Erick Poladov
This establishment welcomes every visitor.
© Erick Poladov, 2024
ISBN 978-5-0060-3979-7
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
1. OPEN 24/7
The bitterness of loss reached its peak. He felt every drop of rain running down his skin as his hands reluctantly leveled the soaked soil over the grave of his very young wife and two children, buried under the crown of an old oak tree. The plague irrevocably claimed their lives, as well as the lives of thousands of other residents of nearby settlements in eastern France.
Thirty-three-year-old Louis Morel was left alone. Everything, he once had, now lies in the ground before his bowed knees. Continuous tears fell to the ground and were lost in rain puddles. His artisan hands, covered with calluses, were hidden under a layer of black soil that had penetrated under his nails and covered his fingers and palms.
Heartbroken, Louis ignored the heavy rain and continued to kneel in front of the graves of Mona, Antoine and Mathilde. His soiled shirt and pants were wet to the skin and the drops hitting his body flew off with splashes.
It seemed like just recently he was rocking his beloved son and daughter to sleep, telling them stories before bed. There were still memories of how Antoine and Mathilde tried to help their mother make pies, getting dirty in flour so much that their faces were completely covered with it. He returned after work and was greeted warmly by Mona. Every morning he woke up and the first thing he saw in front of him was Mona. He fell asleep late at night and the last thing he saw before closing his eyes was Mona. She always remained an exemplary housewife and caring mother. But the main thing is that he saw in her something that he did not find in any other woman – a mutual attraction that was so strong that two hearts and two souls always seemed like something indivisible. He and his wife were like two magnets that were constantly attracted, regardless of distance and time. But now the attraction has broken. All that remains of it is the second magnet, which will no longer be able to attract anything as strongly as those three lost magnets.
Louis spent almost two hours at the grave before his tears stopped flowing. The rain had already stopped by that time. The sky still retained its gloomy appearance, which was given to it by thick gray clouds.
He rose from his knees, turned around and, barely moving his feet, began to move away from the grave, leaving the shovel lying nearby, with which he forced himself to dig a hole. He will never forget these terrible moments. He will remember every handful of that earth that had to be thrown aside forever.
Not noticing the deep puddles on the path, Louis walked straight through them. In the same way, he did not notice the carriages passing by. All the skin on his face was pretty red from prolonged crying. He walked along the edge of the road like a zombie. Zombified by thoughts of grief. And so he moved for more than an hour. He reached the junction at the edge of the forest. His village was located behind the forest, which was surrounded by a right path that led to the village, and a left path that led to a town. The route did not occupy his mind. Louis didn’t ask questions about which way was more convenient, faster or safer. Behind the forest there was his village. He did not turn away, but continued to move straight through the forest. The last time he walked this route was when he was twelve and he and his friends were playing hide and seek after a trip to either pick berries or mushrooms. Since then, he returned to these places only for firewood, without crossing the forest lengthwise and crosswise, but reaching only its central part, where the most mature and even tree trunks were located.
He passed by an old elm tree and, gradually crossing the edge of the forest, plunged into its very thickets, where the sunlight was little noticeable even on the clearest days. The soil in the forest was strewn with fallen leaves, which would soon disappear completely, after which the trees would reveal their cold autumn trunks and branches.
Louis walked forward without moving his eyes. Soon his attention was attracted by a strange light. The glow became brighter as Louis moved deeper into the forest. After a while several more lights appeared.
What could shine so brightly in the deep forest? This question, albeit not immediately, nevertheless reached the surface of Louis’s half-dead consciousness. His legs remained just as sluggish, but they moved a little faster, and his arms hung motionless.
Soon an open and quite spacious place appeared in front of Louis. It was as if someone had deliberately cut down the trees to clear the area.
Just last week it was full of giant pine trees – Louis thought. For the first time in a whole week, he thought about something else other than his seriously ill wife and children.
There was a building in the middle. It was built of wood and had two floors. The walls were hidden under a dull wood shade. The open shutters were red. The first floor was surrounded by a spacious terrace along its entire perimeter, which was filled with chairs and tables. Empty glass bottles lay on some tables, and nearby were the reclined faces of snoring visitors.
Curiosity arose so suddenly and became stronger every second. Louis wondered how the building could appear here that he didn’t even know existed.
He walked to the front. Above the entrance was a sign that said “WELCOME” at the top, and just below in large letters the name of the establishment was visible: “FREE DRINKS FOR YOUR SOULS”. Louis walked up the wooden steps in his heavily mud-covered boots. With an uncertain movement, Louis slowly pushed the right half of the swing doors away from him and took several hesitant, timid steps.
It was quiet and deserted inside. Besides Louis there was another person in the room. He was busy mopping the floor, turning chairs upside down onto tables. Noticing how another visitor was inside, the stranger looked up from the mop and addressed the guest:
– Good evening.
Louis looked around for a while. The stranger stood without moving or making a voice. His eyes looked patiently at Louis, who was silent for a long time, but soon said:
– Good… evening.
The stranger looked about forty years old. He was of average height, with broad shoulders, bright light blue eyes and very short hair. Every last hair on his head was gray, which was very rare for a forty-year-old man. But this did not at all give him an old look.
He turned to Louis:
– Please – the stranger pointed with his hand to the far end of the room, where the bar counter was located.
Without understanding anything and without going into details, Louis blindly followed the guy in an apron. He was wearing a black vest under his apron and a white shirt underneath. The stranger took off his apron and only then walked behind the bar counter.
– What do you want?
Louis remained silent. His eyes looked somewhere ahead, as if made of glass.
– You can sit down – the guy said, pointing to one of the chairs in front of the counter.
Louis landed slowly and then noticed how much he had stained the floor, which had been washed to a shine.
Having read this in the client’s eyes, the stranger hastened to reassure him:
– Don’t worry about it. Nowadays you shouldn’t worry much about cleanliness. Moreover, you are not the only one who leaves stains on my floor. So…
Louis blinked and interrupted the bartender in a slightly animated tone:
– What do you mean?
– Excuse me?
Louis looked at the bartender suspiciously.
– You said that I shouldn’t be worried about cleanliness. What do you mean?
– Well-uh-uh… – the bartender looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. – It’s just… – he searched for words for a while, after which he abruptly continued, looking away somewhere to the side – it’s dirty outside, so there’s no point in paying attention