As Nia got closer, she couldn't believe her eyes. The girl was incredibly beautiful. Sparkling hair flowed down her shoulders, perfect makeup emphasized her expressive eyes, and her clothes were so stylish and elegant that they didn't fit in with this bleak landscape at all. She looked as if she had just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. What is she doing in the middle of nowhere? Nia thought.

The girl saw Nia and smiled.

– Hi! Are you okay? You don't look very well, – her voice was soft and melodic.

Nia was a little confused.

– I'm lost, – she squeezed out of herself. It sounded pathetic. – And my leg hurts.

The girl examined Nia carefully.

– Yes, I see. You've hurt your leg. And you look very tired. Let me help you. I live not far from here. We can go to my place, I'll treat the wound and feed you.

The offer was very tempting. Her leg really hurt terribly, and she was tormented by hunger. But something about this girl seemed suspicious to Nia. She was too well-groomed and beautiful so far from the city. She offered help too easily. Intuition screamed danger, but her body demanded rest and food. You can't trust anyone. But there is no choice.

Nia hesitated:

– Thank you. But I don't know…

The girl gently took her hand. Her touch was cold, despite the smile.

– Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. My name is Lira. And I just want to help.

Of course, you just want to help, flashed through Nia's mind.

Lira… The name sounded like music. But what was hidden behind this beautiful cover? Having no idea where to go in this gray, monotonous place, Nia reluctantly agreed to Lira's help.

They turned around and went, seemingly without a road, straight to the west. Lira walked confidently, turning several times, as if she saw an invisible path and knew where she was going. She was here not for the first time. Who is she? And what does she want? Nia just obediently followed her, trying to keep up, despite the pain in her leg.

They reached Lira's house quickly enough. From the outside, it was a small hut, unremarkable and almost blending in with the gray landscape. It was so well hidden that it was impossible to see it from afar. Nia again felt a surge of suspicion. How can such a girl live in such a miserable place?

But when Lira opened the door, and a soft light lit up inside, Nia was amazed. The hut inside seemed much larger than it was on the outside. It was impossible! What the hell?

Nia involuntarily exclaimed:

– How is this possible?

Lira smiled, as if she had been expecting this question.

– This is an old technology, almost forgotten, – she explained. – In the two thousand nine hundred and thirtieths, due to overpopulation, each person was supposed to have only nine square meters of living space. Many people were uncomfortable with this, so scientists created a device that increases the space inside a room. Something like spatial distortion.

Lira paused for a second, as if thinking something over, and then continued:

– Now there is no problem of overpopulation.

She cut herself off, as if she realized she had said something extra, and said nothing more. A shadow flickered in her eyes.

At that moment, it dawned on Nia: two thousand nine hundred and thirtieths. Spatial distortion. “There is no overpopulation now.” Why is she talking so strangely?

Nia gasped:

– Does that mean I'm in the future?

Lira looked at her silently. Nia felt her heart beginning to pound wildly. Everything fell into place. The futuristic city, the flying cars, the strange technologies. She had ended up in the thirty-first century! But how? And why didn't she remember anything? What was this? A game? Or reality?