"Chronicle of erased files"

I. 1-1. after party.

It doesn't matter where you go as long as you follow the call of the street. This strange quiet whisper, which can be easily heard even in the loudest, never falling asleep metropolitan areas. This whisper is heard by those who live on the streets. If you learn to distinguish this quiet, barely audible, but very distinct voice, you can, by trusting in its monotonous lulling rhythm, learn the secrets that are hidden among the roads, alleys, bars, hospitals, and schools of this city.It was that strange city - the kind you might see in dreams time and again without ever suspecting it actually existed. Bars, workshops, and tiny shops occupied the basements of old buildings. The houses were encircled by antique wrought-iron fences and trees of an unusual sort. Granite staircases predated some of the buildings themselves, while beneath the ground - in place of ordinary sewers - lay an entire world comprising a veritable labyrinth of tunnels and passageways. Towering modern structures rose in the city center, while quiet parks held statues that remembered eras long since erased from history.

Here, if you turned off into one of the quiet, shady lanes during a stroll, you might find yourself emerging only a week later. And amidst the most unremarkable courtyards lurked places never meant for human eyes.

Among the other buildings stood one particular apartment block. It had been built sometime in the mid-sixties. At first glance, it was an ordinary apartment building, complete with balconies, entrances, and parking spaces right outside the windows. Yet, something set it apart: its layout was so peculiar that a courier or traveling salesman who wandered in by chance could easily get lost. Odd incidents sparked rumors; rumors gave rise to speculation; and speculation eventually morphed into urban legends that took on a life of their own. One thing led to another, and within a mere decade, it was impossible to distinguish fact from fiction. By the mid-nineties, the building had become so encrusted with rumors, legends, and tall tales that their collective weight began to press upon reality, forcing these fabrications to seep into the dull, everyday world.