When I watched the film "Fatal Number 23" I clearly knew that all this was not a fiction, but the very truth of life, because a real example, when a person and a figure were intertwined, was right in front of my eyes …
In our yard, in the corner behind a plum, on a piece of sawn wood, a man of about 50 was constantly sitting - thin, long, always smoking some kind of hand-rolled paper from the newspaper, feeding cats and dogs and did not communicate with anyone. Early in the morning he was already in place, after lunch he went home. He was a quiet madman, whom no one had ever touched, and, in general, he, too, had never touched anyone. He sat quietly all day, in almost any weather. He had a wife, an ordinary hard-working woman, though I found out about this a little later …
When I arrived in that yard, the first thing I did was to notice this little man. It was possible to check the time by it - at exactly 4 pm every day he left his "place", and at exactly 4 am he came. Not once in all the years has he done this sooner or later. He fed the cats and dogs - he left the entrance and, still walking towards his "log", quietly chanted "kitty-kitty-kitty", although even without this call of his, the animals came running only when they saw him. However, I noticed a certain feature - he counted the animals. If there were 4 of them, or 8, he fed and rejoiced, if there were more or less of the indicated numbers, then he chased away the “superfluous” or shouted “kitty-kitty” until the required amount was added.
He also loved cars, or rather their wheels. Each new one that stopped near his "familiar" place, he joyfully met, walked around her, rubbed his hands and rejoiced like a child. Everyone who had a car from our yard and whom he had known for a long time was sure to greet, getting up from his seat.
My son was born and I often sat on a bench in the yard while the child slept in a stroller. There I learned that this strange man has a wife. We met and somehow she, tired and unhappy, sat down next to me and the whole truth about her husband poured out of her. She said that he had 2 higher educations, adored mathematics, was the head of the department of mathematical analysis in some serious institute. In general, he devoted his entire life to mathematics and science.
And then his wife began to notice the peculiarities behind him. At first, these were cute jokes - he was born on April 4 and adored the number 4. Everyone in the house had to obey this figure - 4 identical glasses, 4 identical plates, toilet paper and food were all bought in an amount of 4 (or 8, or 16, etc.) - 4 toilet papers, 4 milk, even 4 chickens were always in the refrigerator. At first it was all fun, but when the little man started doing everything 4 times, the fun passed. He was getting ready to go to work and re-buttoned the buttons 4 times, put on shoes also 4 times - put on, take off, put on again. The door was closed 4 times, the light was turned off 4 times. He gave his students a four, regardless of their knowledge, there was a scandal, he was fired, but by that time his obsession with a four was out of control, he needed medical help,he was treated for a long time and was eventually diagnosed with schizophrenia. By that time, he no longer paid any attention to anything, except for the four - he turned the apartment into a mathematical similitude - he ate only 4 spoons, washed his face 4 times, slept for 4 hours. In general, everything in life was subordinated only to this figure. In the end, he reached the point where he stopped recognizing his relatives, his wife, his business was now only in the cycle - to go out in the yard at 4 in the morning, go home at 4 days, take off his shoes 4 times (took off and put on), eat 4 spoons of which they will give (no difference), smoke 4 hand-rolled cigarettes, and he spent the whole evening at the calculator on which he added 4 + 4 and other derivatives of this figure or laid out cards consisting exclusively of four and eight on the table.except for four - turned the apartment into a mathematical similitude - ate only 4 spoons, washed 4 times, slept 4 hours. In general, everything in life was subordinated only to this figure. In the end, he reached the point where he stopped recognizing his relatives, his wife, his business was now only in the cycle - to go out in the yard at 4 in the morning, go home at 4 days, take off his shoes 4 times (took off and put on), eat 4 spoons of which they will give (no difference), smoke 4 hand-rolled cigarettes, and he spent the whole evening at the calculator on which he added 4 + 4 and other derivatives of this figure or laid out cards consisting exclusively of four and eight on the table.except for four - turned the apartment into a mathematical similitude - ate only 4 spoons, washed 4 times, slept 4 hours. In general, everything in life was subordinated only to this figure. In the end, he reached the point where he stopped recognizing his relatives, his wife, his business was now only in the cycle - to go out in the yard at 4 in the morning, go home at 4 days, take off his shoes 4 times (took off and put on), eat 4 spoons of which they will give (no difference), smoke 4 hand-rolled cigarettes, and he spent the whole evening at the calculator on which he added 4 + 4 and other derivatives of this figure or laid out cards consisting exclusively of four and eight on the table.his business now consisted only in a cycle - to go out in the yard at 4 in the morning, go home at 4 in the afternoon, take off his shoes 4 times (took off and put on), eat 4 spoons of which they will give (no difference), smoke 4 cigarettes, and he spent the whole evening at the calculator on which he added 4 + 4 and other derivatives of this number or laid out cards on the table, consisting exclusively of four and eight.his business now consisted only in a cycle - to go out in the yard at 4 in the morning, go home at 4 in the afternoon, take off his shoes 4 times (took off and put on), eat 4 spoons of which they will give (no difference), smoke 4 cigarettes, and he spent the whole evening at the calculator on which he added 4 + 4 and other derivatives of this number or laid out cards on the table, consisting exclusively of four and eight.
Once the whole yard saw the aggression of the peasant, after which he never returned to the yard. A very beautiful, huge, six-wheeled jeep came to visit someone. The little man, as always, was blown up and ran to look at the new car, but when he saw two extra wheels, he made a tantrum - he started throwing himself at the car and trying to rip off the “extra” wheels. The owner of the jeep tried to push the peasant aside, but to no avail. A scuffle ensued. The peasant was screaming, it was impossible to tear him away from the car, he grabbed a stone and thrashed him on the wheels, he was dragged away, piled on the grass, three peasants could barely restrain the frantic puny madman. He screamed, swore, and eventually began to thrash in a seizure, foam came out of his mouth. By that time, many neighbors were already in the yard, an ambulance was called, the peasant was taken away and no one saw him again …
His wife sold the apartment and left almost immediately and people began to forget about the peasant, but cats and dogs still continue to come to that place and I involuntarily count them - four came - it will be a good day, more or less came - I immediately remembered a hysteria with foam and abuse …
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