the master and margarita
xeniot

        "Obeying that yellow sign, I, too, turned into the side
street and followed her. We walked silently along the dull winding
lane, I on one side and she on the other. And, imagine, there
wasn't a soul in the street. I was in torment because I felt that
I had to talk to her, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to utter
a word, and she would go away, and I would never see her again.
        "And then, imagine, she said unexpectedly, 'Do you like my
flowers?'
        "I distinctly remember the sound of her voice, rather low,
but halting, and however silly this may seem, I felt that an echo
sounded in the lane and reverberated off the dirty yellow wall. I
quickly crossed over to her side of the street and, walking up to
her, replied, 'No.'
        "She looked at me with surprise, and I suddenly and
completely unexpectedly realized that this was the woman I had
loved my whole life! Amazing, isn't it? Naturally, you'll say I'm
a madman, right?"
        "I'm not saying anything," Ivan exclaimed, adding, "Please,
go on!"

                -- The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov