10 Year

He moved among the seated guests as if they were illusions, not caring about their presence. He glanced at me for a moment with eyes that felt like they were examining everything inside me. Then, in the next moment, he withdrew his gaze as if I had become completely naked before him.

He looked at the spacious room as if it were a narrow tomb, despite the smile visible to everyone. But I knew that deep inside, he felt suffocated by everything around him. All the kneeling ones stood up after he gestured with his hand, a mixture of fear and respect evident on their faces.

I could see the trembling glass in the hands of the person standing next to me. Did the appearance of that old man only wake him up from his drunkenness? It was amusing to observe his expressions. He seemed flustered but at the same time absent from everything around him. That's when I internally understood the position of this old man in the Institute, that he was treated like a king here.