Quarantine. A book of stories and poems

– I wonder what should smell like if there is such a flood in the house? – a thought slipped through Marat’s head, as he felt a cold, scalding wind on his back. It was my mother who opened all the windows and doors, fearing to disobey the great master. A joyful, free, victorious wind with a roar rushed to blow all the secret corners of the apartment, covering everything with snow. It became cold, like outside, like in a refrigerator. During the whole day and the following days, neither the doors nor the windows of this apartment were closed. Marat felt. that his mother is a big polar bear from Antarctica. He had suspected it before, but now there was no doubt. Precisely, my mother is Polar Bear! He even posted a photo of a polar bear on his website with love, only to sign that it was his mother who did not. They will not understand yet…

It was three whole days until Thursday! How long, long days and endless nights! The whole family hasn’t washed since Monday, the dishes were piled up in the corridor, almost near the toilet, because in the apartments of the Soviet era, the rooms are tiny, and the corridors are even smaller and there is nowhere to turn around, but it is convenient: woke up – and you were already in the toilet, turned – in the bathroom, another step and in the kitchen, you don’t have to go anywhere, everything is close by!

All these days they ate exclusively on horns, because they had neither the mood to cook something, nor the time, nor the place where to cook they had.

Those who still worked tried to stay up late in order to come and go to bed right away and not behold the peeling walls, torn, soaked wallpaper, the ceiling that fell to the floor, not to see these basins with water pouring on them, but immediately go into the world of dreams, where everything is still clean and bright as before.

“Probably, the New Year will never come…” – a thought lurked deep in my heart and did not climb out in any way, how do you not persuade her to do this, no matter what arguments in favor of “everything will be fine and like people” do not feed. Nobody slept. The nights were too long. And mom too. She spent the whole night scrolling in her head with the idea that she would finally find the culprit of the flood at home and how she would put everything in her eyes and demand payment for repairs. I had to wait all day, because as soon as at night, she was able to still find her at home and lay out everything right from the doorway!

– So that tomorrow brought sixty thousand! – she added her last argument and thereby finished off the hero of the occasion.

But she… collapsed right in front of her mother on her knees and howled like a dog beaten by the owner, whined:

– Excuse me. I did it by accident! Where will I get these sixty thousand? I have nothing to eat myself… I left that job, the owner sold the office to another. And the new one has no clients yet. Forgive me, already, eh? – Tears flowed like a stream from her eyes, she sat there, afraid to raise her eyes, guiltily dropping them to the floor. With her trembling hand, she hugged Azheki’s legs, almost kissing them.

Shuddering from this, Azheka moved a little to the side. Her heart beat, fluttered with pity for her. She had already forgotten about the ruined expensive repairs and the fact that it was impossible to enter the bathroom and not be stung by the electric current and about the eternal, indestructible smell of dampness in the apartment and even about the ruined New Year.

– Get up. Don’t do that.. So be it… Bring it later, when you can … – she said, forgiving her everything, and went to her place, in “Venice”.

On Thursday, that very long-awaited day, our saving one refused to come, referring to the fact that there was no partner, and he could not work alone, but he promised that he would definitely come tomorrow and fix everything.

– Well, yes, and there is the New Year! And if we succeed, even in this goal we will be able to live humanly and, most importantly, alive! “Azheki’s daughter suddenly dropped.

– Don’t… Suddenly he’ll kill himself again … – Azheka was frightened for her neighbor who flooded them.

– And you don’t need to write anything.. Throw it all away, throw it away! – picked up the father and, tearing out the paper that had just been written, threw it into the urn.

They forgave the neighbor everything and did not talk about the flood and about money anymore, although they knew that she would not pay any money tomorrow or later. when she finds clients and her times go better. They simply could not, that through their fault someone would have problems. Who knows… It’s scary to even think about it..

Right before the New Year, repairs were done. Straight, one day. As in the movie “The Irony of Fate…” Just not laughing…

– And what happened to them? – asked the brother’s sister.

– The old pipe rusted long ago and, it turns out, was simply bandaged with electrical tape… So it could not stand it … – Marat said quietly. – Come on. What was, what was. You better decorate the tree. Look, still completely bald, – he smiled.

The sweet aroma of Baursaks and Olivier was heard throughout the apartment. The new year was saved!

© Copyright: Raisa Karimbaeva, 2018Certificate of publication No. 218122700674

Bird hunting

We were six or seven years old when Sashka invited us to climb into the garden. The garden was large and surrounded by a large fence. All overgrown with wormwood and nettles. The trees were very tall. Especially birch trees. They propped up the sky itself and it seemed that they were floating in the clouds! The pears and peaches planted earlier by someone did not start, and remained dry, thin, bare twigs without leaves. Here, in the north, in the wilderness, where the winds blow with might and main and there are frequent showers, peaches do not grow. Our village was far from civilization and was surrounded by steppe. Wherever you look, the steppe is everywhere!. People with their families were gradually leaving the village, and their houses were emptied. So this garden is empty and overgrown. We got over the fence easily. First, the boys jumped, and then Gulka and I. The fence was high and at first it was a little scary, but I didn’t want to admit it and we climbed over it all the same, overcoming the fear. All the way Sashka kept repeating that he wanted to show us something. And now, intrigued, we found ourselves there in the garden. Large bushes and trees grew along the alley.. Suddenly, one bird sat down on the alley and slightly bent on its side, limping slightly, went, trying to take off, but did not take off. The broken wing prevented her from doing it. The boys shouted, hooted, trying to catch up with her, but she didn’t work. As soon as they got closer, she flew up, and then returned to the ground again and, as it were, limping ridiculously moved, leading somewhere to the side.…

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