Katerina’s granddaughter, Varvara, grew up as a beautiful, stately gray-eyed girl with a large light brown braid, and a satin bow was adorned at the top of the braid. From the age of 14, they sent matchmakers to her. To her grandmother, the girl only once went to the banks of the Neva. Grandma was pleased with her granddaughter and was very sorry that she lived in the village, but Varvara’s mother, Marya Yakovlevna, refused to go to the city.
Varvara’s father, Anton Ivanovich, was transformed in the village. Here, no one considered him as lullaby, as in a city. Here he was revered as a smart and strong man. In the village he was in his place. Most often, Anton Ivanovich could be seen in the forge. He liked to work with a heavy hammer. Blacksmith he was excellent. In the village with him, the people began to build stout houses.
They built a good mill for everyone. Anton Ivanovich was the father of his family for all villagers. Marya Yakovlevna, in moments of sadness, took out a gift from her mother – the Sapphire “Straw Widow”. Sapphire was not very fond of life in the village, but he approved of the actions of Anton Ivanovich and meekly endured the sad glances of Marya Yakovlevna. Sapphire lay in his golden frame and sad with his mistress.
In the village a tragic event occurred. One rebellious horse kicked Anton Ivanovich so hard when she was shod, that he fell down and soon died. Marya Yakovlevna was numb from grief and practically did not move herself. Barbara bothered around her mother. Mother solemnly, as far as was possible in her situation, gave the sapphire “The Straw Widow” to Barbara and died.
The girl was 15 years old. In memory of her mother, she had a sapphire, but her daughter considered him mom’s trinket and put it behind the stove. Without sapphire, she felt better, he mysteriously acted on her badly, he interfered with her yellow eye. In a word, sapphire and Varvara did not like. She was left alone. She endured the sad state of losing her father and mother with great difficulty.
Near the village grew forest. She was unknown to shyness, she was born near the forest. Barbara began to walk in the woods for strawberries, for raspberries, for mushrooms. Her friends took little interest; she preferred solitude in the forest. Instead of a gun, she took with her a light bow and arrows.
A neighbor, at her request, made arrowheads. Bow for her bent master, who knew the properties of the tree, but more often for people he wove baskets. Barbara shot well at a small target. She did not hope to kill the archery bear, and she needed her for complacency. From the bow Varvara could shoot a duck on the fly.
A friend of the girl showed up the most unexpected – an elk. This marvelous animal with branchy horns always went on the path when Barbara went into the forest. The first time the girl was frightened by an elk and turned back to the house. The elk stopped and began to beat his hoof on the ground, as if he asked: come back, do not go.
Barbara stopped, turned to the moose, and approached him, as if he were a simple horse. Barbara knew how to handle horses, but preferred to walk, not ride a horse. And elk? Barbara did not know what to expect from an elk. In the bag she had a piece of bread. She broke off half and stretched the elk. Elk with huge soft lips took the bread from the palm of Barbara.
Barbara began to talk to him, and then said a simple phrase:
– Elk, come with me.
And the elk went with her. Varvara patted his withers. Elk shook his head. Barbara did not collect anything that day, but she was calm in her heart. She walked a little with the elk, with this slim and proud animal from the forest world. And again she said:
– Elk, let’s go home.
The elk turned and went to accompany her home. When the hut began to shine through the trees, the elk stopped. Barbara understood him and said:
– Elk, go to the forest. We’ll meet Again.
Elk obediently went to the forest. Elk met Barbarian several times in the forest. The meetings of Varvara with the elk were noticed by Andrew, the son of the manager, who was once appointed by Maria Yakovlevna. Andrei asked:
– Barbara, what kind of friendship do you have with a wild moose?
“I don’t know, but the elk is waiting for me constantly on the path when I go into the forest.”
“Did you feed him bread?”
– Yes.
– Barbara, friendship with a moose is interesting, are you not afraid? Why do you carry a bow?
– I like to hit the mark.
– Barbara, marry me! I understand it’s hard for you to live alone.
– Let’s get married, but in a year.
Barbara married handsome Andrew, but he was soon called to the army. He returned as a completely sick person, and yet they had a daughter, Masha, when Varvara turned 25 years old.
Six months after the death of Andrei Varvara Antonovna married a second time, for the widowed man Artem Ivanovich, his son Mitya left his wife. The life of Barbara became poorer and more difficult. Artem Ivanovich and Barbara decided to go to Siberia, to look for happiness. They stopped in a village, put a house with a roof over his head.
Artem Ivanovich met with a political exile, helped him. The exile was literate, he began to teach literacy Mitya, and mother was not allowed to teach Masha. The girl’s neighbors fed rye bread with milk, and it was very tasty, went for a treat. In Siberia, the sticks did not grow on trees, happiness did not smile, but the cold was harsh.
Masha’s parents decided to return to their homeland, to their native village, where their relatives helped them, and they stayed in the village. Artem Ivanovich worked as a tailor, went with his wife to the villages. Together they sewed clothes to the one who invited, they received mostly products for the work. So they kept and fed the family.
They had a sewing machine.
Varvara Antonovna helped her husband to sew clothes, but manually. She knew how to sew with her hands, like a sewing machine – such smooth stitches were obtained. During the raid of strange people in uniform, the family was confiscated from the family. Varvara began working as a cook and feeding combiners. Artem Ivanovich died.
Varvara was left alone with the children from Artem Ivanovich, – Volodya and Misha, they were helped by Masha, who at that time was already working along the party line. Mitya was already an adult, he studied, got married, but unsuccessfully, worked in the city finance department as an accountant, later as a teacher, died at the front.
A group of gamblers played cards; the group was headed by a woman Varya, Varvara Antonovna. The players behaved very excitedly, considering their age: Katerina was 5—6 years old, Sergey was 3, Tolya was 7. Baba Vary had a task: to sit on that day with the children of her two younger sons, who went out with their wives.
Cards tired, took the lotto. The grandmother called the numbers, and the children locked them on their cards with pennies or round metal plates, very much like pennies. The year was 1956—1957 … The house in which the children and grandmother played was a small, wooden one. In this house lived Tolya with his mother and stepfather. Yes, the son of Baba Vari was a boy’s stepfather, but a favorite, and the boy calmly called him dad.
Katerina with Baba Varya and her parents lived in a large brick house. This is probably where their parents were, while the children with their grandmother were in a wooden house. Did not relatively young parents celebrate New Year? For a very long time, the children played cards and then lotto. But the next New Year, Lena met in a large leather chair in Uncle Vasya’s house. The receiver twisted two songs. Everything around was festive, and for the first time Katerina and Tolia danced something like a waltz “On the hills…” to the joyful