the competition for Builder's Day have been summed up. The most exciting story related to the construction of the metro was sent to the editor by photojournalist and experienced expert on the history of the Moscow subway, Alexander Popov. We publish the author's text in full.

Who hasn't done strange things at 19? Once upon a time, one Sunday morning, two friends set out in search of adventure. Yes, what kind! We decided to climb into the mine, where no one had been before.

The object was equipped with a reliable security mechanism consisting of a guard and a dog. After some thought, the comrades decided that the guards would sleep in the morning. But the friends did not think about the weather: overnight the area around the treasured mine shaft was covered with snow.

Two chains of footprints were imprinted on it. A ceremonial descent down and finally - the mine yard, the cross and the distillation tunnels. One, dark, was heading towards the station, and it was known that it had already been lost. This is where the friends wanted to go!

Slurping through the slurry, illuminating their path with lanterns, two young men briskly walked into the unknown. On the way, they saw something was wrong - someone was walking towards them. More precisely, light was visible walking along the walls of the tunnel. Soon steps were heard, and then voices.

The comrades decided to go back. I just couldn’t let go of the thought: what did the stranger forget in this dark tunnel? And even on Sunday morning.

For camouflage, the adventurers walked back with their lanterns extinguished. Having passed a hundred meters, we saw the light again. “Surrounded!” - flashed through my head. Apparently, they saw traces, and the guards realized that there were strangers in the mine.

After consulting, they decided to go forward. Then they will lead you out of the mine through the station. And it will be possible to at least look at her.

But the guys never met the stranger. It turned out that a bridge had been made between the plots to prevent water from flowing to the neighbors. The tunnel itself was tightly closed with a grate and welded shut with sheets.

A single light bulb hung over the formed lake, swinging in a draft. This was the same imaginary lantern. The pattern of reflections was created by the reinforced concrete lining and humidity. And the steps and voices are fantasy. The light on the way back turned out to be the most ordinary lamp near the cross.