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© Danny Osipenko, 2022
ISBN 978-5-0056-1869-6
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
Prologue
Large drops of a rain persistently knocked on colored glass of stained-glass windows and, breaking, slowly rolled down down, leaving indistinct marks. Black thunderclouds faced with each other, is squeezed bubbling. Occasionally the darkness of the evening sky was cut by bright flash of a violet-silvery lightning, and was immediately dissolved among shapeless outlines of the storm clouds blackened everywhere. The booming peal of a thunder for a second muffled rain knock, but, having scattered by hardly audible splinters of an echo, slowly abated, without having left a mark.
The huge empty hall of the temple was lit with the only candle -unquenchable icon lamp located on an altar. A close formation of benches for parishioners cast the long shadows dancing in dim light of an icon lamp. The thunderstorm continued to storm outside of the temple, but in it there was an unusual silence.
Having inclined the head over the turned yellow, old pages of the book and slowly moving lips, the hunched old man in a cassock repeated a prayer in thousand time. The storm amplified. Having timidly looked back to huge glass of a stained-glass window, the Holy Father crossed, having seen the lightning which sparkled suddenly.
The silence was suddenly broken by loud and persistent knock of the door hammer. The Holy Father took an icon lamp and, having gone down to the hall, hasty steps went to doors.
The statues which were located in superficial niches almost under the ceiling as if performed with each reflection of a lightning forward, being painted in whitish-blue shades. Strict, ascetic faces cast them not tranquility, and it is rather an alarm therefore the Holy Father, remaining to spend the night in the temple, tried not to look at them, going deep into a prayer in which only saw a pacification and composure.
The next peal of a thunder which was followed at once by several bright flashes of lightnings was heard. The Holy Father lifted a heavy latch and slightly slightly opened a door.
Outside the temple a solid wall water flew from the sky, washing out the clay road and baring small stones. Heavy water flows rolled down a tile roof of the temple and, being late for several moments in semicircular trenches, with loud murmur flew down down drains.
– The Holy Father, I can confess? – the gruffish, but at the same time thick bassy voice was heard.
In the next flash of a lightning the priest saw the highlighted figure which is wrapped up in a dark long raincoat. Drops of a rain flew down on a hood and shreds of the confused gray hair which were beaten out from under it. The Holy Father stood aside a little, allowing the person into the temple and when the stranger entered, looked around and closed a door, having lowered a latch.
– What brought you into such bad weather? – the priest asked quietly.
– I need to confess … – the entered old man answered, throwing back the wet-through hood one hand back, and still holding another bent on a breast under a raincoat.
The priest specified to the guest towards an altar forward. Having established an icon lamp on the former place, the priest prayed and, having turned an eye on the stranger, nodded meaning that it is ready to listen on what the old man slightly frowned the dense become gray eyebrows and twisted lips in a grin.
The thunderstorm storming around muffled the most part of the words pronounced by the old man who is kneeling to an altar but than further it moved ahead in the confession, especially scared was a look of the priest. Neither it is alive, nor is dead, there was it, squeezing both hands the cross hanging on a neck not in forces to move.
The old man finished with the voice which weakened from a long monologue and, having become straight, turned the embittered eye on the priest who it is per second lit up air signs of the cross. The stranger cast away to a raincoat floor aside, having bared the blood-stained breast and was wrinkled not from disgust, not from pain. Having extended forward a hand which still disappeared under a raincoat, it was slowly inclined forward, being kneeling, and in the next second was pushed to the floor. His fingers were powerlessly unclenched, having released fallen with hardly audible slap to a floor bleeding profusely, still warm heart.
The Holy Father started back back on several steps, with horror looking at the crimson spot spreading from the dead.
Suddenly the huge black clot separated from the dead old man and soared up, rushing about on the temple. It hit in stained-glass windows, was turned, looking for an exit. Having rushed aside, the priest fell and, clinging hands and legs to a floor, spread to an altar from where already managed to depart.
The shadow scurried about on the temple, flying about statues and hitting in stained-glass windows. Here it fell to the floor and, having found a door, began to fight convulsively in it. Suddenly the clot for a second stood absolutely unmoving. The Holy Father leafed through pages of the huge book, squinting in the twilight of the temple and trying to make out uneven letters of the hand-written text. Suddenly joy of a find lit up his face. Quickly moving lips, he began to read. The shadow at a door was developed and slowly went on pass between benches to an altar. The priest began to read quicker. Its shivering voice from hardly audible whisper already almost passed to shout. The shadow came nearer. A second more and it appeared at the altar, but the priest finished and now a broad gesture removed a cross in air.
The doors of the temple were sharply opened. The priest moved back back. The shadow rushed to a door, as if something attracted. The Holy Father took a closer look and in the next reflection of a lightning could distinguish the small casket standing on the doorstep of the temple.
The shadow concerned a casket and in a moment was hidden in it. The small chest cover with loud click slammed, and suddenly everything abated.
Slow steps the priest went to the doors shaken here and there by strong wind gusts. The thunderstorm began to decline. The slanting rain only occasionally threw the ringing drops on a temple threshold, the thunder abated, only lightnings continued to light with violet glow the dark sky.
The Holy Father sat down before a casket and touched it by a hand, but immediately started back back, having burned. The casket slowly rose in air, radiating soft whitish shine and smoothly floated to an altar, having rounded the priest sitting on a floor. Having stood in a small niche, it is unknown for what the provided architect, the casket with a stone gnash was developed by a front part to an exit. Whitish blinking disappeared.
Having crossed once again and having whispered a prayer, the priest rose and immediately again stood on the place. In the strip of light reaching from an entrance for an altar something flew. As if having been delighted, the Holy Father ran out on the street and, madly looking around, looked for in the dark the flown creation…
With a powerful rustle it fell by the earth in several meters ahead. Having shuddered, the priest took several steps forward and gave him a hand…
Chapter 1.
The clay footpath curled between speakers of boulders and powerful roots of trees there and here. Winding among crooked rough trunks, the path slowly flew down downhill. Clinging to the seminude branches covered with the turned yellow foliage on a footpath the young girl slid down. Her hair poured from light brown to fiery red flickered in beams setting the sun. Having reached a shady tree near which the footpath sharply turned on the left, the girl for a second stood and deeply sighed, fascinated by beauty of the surrounding nature. Having embraced hands a thick warm trunk, it slightly bent forward, inspecting the panorama which opened before it.
To the horizon the high and low, Rocky and roundish Mountains extended. The wood covering them already put on in autumn furniture, playing all paints of orange-golden shades: from citreous to scarlet and ochre, with easy impregnations reddish and cherry and brown. Below, at the foot of mountains where waves of flat hills faced, several dozen which were lop-sided from time, the turned black lodges were scattered. Huge fields spread around the village as if bald spots on the head of the sleeping giant – the primogenitor of peaked mountains which tops were covered with snow caps. Opposite to the hill from which the girl went down the sharp, Rocky Mountains with the blackened eye-sockets of the caves scattered on a steep slope rose.
Slightly farther on the left, on a slope of the towering over the village, woody mountain, the majestic temple topped with the sharp spires piercing the sky was located. The temple was abandoned many years ago, with departure of the priest from the village, but still kept the primitive beauty. The thick stone walls which were slightly showered from East side where the base of the temple acted from the slope which is washed away for hundreds of years by rains, were decorated with the reliefs which are cut out on a stone and harmonious columns in all height of the building. Sharp lancet windows squinted with careful suspiciousness looked at rare guests.
Damp and cool autumn evening softly fell by this picturesque valley, decking it warm colors. Dim beams setting the sun did not give enough heat any more. Cold wind blew, and yellow leaves broken by it from native branches were turned in air for a long time, slowly falling down. It was necessary to hurry not to remain to spend the night on the street after all gate in the village are locked for the night.
The sharp movement having picked up a hem of a long checkered skirt, the girl slipped down a footpath. The soft leather shoes altered by her grandmother with hardly audible rustle slid on the soft soil, reserving superficial long strips.
Having gone down to the foot of the mountain, the girl looked back and, having distinguished under the yellow-orange arch of the wood only a withered grass, brownish islands looking out from under a dense layer of the fallen-down foliage and helplessly groundless roots of trees which acted over the showered sandy-argillaceous slope, broke and ran towards the lop-sided lodges.
hiding among the shadows cast by trees which were going among fields to small golden islands the girl reached the village, sideways jumped through the low wattle fence which quietly creaked near at hand and immediately, having sat down on knees, stood, listening. Ahead not clear movement seemed. The girl tensely blinked the eyes.
The huge fluffy dog darted off and rushed towards to the girl, breaking fragile branches of an undersized bush which filled the lower tier of the small forest grow zarostk hiding the village from eyes of the foreign observer examining the village from the hill. The girl wanted to jump and rush away, but the dog already soared up in a jump. The long whitish and cream wool which rolled up in dirty lumps on a belly dangled here and there at each movement of a dog.
The huge animal pushed the girl to the ground, having pressed down to a wet grass the huge paws. Warm, damp and rough language joyfully concerned to the face skin soiled in road dust and dirt. From warm, dense dog wool smelled of mustiness, the crude earth and fresh meat.
– Tomasz, faugh! Stop to lick me! – the girl exclaimed, trying to escape from dog paws.
The dog receded on several steps backwards, hopping on the place and wagging a short fluffy tail. The girl rose from the earth, shook off a woolen skirt and tightened more tightly a belt on which the warm shawl thrown shoulders and crossed by the ends on a waist was picked up. Having sat down, the girl opened the small rag bag hanging at it on a shoulder and got the small piece of bread which remained off the road. The dog licked lips and, having inclined the huge shaggy head forward, timidly came nearer.
The girl stretched to a dog a piece of bread, having started fingers in dense wool on a dog nape. The gray crumbs of bread showered on the earth immediately razmokat, merging with a grass.
The girl rose and, having clicked a dog, ran through a coppice, protecting a face hands from biting blows of branches. A dog, having opened a mouth and with the tongue hanging out from which saliva dripped, followed the hostess, clumsily breaking dry branches.
On the huge field located to the right of the village the herd of sheep seemed. The girl for a second stood, peering. Here, at last, she could distinguish the shepherd – the gray-haired old man who is wrapped up in a sheepskin vest from under which once bright red shirt which is broken off on a collar looked out.
– Hi, Miloš! – loudly the girl shouted, having waved here and there is high over the head.
The old man some time absent-mindedly looked around, trying to find eyes shouting, then, at last, noticed the girl standing near the road through a coppice.
– Hi, Ilina! You already… – cried out the old man slightly shivering, but still thick and pleasant deep voice.
But the girl did not hear it any more. With a force having pulled hard on a heavy shutter, it opened the wooden gate separating the village from surrounding it water.
Here in the village enclosed with a high paling the strong log houses connected to the yards and sheds were located. The girl slipped to one of narrow streets laid in a narrow gleam between houses. Here even on sunny days the twilight reigned – high houses did not pass light in tiny back streets.
Having left several houses behind, the girl curtailed to the right and in a few minutes it appeared at a fence of the old two-storeyed lodge standing a little alone. Having run a hand over a native gate, she sighed. Yes, these houses built by her great-grandfathers were built for ages.
Having called up a dog, the girl pushed a hand in a narrow crack near a gate. The latch clicked. Having opened a door, Ilina waited until the dog steps into the familiar narrow footpath conducting to the house and will reach the doghouse under a porch, then closed a door, having thrown with a heavy iron hook a gate loop, and passed after a dog.
Tomasz, having half leaned out of the doghouse in which there was not enough place for his huge body, clamped the powerful paws a dirty brain bone and with visible pleasure tried to get to the core of it to reach at last delicious marrow. Having climbed creaking steps, the girl several times punched at a door and, expecting until it is let in the house, looked back. On a small kitchen garden two obstrizhenny lambs imposingly walked about, and on a low small fence near the shed the sheep skin removed obviously, since morning was dried. Fat black flies a swarm flew up from a skin when the crow attracted with a smell of blood clapped the black-gray wings too close.
The girl with astonishment raised eyebrows, looking at a skin.
– Ilina! – was distributed suddenly from the opened door.
The girl did not manage to come round as something heavy hung at her on a neck and began to pull down.
– More carefully, more carefully, Taleyta! The sister off the road … – the dryish low voice was distributed from the house.
Ilina was carefully released from embraces of average height of the thin girl with long black as a resin, the hair braided to the thick spit. Having departed on couple of steps, she from legs to the head inspected the sister and again rushed to it, strong embracing. Girls loudly laughed loudly, being turned on the place and pulling each other clothes. At last, having got over that Ilina again of house, both slowly dispersed in the parties. Ilina took a step to darkness of the house and is constrained bowed. The gray-haired woman in a heavy bluish dress stood, having put hands on a breast and smiling.
– Hello, grandmother, – Ilina told, entering the house.
– How are you? How did reach? Lost weight … – the old woman whispered, – You sold? Was enough…
– I sold everything that was, – Ilina told, having smiled, and having bent, got a small rag purse from a bag and stretched it to the old woman.
The woman opened a purse and counted money. Taleyta curiously listened attentively to a conversation, blinking big brown eyes.
– But here…
– Yes, it is more, than had to be, – Ilina confirmed.
– From where? – the old woman asked.
– I bypassed the mountain – strongly washed out the road, and there was not to pass – and came across the swamp. And there on each hummock of a cranberry – multitudes! – Ilina began to tell, drawing in air the swamp and hummocks with a cranberry, – Yes such berries large – about nut the size!
Taleyta loudly grinned, and the old woman only slightly smiled to such story by the granddaughter. But Ilina still remembered the huge red berries sourish on taste which she ate throughout all road to the city, and then sold the remains on a market…
– All right, change clothes also for dinner, – the grandmother ordered.
– Did you pin up a ram? – asked Ilin, – What for?
On it the old woman only turned back and darted a meaningful glance at the girl. Ilina understood that money which she brought from the city last time already ended, and the old woman had to borrow from Grigor again…
Ilina, having frowned, climbed a shaky ladder on the second floor and, having thrown off from itself the dress covered with a layer of the dried-up clay, put it near a shawl on a bed then she changed clothes and went down.
Taleyta already sat at a small wooden table in a small room where the food was cooked, and giggled. Red-haired Ilina joyfully sighed, having inspected a kitchenette. At once to the left of the entrance aperture drawn by the curtain which became thinner from time there was a rectangular table with five chairs which are moved up closely to it – three for owners and two for guests, bouquets of dried herbs from which made tea, all also hung over a table, extending sweetish and spicy aroma, on the right – the brownish furnace put from clay bricks. Having looked at the furnace, Ilina sighed again – the bricks crumbling places would need to be replaced long ago, but whether it is worth thinking of it when money is hardly enough for food.
Ilina removed one of chairs and sat down directly opposite to a small window from which to the room dim light flew. The old woman lit a splinter and put it on a table in a small clay pot. Ilina looked at the oranzhevaty circle of light rejected on a ceiling by the burning splinter.
– You are welcome to all we have, – the old woman told, putting before granddaughters on a table two bowls with mutton soup, – there is no bread yet…
– How many did you borrow, the grandmother? – suddenly Ilina asked.
– It does not matter, – the woman responded.
– Has! – the girl exclaimed, having sharply jumped because of a table, – I need to know as far as we can postpone a wedding…
– And it here at what? – Taleyta asked, and her cheeks slightly reddened.
– I do not wish that my sister … – Ilina choking with nervousness, – I… I will not give her to this old man!
– The darling, calm down, – the old woman told, putting hands on shoulders to the girl and trying to seat her back at the table, – We will have enough money for a month or even more.
Having frowned even stronger, Ilina put elbows on a table and thoughtfully stared at the shivering splinter fire. The flame played reflections on golden and red hair of the girl. Coming back home after a week of wanderings, she did not expect to learn that all is bad. The marriage of younger sister rose before the girl as terrible punishment for their family again.
– You eat … – the grandmother’s voice was distributed nearby.
Ilina unwillingly took a spoon and started a meal. The stomach pined with hunger, but the girl already got used to this feeling for long time of their disasters and almost did not notice it. Suddenly she found a big piece of meat in the bowl. The organism exhausted during long transition demanded some food therefore, without remembering itself, the girl greedy stuck teeth into meat, trying to bite off and chew rigid fibers.
– Shandor came. Asked you, – the old woman told for some reason half-whisper, frowningly looking at the red-haired granddaughter.
Ilina sharply swallowed, and the piece of meat got stuck at her in a throat. The girl has convulsively a fit of coughing. Taleyta jumped from the place, scooped a water ladle from the small keg standing under a window and stretched to the sister. The girl dropped lips to edge of a ladle and began to drink greedy. At last, she felt that the piece squeezing a throat from within went down, to a stomach.
– What it was necessary to it? – the girl asked gruffishly on what the old woman only shrugged shoulders.
– It is better for you most to ask, – she answered.
– Well is not present, – Ilina muttered.
Taleyta grinned again.
– Thanks, everything was very tasty, – Ilina told, removing a bowl with soup and rising because of a table.
– Well, where you?. – it is almost upset the old woman threw into emptiness, – Doamna Bogna asked Taleyta to knit stockings. Could you carry?
Ilina sharply stopped a back to the grandmother, then was slowly developed. At all love for the family, the girl could not overcome the disgust for Shandor, his father and mother whom Taleyta and Crean’s grandmother considered the benefactor.
– Yes, the grandmother, I will carry, – is squeezed the girl nodded, having turned back.
The old woman stood up from a chair and walked by the granddaughter to the neighboring room. Having rummaged in a huge, heavy dresser, it exposed the long snow-white stockings knit from soft sheep wool. Ilina has a look at accurate eyelets over which her sister tried the whole week. They lay equal ranks, to one another, doing woolen stockings impenetrable for cold. As it was a pity for the girl because that these stockings in which so much love and efforts is enclosed will be tense on sore, curve legs of the hated beldame soon.
– Superfluous do not take, – the old woman told, stretching to the granddaughter who immediately was going to go, a shawl, and then, having kept silent, added, – Shandor on the general mow – the roof fell off and Grigor ordered to build up in a new way till the cold weather… The benefit though killed nobody… Talk to it…
The old woman whispered the last words already to herself under a nose, but Ilina all the same caught.
Having tidied up the hair scattered on shoulders under an easy scarf, Ilina muffled in a shawl and hurried to go outside, pressing work of the sister to a breast. Tomasz with joyful bark got out and hurried for the hostess.
– Missed, the old cheat, – the girl smiled and, having sat down, frayed a dog behind an ear.
The house of family Viera was located on the outskirts of the village. As the richest and esteemed, it was surrounded with a high wattled fence and a garden in the shadow of which hundreds of small footpaths ran up…
Winding on the narrow streets of the village lying between houses, sheds, sheds, Ilina convulsively looked around as if being afraid of a meeting with someone. Faithful Tomasz followed it, keeping to the left.
The huge shed in which residents of the village stored the hay mown for the cattle for the winter was under protection of family of rich men and therefore it was brought on the fenced territory. Ilina slowly pulled on herself the gate conducting in a domonical garden, trying to make so that that did not creak. Suddenly Tomasz darted off and with loud modulating bark rushed forth, having slipped in a narrow crack between a fence and the opening gate.
– Tomasz! Tomasz! To me! – the voice was heard suddenly.
Ilina slipped in a gate after a dog and hid behind the next tree. Having recovered the breath to calm without restraint the heart clogged into breasts, the girl slowly turned back and looked out of the shelter.
Tomasz, joyfully wagging a tail stump, a trot hurried to the shed. Ilina blinked the eyes. Indeed, from darkness of the shed the high, strong figure slowly separated and went forward, cutting off the course to a dog.
The young man, years twenty five, wide movement threw the taken-off shirt through a shoulder. In lines of his face there was nothing remarkable, but nevertheless he was extraordinary beautiful. Soft fair-haired, slightly longish hair fell down locks on a high forehead. The gray irises of eyes outlined at the edges by a bright green border always shone cheerfulness and some person, sharp attentiveness. Over dense black eyebrows the superficial wrinkle becoming more noticeable when the man became angry lay or deliberated over something. On the big shoulders golden-black from suntan, strips of powerful muscles clearly acted. All its figure, appear, represented thinly calculated texture of incredible force and health, but at the same time and majestic grace which was inherent in each movement of the man.