Save Galya!

A story from the collection “Monuments of Mars.” Written in a sense “according to the world” of Strugatskys’ “Roadside Picnic.” “Save Galia!” was written in 1990. The story tells how a seventh-grade student, during a factory excursion, broke away from the group and went into the Zone, hoping her wishes would be granted. There are rumors of an “Lake of Wishes” that formed on a dangerous and forbidden territory. Naturally, the schoolgirl disappears—and three people are sent to look for her: a stalker, a technologist, and a factory guard.