It was 11 p.m when Darya and his son Nikolay came back home from work.they hadn’t eaten anything for a day;the last piece of bread was consumed yesterday.Ivan,the father of family who was terminally ill and had been confined to bed for weeks noticed their enterance.he pulled himself up to a sitting position and was shocked.there was something peculiar regarding their appearances.they were muddy and bruises were visible on his son’s face.
”what’s happened?”,he cried.
Nikolay,his eyes filled with tears, went up to his father and kissed his FRAGILE hand and went to his room.he tried his best not to burst into tears since he had learnt to look proud and even to some extent vain,although he was only 13 years old,all due to the fact that his mother could not stand childish acts like crying and would punish him for that.
“we were mugged by a bunch of thugs and they took all our money;their faces showed they were not SOBER,Nikolay tried to fight them but he was pushed around and beaten”.Darya said,a vain of mockery was perceptible in her voice.
Ivan’s death-like face distorted and tears only reddened his eyes.He recalled that the next day was his deadline and if he does not pay his creditors,they will confiscate his house and possessions.
“I met Pyoter on the way”,said Darya garvely.
Pyoter,Ivan’s main creditor,was a rich usurer.he had cheated Ivan in some business years ago and then lent him money and now Ivan had to pay him back with interest.so he was HOSTILE towards Pyoter and even his mere name would infuriate him.furthermore,Pyoter was famous for his reckless behaviour.he was said to have biten the governor’s ear at a do,pulled a military officer by the nose in front of everyone at the tavern and kissed a respectable married lady at a ball.he had been challenged to duel more than once and survived all of them.a rumour also said that he had had his mother killed years ago,although it was never proved.
“that pig...what did he say?”asked Ivan
“do not strain yourself,he says he can forego your debt only if I....”
“if you what?”
“sell myself”said Darya,gazing confusedly at the wall.
“you what?”and he broke into a wild train of coughs,and feeling he was choking he rushed to take a sip from the glass of water.
”how could you even say...”he RESUMED yelling
“i only told you what he said and that’s all”interrupted Darya and quickly fell silent.
Ivan SHRANK back in bed,his head throbbing.”i will borrow money as much as i can and throw it in his mug,then i will challenge the**** to a duel.”he said and got up with difficulty and limped out to put his word into action.
Darya,in her youth,was a dreamer.like all other women she too had married in order to be protected from the world,and Ivan could once provide such protection by his money.besides,he used to be handsome and strong,she also knew he loved her.she was well aware of the RARITY of such a GENUINE man in this world,but with all those glory days gone,nothing could bond her to him now.the shadows of poverty and misery had loomed over her soul.she remembered Ivan’s grotesque,weakling figure as he was getting up just now and his tear when he heard about the incident.
”instead of doing something he lies there and cries like that damn child of his.”said Darya to herself and shook with rage.”i was too dumb to have married him.i should have guessed he is nothing but a horrible leech who has done nothing in his life but spending his father’s pension and inheritence.”
Ivan came back with money,put it on the dresser and went to bed,moaning with pain.
“borrowing money is harder than making it these days...had to humiliate myself in the eyes of the world....but i will do it again for you and our son.do not wake me up tomorrow,just give it to them when they come”said Ivan and went to sleep.
Darya heard all that and smiled angrily.the fact that he had degraded not only himself but her too in the eyes of their acquaintances was the last straw,she would rather have died from hunger or cold.as a matter of fact,she would go all the way out of the neighbourhood at dawn to find work and would come back late,all in order not to be seen by anyone.
”and now he goes around borrwing money like a beggar.as if HE was going to pay them back.they lend him money on account of me,i have had enough”she took the money and counted it.”2500 Roubles; it would SUFFICE for all his debt”said she and went out.
Ivan’s sleep was troubled with nightmare.he saw in his dream Nikolay running in the dark streets,his feet bare and bloody.he was being followed by some shadows and they caught him when he tripped over.one of them lighted a cigarette laughingly and put it out on Nikolay’s tongue.Ivan yelled and jumped up from bed.
Next day,he woke up with a horrible headache.Darya saw how he searched everywhere for the money and his agonized face delighted her but she kept her cool.
“where is the money?where is that dmn money i borrowed?”
“didn’t you put it on the dresser last night?”Darya replied,acting surprised.
“i did,there is nothing there....how?”
A knock was heard on the door.It was the owner and he asked abruptly “money or the house?”
Ivan’s creditors also appeared and asked mechanically”money or your things?”
Darya saw all that and said nothing.
Next thing,Ivan and Nikolay were in the street all on their own.only the owner pittied them and gave them blankets.Darya had said she would go to find a place for them and hadn’t returned since evening.
The father and son,in order to avoid metting anyone, went as far as their legs would allow them to.they finally reached a VACANT park and settled on a stone bench.to MITIGATE Nikolay’s shivering,Ivan gave him his own blanket and decided on sticking close together.there stood a construct near them,the function/identity of which,being too dark,was impossible to guess.it looked like a gothic castle with shapes like spikes on its walls.
A sharp wind was blowing in the naked trees,bringing with it from the far impenetratable void a raven’s last song as the wolves were howling their sorrowful farewells.the park, being watched by the full freezing moon of December,was glowing.
Nikolay was intoxicated by the nocturnal aroma of flowers and proceeded to pick a bunch,for which Ivan reproached him.
After a few hours,around 2 a.m,heavy steps broke the nocturnal peacefulness.a giant figure appeard over Ivan and woke him up.”today was your deadline.give my money now”said the figure,showing the check that Ivan had written for Pyoter.he now understood that this giant was a shar khar.
“i have nothing,come later”replied Ivan coldly.
The man did not CONCURE with this suggestion.“well i did not understand a word,i will take everything you have on you now as a deposit”and he suddenly pulled the blanket inside of which Nikolay was sleeping so roughly that he fell on the ground,head on heels.
Nikolay,wakend by the shock,screamed and clutched at his father,his eyes wild with fear.
“leave us alone you ****”,yelled Ivan and rushed at the attacker.
The giant easily freed himself and seized Ivan by the beard and dragged him around on the ground.
Nikolay,forgetting his own pain, ran after them,now crying,kissing the giant’s hands to let go of his father.but he continued dragging Ivan for a while and then kicked him several times in the stomach.he finished with a spit on his face and left his almost lifeless body on the ground.Nikolay knelt and hugged his father’s head and sobbed bitterly over his prostrated body.
At that moment a crriage stopped by.Ivan,taking his final breathes,held up his head and made out Darya and Pyoter in it close together,laughing merrily.he saw how she was so absorbed by Pyoter’s elegant outfit, his handsome face with high cheek bones and broad jawline that she did not even look at Ivan’s direction.after seeing all that,Ivan’s head collapsed and a tear, having within it all the agonies of the poor man’s existence, rolled down his bloody-spitty cheek.sometimes a single tear or a silent look contains more suffering than a whole week of weeping. he now longed impatiently for the absolute nothingness of death that his soul was soon going to be shattered into forever.
Nikolay’s cry stopped the moment he noticed his mother’s presence.”we are safe”he assured himself unconsciously.
he gazed at her confusedly,not knowing why she was not with him but in that alien carriage.
“mom?”he called out innocently.
Darya only glanced at this miserable insignificant creature,then looked away,disgusted.
Nikolay,having seen his only protector, the very epitome of unconditional love,forgot about misery for the moment.he got up and radiant with the ecstacy of someone who is drowning in the ocean and sees a boat,fetched the flowers ,now laying on the ground, and took a step towards the carriage hesitatingly.to him,it all seemed to be an adult game which he is too young to understand and is over now and he has to complete his role by going to his mother.
on taking the second step though, he stopped dead in his tracks.his mouth gaped open as if he was going to scream,no sound came out but blood and he fell,still holding the flowers;there was no need of him now in that game he had imagined.his little tired arms finally surrounded the neck of death and he looked into its eyes,finding in them peace, a sweet peace.
Next day,two half naked frozen corpses were found near a semi-demolished church.one, a man having on him 2500 Roubles, beaten to death and the other,presumably his child,”stabbed in the heart from behind”,as was reported by the local police.
End.
without a regret, he pulled the trigger
for his hopes for a better day had become meagre
his bed to which he would fled from the pains felt like grave
and he knew there were monsters ahead, who would again welcome him with nightmare
feeling neither belonged nor worthy of love, he had to bid everyone goodbye
but no one turned to wave a hand, to his presence no one gave a damn
”what’s happened?”,he cried.
Nikolay,his eyes filled with tears, went up to his father and kissed his FRAGILE hand and went to his room.he tried his best not to burst into tears since he had learnt to look proud and even to some extent vain,although he was only 13 years old,all due to the fact that his mother could not stand childish acts like crying and would punish him for that.
“we were mugged by a bunch of thugs and they took all our money;their faces showed they were not SOBER,Nikolay tried to fight them but he was pushed around and beaten”.Darya said,a vain of mockery was perceptible in her voice.
Ivan’s death-like face distorted and tears only reddened his eyes.He recalled that the next day was his deadline and if he does not pay his creditors,they will confiscate his house and possessions.
“I met Pyoter on the way”,said Darya garvely.
Pyoter,Ivan’s main creditor,was a rich usurer.he had cheated Ivan in some business years ago and then lent him money and now Ivan had to pay him back with interest.so he was HOSTILE towards Pyoter and even his mere name would infuriate him.furthermore,Pyoter was famous for his reckless behaviour.he was said to have biten the governor’s ear at a do,pulled a military officer by the nose in front of everyone at the tavern and kissed a respectable married lady at a ball.he had been challenged to duel more than once and survived all of them.a rumour also said that he had had his mother killed years ago,although it was never proved.
“that pig...what did he say?”asked Ivan
“do not strain yourself,he says he can forego your debt only if I....”
“if you what?”
“sell myself”said Darya,gazing confusedly at the wall.
“you what?”and he broke into a wild train of coughs,and feeling he was choking he rushed to take a sip from the glass of water.
”how could you even say...”he RESUMED yelling
“i only told you what he said and that’s all”interrupted Darya and quickly fell silent.
Ivan SHRANK back in bed,his head throbbing.”i will borrow money as much as i can and throw it in his mug,then i will challenge the**** to a duel.”he said and got up with difficulty and limped out to put his word into action.
Darya,in her youth,was a dreamer.like all other women she too had married in order to be protected from the world,and Ivan could once provide such protection by his money.besides,he used to be handsome and strong,she also knew he loved her.she was well aware of the RARITY of such a GENUINE man in this world,but with all those glory days gone,nothing could bond her to him now.the shadows of poverty and misery had loomed over her soul.she remembered Ivan’s grotesque,weakling figure as he was getting up just now and his tear when he heard about the incident.
”instead of doing something he lies there and cries like that damn child of his.”said Darya to herself and shook with rage.”i was too dumb to have married him.i should have guessed he is nothing but a horrible leech who has done nothing in his life but spending his father’s pension and inheritence.”
Ivan came back with money,put it on the dresser and went to bed,moaning with pain.
“borrowing money is harder than making it these days...had to humiliate myself in the eyes of the world....but i will do it again for you and our son.do not wake me up tomorrow,just give it to them when they come”said Ivan and went to sleep.
Darya heard all that and smiled angrily.the fact that he had degraded not only himself but her too in the eyes of their acquaintances was the last straw,she would rather have died from hunger or cold.as a matter of fact,she would go all the way out of the neighbourhood at dawn to find work and would come back late,all in order not to be seen by anyone.
”and now he goes around borrwing money like a beggar.as if HE was going to pay them back.they lend him money on account of me,i have had enough”she took the money and counted it.”2500 Roubles; it would SUFFICE for all his debt”said she and went out.
Ivan’s sleep was troubled with nightmare.he saw in his dream Nikolay running in the dark streets,his feet bare and bloody.he was being followed by some shadows and they caught him when he tripped over.one of them lighted a cigarette laughingly and put it out on Nikolay’s tongue.Ivan yelled and jumped up from bed.
Next day,he woke up with a horrible headache.Darya saw how he searched everywhere for the money and his agonized face delighted her but she kept her cool.
“where is the money?where is that dmn money i borrowed?”
“didn’t you put it on the dresser last night?”Darya replied,acting surprised.
“i did,there is nothing there....how?”
A knock was heard on the door.It was the owner and he asked abruptly “money or the house?”
Ivan’s creditors also appeared and asked mechanically”money or your things?”
Darya saw all that and said nothing.
Next thing,Ivan and Nikolay were in the street all on their own.only the owner pittied them and gave them blankets.Darya had said she would go to find a place for them and hadn’t returned since evening.
The father and son,in order to avoid metting anyone, went as far as their legs would allow them to.they finally reached a VACANT park and settled on a stone bench.to MITIGATE Nikolay’s shivering,Ivan gave him his own blanket and decided on sticking close together.there stood a construct near them,the function/identity of which,being too dark,was impossible to guess.it looked like a gothic castle with shapes like spikes on its walls.
A sharp wind was blowing in the naked trees,bringing with it from the far impenetratable void a raven’s last song as the wolves were howling their sorrowful farewells.the park, being watched by the full freezing moon of December,was glowing.
Nikolay was intoxicated by the nocturnal aroma of flowers and proceeded to pick a bunch,for which Ivan reproached him.
After a few hours,around 2 a.m,heavy steps broke the nocturnal peacefulness.a giant figure appeard over Ivan and woke him up.”today was your deadline.give my money now”said the figure,showing the check that Ivan had written for Pyoter.he now understood that this giant was a shar khar.
“i have nothing,come later”replied Ivan coldly.
The man did not CONCURE with this suggestion.“well i did not understand a word,i will take everything you have on you now as a deposit”and he suddenly pulled the blanket inside of which Nikolay was sleeping so roughly that he fell on the ground,head on heels.
Nikolay,wakend by the shock,screamed and clutched at his father,his eyes wild with fear.
“leave us alone you ****”,yelled Ivan and rushed at the attacker.
The giant easily freed himself and seized Ivan by the beard and dragged him around on the ground.
Nikolay,forgetting his own pain, ran after them,now crying,kissing the giant’s hands to let go of his father.but he continued dragging Ivan for a while and then kicked him several times in the stomach.he finished with a spit on his face and left his almost lifeless body on the ground.Nikolay knelt and hugged his father’s head and sobbed bitterly over his prostrated body.
At that moment a crriage stopped by.Ivan,taking his final breathes,held up his head and made out Darya and Pyoter in it close together,laughing merrily.he saw how she was so absorbed by Pyoter’s elegant outfit, his handsome face with high cheek bones and broad jawline that she did not even look at Ivan’s direction.after seeing all that,Ivan’s head collapsed and a tear, having within it all the agonies of the poor man’s existence, rolled down his bloody-spitty cheek.sometimes a single tear or a silent look contains more suffering than a whole week of weeping. he now longed impatiently for the absolute nothingness of death that his soul was soon going to be shattered into forever.
Nikolay’s cry stopped the moment he noticed his mother’s presence.”we are safe”he assured himself unconsciously.
he gazed at her confusedly,not knowing why she was not with him but in that alien carriage.
“mom?”he called out innocently.
Darya only glanced at this miserable insignificant creature,then looked away,disgusted.
Nikolay,having seen his only protector, the very epitome of unconditional love,forgot about misery for the moment.he got up and radiant with the ecstacy of someone who is drowning in the ocean and sees a boat,fetched the flowers ,now laying on the ground, and took a step towards the carriage hesitatingly.to him,it all seemed to be an adult game which he is too young to understand and is over now and he has to complete his role by going to his mother.
on taking the second step though, he stopped dead in his tracks.his mouth gaped open as if he was going to scream,no sound came out but blood and he fell,still holding the flowers;there was no need of him now in that game he had imagined.his little tired arms finally surrounded the neck of death and he looked into its eyes,finding in them peace, a sweet peace.
Next day,two half naked frozen corpses were found near a semi-demolished church.one, a man having on him 2500 Roubles, beaten to death and the other,presumably his child,”stabbed in the heart from behind”,as was reported by the local police.
End.
without a regret, he pulled the trigger
for his hopes for a better day had become meagre
his bed to which he would fled from the pains felt like grave
and he knew there were monsters ahead, who would again welcome him with nightmare
feeling neither belonged nor worthy of love, he had to bid everyone goodbye
but no one turned to wave a hand, to his presence no one gave a damn
