Shackles

I

Solar, cheerful morning of early spring. Shirokaya Street of the big village is full of liquid dirt, pools and the spring murmuring streamlets. From a distance, from a high belltower of rural church, the joyful ringing of easter bells rushes. At the corner of the wide church area above descent to the river there is a small timbered lodge with a high porch. Near the house where recently carpenters worked, crude odorous beams lie, and it very much pleases a band of children, barefoot, with the panties which are rolled up knee-deep, with the long hair cut in a curve piece; and only the smallest of them – the three-year-old peanut – is dressed in a city way: in a jacket and картузик with tapes, in brand new shoes. In total on it brand new, elegant, festive. From a pocket the silver chain of hours is seen.

Children tore off crude bark from a beam, soft from the inside, separate it damp, gentle tapes, twist toy reins and knutik. All of them sit on a porch, busied. The Tatar, the biggest bosses. The others watch with what art it twists a crude string. Small costs below as cannot get on steps differently as on all fours.

– Vukol! – speaks Tatork small gently – what it at you on a chain?

– Hours – Vukol answers.

– Let’s have a look!

The Tatar himself took out the real silver watch from the child’s pocket, smelled them, licked and put to an ear.

– Tick! to it-bo! chevo-s there inside ticks! Ottsova, that?

– On a name-day presented! – Vukol speaks and wants to take hours back, but Tatorka sat down with them on the top step and was engaged in opening of a cover.

Children as flies, stuck around it.

Vukol very much wants to receive back hours, but he hesitates to insist and to get difficult on a porch, will not part forcibly children: all of them it is more of it.

– See you! – derisively Tatorka speaks – at hours! And what cap, with tapes yes from tsvyata!

Children laughed.

– Rich, devils! – continued the Tatar, picking hours a knife.

Vukol offended by laughter of companions flashed to ears, removed a cap, broke from it tapes and artificial roses, threw them on the earth, crushed.

Children laughed loudly again:

– Strizhenny bare, as Tatar!

Also were engaged in hours.

In big eyes of Vukol there were tears.

The Tatar broke off both covers of hours and began to take out small screws and castors, seeking that ticks there, “inside”.

– Give hours! – Vukol shouted.

Back Vukol received them in unassembled form: all interior of hours represented a handful of fragments.

– Nothing – encouraged him Tatork – to you their houses will soil!

Vukol silently thrust fragments into a pocket.

– Give the handle, do not become angry! – tenderly Tatorka told, going down from a porch.

Vukol reconciled and flattered smiled.

– On! – he trustfully stretched a tiny hand.

The Tatar unexpectedly pressed his palm below than the waist and made impropriety.

All laughed delighted.

Vukol began to cry. It seemed to it that his hand is profaned forever. Wanted to run home, but also it was a pity to leave companions: a game in a horse with just prepared harness was assumed.

– Fool! – he told Tatorke.

– I am a fool? I will give those! To Vdar in a nose – at once blood will scatter… and to the father we will tell that you fought on the street! To you do not order to fight, and to us nothing, it is possible! What you blink? And eyes on a flat dish, do not vidt crumbs! There is a pool, washed up, exclusively! Yes something I am nasty? – The Tatar threateningly moved to it, but it was suddenly softened: – Well, an aydata in a horse to play! Three that? Vukol! You will go to my three?

– I will go.

Children, having joined hands, were built in the three. Everyone took a vozhzha in teeth. Tatorka, the coachman, really whips the three. Vukol represents pristyazhny; all rush on dirt the middle of the wide street, the brand new suit of Vukol is splashed with dirt, but the sun shines joyfully, dirt – warm, sparkles under the sun, streamlets murmur, from a harness is so fresh and smells delicious; Vukol is happy that Tatorka accepted him in a game, jumps with odorous, soft, bitterish vozhzhy in teeth, bending the head on one side as do to a horse in a pristyazhka – and suddenly, having stumbled, unexpectedly falls in dirt. The three stops, and all companions watch how it rises from a pool: liquid dirt flows from a face and hands, all its elegant suit in dirt. To cause sympathy of companions, Vukol loudly cries, standing in dirt with the stained hands bulged in the parties. But children laugh again.

– Well, spaced out more widely than a mitten! – the Tatar speaks. – I those here will stop up it!

The Tatar grabbed after the journey a handful of horse manure and wants to push to it in a mouth.

Vukol with a roar takes to heels, there, where the home porch is seen at the corner. He runs very fast, but Tatorka is much more and stronger it, on the bridge through a ditch caught up, grabbed by a collar and – about horror! – stuffed to it the mouth is full, smeared with manure of a lip and cheek. The kid even ceased to cry, convulsively bent to a stream and began to wash the person muddy water. All he was soiled and wetted through, but there is a wish to play at horses to him after all, only not from Tatorkaya. Children stand in the distance and watch how Tatorka at a slow pace comes back to them.

Suddenly on a porch the father Vukola appears. According to his face it is noticeable that the father heard his crying, perhaps, saw everything and very annoys.

Long dense curls of the father flutter downwind. He quickly goes to the son, silently takes Vukol by hands and carries away to the house. There they are met by mother and throws up the hands at the sight of the sobbing son in the suit tormented and splodgy with dirt. It without planing as the father, never scolds and does not punish; Vukol knows that mother would regret and consoled, would change clothes of him for all dry and released to play, but the father angrily discharges her, itself undresses the son and puts on the big bed veiled by bed curtains.

– Sleep! – by an imperative voice he speaks, drawing bed curtains.

Vukol long lies sobbing. If he could expect terrible appearance of the father, then would not cry on the street. He with envy hears voices of companions behind a window. It seems to it that the father did not understand his tears that it was only necessary to caress, console and again to release to play. That it is not understood, Vukol fell asleep with offensive feeling in tears.

Someone licked it damp, warm language in the lips. He woke up. On a bed to it the King got. This is his dog: for its entertainment the father got; it is small, red, with long wool and a fluffy tail, with an ostrenky muzzle, with sharp ears. Vukol embraces her, presses to a breast, and the King shchekotno licks to him an ear.

Bed curtains зашпилен pin. Mother always so does when stacks Vukol on the bed in the afternoon. Sometimes and she lays down with it, feeds him with sunflower seeds which she cracks for it. Vukol hears – someone entered the room, hears a voice of the male neighbor:

– As you want, Elizar but only that now she jammed our chicken again!

– Bill I it how many time, thought – will lag behind! – the father’s voice answers…

– Is not present if visited – will not lag behind, fox breed! Make favor, exterminate you it, steals and steals – that your fox!

Stumps are heard, the man leaves. The father slammed the door of the neighboring room too. Vukol hears how he speaks about something with mother.

Vukol did not understand sense of a conversation with the man. What does the word “exterminate” mean? To finger? Of whom the man complained? Who eats hens? Suddenly his heart clenched alarm: yes it is the King! About the King before said that she steals and eats hens!

Vukol caught easy steps of mother. The curtain was removed: mother costs and smiles the silent smile.

The king jumped off from a bed, having flashed a fluffy tail. Vukol reaches for mother. She kisses it and quietly asks:

– And who to you broke hours it?

– Tatorka.

– And you would not give!

– He took… to have a look … – Vukol justifies himself – he is big! He to me befouled a hand and violently fed with manure!.

His eyes were filled with tears again.

– Mother… it is not necessary to me a new cap! Children laugh… Tatorka fights… There is nobody to play… Only with the King… yes from Pashkaya!

Mother sighs:

– Well that! Play with Pashka, with the girl it is better, and I will banish Tatorka from our yard!

She dresses it in an everyday old suit, puts on stockings, boots.

– A new suit all in dirt at you! Be not found you with this robber!. Well, get up!.

Vukol jumped off from a bed.

The father – in a jacket, in a cap, with the gun hanging on a belt behind shoulders entered.

– Mother! Tatorka told that we are the rich. Truth?

– No, pretty, poor! Men are richer than us! We will leave from here soon! Well and you yet small, will understand nothing!.

– Tatorka does not love the rich… beats me, thinks – we are the rich!

– Fool your Tatorka! – the father interfered. – Here it will get to me – I will dig to it ears!. The thief will leave him, and it worst of all!

– Tatorka broke hours! – mother reported.

– Are guilty: entrusted the child, dressed up as acceptable… I look – and he in a pool that a pig.

– Yes it, companions such!.

– That also is! – the father sighed.

– You where with the gun?

– Yes here I want to take away a dog to smithies! Sonny! Let’s go with me, your dog! I tied her at a porch! Also you will lead itself!

– The child should not look at it! – noticed mother.

– No, let sees what for theft happens!. That since then was afraid of theft!

– Yes what else understands дитё! – mother objected.

– Anything! Let will remember that and in thoughts this Tatorka was afraid to be the thief… and that…

At a porch the King on a leash quietly sat. The father untied it and that she did not escape from the child’s hands, the free end of a rope about Vukol’s belt tied.

– Itself also conduct it and remember that she is a thief, torment is what the thief has to gain!.

Vukol bewildered listened to the father, without understanding why they go to smithies, but to go there with the father was flatter. Vukol was already there, it is close behind their house, on backs, on the river bank.

The king jumped about Vukol, trying to lick him in a face. Having caught sight of this procession from where the children coordinated by a trace in some distance undertook.

On the occasion of a holiday in smithies did not work.

Against each of them there were columns for forging of horses. Under a steep slope the river, a bend approaching close backs of houses shone. From a belltower the cheerful ringing of bells rushed.

The father shortly tied the King to one of four columns and, having taken Vukol by hand, turned back. Having passed steps twenty, he stopped and removed the gun.

– Become behind! – severely he told the son – and be not frightened – now I will shoot!

Vukol stood behind, with fear watching as it lifted the gun, put a bed to a shoulder, and without understanding why and where the father wants to shoot. Burst a shot, from a trunk fire took off. With smoke began to smell something sharp. Vukol turned pale, lips began to tremble him.

– Well, that’s all! – the father told, lowering the gun.

Through odorous smoke it was visible how on the earth at a column the King fluttered.

Without remembering itself, Vukol ran to it. The king twitched all over. From her nostrils blood streamed. Vukol loudly began to squeal, fell to it, embraced for a neck.

– King! King! – he shouted… Spasms squeezed his throat. Tears dimmed light. In eyes darkened. When the father raised it on hands, a child’s face twitched…

Vukol regained consciousness. It seemed to it that he long slept that hours are whole that Tatorka did not pursue it that the King is living and now will jump to it on a bed, will lick lips and an ear.

Behind a window laughter, noise of children’s, male and female voices, some crash as if peas pour in an empty bucket is heard, and someone shouts drawlingly:

– And well, how the woman follows water? and how children steal peas?

And again began to knock in a bucket, and children so laugh that even scream.

– Mother! – Vukol wants to shout loudly, but it turns out poorly and plaintively. – On the street!

Mother opened bed curtains.

– What you, my darling? The head does not hurt you? It is impossible on the street, the father did not order! You had a heat!

– No, does not hurt! I will go to the street! What does it crack?

Women, men, children surrounded with a ring the man in a blue caftan, in a high black hat grechneviky, with the drum hanging at it on a belt. He fractionally beat the drum with two small sticks, from time to time pulling the thick chain tied by one end to a belt, and another – passed throughout a nostril to a big shaggy animal.

The animal somersaulted and grabbled on the ground, rose as the person, on hinder legs and then became the whole head above crowd. On other, thinner chain attached for a collar there was other same animal, but still small, it is no more than bandog. The young of wild animal sat at legs of the man and quietly looked at works of the mother, at the crowd with laughter monitoring representation.

– This is a she-bear with a bear cub! – mother told, lifting on the son’s hands.

She-bear showed any ridiculous pieces. Then it was entered into the house, and the room was filled with the people. She-bear stood on hinder legs and drank up vodka from a glass, holding it in forepaws.

The festive crowd filling the room laughed, made a din.

The bear cub was brought to the yard and there tied to the tumbled-down wattle fence under a canopy. Vukol very much became interested in a bear cub: the young of wild animal was absolutely manual, was afraid of nobody and behaved ridiculously. Vukol ran after him. There was a strong wish to get acquainted with it closer and to play as played with the King.

The bear cub sat on a wattle fence, pogromykhivy a chain. Vukol stood few steps away from him, having thrust hands into pockets of trousers. Small bear eyes sparkled good-natured friendliness. Both with curiosity watched some time at each other. Vukol decided to begin a game: bent down, lifted a small dry stick and threw into a bear cub. That sniffed at it, took in a paw, sucked and threw back. Vukol laughed and, having decided to continue a game, threw into him a stone. The bear cub looked for a stone, did not find and, having gone down from a wattle fence, went to the little person on all fours, but the chain prevented. Then he got up on hinder legs and quietly, plaintively zaurchat, as if complaining of a chain and as if inviting to approach him closer. Here Vukol remembered how the she-bear owner for fun struggled with her before the laughing loudly people. There was a wish to clasp also to it the new friend in arms. He gave hands to a young of wild animal. The bear cub sniffed at Vukol. From an animal smelled of wet wool. Approached it closely, but at this time someone seized him behind and lifted on air: it was Vukol’s mother. Without telling anything, she ran from the yard, strong pressing the son to a breast.

On the street put on legs, took by hand, told:

– It is impossible to play with a bear: he will eat you! Let’s go better to Romanevym!

Vukol was surprised: so ridiculous bear cub and cheerful!

Romanev lived nearby, in a big old log hut. Them was much: the grandma, the gray-haired grandfather, two bearded men, two guys – all such huge, they seemed Vukola nearly to a ceiling: women, maids, children – the log hut is always full. In a log hut the horse harness, in an outer entrance hall – a colored arch with a bell is hanging: about Romanev said that they are from time immemorial coachmen. There lives Pashka, the friend Vukola. She comes to play every day to it dolls or calls on the street. Lips and a chin at it always in sores from fever, it always nasty, but Vukol loves it with all the heart.

All family sat at a table and had dinner. Pashkina the grandmother gave on a table.

– Welcome! – all told chorus. – Ali the groom – from missed the bride? Pashka! you will go in marriage for Vukol?

– I will go! – Pashka answers, thrusting a finger into a mouth, and, having approached “groom”, whispers to it on an ear: – Let’s go to a barn.

All densely laughed.

Vukola with Pashka called the groom and the bride long ago and though they did not understand value of these words, nevertheless believed that they will always play together, even when big will grow.

Mother began to tell about Vukol’s fight against a little bear and asked not to allow to go home the boy, will not take away bears yet: the guide has dinner.

– And we it together with Pashka on the near field will take to build a buffoonery! – men answered. – Tomorrow on an arable land we want to leave!

Mother left soon.

All family left to the yard. Men began to oil tar of a wheel and axis of the cart, women put knots, koshma, sheepskin clothes in the cart.

Pashka quietly pulled Vukol a sleeve and began to mince to gate. Her head with a white braid is tied by a motley scarf, a sundress on it from homespun matter, a leg barefoot, with coarse heels, in “tsypka”. Vukol always went after Pashka, and Pashka bossed.

The barn was across the road, there stood omt last year’s straw, near it an old shed with a straw low roof. The somersaults in straw and a travel from an omet on a flat roof of a shed were favourite their game.

This time they, as before, happened, climbed on a shed and, having joined hands, with an extraordinary celebration jumped on an old, thin roof, and Pashka, choking with happy laughter, sang:

Rain, rain, stop,

We will go to Arestan…

– Sing! – she shouted, jumping and holding Vukol by both hands.

In the heat of their fun the roof under their legs cracked, was moved apart, and both of them failed down, in a shed, together with an armful of brushwood and rotten straw. It was so unexpected that children did not manage even to be frightened and only floundered in dusty straw.

Dust powdered eyes, sprinkled faces, jammed into a nose. Having put out the heads from straw, they looked at each other in a dark shed and laughed. Got out, shook off, and Pashka began to jump again and started singing.

– Gate are locked! – plaintively Vukol told. – Let’s not get out!

– Eva! and a gate on what?

Easily crept under shed gate, through a pool. From a barn ran to the Pashkiny log hut. Midway to them the low old man met a long white beard, in bast shoes and a high cap, in a blue pestryadinny shirt, a comb at a belt. Having passed them by itself, it took the end of a beard in a mouth, terribly began to roar, shook the head and zatopat bast shoes.

Children very much started running.

– This is the brownie! – Pashka explained, having turned pale and having begun to shake. She ran quicker than Vukol, but did not release his hand from the.

Vukol believed Pashke that it is not the person, but some terrible brownie: and before he heard about it from Pashki any horrors. The brownie steals some children, carries away them with himself in a bag and even eats.

In fear they looked back.

– Dorzhi! dorzh! – the brownie shouted them following – — solution! – shook a beard and stamped legs in bast shoes as though being going to catch up with them.

In horror, with crying they ran in in a log hut.

At Vukol were stared, lips twitched, the person turned pale as chalk.

– Brownie! brownie! – breaking into tears, Pashka shouted. – Runs for us… the beard long… growls here so: at-at!

– What brownie? – Pashkina the grandmother was surprised, looked in a window. – Yes it is Terenti, the shepherd! purposely it, not really! Took in head to scare you! See, as you shiver both! Well, fall to me, восподь with you! What old fool! Shepherd Terenti it, joker it at all not the brownie!

Pashka and Vukol rushed to it, buried the heads in her sundress, and she stroke-oared them on the heads wrinkled, rigid.

When children calmed down, put them in the cart on soft knots and sheepskin coats. There the grandmother, two maids and two guys sat down.

Dear Pashka cheered up and began to assure Vukol that in the field for them will build a tent which will be “to the sky”.

The field was nearby, immediately behind a village fence. From the cart pulled out huge panels and began to lift it on in advance hammered columns and stakes.

Vukol with interest waited for construction of a tent: really to the sky? Looked up: highly the cloud floated, the sun was rolled up for the end of the earth.

The linen tent was built such big and high that men went under a tent without being bent – but after all the tent did not reach the sky.

– It only this way, wait a moment! – surely Pashka told – and then isdelat another. That will already be to the sky!

Women made fire before a tent and began to cook porridge. All mudflows on a koshma in the middle of a tent and a fir-tree crude a honey agaric with bread.

Then ate hot potato, supped millet soup. While had supper, there came dark spring night with the rare large stars which acted in dense black height.

After a dinner all went to bed on a koshma a vpovalka. Vukola with Pashka put nearby, covered with an odorous tanned sheepskin coat.

– Groom with the bride! young people! – men joked.

– Sleep, good luck! – the grandmother told.

But they were whispered for a long time, arguing among themselves. In a tent opening stars from above looked.

– Nebushko is a God’s tent! – his girlfriend whispered Vukola, embracing him for a neck thin hands – and stars – gvozdochka gold, the sky is beaten by them that did not fall – a baushka of a bayal – really, I do not lie, burst eyes! And above god sits: it does a rain, a thunder and to a molonye and if Ilya prophet on a nebushka goes by a fiery tarantass – a baushka of a bayal – that time the thunder rattles and molonye happens! And in the sky there are andela: hands at them of a netuta, only heads and wings, as at birdies – a baushka of a bayal!

Vukol with full confidence listened Pashkina to stories and willingly believed that about a barn to them the brownie met, in the sky there lives god, and the asterisks shining highly seemed svetlenky heads of angels which as if moved in dark height with the bird’s wings.

Woke up from noise and a dialect. In the village often and cheerfully rang a big bell.

All were standing. Women hasty put on, men harnessed a horse in the cart. In the sky stars still glimmered, in a section of a tent dark night looked. It was cold. All left a tent, is disturbing speaking about something and not listening to each other. Having joined hands, children ran out after them.

Over the village all sky was poured by golden-scarlet light. From a distance noise of many human voices reached. The alarm stopped, again flew chaotic blows, merging in continuous copper howl. To brightly lit sky from the earth the dense cloud seeming white as steam floated. In the flaring sky something cracked.

– Ah-ah! – cried Pasha and suddenly began to cry, began to call the grandmother, without releasing Vukol’s hand.

– Baushka, небушко burns!

– Ah you, vospod! – the old woman threw up the hands – that with you to do! Oferova burn! Obliquely from us! To be dragged we go, and you could not be put! The maid with you will remain! The house at Oferov burns, troubles as!

– Why, the baushka, burns?

The guy, vzvazzhivy horse, with irritation grumbled:

– Rich they, devils!

II

Vukol sat on a floor of a timbered log hut at legs of the old woman dressed in a blue sundress with tin buttons. Near it there was his friend and the uncle – Lavrusha. The grandmother spun yarn, twisting the buzzing spindle; beside it the daughter – Nastya, the young girl spun it. On a heavy pine bench at a table the grandfather with a long gray-haired beard spun a bast shoe, and on the horseman the elder brother of Lavrusha – the adult guy Yafim – made a fishing tackle of a cane. The winter decline shone in icy glasses, giving them a reddish shade.