The backwoods
Olga Kholodova
© Olga Kholodova, 2016
© Olga Kholodova, illustrations, 2016
ISBN 978-5-4483-4601-9
Created with intellectual publishing system Ridero
Night was falling. Elsa with her grandmother Helga returned home from the woods. The sun’s rays barely slipped through the thick branches of the mighty trees of the taiga. Snow crunched underfoot melody. The frosty air was gentle and filled with the aroma of the taiga.
“It is easy to breathe,” said Elsa “from the forest do I not want to go.”
“Last winter days,” said Helga, “Elsa enjoy.”
“Grandma, and we will tell you about what happened today, the parents of Martin, Willie, Hans, and Jacob?” asked Elsa.
“No,” replied Helga, “We won’t tell, dear granddaughter.”
“Grandma, I think they should know,” objected Elsa. She stopped and stared at the old woman.
“From day to day the boys will recover and get stronger. Time will pass and everyone will forget about what happened to them misfortune. No, we shouldn’t tell anyone and don’t contradict me,” said Helga.
“Okay,” agreed to Elsa, and continued to follow Helga.
When Elsa and Helga came to the house it was completely dark. The starry sky was, as always, beautiful. Elsa looked at his dog snowy. Blue scarf on the dog’s neck reminded her of the time spent with Nikolos. She sighed and went into the yard.
“Grandma, I will feed a cow, and you cook dinner?” asked Elsa.
Helga agreed. She sat on the chair near the door and went to the kitchen. Cat Barsik was warmly greeted the owner. He ran to the old woman and started to bite her toe. Helga wanted to slightly manhandle the cat, but did not. She removed the sock from his feet and threw his cat. Barsik is not lost. He began to bite a sock on the other foot Helga. The old lady’s patience ran out and she kicked the cat out of the kitchen.
Elsa quickly fed cow Pestryanka. Milked her and went into the house. Dinner was ready. After dinner, Helga and Elsa went to bed in their rooms.
Elza couldn’t fall asleep. She long looked at the picture hanging at a case. White swans in a picture have begun to fly up in her imagination and it has closed eyes. Out of the corner of the eye Elza has seen an unclear shadow. The girl has opened eyes and has looked round. In the room of nobody except it was, and on a wall at a bed the night lamp shadow fell. Elza has rubbed eyes, has yawned and has blinked eyes. The shadow has again flashed. Elza, without hesitating minutes, has got out of bed. She has again examined the room. Her attention was riveted by a black spot at the lamp. Elza has approached the lamp and has seen near it a huge black beetle. The girl began to examine a bug and was surprised when has seen that he has only four paws.
“What nasty beetle. Probably, has crept out of a subfloor,” Elza has thought and carefully put the beetle in a box. The girl has approached a window and has thrown out a beetle on the street. She closed the window and wanted to close the blind but stopped. The girl began to peer into a window and has seen in the dark on a fence a huge beautiful owl. Unexpectedly the owl has rushed in a window to Elza and has hit against glass. Elza was frightened. She has quickly closed curtains and went to bed.
“After the latest events all seems strange now,” Elza thought. She had been lying in bed a little more and fell asleep.
Elza’s dream was colourful. The girl sat on a glade in the green wood. The sun was reflected in a playful stream transparent. Around beautifully birds sang and blue hand bells blossomed.
Elsa began to pluck and smell the flowers. She has again broken a handbell and has put in a bouquet, but has unexpectedly pricked about a flower thorn. The bell turned into a black and white rose with huge thorns. The flowers in the bouquet in contact with rose began to fade one by one. Elsa threw the bouquet and walked to the Creek to wash the blood from your finger.
She lowered hands in a transparent stream. At the very same time water in a stream became dirty. Strong wind rose. Rustled the forest. The green grass on a glade began to dry up and blacken quickly. Among the blackening grass Elza saw a familiar owl. The owl flew up to the girl and began to turn into the sorcerer Hilda. Elza was frightened and began to run away from Hilda.
She jumped through a stream and ran. The girl faltered about an ant hummock and fell. Elza quickly rose, but Hilda was near already. The sorcerer threw a rope over the girl’s neck. The old woman threw a rope through a shoulder and dragged Elza to a stream. Elza tried to cry, but could not. Her throat was badly squashed by a dirty rope. Hilda dragged the girl to the stream and began to drown her in dirty water.
“Give, give,” the old woman Hilda shouted a hoarse voice.
“Pray,” Elza heard the grandmother Helge’s voice.
Elza began to say a prayer and woke up. Cold sweat acted on all body of the girl. Her body was covered by a passing shiver. In hope though to calm down a little Elsa wore Slippers and went to the kitchen to drink some water.
Elza entered on kitchen and saw the grandmother. Helge did not sleep any more and made a breakfast.
“Today it was not even necessary to awake you,” the old woman grinned.
“Yes,” Elza murmured.
“It seems to me or you shiver?” asked Helg.
Not to disturb the grandmother Elza did not begin to tell her about the seen dream and answered, “It seems, the grandmother. I froze a little.”
“Drink to tea and you will be warmed,” the grandmother offered.
“And I will make,” Elza agreed and began to get a mug from a case. She poured the tea and smeared butter on bread.
“Enough snacking to be engaged. I for whom make a breakfast?” Helge began to be indignant.
“During the lunchtime I will eat,” Elza answered. She quickly drank up tea and went in the room to gather for work. Elza clothe on the favourite green dress for work. She said goodbye to the grandmother and left the house.
On the street it was cloudy. Snow clouds absolutely gradually dumped snow-white snowflakes on the earth. Elza left gate and looked at snow dog. It was upset when didn’t see on a dog of a blue scarf of Nikolos.
“Probably, wind carried away a scarf. It is a pity”, the girl thought and went for work.
There passed thirteen years. Years didn’t spare the old woman Helge. It became absolutely old and weak. Elza’s support gave forces to the grandmother. It trained the granddaughter in all cunnings of white magic and nonconventional medicine. Now Elza together with the grandmother treated and cured of diseases of residents of the village Polesia.
There passed years and Elza became the beautiful stately woman. She still worked in shop and loved the work. Elza matured, but for the grandmother remained the same inquisitive baby. However the old woman often worried about the fact that Elza can’t find to herself the husband. Helge didn’t want that after her death Elza remained absolutely alone. She in every possible way urged on the girl on searches of the partner in life. In response to reproaches of the grandmother Elza only sighed and changed a topic of conversation. She got used to live with the grandmother and didn’t want either children, or the husband.
Hans, Willie, Martin and Yakov, as said Helga, quickly recovered from a disease and again got on feet. The old bad story was forgotten by all and didn’t torment guys. After school of the boys went to study to the city. Willie and Hans remained to live in the city, and Yakov and Martin arrived back to the village. Martin married the dark-browed beauty Ariadne. She was a few conceited person, but Martin managed to find to it approach. At Martin and Ariadna two bright babies were born. The younger daughter of Martin Inesse was five months old, and the oldest daughter Diana is three years old.
Yakov, as well as in the childhood, tried not to lag