People fell silent. The posters with Christian Alde's name and various slogans were raised higher. Everyone was waiting for him to appear on the rink. The banners on the streets and the posts on the Internet had been published long ago, and today this day has come. The day of the figure skating competition.

Quiet music began to play, growing louder. It was measured, but at the same time disturbing. The commentators, who were sitting in a separate room upstairs, encouraged the audience, who watched the live broadcast. The ice glistened under the bright spotlights, reflecting the expectant faces of the crowd.

Two men brought an object covered with a black cloth onto the rink. After they left, Christian himself soon appeared. Black outfit with burgundy inserts and white sleeves made it stand out among the white ice. When the music calmed down again, he stepped out onto the ice, the blades of his skates cutting crisp lines into the surface.

Christian skated across the ice, making several circles around the entire area, each time decreasing the radius, and then he approached an unknown object in the center of the rink. He froze in front of it for a few seconds, then he slowly raised his hand and carefully touched the fabric with his fingers. After a few moments, he clenched it in his fist and jerked it sharply. The fabric fell as a black spot to the foot of the painting with the portrait of a rather handsome man.

The portrait was about half the size of Christian and stood on a metal stand. The black massive frame reflected the light of the spotlights from above. As for the unknown man in the painting, then it's simple: those who saw the theme of Christian's performance know that this number was dedicated to his past love, which he could not forget. Whether it was considered nonsense or not was his business.