... Kolya got up, gave a slap in the face to the curtain, which stood between him and the balcony door, took up the handle and... No, he did not scream. What is he, girl - scream? But he made a sound in which any adult would recognize the startle signal. Something between a squeal and a bad word, which in their family was under an unequivocal ban. Tangling with his elbow in an obsessive curtain, Kolya began to back away without letting his eyes off the glass door... On the balcony, an unfamiliar boy was sitting with his back to him, legs dangling!.