The "Mr. Millin" short story has been published at "Duma" dayly newspaper, "108A" magazine and was fillmed as a directing student project at NATFA with the name "The Collector".
by Heliana Stoichkova
The street was desolate, but yet full of life. The leafage was falling at a roam in the air and so was creating live, breathing and fidget shadows on the walls of the houses. The magic of the night came through the protest of the arisen and noisy wind – at moments fierce and untamable and from time to time with a calm anger. This is a night that hardly fits in to the short story’s boundaries, even harder on the sheet of paper. The anger of the sky and nature embodied in the soul of the town and the human. A thought, a spectre, a man – Mr. Millin.
Mr. Millin was getting home from somewhere with his jotter in hands. He stopped on the street between two lamps some ten meters away from his front door and looked at the darkening sky. It had gone in the dense blue tones of the evening and the clouds were reflecting the lights of the city so making a thin white layer cut trough the beautiful background. Mr. Millin had just returned from the airport. He was a true fan with a true hobby.
Suddenly Millin heard the desperate screams of a woman. “Help” she shouted thought her voice was a bit faint. Millin started instantly towards the direction it seamed the sound is coming from. Walked a bit and heard again some rattling and noise from the yard at his left. He stood there for a moment thinking whether to go in, but his hesitation was cut by the positive decision to do the right thing. He hurried in with determination and even courage.
Once he was in he spotted the couple instantly –violator and victim. He nailed them with his eagle eyes and went strait there. As the woman saw him she tried to yell happily but the rapist slapped her on the face to shut her up. Millin came closer, stopped at about one meter away and as he bent down very politely asked:
- Excuse me, could I get an autograph?
The rapist stood up, pulled out a knife and almost hissed at him:
- Sort off! Or I’ll cut you into pieces! – Millin pulled him self a little bit away and asked again:
- I just want an autograph. I have never met before a rapist… in action… sorry.
The woman tried to get up and run away but the knife was waged at her face too. She sat down and lied on her back as she was at the start.
- I’ll chop you up, you idiot! Be gone!
- No, I am… I am a collector. I’ve got autographs by politicians, important people… I’ve got all kinds of people.
- Yea, yea… - the abductor nodded as a nagger – You be on your way because you’re walking on my nerves!
- You don’t understand… I want to put your signature next to the one of … of... – Millin opened his jotter and looked in – Of Segal.
The abductor started thinking about it and in a few seconds asked Millin:
- Who else have you got there?
- Well. I have all the famous people, who have been in Bulgaria, so to say… I don’t want to be immodest but Jean Cloud even wrote something of the sort “with tame strength” or something… I got It all here…
- Let me sea! - The abductor neared and asked to see. – It’s dark here… Wait, I’ve got a lighter… - and he pulled one out of his pocket and lit it. Millin stated to turn over the pages:
- That’s Madonna here…
The woman stood up and neared as well to take a look.
- I took it when I was in Italy.
- Where is it? – She bent her head over the jotter and observed the autographs as well with a great deal of curiosity.
- John Bon Jove – Millin looked at her.
- Darling, move your self away, please… - the rapist pushed carefully the woman aside and bent over the jotter more closely.
- Just wait a minute there! – Millin shook his head with great disappointment – What kind of rapist are you!? I thought you’re special of some kind… - Millin shut the jotter and made a step back – You’re not signing in my book with interesting people!
- Give me the book or I’ll chop you up!
- No! You didn’t even rape this woman!
- I want to sign next to Segal!
- You’re not signing anywhere in my book! – Millin got stubborn - Unless you finish your job!
- Don’t worry – the woman tried to help – he will rape me…
- Give me the book! – The rapist got angry again.
- But it’s not a rape if she agrees to do it! Is it?
- She doesn’t agree! – The rapist turned towards the woman and shook the knife at her face. – Ok?!
- Ok, - Millin agreed – but I want you to continue afterwards what you’ve started! – he opened his jotter – Sign here! – The abductor rolled away a pretty girlish signature that came up with at the same moment:
- Here! – He continued to enjoy signing the jotter with his eyes shining and Millin pulled his book away:
- Don’t draw smiles on my book!
- I want to see it! – The woman came closer and bent over the pages to see the signature.
- Now, – Millin didn’t let her – I’d like to watch!
- Come here! – The rapist invited the woman and she obeyed. – Lie down – she lied on the ground, he picked her skirt and began touching her. He tried a few tricks; he tried also to the left, then to the right…The woman got a bit worried and began helping him as she pulled her blouse off but it didn’t work as well.
- I can’t do it like this! – The abductor grumbled to Millin – Go away!
- And how am I suppose to see if I’m away? – Millin was shocked by this request.
- Well you’re not going to see! – The woman got harsh on him – Sort off! – She said and smiled at her abductor. - Now, let’s try again.
- Beat it! – yelled the rapist to Millin.
- But… - Millin was speechless.
- I said beat it, you freak! Don’t you see I have something nice going on here with the lady!?
- But…
The abductor jumped up as he grabbed the knife from the ground and Millin run away. When he stepped outside on the street he opened his book and stared at the signature. He stood there and with a full disappointment wrote down “no one special”, then he wrote “bad rapist”, then he wrote “absolute mistake” and then he got really angry and went strait home. The shadows that flew around the facades of the buildings continued to dance as some laughter together with the two – victim and abductor came out from the garden in a search for a more cosy and warm place for they got it started right this time.