Life does not spare anyone, it gives love and takes it away, builds bridges of hope and immediately burns them in the fire of betrayal. Sometimes it seems that there are simply no more exits, that all the paths are blocked and the breath intercepts from hopelessness. But even in the darkest moments of life, when the earth literally goes underfoot, it is important not to lose hope, even when you are at the very edge, when it seems that you are already sinking, there is always someone who will lend a hand. This is what happened to the young and beautiful woman Svetlana in our today’s interesting story, when she was found completely helpless and without memory on the edge of a bottomless swamp in a dark forest. Her life was on the line, but apparently fate itself intervened.
Alevtina was no longer a young village woman, on that day, as always, she woke up very early, even before the sun rose. For almost her entire life, she woke up with the first rays, because in the village you don’t have to be particularly lazy, you need to take care of the farm and work in the garden, feed the cow, remove and water the weeds in the garden and on the flowerbed, and all these things need to be redone before midday. In the morning, all the residents of the village always have a lot of different things to do.
But Alevtina was not in a hurry to run to the garden or deal with the cattle, because now she has two daughters-in-law who live in her house, they took on all the responsibilities of the hosts. Their husbands, two sons of Alevtina, were also never idlers, so they coped with everything themselves. Now it was possible to sleep longer and not rush to jump a little light, but Alevtina could not get rid of the habit of waking up at dawn.
She loved to open the window, inhale the morning aroma of ripe apples and apricots, loose roses and petunias. Of course, she could not sit idly, so while everyone was sleeping, the woman had already baked fresh bread or buns for breakfast and set the table for the whole family. And now she was also in a hurry to do her favorite job.
She was in a hurry because she planned to go for the mushrooms. Yesterday, Alevtina’s neighbor, Marusya, brought home a whole basket of selected white mushrooms, and this is not counting all sorts of different butterflies and foxes. Alya decided that today she would definitely go to the forest too.
Quickly and habitually covering the table, she got dressed and headed out. The village was still asleep, and the woman, in no hurry, went to the outskirts of the house, which stood by the forest itself. — Where are you going so early? — her voice spread behind her back.
She shuddered and turned around sharply. — To hell with you, Mikhalych! — she exclaimed, seeing her neighbor, a lonely and a little strange young man. — Scared the hell out of me! Why don’t you sleep? Mikhalych just smiled.
— I’ve been watching you. I think I’ll see where this neighbor of mine is going so early. Your Ivan has been gone for five years, and you are a beautiful woman, still in full bloom.
— The old man has gone completely crazy! — laughed Alevtina, waving her hand at him. — Yes, I’m only a year younger than you. We’ve already lived our lives together.
Where should I turn my tail? Here, I can go for the mushrooms. — Aha! — Mikhalych nodded. — You must have seen Marusya yesterday.
She came back from the forest with a rich catch. Even I wanted to go for the mushrooms. — Yes, but who will I treat them to? Do you have a family, at least? Do you have any sons? What beauties, brides! — And what about me? I’m alone, like a ring, and nobody needs me.
— Why didn’t you marry after Svetlana? — asked Alevtina. — You weren’t even forty when you were left alone. Do you remember how all our women were running after you, wanting to please you and enter your house as your mistress? But you didn’t want anyone, you didn’t let anyone into your house, — added the woman, not noticing how the man’s gaze dimmed.
— All right, neighbor, you were in a hurry for the mushrooms, — Anatoly Mikhalych waved his hand angrily. — Go already, until all the mushrooms are sorted out. Otherwise, they will come from the neighboring villages with onions, and you won’t find the mushrooms, and you will be left with nothing.
— You are always angry, I won’t say a word to you, — grumbled the woman, keeping in mind the neighbor’s arrogance. — You don’t want to talk, and you don’t need to. I’m not pulling you by the tongue.
And in general, you stopped me yourself. Now you are inflated. — Oh, you, old man! — Alevtina picked up the basket, which, chatting with Mikhalych, put it on the ground, and hurried away, never looking back.
Anatoly looked after her, shaking his head a little. — How curious she is! She needs to know everything. What the hell! — he grumbled quietly.