Svetlana Mirray "The adventure of the trucker Ivan Mikhailovich. A mystical novel"

CHAPTER 2. AВ STRANGE TRAVELING COMPANION

As if by an irony of fate, Ivan had to go to the city of Timashevsk, his money client was waiting there and he had to pick up the cargo to deliver it to Moscow.

If it works out, then I'll stop by the village of Fierce, about which the old man told me, because I wonder if people live there now.

Suddenly Ivan noticed that a tall man in a long raincoat was standing on the road, a hood was on his head that covered his entire face, he was standing and waiting for someone to stop him.

"I won't stop him," the thought flashed through Ivan's head. A strange type. I don't like strange people like that.

But the man blocked his way, so like it or not, he had to press the brake and abruptly stop the truck.

– Are you tired of living?  Ivan shouted.

ToВ which the man did not answer anything, but simply silently approached the cabin and began toВ open the door.

– Where are you going without an invitation?

But the strange man in the raincoat again said nothing.

– Maybe you're dumb? If so, nod.

The man nodded his head slightly.

– Well, what should I do with you, sit down, – Ivan pitied the peasant, – I can't leave you here. I'm going south. I have to go to Timashevsk. You then wave your hand where you need to stop.

The man again nodded imperceptibly to Ivan in response.

– That's settled. And now you can sit down.

The fellow traveler climbed into the cab and pressed himself into the corner and sat down right next to the door.

– If you want, I'll talk, and you nod or mumble.

Ivan looked at the man, who was sitting motionless again.

– Okay, sit down. Just don't forget to give a sign so that your stop won't pass. Otherwise I'll take you very far away," Ivan said and continued whistling his favorite song.

"-Let the road run into the distance

Sadness

Let it not lie on your heart

I can do anything in the world!"

The fellow traveler sat for aВ long time, pressed into the very corner ofВ the cabin, and his black hood hung directly over his face, so that it was impossible toВ see not only his facial features, but also toВ determine hisВ age.

Ivan had already relaxed during this time and even began to forget about the existence of an outsider in his car.

But suddenly the fellow traveler stirred, he began to carefully look for something in his raincoat. Soon he took out a jar, and worms and maggots were swarming in it. It was seen how he took them out with his bony fingers from the jar, they, bending their red body, tried to resist.

– You're probably going fishing?  Ivan asked with a grin.

But the fellow traveler was silent again, he even stopped communicating with gestures.

Ivan wondered what he was going to do with the worms now, and he turned his head and looked at the strange fellow traveler.

And the man picked up the worm without paying attention toВ Ivan, as if he was not there, and pushed it into the mouth invisible under the hood, and began toВ make an unpleasant slurping sound.

– Ugh! – I couldn't stand it, Ivan said aloud, but he thought to himself, – Let him do what he wants with himself, if only he would sit quietly and get out of my car as soon as possible.

The man, when he had eaten all the worms and maggots, again huddled in the corner of the cabin, without making any more slurping sounds.

Lord, why did you send me such a strange man?  Ivan thought to himself, looking at the road. – And when he gets out of the car at all, I'm pretty sick of it all.

Ivan stopped at a gas station near the village to pour diesel fuel into the tank.

The fellow traveler sat silently in the cab and was not going anywhere.

– Go out for a smoke break, maybe you need to go out?  Ivan said.

There was only silence inВ response.

– Well, as you know, man, then sit, but no nonsense just.

Ivan bought instant noodles in the store, where a beautiful saleswoman brewed it for him with boiling water. There was a small table in the store for long-distance drivers like him, and he decided to use the service and have a snack.

Then he walked a little next to the truck, smoked and got behind the wheel.

The fellow traveler was still sitting in silence, his hood completely covered his face, perhaps he was even asleep.

Ivan started the car, she growled in response, they drove off and drove off.

Time passed quickly, the gray highway flashed through the windshield like aВ long ribbon. Ivan began toВ feel sleepy, and there was still aВ long way toВ go.

It was already quite dark. Night was approaching. The strange man stirred again and took out a small bundle from his cloak. Ivan turned his head and was stunned. There was fresh red meat lying there. He again took out a piece with his bony fingers and put it in a hooded mouth somewhere deep there, then the man began to slurp loudly.

Ivan was tired of the road and couldn't take it all anymore. He stopped the KAMAZ, got out of it, went to the door on his side, opened the door and said:

– That's it, man, you got me, come out, I don't owe you absolutely anything.

The strange traveling companion sat silently, and without movements.

– Come out, in a good way,» Ivan said angrily.

Silence.

Ivan climbed into the cab, grabbed the man by the breasts and threw him out of it.

The strangest thing is that he didn't even resist. When Ivan threw him to the ground, something fell out from under the raincoat, rumbled and remained in the cabin.

And the strange man himself fell to the ground like a sack and crumbled into pieces. Ivan cursed loudly from what he saw, spat in disgust and quickly got behind the wheel, recovering.

"What the hell is going on," he said angrily. – Who is this? A dead man?

Ivan saw inВ his car on the floor inВ front ofВ the seat aВ shoe that had fallen off this strange man, he bent down toВ pick it up, and there was something white and smooth inside, it looked like aВ bone. Disgusted, Ivan grabbed the shoe and threw it through the open window.

Ivan drove in silence, he tried not to think about the incidents that had happened. After all, the case generated more questions than answers. And no one can answer these questions.

Ivan's KAMAZ disappeared from view, leaving what was left of the strange fellow traveler lying on the road. Soon the cloak rose on its own and began to collect all its body parts scattered along the road, and when there was nothing left, it slowly wandered along the side of the road and disappeared into the forest, carrying with it the unsolved mystery of its origin.

Ivan meanwhile followed his route toВ the city ofВ Timashevsk.

CHAPTER 3. MEETING WITH THE WITCH

The road was long, Ivan spent all this time without sleep. I’ll get to the place and rest, so he decided and drove, rubbing his eyes tired from exertion.

Ivan drove all night and only inВ the morning he was inВ Timashevsk, called his customer, but it turned out that he had arrived earlier and now he had toВ pass the time waiting for loading.

«Maybe I should stop by the farm of the Fierce, about which the old man was telling on the way, and suddenly there were people there, Ivan thought. At the same time, I will swim in the river, I hope that everything will be fine without mermaids. And I don’t believe in these fairy tales at all!»

Ivan left the KAMAZ byВ the road inВ the very edges that the old man described toВ him. He found aВ path that led along the edge ofВ the forest and turned into the forest.

For about an hour he wandered through the forest without turning off following the path, saw that there were several old houses ahead.

– That’s the same farm, though… who knows. «But I’m going to take a look,» Ivan said aloud and went to see if there were people.

He went up toВ every house and shouted loudly:

В«Is anyone here?В»

But there was aВ silent silence inВ response. And only grasshoppers inВ the grass chirped, jumping one after another inВ different directions.

Ivan went around all the houses inВ the area, they were completely unsuitable for living, there were no people inВ them. He was about toВ leave when he heard aВ hoarse, elderly voice from behind:

– Son, who are you looking for here? – grandma looked with small narrowed eyes.

– And I didn’t expect to see anyone here anymore! Ivan exclaimed and went to meet her.

«Well, I’m here temporarily, too,» she replied.

– Are you leaving? Ivan was surprised.

– We are all temporary in the world, and then we go to God. «Come with me, a nice man, I’ll treat you to dinner,» she said and waved her hand pointing to the house that stands in the distance. «You didn’t notice my house, did you?»

– He’s standing at the very edge of the village, you can’t see him.

Soon they came toВ aВ very oldВ hut.

– Come on, you’ll be a nice guest! – she said.

– I’m Ivan. What’s your name?

– Call me Grandma, I don’t remember my name. I’ve been living in the world for a hundred years, maybe more.

– Okay, Grandma, what is the name of this village? «Maybe Fierce?» asked Ivan, entering the house.

– A farm where only one grandmother lives, call it that, but I don’t remember what it was called before. I’m sorry, darling, I’ve become old. You’d better come into the kitchen, we’ll have lunch with you now.

The furniture inВ the house was old, the same as her mistress. Two wooden stools, aВ small table, aВ metal bed, aВ small wardrobe and aВ sideboard for dishes. There was nothing else.

– You live modestly here.

– Why would I need anything else? It’s always not enough for you young people, but we who have seen life do little,» the old woman said, putting boiled potatoes on the table.

– Isn’t it scary for you to live here alone? Ivan asked, starting to fix the stool. He had an inventory on this account in his bosom, and it was called «there are different cases,» so one turned up.

– And who can they be afraid of here? Evil spirits or something? Yes, I can do something myself.

– Well, maybe animals? Ivan persisted.

«Enough for you, who needs me old, they’ll chew me for a long time,» and the old woman laughed, exposing her toothless mouth.

Ivan made aВ stool and sat down onВ it.

– What about the shops? Or are you all products from the forest, but from the garden of Berthe?

– Mostly from here, but from the garden. And here my son is full of everything. But once a month they bring me food from the nearest village.

I was busy eating lunch for a while. Considering that there were no shops nearby and the products were mostly from the garden and from the forest, the lunch turned out to be great. Fragrant borscht and potatoes with tomatoes and cucumbers. Even the bacon was salty, but I still didn’t understand homemade or from the store. I didn’t see any pigs near the house either.

«You go to the river right now, honey, it’s warm water,» Grandma said.

– And where is your local river located?

– As soon as you get out, I’ll show you that path.

AВ little more time passed and Ivan began toВ get ready. When IВ left the house and said goodbye, my grandmother showed me the path that led toВ the river.

В«All the best toВ you, Ivan,В» she said at parting.

– And you don’t get sick! «I’m sorry,» he said. – Maybe I’ll come visit again sometime.