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© Svetlana Mirray, 2022
ISBN 978-5-0056-4372-8
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
CHAPTER 1. THE TRAVELING COMPANION
Ivan Mikhailovich turned the steering wheel and hummed his favorite song of Leopold the cat from the cartoon, while cheerfully whistling its melody.
It was already hard to remember when he first got behind the wheel of a car, so many years had passed, and he himself was no longer a boy. "The old broken trough" is how he called himself jokingly among his fellow truckers.
His wife Nastenka was seriously ill and died of cancer, five years have passed since her death. He never got married again, he went all into work. So occasionally random women appeared, but no one stayed long. There was no one who would replace his beloved wife.
– The sun is shining brightly, a sparrow is chirping. It's more fun to live a good life in the white world," Ivan continued to hum the song, "Well, what are you standing here for, you fools?
Girls in miniskirts were standing on the side of the road, some of them were smoking, others were standing on the spot looking at cars and trucks.
– They would have gone to work and even to the factory and would have been normal people, then they would have married, – he shouted, but no one heard him, all the windows were closed in the cabin.
Ivan Mikhailovich was born in the village, by nature he was fair and honest. Therefore, now he spoke from the heart, well, it’s disgusting because all this, you will agree!
Therefore, despite his bachelor status, he never used the services of moths.
He was passing the village of Svetloye and noticed an old man on the side of the road, who waved his hand at him. Ivan Mikhailovich pressed the clutch pedal, the truck growled and stopped.
– Hello to me in the next village on the highway it will be in about half an hour – said the old man.
– Get in, have fun together, – Ivan replied.
– You won't regret that they put me in jail, I'm still that guy in the village, an accordion, ditties and stories, and that's all me, people love me for that. By the way, what is your name?
–I'm Ivan," he replied and lit a cigarette, blowing smoke rings out the window.
– But we are namesakes, and I am Ivan too. the old man laughed. – Two Ivan, two blockheads.
– But why am I a fool?
– Yes, that's me, you don't understand all the rhyme. Well, I'll tell you only one story, but if our paths still converge, then there will be another story for you," the old man lit his pipe and coughed.
– Why do you have such valuable stories?
– Well, how can I tell you, people really like them.
«Come on, old man, tell your story,» Ivan said and prepared to listen.
MERMAIDS
– This strange story happened a long time ago, when I was a young guy and served as a soldier in a construction battalion, – the old man began the story, he lit his pipe again, – And the military unit was located near the city of Timashevsk.
– This is Krasnodar Krai, a southern city, and I often go there for work, the other day I have to take the cargo there, – Ivan said.
"All right, listen further to what happened to me there," the old man replied.
One hot summer, my friend Sasha and I decided to go awol for the whole weekend. We agreed with our comrades in the company that we should be covered, collected the most necessary things and went to the farm with the name of Fierce.
– Is the name something strange? – I said to my friend then.
– Now we will check whether this name corresponds to reality, – he laughed in response.
We took each of our duffel bags and went. It was necessary to walk five kilometers to the farm, we covered this distance in a couple of hours. We knocked on one house and an old grandmother immediately opened it to us.
– Let us in for a couple of days, and we'll do the work you give us, – said Sashka.
– Welcome, come on in, you guys will have a bed for the night, – grandma answered in a kind voice, straightening her gray hair that had fallen out from under a colorful scarf.
She showed us the room and invited us to the table. The lunch was simply divine, because then I had not eaten home cooking for a year, but sat on soldiers' grub.
– Come on, do you want to go swimming on the river? – she asked, pouring homemade kvass into glasses.
– Yes, and you don't have fishing rods?
– There is no such good, and you will not catch fish there, the owner of the river will be against it, – grandma replied.
– And who is the owner? Is your administration local, or what? – we answered in unison.
– No, – she laughed, – Just the owner of the river.
– Is this master Neptune, or what? – now we laughed in response.
– Don’t laugh, otherwise he will be angry with you and won’t let you go. «Chop some wood for me and go to the river,» the old woman said.
While Sasha and I were chopping wood, everyone discussed this conversation with grandma and came to the conclusion that Old Believers most likely live here, who will worship various spirits, and we calmed ourselves with this.
– Well, did you guys chop wood for me?
– Yes, we are finishing soon.
– Quit your job and go to the river, otherwise you have to get back before dark.
"Good," we said in surprise and looked at each other, but still decided to obey and left the firewood.
We went along the path into the forest and saw the long-awaited river, which stretched in a long ribbon along the gentle bank, and on its edge grew tall reeds.
Suddenly, a ringing female laugh rang out from there. And Sasha and I saw two girls among the reeds, who were sitting on huge stones covering their bodies with colorful scarves.
– Well, are you boys going to swim? one of them asked in her thin melodious voice.
– Yes, of course we're going. And you probably wake up here, the villagers? – Sashka said joyfully, he had finally met female representatives for many months of service.
– Yes, we are local, local, – they giggled together.
– And you take off your clothes and run to us. The water is warm, like fresh milk," said a dark girl with a long, thick braid that lay on her shoulder.
– Let’s run, dear, let’s run, – said Sashka and quickly began to take off his soldier’s trousers.
–Wait," I said softly, "Don't rush, remember what the old lady told us about the strange places here, and about the owner of the river. Usually girls behave more modestly, but they don't invite guys they don't know.
– Come on, Vanya, why are you like a little one. Look what kind of girls, well, when will you have such an opportunity again? "Well, are we running into the river?" he said, taking off his T—shirt, the last thing left on him.
– Why don't you undress? – asked a dark girl with a long braid.
– A little later. I'll stand for a while, take a look around.
– Well, come on then, Vanya, come on. You’re smart, live,» the girl giggled, and a fish tail and scales appeared from under her scarf, apparently she was covering it, then she slipped off the stone and dived into the river.
– Sasha, wait, they are not girls at all, but mermaids! I shouted loudly, but I didn't have time.
He had already run up and jumped into the water. The second girl also dived after them.
– Sasha! I shouted standing next to the water, looking at its smooth surface.
I stood and shouted for a long time until the sun began to set. Sasha immediately disappeared under the water and never showed up again.
I came back in tears. The old lady listened to my story, shook her head and said softly.
– So the river swallowed up your friend. The owner took him to himself.
– That's the end of the story, Ivan, and we have already arrived in my village, – said the old man, putting his old pipe in his bosom.
– Mermaids, it turns out they dragged your friend to the bottom, – Ivan said thoughtfully, – And then they found his body?
– No, Van was never found, – the old man replied, – I told you that I'm still that storyteller and my stories are all very interesting. Next time I'll tell you another super story. Thank you Vanya for giving me a ride.
Ivan stopped the old man, he got out, and he himself drove on alone, whistling his favorite song under his nose.
– The sun is shining brightly, a sparrow is chirping.
It’s more fun to live a good life in the white world!
CHAPTER 2. A STRANGE TRAVELING COMPANION
As if by an irony of fate, Ivan had to go to the city of Timashevsk, his money client was waiting there and he had to pick up the cargo to deliver it to Moscow.
If it works out, then I'll stop by the village of Fierce, about which the old man told me, because I wonder if people live there now.
Suddenly Ivan noticed that a tall man in a long raincoat was standing on the road, a hood was on his head that covered his entire face, he was standing and waiting for someone to stop him.
"I won't stop him," the thought flashed through Ivan's head. A strange type. I don't like strange people like that.
But the man blocked his way, so like it or not, he had to press the brake and abruptly stop the truck.
– Are you tired of living? Ivan shouted.
To which the man did not answer anything, but simply silently approached the cabin and began to open the door.
– Where are you going without an invitation?
But the strange man in the raincoat again said nothing.
– Maybe you're dumb? If so, nod.
The man nodded his head slightly.
– Well, what should I do with you, sit down, – Ivan pitied the peasant, – I can't leave you here. I'm going south. I have to go to Timashevsk. You then wave your hand where you need to stop.
The man again nodded imperceptibly to Ivan in response.
– That's settled. And now you can sit down.
The fellow traveler climbed into the cab and pressed himself into the corner and sat down right next to the door.
– If you want, I'll talk, and you nod or mumble.
Ivan looked at the man, who was sitting motionless again.
– Okay, sit down. Just don't forget to give a sign so that your stop won't pass. Otherwise I'll take you very far away," Ivan said and continued whistling his favorite song.
"-Let the road run into the distance
Sadness
Let it not lie on your heart
I can do anything in the world!"
The fellow traveler sat for a long time, pressed into the very corner of the cabin, and his black hood hung directly over his face, so that it was impossible to see not only his facial features, but also to determine his age.
Ivan had already relaxed during this time and even began to forget about the existence of an outsider in his car.
But suddenly the fellow traveler stirred, he began to carefully look for something in his raincoat. Soon he took out a jar, and worms and maggots were swarming in it. It was seen how he took them out with his bony fingers from the jar, they, bending their red body, tried to resist.
– You're probably going fishing? Ivan asked with a grin.
But the fellow traveler was silent again, he even stopped communicating with gestures.
Ivan wondered what he was going to do with the worms now, and he turned his head and looked at the strange fellow traveler.
And the man picked up the worm without paying attention to Ivan, as if he was not there, and pushed it into the mouth invisible under the hood, and began to make an unpleasant slurping sound.
– Ugh! – I couldn't stand it, Ivan said aloud, but he thought to himself, – Let him do what he wants with himself, if only he would sit quietly and get out of my car as soon as possible.
The man, when he had eaten all the worms and maggots, again huddled in the corner of the cabin, without making any more slurping sounds.
Lord, why did you send me such a strange man? Ivan thought to himself, looking at the road. – And when he gets out of the car at all, I'm pretty sick of it all.
Ivan stopped at a gas station near the village to pour diesel fuel into the tank.
The fellow traveler sat silently in the cab and was not going anywhere.
– Go out for a smoke break, maybe you need to go out? Ivan said.
There was only silence in response.
– Well, as you know, man, then sit, but no nonsense just.
Ivan bought instant noodles in the store, where a beautiful saleswoman brewed it for him with boiling water. There was a small table in the store for long-distance drivers like him, and he decided to use the service and have a snack.
Then he walked a little next to the truck, smoked and got behind the wheel.
The fellow traveler was still sitting in silence, his hood completely covered his face, perhaps he was even asleep.
Ivan started the car, she growled in response, they drove off and drove off.
Time passed quickly, the gray highway flashed through the windshield like a long ribbon. Ivan began to feel sleepy, and there was still a long way to go.
It was already quite dark. Night was approaching. The strange man stirred again and took out a small bundle from his cloak. Ivan turned his head and was stunned. There was fresh red meat lying there. He again took out a piece with his bony fingers and put it in a hooded mouth somewhere deep there, then the man began to slurp loudly.
Ivan was tired of the road and couldn't take it all anymore. He stopped the KAMAZ, got out of it, went to the door on his side, opened the door and said:
– That's it, man, you got me, come out, I don't owe you absolutely anything.
The strange traveling companion sat silently, and without movements.
– Come out, in a good way,» Ivan said angrily.
Silence.
Ivan climbed into the cab, grabbed the man by the breasts and threw him out of it.
The strangest thing is that he didn't even resist. When Ivan threw him to the ground, something fell out from under the raincoat, rumbled and remained in the cabin.
And the strange man himself fell to the ground like a sack and crumbled into pieces. Ivan cursed loudly from what he saw, spat in disgust and quickly got behind the wheel, recovering.
"What the hell is going on," he said angrily. – Who is this? A dead man?
Ivan saw in his car on the floor in front of the seat a shoe that had fallen off this strange man, he bent down to pick it up, and there was something white and smooth inside, it looked like a bone. Disgusted, Ivan grabbed the shoe and threw it through the open window.
Ivan drove in silence, he tried not to think about the incidents that had happened. After all, the case generated more questions than answers. And no one can answer these questions.
Ivan's KAMAZ disappeared from view, leaving what was left of the strange fellow traveler lying on the road. Soon the cloak rose on its own and began to collect all its body parts scattered along the road, and when there was nothing left, it slowly wandered along the side of the road and disappeared into the forest, carrying with it the unsolved mystery of its origin.
Ivan meanwhile followed his route to the city of Timashevsk.
CHAPTER 3. MEETING WITH THE WITCH
The road was long, Ivan spent all this time without sleep. I’ll get to the place and rest, so he decided and drove, rubbing his eyes tired from exertion.
Ivan drove all night and only in the morning he was in Timashevsk, called his customer, but it turned out that he had arrived earlier and now he had to pass the time waiting for loading.
«Maybe I should stop by the farm of the Fierce, about which the old man was telling on the way, and suddenly there were people there, Ivan thought. At the same time, I will swim in the river, I hope that everything will be fine without mermaids. And I don’t believe in these fairy tales at all!»
Ivan left the KAMAZ by the road in the very edges that the old man described to him. He found a path that led along the edge of the forest and turned into the forest.
For about an hour he wandered through the forest without turning off following the path, saw that there were several old houses ahead.
– That’s the same farm, though… who knows. «But I’m going to take a look,» Ivan said aloud and went to see if there were people.
He went up to every house and shouted loudly:
«Is anyone here?»
But there was a silent silence in response. And only grasshoppers in the grass chirped, jumping one after another in different directions.
Ivan went around all the houses in the area, they were completely unsuitable for living, there were no people in them. He was about to leave when he heard a hoarse, elderly voice from behind:
– Son, who are you looking for here? – grandma looked with small narrowed eyes.
– And I didn’t expect to see anyone here anymore! Ivan exclaimed and went to meet her.
«Well, I’m here temporarily, too,» she replied.
– Are you leaving? Ivan was surprised.
– We are all temporary in the world, and then we go to God. «Come with me, a nice man, I’ll treat you to dinner,» she said and waved her hand pointing to the house that stands in the distance. «You didn’t notice my house, did you?»
– He’s standing at the very edge of the village, you can’t see him.
Soon they came to a very old hut.
– Come on, you’ll be a nice guest! – she said.
– I’m Ivan. What’s your name?
– Call me Grandma, I don’t remember my name. I’ve been living in the world for a hundred years, maybe more.
– Okay, Grandma, what is the name of this village? «Maybe Fierce?» asked Ivan, entering the house.
– A farm where only one grandmother lives, call it that, but I don’t remember what it was called before. I’m sorry, darling, I’ve become old. You’d better come into the kitchen, we’ll have lunch with you now.
The furniture in the house was old, the same as her mistress. Two wooden stools, a small table, a metal bed, a small wardrobe and a sideboard for dishes. There was nothing else.
– You live modestly here.
– Why would I need anything else? It’s always not enough for you young people, but we who have seen life do little,» the old woman said, putting boiled potatoes on the table.
– Isn’t it scary for you to live here alone? Ivan asked, starting to fix the stool. He had an inventory on this account in his bosom, and it was called «there are different cases,» so one turned up.
– And who can they be afraid of here? Evil spirits or something? Yes, I can do something myself.
– Well, maybe animals? Ivan persisted.
«Enough for you, who needs me old, they’ll chew me for a long time,» and the old woman laughed, exposing her toothless mouth.
Ivan made a stool and sat down on it.
– What about the shops? Or are you all products from the forest, but from the garden of Berthe?
– Mostly from here, but from the garden. And here my son is full of everything. But once a month they bring me food from the nearest village.
I was busy eating lunch for a while. Considering that there were no shops nearby and the products were mostly from the garden and from the forest, the lunch turned out to be great. Fragrant borscht and potatoes with tomatoes and cucumbers. Even the bacon was salty, but I still didn’t understand homemade or from the store. I didn’t see any pigs near the house either.
«You go to the river right now, honey, it’s warm water,» Grandma said.
– And where is your local river located?
– As soon as you get out, I’ll show you that path.
A little more time passed and Ivan began to get ready. When I left the house and said goodbye, my grandmother showed me the path that led to the river.
«All the best to you, Ivan,» she said at parting.
– And you don’t get sick! «I’m sorry,» he said. – Maybe I’ll come visit again sometime.
Grandma stood silently and smiled.
Ivan quickly reached the river. The smooth water surface beckoned the tired traveler. He finally threw off his things, ran away and jumped off the cliff into the water. The water was warm, he lay down and forgot himself. I woke up from a ringing female voice:
– How’s the water? the young girl asked.
– And you come here to swim – Ivan was delighted. – How did you get here?
«I’m from the next village,» she said in a gentle voice.
The girl had a long, blond braid that hung over her shoulder.
– Are you probably a mermaid? An old man once told me about mermaids.
– Stupid old man. There are no mermaids. I’m telling you, I’m a local.
Ivan went ashore and came closer to the girl.
She was pretty. Fair skin, red hair looked beautiful on a chiseled figure and even a small scattering of red freckles did not spoil the face.
– Do you know that you look great? Ivan said, looking at her face and red hair.
– I agree to be your wife, we have no men in the village, and it’s not good for a young girl to be alone, I need a husband. I will be a good wife for you,» the girl smiled.
Ivan also smiled in response.
– And what’s your first name?
– Masha is my name,» she replied.
«Like a flower, Ivan-yes-Mary, we are with you,» Ivan said with a smile on his face.
– You see, maybe I’m your destiny, – and the girl melted into a smile revealing her snow-white teeth.
Ivan did not expect such a turn, at his age, after the death of his wife, he stopped even dreaming about love, and here…
– You see, I’m a trucker driver, my job is not easy today I’m here, and tomorrow I’m there. I haven’t had a family for many years, and I’m already out of the habit of female affection.
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