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[Alexandr Korol]

Take the fairy tale “The Little Prince” — is it really about the boy who is the little prince, or about the rose, or the little fox? Or is it about something greater, something deeper? Why is it that every person who has read “The Little Prince” at least once has drawn some conclusions for themselves? Many refer to this fairy tale, and it is considered one of the most important in the world. Is it really about the boy himself and what his name is? Or is it about the journey, the adventures of this boy, what happens to him, the dialogues and reflections — perhaps that is where the essence lies? And in the same way, I believe that if someone wants to look at the first volume of “Alternative History” in the right way, then the boy’s name does not really matter. Although, of course, everything contains some kind of key, and perhaps it is not by chance that his name is Korol (Russian for “King”), and perhaps it is not by chance that he is Alexandr. And maybe, just like in many multi-volume works, by the tenth volume, everything will be revealed, deciphered, and it will turn out in such a way that perhaps the city of St. Petersburg, which is given some emphasis in the first volume of “Alternative History”, is not just “any city” but is, in fact, significant. Who knows? But as a person immerses themselves in the first volume, reading about St. Petersburg, they should look at their own city and its history with the same curiosity. And when reading what seems to be the personal story of the main character — me, as a boy, the author, speaking in the first person — perhaps they should place themselves in the character’s position. And perhaps, while reading this volume, they will suddenly notice something in common, something similar, something that may have happened to them as well. Maybe some of you have also looked at life as if from the outside. Or maybe some of you have asked yourselves the same kinds of questions that your peers never did. Maybe, like the main character, you have felt different and wondered: are you the normal one while everyone else is not? Or is it the other way around — everyone else is normal, and you are not? That is the question.
You know, even when I finished the first volume and went through the journey of the first volume of “Alternative History”, I could have already drawn the same conclusions that I am drawing now. That is, even after completing the first volume, one could conclude that everything seems to be done in reverse. As if, you know, nature or God, who is writing the book through me — let’s take me as an example, though it could be any other author who has written