Distort reality meaning

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Distorting reality

We constantly interpret what goes on around us — what others do or say, events we observe, and things we read in the newspaper or see on TV. We also interpret things that have happened in the past, or which may happen in the future. In addition, we interpret our own actions, and even the physical sensations and emotional changes happening inside us. By interpreting, I mean that we draw conclusions about what we think is happening. Sometimes our interpretations are correct, but often they are wrong. Seven ways to get things wrong Psychiatrist Aaron Beck has studied and listed the ways people can get things out of perspective. His research shows that our feelings are in proportion to how we describe events and situations, rather than to the actual intensity of those things themselves. The main ways in which we can misinterpret things that happen, adapted from Dr Beck’s list, are presented here. Black-and-white thinking People often see things in extremes, with no middle ground — good or bad, perfect versus useless, success or failure, right against wrong, moral versus immoral, and so on. By doing this, they miss the reality that things rarely are one way or the other but usually somewhere in-between. In other words, there are shades of grey. Another name for this distortion is all-or-nothing thinking. It involves self-talk like: ‘If it’s not perfect, then it’s useless.’ ‘If you don’t love me, then you must hate me. ’ ‘Either I succeed, or I’m a total failure.’ ‘If I mess up this part, I may as well give up the whole thing.’ Filtering If you tend to see all the things that are wrong but ignore the positives, then you are filtering. Here are some examples: ‘I can’t see anything good about my situation.’ ‘I don’t have any good points.’ ‘There’s no hope.’ ‘All I get is pain.’ Do you ever find yourself seeing all that’s going wrong in your life but ignoring the things that are going right? It’s easy to take the positives for granted because they are part of everyday life. What about, for instance, the fact that you are capable of reading this book? What other positives can you bring to mind that are so basic you wouldn’t normally be conscious of them? Overgeneralising People often build up one thing about themselves or their circumstances and end up thinking that it represents the whole situation or happens all the time, or is part of a never-ending pattern. For example: ‘Everything’s going wrong.’ ‘Nothing I do ever turns out right.’ ‘I’ll always be a failure.’ ‘There’s no hope.’ Mind-reading There are various ways in which we can jump to a conclusion without enough evidence. One of these is mind-reading — making guesses about what other people are thinking: ‘She ignored me on purpose.’ ‘You don’t really love me.’ ‘They think I’m boring.’ ‘You’re only saying that because . . . ‘ Fortune-telling Another way of jumping to a conclusion is to treat beliefs about the future as though they were realities rather than just predictions: ‘I’ll be depressed for ever.’ ‘I’ll never get another job. ’ ‘Things can only get worse.’ Emotional reasoning Yet another way to leap to a conclusion is to tell yourself that because you feel a certain way, this is how it really is: ‘I feel like a failure, so I must be one.’ ‘If I’m angry, you must have done something to make me so.’ ‘I wouldn’t be worrying if there wasn’t something to worry about.’ ‘Because I feel unattractive, I must be.’ Emotional reasoning can, for example, keep you thinking anger is ‘justified’, sustain a vicious circle of self-downing, or make worrying feed on itself. Personalising You can also jump to a conclusion by thinking that something is directly connected with you: ‘Everyone is looking at me.’ ‘That criticism was meant for me. ’ ‘It must have been me that made her feel bad.’ ‘He didn’t return my greeting. What did I do?’ Personalising can make you feel self-conscious, guilty, or responsible for events you may not have caused — including other people’s problems and emotions. Keeping in touch with reality How can you stop distorting reality? For a start, catch yourself doing it.  Know the cues to watch for: looking at things in extremes, only seeing negatives, building up the bad points in a situation (be it past, present or future), ‘reading’ other people’s minds, predicting the future, assuming that what you feel is reality, and relating everything back to yourself. Watch especially for rigid thinking.  When you find yourself resisting other ways of viewing something, this could be a sign that you are locking yourself into a narrowed, distorted viewpoint. Stop using words which exaggerate — like always, forever, totally, all, everything, everybody, nothing, nobody, never and the like. Get things back into balance — by looking for the side of the picture you have been filtering out. Make a list, for example, of the positives and the negatives. If you cannot find both, you know you are distorting reality. Few things are either one way or the other — so keep listing. Develop the habit of sticking to the facts — as far as you can unearth them. When you think you might be jumping to conclusions, ask yourself, ‘What evidence do I have for assuming this? Is it the most likely explanation for the facts available? Are there any others which may be just as valid?’ If you are worrying about something, rate the chances of it happening on a scale of, say, 0–100 per cent. Being this specific will help you clarify vague predictions. Finally, if it is possible, check out your interpretation of something you are concerned about and see how it compares with reality. Getting things back into perspective Take a look at the list of typical distortions below. Alongside each, to show ‘in-perspective’ thinking, is a more realistic alternative. Distorted thinking Realistic thinking I’m a total failure. I failed this time. Everything’s wrong. I’m facing some problems at present. It’s got to be done perfectly or not at all. I’d prefer to get it just right, but less than perfect will do. This is totally wrong. I disagree with some aspects of this. She made me angry. I don’t like what she did, but I made myself angry by the way I viewed it. She did it because she hates me. I don’t know why she did it. There’s more than one possible explanation. Everyone will think I’m stupid. Some people may be critical of me. I’ll never be happy again. Sure, things aren’t so good now. But how do I know what the future holds? All I get is pain. I get a lot of pain. But there are also some good things that happen — if I’d only be prepared to notice them. Sometimes it is hard to know for sure just what is going on. You won’t always have enough information to be certain. But it is important to at least recognise that there may be more than one way to interpret a given situation. By doing so you can avoid jumping to erroneous and possibly harmful conclusions. That could be the best way to avoid distorting reality: retain a healthy scepticism about it.

8 cognitive bugs worth knowing about

Scientists have long been saying that a person perceives the world around him not too objectively. We ourselves have repeatedly published materials about cognitive distortions that play with our mind, adversely affecting our behavior and actions. Want to know more? We offer you to get acquainted with a new selection of bugs that control human thinking and cause a distortion of reality.

Reality distortion: 8 cognitive bugs

1. The human brain tends to trust spoken rather than written language

Once scientists conducted an experiment. They divided people into two groups, one of which was given to listen to texts on a variety of topics. And the second is to read the same thing in writing. And it turned out that those who perceived the information by ear treated it with more confidence than people who received it in writing. The latter were critical, disputed, ridiculed or simply denied a lot. What is the reason for such an effect? In a dialogue with a person, a significant role is played by voice, intonation, facial expressions, authority, to which we subconsciously add pluses. While this is not the case in written language, the brain can misinterpret the text, highlight the wrong ideas, making the author dumber than he is in reality.

2. Stress changes the perception of beauty

In a state of stress, the brain replaces the idea of ​​beauty. In serious soups, we can take something ugly as the norm. So, one of the tests showed that men, artificially introduced into a state of severe stress, changed their sexual preferences. If, under normal conditions, they liked fit and well-groomed women, having experienced nervous tension, they chose plump ladies, far from the classical canons. And the more they played with their nerves, the stronger this deviation manifested itself.

Also read: 7 Parenting Mistakes Older Parents Regret

belief in the ability to control the course of events. So, one half of the participants were given lottery tickets, while the other half were allowed to choose their own.

4. We tend to justify our poor decisions

This cognitive bias, known in scientific circles as the "Stockholm shopping syndrome", is the basis of the marketing campaign for many consumer goods. The effect is that when choosing a product, a person unconsciously downplays its shortcomings, concentrating exclusively on the positive aspects. So what if the purchase did not live up to expectations, broke down, did not pay for itself? But this company is used by celebrities. The product is beautiful, interesting, and everything else is lost against its background.

See also: How to develop a sixth sense? 5 Exercises to Train Your Intuition

5.

Taste can really influence our behavior. So, a cup of coffee not only increases work productivity, but also adds positive, reducing the number of suicidal thoughts. The use of lemon and sour foods helps to overcome internal inertia, adds determination and passion to a person. If you are very worried or regret something - a glass of ice water will relieve this condition, reducing the degree of experience. Whereas hot drinks will intensify it, leading to depression and self-criticism. Here is such an interesting pattern.

6. Movie preferences affect relationship satisfaction

What films do you like to go to the cinema, what books do you read to holes? It turns out that our genre preferences directly affect the success of relationships with the opposite sex. People who prefer fantasy and classics are more likely to have a happy marriage than those who choose novels or watch one comedy after another. The former are able to separate their fantasies from reality. They do not set high expectations for a partner, they tend to forgive someone else's imperfection. The second are fixated on finding the ideal. They are not ready to put up with compromises and often try to remake a partner for themselves. Is it necessary to say that in the second case nothing good will come of it?

See also: How can habits control us, and how can we control habits?

7. We trust words spoken in rhyme more

Scientists have found that the human brain processes information presented in the form of rhymed verses faster. All due to the fact that the subconscious does not treat her critically. This means that we will believe the phrase “I love, therefore I beat” more than the conclusion “the person who loves will beat us.” Although they are identical in meaning. Rhyming speech seems to the brain more reasonable, even if it combines two ideas that are not related in meaning in the style of “who eats sandwiches, he humiliates other peoples. ”

8. We are not ready to believe in the injustice of this world

Our reality is full of dramatic accidents that are not easy to accept. But a person is so arranged that he tries to give some meaning to everything, he looks for his own logic in everything. For what? We like to think that the world around us is fair. That we ourselves attract troubles and disasters into our lives. And so we can control everything. We do not want to believe in chaos and bias, which is why we are so actively looking for cause and effect, we stand up for justice. Alas, there is no justice, and its search is the most common cognitive bug that exists to give life meaning and a little stability. This is such a sad story.

The distortion of reality is quite normal, because we all look at the events from a certain angle. Use the information from this post to change the angle of inclination in the right direction!

Text: Flytothesky.ru

Also Read:
Use These Techniques to Convince Anyone

Read online “Distortion of Reality.

© Viktoria Olegovna Rogozina, 2021

ISBN 978-5-4496-7242-1

Created in the Ridero intellectual publishing system – 2019

Life at the Academy goes on as usual. But not everything is so smooth in Lemur. Everyone has a terrible past that continues to affect the present day and threatens to destroy the future. Everyday life flickers and there is no understanding of where the present is, and where the past is, bordering on the future. Here it is, the transitional period, before the main war itself.

The unreality of the deviant

underground

Unreal reality

Love novels:

-Say that you love me

-rock and cutter

-which is captured

days of happiness

- Alpha

- Princess. ExpectationVSReality

- Pandemic

- Baba religion about the prince on the white horse

Storybooks:

- Notes of a graphomaniac about the love of life

- Rock and roll novel

- The true power of time

Out of series:

- Magazine "This is Rock'n'roll!"

- Object "Shelter"

- Object "Shelter". Version 2.0

- Password “Happiness for you”

- death spiral

- the next stop life

- breaking fear

- gift

- Behind the cup of coffee

are prepared for printing:

- Deviant unreality

- Underground

- Unreal reality

- Idiot. WelCOME to Reality

- Babsky religion about the prince on the white horse

- BSK - nonsense of siviv mare

- doll

- Princess

- Chernobyl yorik or death of a combator

- Requiem for your soul

- Letter of the anomaly of Voltaire

- Horoscope "Good mood"

- Is anyone here?

- that’s all

- a lie of closed eyes

- a name that turned everything into dust

- death timer

- Raelit from a titanium

- an instant in the universe

from the author

and the possibility of

See

Around you

Great

with love, Author

- Prolog0011

Only he lives freely,

who finds joy in doing his duty.

(Cicero)

Making her way through the bushes, she passed a small swamp and came out onto an old cracked road that led into the forest. The girl sighed heavily and listened. There was deathly silence - no rustling of leaves, no birdsong, no murmur of a brook, nothing. Absolute silence. This did not happen often in the Zone during the day. The girl took out a flask, quickly unscrewed the lid and took a sip of water, thinking. It was still far from the place, and, as you know, there are no shortcuts in the Zone. After all, short does not mean safe, but far does not mean that it is really a short and fast path.

An old smartphone vibrated dully. With a habitual movement, taking out a phone from the breast pocket of an army overall, the girl read a message from a bartender from a neighboring village: "I'm glad you're alive, Vytyanka." A smartphone is a useful gadget that is much better than just a phone, because it has additional features that only make life easier. The phone has everything - the necessary map of the area, with the ability to center your position and get directions from point "A" to point "B". Well, thanks to the Internet, there is a constant connection and the ability to view the latest news.

Nearby there were some dilapidated abandoned hangars and a mill, where bells often hid. The girl left them on the right hand and moved along the road, across the destroyed wooden bridge. Not far away, an abandoned old summer cottage village was already flashing, led by an experienced stalker Bull. But now he seems to have gone somewhere on some business known only to him, and left a replacement in the holiday village.

Just behind the bridge lay an old completely rusted car. Was it difficult to understand what he was doing here, all alone? Guessing is pointless, but curiosity did not bite. After walking a little more along the road, Vytyanka turned right towards the village. Crashing into a fence, an old truck and a rusty Soviet bus stood. Apparently, the disaster found one of the people here. Walking along the sandy road and directly crossing summer cottages, consisting of five houses and a couple of cellars, Vytyanka went into one of the houses and went down to the pit, where they used to store potatoes in all likelihood. But now they have dug enough here to equip a small, quite good equipped room.

“Well, great,” the girl was greeted.

A middle-aged man with a slight receding hairline was sorting out strange finds, constantly frowning and grumbling. In the room of a cunning and at times arrogant peasant there was a bookcase with books, a silent TV and goods for sale. An open laptop was on the table.

“Oh, hello,” he grinned into a mustache that turned into a powerful beard. – Has Lemur contacted you?

Vytyanka grunted.

- Chapter 1-

About Vytyanka

I admire them silently under the window,

("Death", M. I. Lermontov)

I involuntarily recalled the famous expression of Leo Tolstoy: “The shortest expression of the meaning of life can be this: the world is moving and improving. The main task is to contribute to this movement, to submit to it and to cooperate with it.

Elderly major Boyko once again looked at the arriving students, biting a cigarette with his teeth. Then he turned to the window. An uneven stream of smoke from the cigarette immediately reached for the open window. It was cloudy outside. A light rain fell. Boyko again turned to the students who had come from the capital of the Russian Federation.

- Are you sure you won't change your mind? - for the umpteenth time he asked the young people.

The boy shook his head. The major looked sadly at the dossier lying on the table in front of him, and said hoarsely:0003

- So, let's clarify some details. You,” he turned to the guy. Mikhailov Matvey Alexandrovich. You have two higher educations. Participated in many expeditions on the territory of Russia. They helped in the study of many alien finds. And you, - the major looked at the sultry beauty. - Dubina Aziza Nikolaevna. Part-time translator and scientist. Worked at the Research Moscow Institute. Wrote a doctoral thesis on UFOs, the saucer crash in 2007, causes and consequences. They also wrote scientific papers about the studied artifacts. I hope you understand that Chushevitsa is not your pysanka, but a real danger, the most abnormally unusual district of the Arkhangelsk region. Well then put your signatures here, here and here.

He pointed at the documents and strictly finished off:

- You will be given equipment. And may Vytyanka help you.

– Why not God? Aziza smiled stupidly, straightening her blond curls.

“Because there is no God here,” Boyko exhaled smoke and inhaled again.

– By the way, what about the conductor? The young man suddenly jumped up.

- Yes, of course. There is one stalker who will take you to the bar, but then you will have to look for yourself, - the major grinned into his mustache. “No one really takes the risk of going to the crash site.

The girl shrugged her thin shoulders. She didn't worry. There was money, but everything else will surely fit in. It seemed to her that a trip to the Chushevitsky district should help her climb the career ladder a few steps up. Moreover, if something happens, Aziza's dad will help out, because he is the CEO of a large oil company. He took this post quite a long time ago, thanks to his connections with fellow officials. Therefore, Aziza was not worried. There was always money in their family, and she had no doubt that her Big Daddy would provide funds for the operation to save her daughter.

Matvey grinned, checked the documents once more and confidently put his signature. His father was not an oil or gas worker. People like Mikhailov Sr., here in the anomalous zone, were called ideological, fanatical scientists. And Matthew himself was the same.

“What are these suckers even thinking? Do they see everything as fun? The aliens don't like that,” the major shook his head. Evil is capricious. She loves to break people. Likes to cripple their fates. But the anomalous region treats some differently. Of some, it makes people who are strong, able to survive in difficult situations ... but no one is eternal. The area is alive, like the evil spirits that crawled out of nowhere. Here everything lives according to other laws, according to which fate itself decides who should go on raids and who should die.

Major remembered his first campaigns. The fear that haunted him constantly. Dangerous evil spirits, witches, ghouls... Boyko dreamed of changing the area, ideally wiping it off the face of the earth, but he realized that this would remain in his dreams. But you can't kill him! Can't be changed. He himself, if he wants to change, but is unlikely to ever disappear. But there are rumors that everything is because of the plate that fell so well in this area. They say it generates strange fields. One could also find unique things there, but few people returned from this kind of walker.

- Well, the formalities are done.

“Then we went,” Aziza quickly got up and headed towards the exit. Matvey nodded dryly and hurried after the girl.

The major sat still for some time, and then took two documents out of the desk drawer. His lips moved rapidly. If you listened carefully, you could make out:

- Mikhailov Matvei Aleksandrovich. Interesting young man. Very educated. Interested in science. Stubborn, knows how to achieve what he wants within the limits of the possible. He does not set himself unsolvable tasks, realizing that he will not jump above his usual bar. IQ is 230. Completely unadapted to life. For him, there is only science, so even in everyday affairs he manages to “mow”. In stressful situations, his reaction is unknown. A trip to the Chushevitsky district is undesirable. Save only a happy coincidence.

Boyko shook his head. Oh, the kids are gone. Where did it take them? For what? Who needs these show-offs?

“Dubina Aziza Nikolaevna. Without complexes. If he is impatient, he will find someone to strain with his problems. A person not in the intellectual sphere of labor. Knows how to manipulate people. Thanks to her dad, she believes that everything is permissible for her. Always comes out dry. In extreme situations, he gets lost and starts to hysteria. It is better not to take it on hikes or expeditions. Suitable for office work, nothing more.

- Perish. Oh, they will perish, - he lit a cigarette. “That’s just not my problem anymore. How many fools climb in here. And for what? Show off? Money? Entertainment? Adrenalin? And all the same - the aliens do not let anyone go. Either you perish there, or you will be haunted by evil spirits all your life. Only to the psychiatric hospital later.

Boyko sighed again and continued to reason aloud:

– Here are the youth. They are not afraid of anything - neither evil spirits, nor witches, not aliens, not even marauders... Although only people are more terrible than aliens. It was people who gave rise to this chaos, because of which all these spinners crawled out ... people are to blame for everything. Technological progress... so we're raking now. Instead of correcting the consequences, we "have fun" ...

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” the major exhaled smoke and continued to look out the window.

The young lieutenant who came in saluted and said:

- Can I apply?

“Come on,” the major said irritably.

- Are you sure about these people?

- No, but I am not responsible for their lives. I was paid to get them through the checkpoint. I am not responsible for them and I don't care if they die or not.

“I see,” the military man drawled a little sadly.

- Do they worry you, lieutenant? Boyko turned around.

– They are just still children…

– Nothing. I gave them a good guide. Not the best, but good. Dast Vytyanka, we'll see them again...

***

- Well? Will you help? The bull looked at the girl. - Kashkai has a puller, I need to deliver it. My guys are standing there, ready to break loose at any moment, but the young ones, they won’t go on the assault themselves, they will perish otherwise.

Vytyanka thought. The girl's face was half covered by a black mask. It was said that a metal plate was sewn in there, as well as valves for filters. She came here to the holiday village because there was a message asking for help. The stalker named Qashqai once again thundered into captivity (because it was his usual state) to the bandits (looting nearby) - a valuable witness, after all, Qashqai knows too much, therefore, perhaps, he has not yet been killed. There is no redundant information.

Vytyanka threw over the belt of the machine gun and, taking her smartphone out of her inner pocket, showed the card to Bull. The girl's gaze was questioning, but at the same time concentrated.

“Understood,” the stalker nodded. You mean where is he now?

Vytyanka nodded.

- Do you remember the governor's house with such a large plot, well, you know not far from here? Qashqai there, - and, having waited for the girl's affirmative nod, the Bull continued. - Qashqai is kept in a stable. There is usually one guard. Your help is very much needed, I have one young, - Wolf smiled.

He was wearing an ordinary stalker suit with armor and a utility vest. In his hands he held the good old Ak-47. This is not uncommon in the Chushevitsky district.

Vytyanka grunted. Unlike an experienced stalker, she was dressed more stylishly - her jumpsuit perfectly "sat" on the figure and was clearly not only beautiful, but also comfortable, reliable and multifunctional. Bertsy, army camouflage trousers and a raincoat jacket with a hood. Under the jacket, one could see an unloading vest, somewhat unusually sewn - it resembled an Olympic windbreaker with many pockets. Behind the girl's shoulders hung a backpack, which is usually issued in the army. On the hands are military gloves without fingers, with metal plates on the knuckles.

Vytyanka put away her smartphone, checked her machine, nodded and left. Somewhere behind her, the usual sound was already heard: "Help is on the way." Vytyanka was not obliged to help, but such is the law on alien territory. Unwritten law. We all need help. And each of us will receive it if he did not bypass other people's troubles. Moving a little away from the village along the road, the stalker girl found two corpses. The bull didn't mention it, probably didn't know it himself. After quickly unsubscribing on her smartphone and taking away the bandages and cartridges (the dead don’t need them anyway), the girl walked a little and, diving into a small depression, crossed to the other side of the road, preferring not to shine in the open area. It was not difficult for her to find the young growth watching the marauders - they still did not know how to hide and merge with nature (if this flora and fauna in the anomalous area could be called nature).

She appeared like a devil from a snuff box for the boys. Not expecting Vytyanka to appear, the guys fled and pointed their guns in her direction, but after a few seconds they calmed down. There were three of them. All the young, for the first time in Chushevitsy, have not yet got used to the fact that death awaits every second, and not always in the form of evil spirits. Sometimes you don’t even have time to realize that you have died. Having calmed down a bit, Petruha sighed and said:

- Don't scare me like that anymore.

The girl pointed to her watch, hinting that she was in a hurry.

- Okay, I'll be brief. Three are walking along the left corridor, two are walking back and forth, three more are on the roof of the right wing of the building. Well? Are we going?

Vytyanka showed with her hand, they say, we are moving behind me and without noise. They went down unnoticed, hiding behind the bushes. Having reached the hillock, the girl bent down and listened. Two marauders chatted by the fire. Their familiar slang was easily recognizable. Illiterate speech and a bunch of obscene words - well, how can you not find out??!

Distorting the dog, the stalker set the single-shot mode so as not to waste ammo. Having waited for the right moment, the girl quickly moved to the dilapidated building. Pulling a knife out of her boot, Sin approached the fire with lightning speed and cut the throats of two bandits. The next second, the girl disappeared behind the rubble of the wall. Giving a signal to the young people to be quiet, the stalker rushed to the gate. Also quickly and imperceptibly filling up marauders with a knife, without unnecessary loud sounds. And here it was not lucky - when they were about to jump out and kill the enemy wandering around the yard, they noticed her.

- Fuck! - this bastard managed to blather, and then he died from a shot in the stomach.

And then it began. The Viper coughed from the roof, someone fired from a sawn-off shotgun. One of the young men leaned out and fired. Another marauder was defeated. The young people were actively involved in the shootout. Covering the girl, the guys fired heavily, but the marauders did not die any more - apparently they really wanted to live. But this did not last long, soon another man fell dead from the roof - a beautiful bullet hole flaunted in the center of his forehead. His friend rolled after him - Vytyanka threw a knife and knocked down another one. The remaining two marauders were lucky enough to fill up the young. The girl grinned - not bad, although they are green, but they know how to shoot.

- The bull is returning.

Vytyanka entered a dilapidated building. Qashqai was sitting in the corner opposite the fire.

- Hi, Vytyanochka, thank you.

The girl nodded towards the exit and with her hand pretended that the guy was following her. Qashqai nodded and obediently followed the savior. The whole company returned without incident to the holiday village. Qashqai was immediately sent to the Bull, along with the long-awaited information. Vytyanka handed over the bandit guns and several first-aid kits to the warehouse. Little will be useful. The girl herself was equipped and the only thing she lacked was ammunition. There were two horns left, and the third was directly put on the machine.

- As always, the coolest, - the experienced stalker chuckled. - How many?

Thinking, Vytyanka raised two fingers. The bull nodded and took out a wad of money.

- Enough?!

She nodded and, looking at the sky, nodded meaningfully.

- Yes, today they say UFOs can be seen. Will you hunt?

The girl shrugged her shoulders. The gesture was made surprisingly light and completely carefree, like the answer: "How the card will fall (!)".

- If you want, you can stay with us, and then see for yourself. Yes, I offered you to stay with us for a long time. There is nothing for a girl to chase after aliens. Whatever the past is. Well, it's not a woman's business. You should go to the capital. Don't you want to start a family?

The girl looked sadly at the stalker and went down to the cellar without answering. There she took one of the beds. After a quick bite of canned food, Vytyanka lay down and passed out instantly.

This holiday village was now an island of calm, where you could sleep off at least a little. Being on the edge of the Chushevitsky district was relatively calm and safe. Of course, warriors and marauders used to walk around here, but so far there have been no particular problems with them. Nearby is a checkpoint and a checkpoint, which could be easily bypassed by putting green crispy pieces of paper in the right “paw”. Radiation constantly radiated here, and small evil spirits invariably slipped through.

Vytyanka slept quietly and sensitively. She heard all the conversations of the newcomers, the rustles of the anomalous region... The newly arrived stalkers told each other stories about UFOs, anchuts, thugs, witches, lobasta, navy and flying birds. .. they talked about hard fate, about monsters, about possible details from a flying saucer, mythological creatures and, of course, about women. Some of the newcomers were expected, some hoped to find romance here, in Chuszewice.

Vytyanka turned over on its side, facing the wall. She was also tormented by memories, nostalgia... A woman in an anomalous region is a rarity. Yes, in the bar you can meet waitresses and, in general, ladies of easy virtue, to console stalkers, to delight their bodies. But a stalker girl!?.. More than rare. This is not a woman's business. But Vytyanka was like everyone else. And I ended up in the Chushevitsky district not by chance. No one knew from where and who first gave her a nickname. But the "name" stuck. With incomprehensible pride, the girl wore it. And few people wanted to joke with this girl. She is serious. It was rumored that Vytyanka would become the next Legend and aliens would take it away. But she didn't care about that. There have always been a lot of legends, rumors and inexplicable mysticism around the stalker on the Vytyanka clique. No one knew how she appeared in the Chushevitsky district (what pulled the fair sex to such a place??!). Everyone knew that she got to the fallen plate, survived the meeting with not a single witch, the anchutes did not touch her, found the Death Scythe, came across the lair of aliens and returned back. Rumor has it that the aliens perceive her only, like the evil spirits that have crawled out. No one managed to return alive from a fallen plate. Why Vytyanka was so lucky - no one knew. It was assumed that she was protected by evil spirits. But, as usual, there was no evidence of this.

***

Vytyanka was sitting at the back table of the bar. Her thoughts wandered, and at some point the girl disconnected from reality. The bar area was one of the few safe spots in this anomalous area. What could bring a young beautiful girl here? In general, what can bring here (where there are a lot of evil spirits, an off-scale level of radiation, a bunch of scumbags, military men and marauders) a beautiful weaker sex? Hardly anyone could answer this question. Girls don't belong here at all. And there are only two types of females. Some climbed here for romance, in search of brutal strong men, in the hope of adventures ending in a wedding. And, alas, there is nothing like that. There is no romance, there are no those snotty stories that are now described in romance novels, there are no those princes on white horses and all sorts of vampires on the Volvo. And there are only evil ghouls and hardened stalkers. Such girls do not linger in this world - aliens do not forgive carelessness and stupidity. Fools do not go further than the dacha village, which is located immediately behind the military checkpoint. Few of them lived more than a month. Let this be just the outskirts of the Chushevitsky district, but no one has canceled the evil spirits. Many perished barely crossed the border, unable to bear the shock. Thus, beautiful girlish dreams of romance and returning home collapsed. None of them ever returned. But there is also a second category of ladies. These were able to adapt to the conditions, they shoot no worse than men, they do the same job, they jam vodka. Such girls have become coarse and do not differ from men in any way - a terrible and sad sight. Girls who are not girls at all. They do not think of a different life for themselves, they do not imagine how it is to be a "guardian of the hearth." They don't know what it's like to be outside the anomalous region. Vytyanka was not like this initially. Yes, of course, and earlier all this seemed to her a place full of romance, adventure, cute dangers ... but the girl quickly wised up. And, perhaps, she is one of the few who could return home or to Moscow, but did not want to. She was fine here too. UFO and everything connected with it became her home. Like a parent, Chushevitsa protected this girl, giving her the opportunity to get out of any trouble with the least losses.

Vytyanka drank a glass of turbid nondescript liquid and, after biting a sandwich, which was also obviously not the first freshness, she thought again. She recalled how she first came here, how she first began to kill in defense of her life ... It seems that quite a bit of time had passed. Since Sharkhan left, Vytyanka increasingly returned her thoughts to her memories.

She ended up in the Chushevitsky district against her will. Once she dreamed of raising children in a friendly loving family. Her young man imagined himself to be a seasoned stalker, constantly telling stories, legends, singing songs, and at one fine moment persuaded the girl to go with him in order to demonstrate that all this is true, that he is a man and does not throw words into the wind, that he can reach the plate, destroy all marauders, and along with them the anomalous region itself. He disappeared without having time to reach the village of beginners. The girl is luckier. Her young man became a victim of an anchutka, which for some reason he did not notice. The evil spirits pulled up his body and soon the grass was watered with a bloody white mess. Vytyanka, or then simply Irina Vytyanka, ran out onto the road hoping to meet at least one person - namely, a person, and not an alien or evil spirits. Either prayers, or the district itself favored her, helping her get to her destination. Irina encountered a lone stalker and, fortunately, experienced. At first he wanted to shoot her - after all, there are rarely girls here and this seems unusual and strange, but then he took her to a bar, where Irina Kuznetsova began to perform simple tasks. The tarantula, a pot-bellied "beetle" that profits from everything, quickly found a job for the girl, not forgetting to pay (subtracting n-sums for housing, food and other amenities in Chuszewica). At first, Irina simply carried out an inventory of goods in the Tarantula bunker and from time to time put things in order. Later she made orders for stalkers. Even later, she began to walk with newcomers. Not far, but even such walks left their mark on the soul of a fragile girl.

Fulfilling the instructions of the Tarantula, the representative of the weaker sex of mankind was able to extract a lot of new information for herself, which helped her to survive. After some time, she asked for a raid with newcomers led by the stalker Bumblebee, where she proved herself well and received the nickname - Vytyanka. For what? For cruelty, which is not characteristic of fragile girls, for beauty, which is rare, and for the ability to survive. Especially for silence. She almost forgot her first name, leaving only her last name. Cleansing the bandit village - that was the purpose of the raid. Then Vytyanka killed for the first time. It kind of happened on its own. The finger pulled the trigger. Nothing stirred in my soul. Realizing perfectly well that she had killed the enemy, Irina did not become depressed, but instead, along with men, she took part in active hostilities. So a new stalker appeared, or rather a stalker named Vytyanka. She was not that masculine woman who tries to surpass men in everything. She was just doing her job. I went to the plate several times, hoping to meet aliens. She is said to have succeeded. She also found a common language with evil spirits, who became like family to her.

Several times Vytyanka tried to leave the Chushevitsky district, and each time she returned. Maybe the problem was that no one was waiting for her there. Maybe they still needed money. Maybe… one could guess ad infinitum. However, she always came back, thanks to the alien invasion for making this earth welcome every time.

- Hello, Vasek, - the Tarantula greeted the incoming stalker.

Everyone turned around. Well, how? When else will you meet a living legend like this. Seeing Vytyanka, Vasek threw an order to Tarantula and sat down at the table with the girl.

- Long time no see.

“And you won’t get sick,” she answered sullenly.

– Do you need money? - he went straight to the point.

- Friendship?! - Vytyanka raised her brown eyes, ceasing to contemplate the dirty oak tabletop, on which someone was scratching curious inscriptions. You know everything, so why ask?

- And as always, risk doesn't scare you? Vasek said.

- Not a bit.

- Then listen. Scientists led two tadpoles with a guide. The bandits caught them. They say a couple more stalkers are in captivity. In short, the amount is decent - the scientists will pay for everything. Moreover, you will definitely never be offended.

– Are you coming?

“I’m going, I said it myself, I have a friend stuck there,” the stalker reluctantly admitted. - The bull is coming too. In some century, I got further than the village.

- So what? Are you two not enough?

- We don't know how many bandits there are. Presumably from thirty people and above. Considering that the Bull is not in the best shape now, we could use some help, but no one really comes.

- Why? the girl asked indifferently.

- Because the risk is too great. Equivalent to suicide,” Vasek chuckled. - Yes, and I don’t understand who, we are also not particularly eager to go on a mission.

Vytyanka thought. Of course, money is always needed, but she didn’t really want to run into scientists and all sorts of tourists again. Last time they tried to persuade her to stay with the scientists as an assistant, they say, the work is not dusty and not so dangerous that they will teach her everything and even can draw up documents that she is some kind of doctor of science. Will work in the building, analyzing the results of measurements and data coming from other scientists. Vytyanka did not like to sit still. And even more so, she did not like to do something in which she did not understand anything. It was dearer to her heart to roam the terrible places of alien stay, shooting marauders.

- And where have these idiots gone? – snickering, asked girl.

- Now I'll send the coordinates.

Vasek took out his smartphone and started pressing some buttons. Soon, the girl's phone beeped plaintively. Quickly scanning the map on the monitor of her ancient smartphone, she chuckled contentedly. The red flag is located at the bottom of the map

- Nice place. Are you sure they weren't beaten up there by bellies?

- I hope, but I can't guarantee.

- So what? Are there only three of us?

- Yes.

- I agree, - Vytyanka grunted. - At least no one will get in the way. You are right.

- And I had no doubts. We're going out tonight, be ready at seven o'clock.

– Will the Bull lead again? The corners of his lips curled into a smile.

“He’s one of us damn cat,” Vasek chuckled. “I’ll meet you there,” and left.

She did not answer, lost in her thoughts.

“Vytyanka, a package for you,” shouted the Tarantula.

The girl turned around. A naughty bang fell over her eyes, and a tenacious look of brown eyes discovered the shadow of a courier who was already leaving. Vytyanka got up from the table and went to the counter. The tarantula pulled out a bundle from somewhere and handed it to the stalker. She smiled. Parcel from Moscow. Her order. He was delivered. More is not needed for happiness.

– How much? - she knew that by paying in advance for the goods, she could miscalculate the price, and had to pay extra after the delivery of the goods.

- Not this time. Vytyanka, can I ask one question? The tarantula leaned towards the girl. His big belly rested on the tabletop.

Vytyanka looked at the man with displeasure. She did not like unnecessary questions, especially if they concerned her. Especially her past. Shrugging her shoulders vaguely, the girl looked at the bundle again, and sighing heavily, quietly said:

- Come on.

– What is keeping you here? Tarantula also asked in a whisper, narrowing his eyes. You are a beautiful, smart girl. You should create a family, live happily there, and not shoot mutants and drink vodka here. Why don't you leave here? What is holding you back?

“Unclean spirits and aliens,” she answered succinctly.

“I don’t understand you,” Tarantula shook his head. - Do you like it here? There was no thought to leave here ... forever?

“There were,” Vytyanka did not deny. “But no one else is waiting for me there. The guy died here. Mother died. I never had a father.

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