An Evening Guest (Kuprin)
A man was sitting at a table, enjoying the simplicity and familiarity of the small circle of light created by his lamp. He felt content and wanted nothing else. Suddenly, there was a knock at his door, which disrupted his peaceful moment and brought him back to reality. He wondered who could be on the other side of the door and how their presence might affect his life.
The man reflected on the mysterious and incomprehensible nature of life, where every seemingly insignificant event could leave an indelible mark on one's character and future. He compared life to a game of cards, where fate constantly turned the wheel of surprises and probabilities.
I live like a player, and fate turns constantly my wheel of surprises.
He also thought about how people blindly and indifferently lived their lives, not realizing that they were constantly drawing lots from the colossal urn that life presented to them at each step.
The man pondered the uncertainty of life, from birth to love and death, and how these events were subjected to chance. He considered the countless factors that could influence one's life, such as the dinner eaten during the day, the odor of flowers in the garden, or the fragmentary tune implanted in the conscious memory.
For there is not a single phenomenon, however trifling, that would not leave in me its indelible trace.
He also thought about how people could never truly know or predict their future, despite their best efforts and plans.
As the man opened the door to his unexpected guest, he felt that the simple act of talking to this person would be another mysterious and incomprehensible event in his life. He realized that his own life was just a tiny speck of dust, lost in the vast, complex, and dark web of interconnected lives.