After riding aВ little more, Nazar noticed inВ the darkness away from the road, inВ aВ clearing byВ the hills, illuminated byВ the gentle light ofВ the moon, the outlines ofВ the figure ofВ aВ little girl sitting on aВ wet stone. He jumped off the cart and walked up toВ her, making his way through the thicket ofВ low-growing bushes. The seemingly stranger with large brown eyes and thick black hair, carelessly gathered inВ aВ braid and hidden under aВ kerchief, was about seven years old. Her clothes were soaking wet from the rain. The girl looked at him from under her brows with an adult serious look, tightly clutching aВ beautiful doll with unusually expressive eyes, similar toВ the little owner herself.
В«Where are you from, girl? Whose are you?В» Nazar asked the little girl.
«I’m from here,» the girl said in a hoarse voice that sounded like an adult, while continuing to stare at Nazar with an attentive and, as it seemed to him, incredulously evil gaze. He even doubted for a moment that this was a child. The girl, as if noticing this doubt in him, suddenly smiled and quickly changed her expression to a really childlike and naive one.
В«What are you doing here?В» Nazar asked.
In response, the little stranger suddenly whimpered and, wiping her tears with her hands, continued, «I’m an orphan. My father and mother died. I live here in the forest, in a big hollow in a tree. I eat what I can find. It’s hard for me, Sir. Take me with you, or I’ll be lost here.»
Seeing her plaintive and questioning expression inВ her eyes, Nazar shuddered inВ his heart. He remembered what had just happened toВ him, and he could not leave aВ defenseless girl at night inВ such inclement weather on aВ deserted wasteland toВ certain death. The blacksmith took the orphan inВ his arms, carried her toВ his cart, wrapped her inВ an old blanket, and hurried home.
A worried wife with children met him near the yard. She held a kerosene lamp in her hand, peering into the darkness of the road running down the hill. Noticing her husband, Galina exclaimed, «Nazarushka! Where have you been for so long? We searched for you a long time. All eyes have overlooked… Oh, my God! Who is this? What miracle is this?» she asked Nazar in surprise when she saw the girl.
«I got very wet, Galya. Let’s go to the hut. I’ll tell you everything there,» he answered in a tired voice.
InВ the house Galina pulled out the dry clothes ofВ her daughters from the chest, helped the stranger soaked through toВ change, and then quickly put food on the table.
At dinner Nazar told everything that happened to him – both about the wolves and about the girl. The orphan, having seated her doll next to him on a chair, silently and with great appetite devoured the food that was put on the plate by the caring hostess.
В«What is your name, girl?В» Nazar asked.
В«Pelageya,В» the girl muttered with aВ displeased look, furrowing her eyebrows.
В«Call us dad and mom. Now we will be your parents. We have two daughters, and we will raise aВ third. Maybe there will be enough food for everyone,В» the artisan continued, glancing at his wife.
Suddenly Vasilisa, Nazar’s youngest daughter, jumped up from the table and ran to the doll sitting next to the girl.
В«Oh, what aВ beauty!В» she exclaimed, approaching the toy. В«And what eyes!В»
Ulyana, who at this time was spinning inВ front ofВ the mirror, holding aВ sarafan brought byВ Nazar, was also interested inВ the doll. The girl put the new thing aside, intending toВ go closer toВ the unusual toy, but immediately stopped, startled byВ the unexpected scream ofВ the little guest.
«Don’t you dare touch my doll!» Pelageya shouted in some kind of animal-like wild voice and, like a fierce cat, rushed to her thing, snatching it from Vasilisa’s hands. Shrinking and clutching the doll tightly to her chest, Pelageya cast an evil glance from under her brows towards Nazar and Galina, who were stunned and surprised by her action.
«Well, it’s getting late. It’s time to go to bed. We have to get up early tomorrow. There is a lot of work to be done at home and in the household,» yawning, Nazar said after a silent pause.
Ulyana went up to the girl and took her hand: «Let’s go, Pelageyushka! Vasilisa and I will show you our children’s bedchamber. There’s room for everyone. We also have dolls there. And other toys.»
Pelageya, as if cautiously, continuing to hold the doll tightly to her, followed Ulyana. But on the threshold to the girls’ room, she suddenly stood rooted to the spot, staring at the icon with a candle, standing in the corner on a shelf nailed to the wall. Despite the persuasion of the sisters, Pelageya never entered the room. Noticing in the hut another small room with a small window and looking at it with a cursory glance, she turned to Nazar and, with a fake smile, asked him in some pretextual sweet voice, «Daddy, will you give me this little room? It would be more comfortable for me to live in.»
В«Well, take it, since you like it so much,В» he answered with aВ surprised face and ordered Galina toВ make aВ bed for Pelageya.
Tired and exhausted after aВ hard day, Nazar retired toВ his room and within aВ quarter ofВ an hour began toВ snore, falling into aВ deep and unbroken sleep. His wife, meanwhile, put the girls toВ bed, poured milk into aВ bowl for the cat and then checked whether the front door was locked with an iron bar for the night. When she was done, she went toВ bed,В too.
Around midnight, Galina suddenly woke up toВ the feeling that someone pulled the door leading toВ the bedroom, which was locked on aВ hook. At first, she thought that perhaps she was just dreaming, but nevertheless she was wary and decided toВ postpone sleep, listening toВ the silence, which was broken only byВ the singing ofВ crickets outside the window and snoring ofВ Nazar sleeping next toВ her.
Some time has passed. Nothing was happening. Galina already wanted toВ fall asleep again, but suddenly she heard aВ wolf howl inВ the hills and inВ the window which was looking over the fence, she noticed something flashed, for aВ moment, blocking the moonlight, which slightly illuminated the dark room.
В«Probably aВ night bird. But somehow today wolves are howling unusually close toВ home,В» she thought, drawing attention toВ the rare, quiet, but agitated neigh ofВ the horse inВ the stable.
Suddenly, behind the door, there was a creak of a wooden floor, a rustle and a strange sound, similar to a whisper, which was suddenly interrupted by the hiss and growl of the house cat. Concerned about her children sleeping in the next room, Galina decided to go out and see what was happening there. She lit a kerosene lamp, quietly walked to the door and, listening, opened it. First of all, Galina hurried to her daughters: she pulled the door handle, but realized that the girls had locked themselves on a hook from the inside. Then she quietly entered Pelageya’s room – the girl was sleeping peacefully in an embrace with a doll, her face turned to the wall. After checking the locks on the front door again, Galina calmed down a bit and returned to the bedroom. All night long she did not close her eyes, and only at dawn, with the beginning of the crowing of the roosters, she managed to fall asleep.
CHAPTER 4. AN INCIDENT ON THE MOUNTAIN
InВ the morning, the whole family gathered at the table for breakfast.
В«Mom, did you hear how loudly and close the wolves howled last night? Vasilisa and IВ became scared, we even locked our door on the hook,В» said Ulyana.
«Yes, I heard. It’s really too close. Probably, there is little game in the hills and steppe. They want to eat. It’s right that you and Vasilisa locked yourself in just in case. From now on, lock the door on the hook every night,» Galina answered, casting a glance at Pelageya, who was sitting with tousled hair and eating a bagel, washing it down with milk, while clumsily and childishly staining her mouth and clothes.
В«AВ child is aВ child,В» thought Galina, smiling slightly, trying toВ extinguish her anxiety and doubts.
В«Mommy, can we go toВ the village toВ Nikolka with Varya today? Their father was supposed toВ arrive from Stavropol yesterday with aВ wagon train. He promised them goodies and gifts ofВ all kinds from there toВ bring. Ulyana and IВ are very curious toВ look at them. And we will take Pelageyushka with us, let her also be friends with our friends,В» Vasilisa turned toВ her mother.
Galina, seeing Nazar’s approving look, allowed the girls to visit the village, but first asked to help her with the household – to milk the goats and feed the chickens. When the children went out into the yard and walked towards the goat pen, the animals began to behave unexpectedly agitated. As if frightened of something, they ran into a heap on the opposite side at the wall of the barn and began to watch Pelageya warily.
«Strangely. This is not good,» Galina thought to herself. «How many times have people been here, but they have never looked at anyone so frightened before… Well, come on,» she said to the girls, «go to Nikolka and Varya now. I’ll milk the goats myself.»
…Having invited guests to the house, Varya’s and Nikolka’s mother sat all the children at the table, gave them tea with cheesecakes and distributed colorful lollipops brought by her husband from Stavropol, cast in the shape of fir-trees, towers and figures of various animals.
«Well, let’s see what else your father brought you from Stavropol,» Ulyana said with interest, examining a transparent orange lollipop in the form of a bunny that glittered in the sun.
В«He brought me some toy soldiers,В» Nikolka said before his sister could answer, and, bending down under the bench, took out aВ wooden box. Opening it, he placed on the table inВ aВ battle formation painted and varnished figures ofВ hussars, who seemed toВ immediately rush on horseback toВ attack directly at the samovar standing inВ front.
«Come on, I’ll show you something else,» Varya said, calling everyone, and pulled Ulyana by the hand into the next room.
There, on a table by the window, stood a metal box, decorated with patterns and mother-of-pearl. Varya pressed the lock lever – and another smaller lid opened from the top of her lid, from which a mechanical bird, similar to a nightingale, jumped out. She was turning in directions, flapping her wings and spilling into trills. The inside of the box was trimmed with wood and upholstered in red velvet. Amazed by the little thing and full of childish envy, Vasilisa suddenly blurted out, «Just think, a box with a bird! But we have such a beautiful doll that no one else in the village has ever seen. Isn’t that so, Pelageyushka?»
Pelageya, inВ response with aВ grim face, said inВ aВ quiet displeased voice, В«What are you talking about? There is no doll.В»
«Well, how is that not?» Vasilisa did not calm down. «We saw her at your place lately. You hid it in mother’s empty linen chest in your room.»
Hearing this, Pelageya turned white with anger and was almost ready toВ pounce on Vasilisa.
«Don’t quarrel over nothing!» Nikolka intervened. «Let’s better all of us now climb Mount Kutsay together. Let’s look at our village and its surroundings from above.»
В«Oh, this is so amusing! Why not really climb the mountain?В» Ulyana was delighted. В«They say that sometimes the great Elbrus is visible from there.В»
Vasilisa and Varya also happily supported this idea. Only Pelageya silently looked out the window, plunged into her thoughts.
Having gathered, the children set off on aВ long journey, making their way up the rocky slope through dense thickets ofВ hazel, rose hips and wild plums. At the top ofВ the mountain, they really had an amazing view ofВ the village and its surroundings. With its white huts, yellow thatched roofs, haystacks, aВ river and green gardens inВ the rays ofВ the sun and against the background ofВ aВ clear blue sky, it looked like aВ huge cake from above, miraculously concocted byВ some unknown but skillful magician.
В«What aВ beauty!В» Varya exclaimed. В«Oh, look! Over there you can see our hut with the yard.В»
At that moment, toВ the surprise ofВ the children, aВ frightened hare suddenly jumped out ofВ aВ nearby large briar bush and rushed down the slope, quickly hiding inВ the thicket ofВ plums.
В«Look! And there is Elbrus!В» said Nikolka, pointing with his hand inВ the direction opposite from the village, where aВ majestic mountain was visible on the horizon. Its two-humped snow-white peak resembled aВ sleeping white camel, which seemed toВ hover and soar inВ the blueВ sky.
While everyone was admiring the view of Elbrus, Vasilisa noticed a small cherry plum tree growing off to the side at the edge of a steep cliff. Deciding to feast on wild fruits, she stood on a stone right on the edge of the abyss and wanted to pick the fruits, but suddenly she felt that someone was standing behind her. The girl looked back and saw Pelageya, who was looking at her with some cold, frozen, repulsive gaze. Vasilisa got scared, recoiled back and, stumbling, almost fell down – only at the last moment did she manage to firmly grasp the branch and, resting her feet on the mountainside, hung on it. Pelageya approached the edge of the cliff and continued to look from above with her magical gaze, from which Vasilisa’s whole body was shackled. Vasilisa felt that she was about to unclench her fingers and fall. Some unknown force tied her throat and did not allow her to scream to call for help.
Suddenly, the swallows flying around were greatly alarmed inВ the sky. They gathered inВ aВ large flock and began toВ attack Pelageya, striking her head and face with their claws. Waving aside the birds and hiding behind her hands, she distracted herself from Vasilisa and backed away. Varya turned around at the noise.
В«Look!В» she shouted. В«How many swallows! Strange, they attacked our Pelageyushka!В»
«Where is Vasilisa?» Ulyana asked anxiously. The girl ran to the edge of the cliff and saw her little sister clinging to a tree branch, who was trying to climb up. Bending down, Ulyana began to pull Vasilisa, grabbing her clothes. But her strength was not enough. Nikolka saved the situation – he immediately rushed to the rescue of Ulyana and helped pull Vasilisa out of the cliff.
В«How did you get there?В» Ulyana asked her sister inВ aВ trembling voice.
«It’s all she! She scared me, and I fell down!» screamed Vasilisa in tears, pointing her finger at Pelageya, who was standing to the side.
«It’s your own fault! There is nothing to blame on others! Be cautious and careful next time! And do not go to such places without asking,» as if in an adult way, Ulyana scolded her younger sister, brushing off her clothes.
From below came the bell ringing ofВ the village church.
«Okay, it’s time to go back! We are probably already being searched for,» said Nikolka and, once again taking a look at the village from a height, led everyone back.
The girls returned home quite late. Pelageya retired to her room, and Ulyana and Vasilisa sat in the kitchen and began vying to tell their mother about their visit to Nikolka and Varya – about the treats and gifts that their father had brought from Stavropol.
В«Where did you scratch your feet so badly?В» Mother asked Vasilisa inВ surprise.
InВ response, the girl told her about what had happened on the mountain. Whimpering, she again began toВ complain about Pelageya, that it was she who scared her and pushed her off the cliff, and then with her unusual gaze fettered her body and did not give the opportunity toВ call for help, and only the swallows at the last moment saved her byВ flying at Pelageya.
В«Stop it, Vasilisa!В» Ulyana intervened. В«Pelageyushka has nothing toВ do with it. You were just scared, not expecting toВ see her behind your back, and you fell down yourself. The fear ofВ falling into the abyss immobilized you and did not allow you toВ call for help. Although,В» Ulyana thought for aВ second, В«the swallows really behaved unusually when they pounced on Pelageyushka.В»
Galina listened toВ her daughters and became wary, recalling the strange events that happened last night, and how much the goats inВ the yard were scared at the sight ofВ Pelageya.
In the morning of the next day, Nazar got ready for business in the village. Galina asked him to stop by on the way to Granny Efrosinya – a longtime acquaintance, a local fortune-teller and sorceress – and invite her over for tea, and at the same time tell fortunes on the cards.
CHAPTER 5. THE FORTUNE-TELLER
In the afternoon, already closer to the third hour, shuffling up the winding road, Efrosinya reached Nazar’s house.
«Hello, Galinushka! Good to see you! I haven’t seen you for a long time,» the old woman smiled, pretty heavily panting after the hard climb up the hill. «Oh, the road to you is very difficult; once again no one will go. This morning Nazar stopped by me and said that you wanted to see me. It is necessary-so it is necessary. As soon as I figured out my affairs, I went to you.»
«Good day, Granny Efrosinya!» Galina greeted her happily. «Yes, you haven’t come to see us for a long time. We were already getting bored. I kept getting ready to visit you too, but in no way – now children, now household chores… Well, let’s go, let’s go to the hut to the table, otherwise the samovar is already getting cold. Forgive me for distracting from urgent matters, but I really need to know what awaits us in the future. Now something has become alarming in my soul.»
«Time for you, Galinushka, I will always find when it’s necessary,» the fortune-teller continued in response, having entered the hut and sitting down at a table. «And that’s right, I have a lot of things to do these days. Someone asks to tell fortunes, another one to make a love spell, and the other one to lift curses. So, last Thursday Ustinya came to me. Well, Tryphon’s wife. She was crying, ulcers, said, all of a sudden, have appeared down her legs for no reason. It hurt to step. And it all started after she found the charmed coins right at the gate of Pantelei. And I asked her, why did you pick up other people’s coins? They were not meant for you! I conjured over her, gave her a decoction of herbs, and told her to throw those coins away from people’s eyes,» said Efrosinya, looking at the treats. «Oh, you always have wonderful baked food, Galinushka! Every time I try it and every time I’m overjoyed’ the old woman praised the hostess, taking a bite of a large patterned spice-cake and washing it down with tea from a saucer.
«Help yourself, Granny Efrosinya. Eat, don’t be shy! I know you love something sweet,» Galina smiled. «In the morning I baked everything myself. It’s nice that you liked it.»
В«Well, what gnaws at you, Galinushka, if you called me so urgently? Or did anything happen?В» asked Efrosinya.
InВ response, the hostess told the fortune-teller about how Nazar picked up the girl inВ aВ deserted place and about the strange events that began toВ occur afterwards.
В«Let me, Galinushka, tell fortunes on this girl. The whole story that you just told is too suspicious for me,В» said the old woman.
Pushing the cup and saucer aside, she pulled an old battered deck out ofВ her skirt pocket. She quickly shuffled it, pulled three cards out ofВ the middle at once, and spread them out on the table with the back side. Then she began toВ take out more cards one at aВ time from the deck and lay them around. As soon as the fortune-teller turned over all the cards front side, she gasped.
«Look, look, Galinushka,» she called the hostess closer to her. «You see: the queen of spades has fallen in the middle, and all the cards around it are also in black suits. It’s as if some kind of witch and nearby evil spirits gathered. Only one thing is strange: I’m guessing at a girl, and the cards show me an adult woman.»
В«Maybe you are wrong, Granny Efrosinya?В» Galina was puzzled. В«Besides me, there are no more women here.В»
«I could be wrong because of old age,» the old woman answered with barely noticeable resentment, «but these cards have not been lying to me for many years. I sense something unkind in this, Galinushka. Some kind of trouble awaits you and your family. And so far I don’t even know how to help.»
В«Oh, Efrosinya, teach me how toВ be, how toВ ward off trouble from the house,В» Galina lamented.
«I need to think about it. And now it’s time for me to go home,» said the sorceress, looking out the window. «It will soon be evening, and the way from you is not short.»
Efrosinya collected the cards, put the deck inВ her skirt pocket and got up from the table.
«Oh, wait, granny!» Galina caught herself, taking a small paper roll from the table near the wooden stove. «I almost forgot! Here I have prepared some goodies for you, so don’t refuse to accept them from us.»
В«Thank you very much, Galinushka! You are aВ glorious hostess!В» smiled the fortune-teller and took the gift.
She took a couple of steps towards the exit, but suddenly stood rooted to the spot, turned to Galina, and with her hand on her chin exclaimed with an anxious expression on her face, «Good gracious! And isn’t it Khatuna by any chance?!»
В«What did you say, granny?В» asked Galina not hearingВ her.
Without having time to answer, the old woman suddenly noticed how the door of the next room opened slightly and behind her appeared part of Pelageya’s face, who was staring at her with one eye. Frightened by something, the fortune-teller hurried, «Oh, it’s time for me, it’s time, Galinushka! I must go home!» and hurried out of the hut into the courtyard.
Already at the exit at the gate, she said in a low voice to the hostess who was accompanying her, «We have this Saturday, Galinushka, the Apple Feast of the Saviour[4 - The Apple Feast of the Saviour or Apple Spas is an Eastern Slavic folk name for the Feast of the Transfiguration, which is celebrated on August 19.] is coming. Take the apples to the Church to consecrate them, and at the same time take this girl there. Let’s see how she behaves. And I’ll come to you on Sunday again. You will tell me what happened and how.»
Galina listened to the advice of the fortune-teller and on a holiday, collecting a basket of apples and putting the pies baked the day before, she went to the village church with the children in the morning. She strictly ordered her daughters not to tell Pelageya that they would go to church…
В«Pelageyushka, come with us!В» Ulyana called her, straightening aВ new sundress on herself. В«Today there will be festivities inВ the village. There is no need toВ sit at home on such aВ day!В»
Pelageya reluctantly agreed, and the girls with Galina went toВ the center ofВ the village.
