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[Alexandr Korol]

– And what, he becomes my friend? – Yes.
– And then I make him president? – Yes.
– Okay. And the president after him — is he also my friend? – Yes.
– Interesting.

Then I asked the Mystic-Old-Man another question. I said:

– Can you tell me who I am?
– I know who you are, but I can’t say. I could write it down in an envelope, mark the date and sign it, seal it — but I can only give it to you later, because right now it’s not allowed.

And yes, he confirmed that those who had come to me, those messengers — that it was real, that it actually happened, that it wasn’t just my imagination. But what it all meant, I still didn’t understand at the time. That’s how the Mystic-Old-Man appeared in my life for the first time.

Question: Why do you think you had high values since childhood — where did that come from?

I don’t know where it came from. I guess it was just a combination of things. Well, it’s Petersburg after all, and also my parents. You know, when you’re little, you don’t really have anything to compare things to. You think everyone is like you, or that everyone lives like you. And only later do you start realizing that’s not the case. I remember when I was in high school, I had a friend whose parents drank, fought, cursed, smoked cigarettes — this boy could yell at his mom or dad, or they’d yell at him. I never had anything like that in my life. So yeah, maybe I was just lucky. I thought everyone’s home was normal — turns out, not everyone’s is. People are different. But again, that boy and his family weren’t from Petersburg. Maybe that’s why — I used to explain it to myself like that. So probably it was upbringing: my mom,