Mister Broadway

... The year, for him, for Mister Broadway, was ending well: he was pronounced "A Person Of The Year" by The Times Square Bulletin (a Midtown Manhattan newspaper). Now the Person was concerned only with how not to get himself into another fine mess in the remaining two days of the year. But so far all went as it was supposed to; now Katya came to him. She is a young reporter with red-blue hair in worn-out jeans and colorful kerchief around her neck, petite, pretty, with great lakes of blue eyes, came to interview the Person of the Year. His features he received from the old tailor from Seventh Avenue (meaning the bronze statute of Garment Worker on 7th Avenue and 40th street). One day the old man was completing yet another job for the Metropolitan Opera: a costume of a king and a costume of a jester for a Shakespearian production. He finished the job but there were scraps, pieces and accessories left. For some reason amongst all of that luxury the three buttons catch the eye. One of the buttons is a large red one, the other two are emerald. Here he noticed the playful touchy being, which had that huge red button in place of its ears. Although it is one, it could turn and, who knows, it could make wishes come true. Spin it, make a wish and here, get your secret wish. The button was becoming bigger than the year-brain, it was becoming a Cosmic Mind. People become from dolls, and dolls from people looking at this wealth mumbled the old man . Thus, Mister Broadway became rainbow colored, a foot and change tall, with emerald eyes and one huge spinning year. ***** Mister Broadway was sitting in his tall chair cross-legged and deeply in his thoughts. "Well, if it's such a "military secret"..." it seemed that Katya was prepared to leave. "Oh, women, women!" the Mister Broadway sighed. "If there is a "military secret" - that's you!" and (what could he do?) he told her about the little adventure yesterday: how he tailed the Sorcerer, how the later sneaked into the dark abandoned house and how he, Mister Broadway, was stopped at the very door by the battered man. "How interesting!" Katya murmured. "Amazing..." her eyes wondered somewhere far away. "Just stepped inside and disappeared?.." "Yes..." "No lights; nothing?.." "Only outside..." "Will you show me the house?" she looked at him quickly. "What for?" "Well, I'm curious, you know..." "And you'll do a piece of reporting on it..." Mister Broadway said half-questioningly. "Of course!" she started. "No, I won't!" he cut off. "Why?!.." she was taken aback. "You have no reason to be there... especially on a New Year's Eve!" "But Mister Broadway, dear..." she turned on some foxy affection. "Maybe there is... a sensation! A mystery!" "Mystery?" "Yes! Mystery!" "Sensation?" "Sensation!" Katya's eyes fired up. "No, I won't!" But in a few minutes, with a slim "police" flashlight in his hand, grumpily mumbling under his breath, he lead her towards that house. The evening was cold, but the streets of Manhattan were awash with lights, smiles and music. The Times Square was filled with thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who were ready to stand there waiting for midnight when The Crystal Ball will descend at the famous 1475 Broadway... The streets on the West Side were not as peopled as in the center, lights became dimmer. But Mister Broadway was recognized and greeted everywhere as though he walked not on a city pavement but on a red carpet of some prestigious film festival. "It's here..." he stopped five yards away from the c