Noon had already passed — it was now about half past one.
Masha crossed herself three times, with three fingers. She had never thought about the meaning of "three fingers", how it was used, or why it was necessary at all — she just did it as she had been taught: she was used to it.
On leaving, the place seemed quite different from what it was at first: now, apart from the beauty and wildlife, it was well-kept. Now the deceased are better off.
They walked back very slowly and talked a lot. They remembered the past and, especially, funny incidents — it helped themselves: they remembered what good people their relatives were.
This time we walked much closer to the river, almost near the bank, so that the water sometimes splashed on my clothes. The water was murmuring around, and we walked slower and slower, stopping every fifty meters and looking at the hills on which trees were growing interestingly, at the fish that sometimes sprang a few centimeters out of the water, at the pebbles that reflected wonderful multi-kilometer patterns through the water surface. All this appeared only now.
We got home in the late afternoon, by sunset, by the time it was time to go to bed.
Masha quickly fell asleep, and dreamed a terrible amazing dream, which before appeared only in parts, but this time — from the beginning.
She is in red silk robes standing inside a golden cage. In front of her two men are arguing about something. And all around are vast fields and two huge armies against each other, one in light armor, the other in dark armor, and they are so huge that everything is covered with their warriors, and you can't tell which one is bigger.
The two who were arguing with each other, not the leaders of these armies, but in high ranks, spoke in unknown languages, and the impression was that each spoke his own, but both understood each other.
And Masha distinguishes only one word, privately repeated by them — her proper name.
And so they finish arguing, stop for a moment, and simultaneously announce to their armies.
Dark: "Partuhu."
Bright: "Portudy."
Masha woke up in a cold sweat and in tears.
That grim dead light that races across the room.
She crawled, almost falling off the bed and clung to the edge, "This can't be tolerated! They are playing tricks on my head out there!" Everything was shaking inside her, and fear was all around: where was the plague, where were all these warriors, where was the horror, and it was all here!
— God, I can't. I can't do it without him. God, forgive me. What have I done? What have I done that I have to live like this? Why didn't you take me away with him? What did I do wrong?
Masha was crying, hiding in the shadows by the bed, and I didn't want to look at anything. It was unbearable to look at anything — so bad that it made me nauseous. It became short of breath, and my breathing quickened on its own.
She opened her reddened eyes and, peering around the walls, began to calm down a little through measured heavy breathing. With each breath, though it didn't get easier, at least it didn't get heavier.
Getting used to the heaviness, Masha raised herself to her knees, put her hands on the bed and, looking up at the distant moon, began to pray.
Her breathing was quiet and wide in the air, but a little panting — she'd been crying for a long time.
— Darling, I miss you so much, and you don't say a word. I have nightmares every day and you're not there. It's so hard.
"Mashenka, my beloved," said her husband's voice, and the smell of him is here, and through the light you can see his eyes. — Have I ever left you?"
— Please don't go. Stay with me just a little longer.
— I'm here. I'm with you. I'm always with you… How's our baby?
— I can feel him growing up. He will be healthy and strong… But it is hard, so hard for me without you. Why did God take you away from me?
— It's your destiny, Masha. Your destiny. And you have to get over it. Forgive me, my love, for this. It's my fault. I couldn't–
— Please stop. Stop blaming yourself. Especially for things that are out of your control. I know what God wants me to do. I'll do anything if only you'll be there for me, if only you'll say….
— I love you, Mashenka. I'm with you.
— I love you, honey.
So till morning Masha sat on her knees by the bed, thinking about nothing and gathering herself. She felt her husband near her, and he was with her, breathing warmth into her and holding her hand.
Bolotnikov
May 16. Khmelnitsky's group left Kremenchug and moved towards Poltava — the plan was to reach Bushenka and, turning north, reach Reshetilovka.
Bolotnikov's 3rd Company, consisting of three platoons: 25th Zhivenko, 37th Kosmogorov and 11th Ranierov, Dr. Shvartsenberg's 2nd medical unit, and three from the Spetsnaz: Dolgatov, Mokry and Seversky — a total of 133 men — remained to cover the withdrawal.
It was early-early morning: my eyes were still blurry. Bolotnikov was sitting in the basement of the command post — after the departure of the main forces, his unit had moved here, to the outermost part of the city, where the road to Poltava led northward.
It's mostly damp around, but it's been like that here before: after Victor left, his banner — a falcon swiftly attacking prey, head downward, wings and tail upward, the ancient symbol of the Rurikovichs — was removed from the wall, as well as a huge steel mace — the ancient symbol of power. Slavs value their traditions, and when it comes to a critical or even catastrophic situation, everything that has any weighty value is under special care, and especially historical signs and symbols.
As a result, we were left with a chair, a table, an extra-lamp (perhaps the most worthy invention of the ancients after the cancer cure — shake it for a minute and it burns for almost an hour), and the most important item — a map. It depicted the whole city on a large enough scale, including the most important places: trenches, mine barriers and houses with their purpose indicated by numbers. The present defense section included 16 houses plus four sentry houses outside it.
Among other things, on the table was a letter Bolotnikov had just taken out of his pocket, which was to be opened 15 minutes after the main forces had left the city. Zubkov had handed it to him. Almost half an hour had passed, and it was still sealed: Sergei felt something too unpleasant in its contents and wanted to get out of sleep before reading it. The time had passed, but he was still awake.
"I'm already violating orders… Maybe it even says we're not supposed to be here anymore," the Major thought and opened the envelope.
"To Major Bolotnikov
Personal and highly classified.
Burn it after reading it.
Major, you have a difficult task ahead of you. I have chosen you in this situation for a reason, relying on your experience and fortitude.
I inform you, as a soldier devoted to the idea of human freedom, that there is an enemy spy operating in the location of our group, and possibly more than one. He cannot be in your unit at the moment. Whether he has managed to communicate our coordinates to the enemy is not known.
Your mission is to hold the position until 7-30, which is an hour and thirty minutes after our withdrawal, and to retreat thereafter according to the plan previously approved.
I'm ordering you to act exactly as previously instructed. If the enemy succeeds in dislodging you from this position and pursuing you, the entire group will be jeopardized.
I've known you for a long time and I'm sure you didn't open the envelope exactly as instructed. Don't blame yourself. I have taken your situation into account and have given you the time accordingly.
All right, from now on, you have one hour to live, Major.