Nadyn Bagout "Not fairy tales"

Not fairy tales
Nadyn Bagout

Stories similar to fairy tales from the past, ordreams of the future? A little bit of everything.A world full of magic and a world of cosmicaccomplishments. Mysticism and science. Can they get along? Why not.Which one is real? Everything is in the hands of the reader.

Not fairy tales

Nadyn Bagout

Nothing inВ this world is eternal, not even he himself.

But perhaps because ofВ the fickleness

miracles happen inВ him.

The forests are whispering about something

inВ the vastness ofВ the planet.

It seems to be just from the wind, but listen —

voices in a language you don’t know

they talk about eternity.

The stars, just dots above your home,

are suns for someone.

Or if you meet aВ river rapid,

lo and behold – the staircase winds upward.

If at the beginning you can’t see the road,

still strive for the horizon.

Learn toВ look at life with aВ broader perspective,

and perhaps the universe itself will seem incredibly simple toВ you.

Know that every crumb ofВ space-time inВ this world isВ not

В«nothingВ».

Cover designer Nadyn Bagout

© Nadyn Bagout, 2022

© Nadyn Bagout, cover design, 2022

ISBNВ 978-5-0056-1492-6

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Littlefish

The horse dragged along the road, barely moving legs. His hooves left almost no trace on the hard, dry ground.

The afternoon sun had no intention ofВ hiding behind the sparse clouds.

Lendun has not met aВ single traveler inВ the last few hours, not since he left the borders ofВ Martz district.

However, perhaps we should not be surprised: the people in the surrounding villages today indulge in idleness, resting after the Kakhnitz fair that ended the day before yesterday. Yesterday the road was no doubt crowded with wagons, mules and oxen, not to mention people on foot. After selling out their goods and filling up with other people’s goods, although there is already enough for someone, they hurry to go home, to put food in the stalls, to try on new clothes, to give the children toys and dainties.

He had missed the market himself, having been delayed at the shepherd’s home (or, to tell the truth, with his lovely daughter), so he was going to Kakhnitz, to the voivode, only now. But maybe it’s for the best: at least they will solve everything without fuss, without distraction.

A cool breeze blew in his face, which was unspeakably pleasant in such a sweltering heat. The boy perked up, cocking his dark-haired head, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Blue eyes picked up a faint glimmer beyond the nearby woods. Water…

A lake, perhaps, or a stream… …or a creek… Doesn’t matter.

He pulled the reins toВ get the horse off the beaten path and spurred him toward the trees. The animal snarled unhappily, his head jerking, but he obeyed.

InВ aВ couple ofВ minutes, they were at the edge ofВ the forest.

The shadows, rare at first, gradually thickened, bringing aВ welcome relief from the heat, if only for aВ short time: the beechwoods were aВ rather narrow grove, skirting, as he supposed, aВ small lake, five hundred feet across.

He literally jumped off his horse and rushed toВ the water, throwing off his clothes as he went: inВ aВ moment the worn pants, the sweaty linen shirt, the embroidered vest, and the boots lay on the shore inВ aВ slovenly heap. The traveler immediately dove headlong into the cool waves, confidently cutting the water with sweeping strokes, swam almost aВ third ofВ the lake and came back. Reluctantly getting out on the ground, Lendun made sure that the horse was still there. He was aВ fine beast, no doubt: Zhimbar had taught him not toВ drink without aВ master. The boy came closer, stroked the steep black side. Firs snorted again, squinting dark blue eyes.

«Be patient, my friend. I’ll get you drunk later. We’ll be in Kahnitz for another hour. The voivode won’t spare the barley, will he? Baron has given us the full allowance. Not bad, what do you think?

An iridescent laugh that came suddenly from somewhere behind him made him shudder. His wet skin was covered inВ goosebumps.

Blaming himself for this indiscretion, Lendun turned sharply, snatching aВ long dagger from his satchel.

His eyes were fixed on a pile of boulders that jutted out into the lake. A girl’s giggles came from there.

Finding no one around toВ attack him, the young man, still looking around, quickly pulled on his clothes and cautiously, gazing round, headed toward the strangely inviting sound.

Behind the water-and time-honed stones, he saw an unexpected but wonderful picture.

A beautiful half-naked girl was sitting in the shallow water, splashing and laughing. Her long blond hair sparkled in the sunlight. Her skin, barely tanned, looked as smooth as a statue’s. Though no one would mistake her for a statue: she was too lively.

Lendun swallowed frantically, stopping dead inВ his tracks, unable toВ utter aВ word. He just stood there, watching the transparent droplets dripping down her young body, the straw strands fluttering inВ the breeze.

Suddenly the maiden turned around, staring straight at him. The laughter died down. He couldn’t tell the color or expression of her eyes from this distance, but she was surprised, that’s for sure.

So they stared at each other inВ utter silence for several minutes.

The beauty was the first toВ come toВ her senses.

«Oh! Greetings, traveler! I didn’t expect to see anyone on my property today.»

The guy twitched, mumbling uncertainly, turning away so he wouldn’t see her nakedness.

«My sincere apologies, lady. I didn’t know… I didn’t know anyone was here, or I wouldn’t have disturbed… I’m sorry!»

From the corner ofВ his eye, he noticed that she dismissed his apology as unimportant, as if his impertinent appearance were not worth the words.

«What brings you here, traveler? You don’t meet many people here,» she smiled as she spread her hands over the water, which reached almost to her chest.

«I… hmm… I’m…» Lendun was never one for eloquence, but now he was embarrassed. «I just… wanted to cool off. It’s hot today, don’t you think?» he lowered his eyes again.

В«Yeah, IВ guess so,В» she shrugged. В«So, what are you waiting for? Go for aВ swim.В»

«I’m pretty much already,» the guy shook his head toward the boulders, «over there».

В«Oh, IВ see. Are you coming from Kahnitz?В»

«No, on the contrary, that way. Voivode…»

His words were interrupted byВ aВ loud splash somewhere inВ the middle ofВ the lake. He looked up and saw the glint ofВ scales on the back ofВ aВ large fish.

«Wow! Wow! Did you see that?! A carp, I think, and an enormous one at that. It’s delicious… Mm…»

«Do you like fish, too?» the woman he was talking to asked him a little bit surprised. «Then wait, now…»

He will never forget the spectacle that followed.

Three long whip-like blue-green tentacles rose above the blue-reflecting waves, curved inВ the air, dived into the water, and after aВ moment rose back up, pulling out aВ silvery, scaly carcass.

There was soft laughter again, like the ringing ofВ porcelain bells.

«Look,» the girl exclaimed cheerfully, «from the very first time…»

The tentacles reached out toward the shore. For a brief moment, the mermaid’s entire body appeared above the surface of the lake: wriggly, serpentine.

An unknowable force had blown him out of his place. Lendun couldn’t remember how he got over the rubble, how he climbed the horse, how he left the ominous grove.

He arrived at the voivode’s farmstead completely white, unable to string words together.

However, Lady Gemma’s – landlord’s wife – honey tincture had gotten him back on his feet in a couple of days. He tried never to think of swimming in the Maiden’s Pond, as the locals called it, though he was unable to exorcise the image of the beautiful golden-haired monster from his dreams.

Italannia pulled the fish closer, grasping the carcass with her delicate hands and sharp claws.

With aВ slight perplexity she looked after the guy who was running away.

What a weirdo! And he didn’t want to try. He must have remembered something important, so he rushed off.

With aВ chuckle, the girl immediately put him out ofВ her mind.

The white fangs dug into the still twitching carp, slashing into its side. Watery fish blood dripped down her smooth chin and onto her chest.

Trash