After burying her husband, Anya decided to sort through the stuff in the shed, where her husband never let her go. She SCREAMED when she saw IT….

The lights in the windows of the houses have gone out. Silence. Attention hung in the air, only occasionally somewhere in the lilac bushes.

A nightbird, breaking the complete silence. Anna, still a young woman of about 30 years old, sat on the porch of her house and gazed into the night sky. And there shone such stars, which are only in August.

It seemed as if someone had scattered grains across the sky. It was cold, Anna ate, lived and drew back more tightly into a light shawl. Yes, summer is gone, soon to be cleaned up by rains and then by frost.

Sad and painful. But the pain on Anna’s soul is not from the changes of nature, but from the fact that she was left all alone. It had been 40 days since she had buried her beloved husband.

Anna looked at the stars and remembered how she and Michael used to sit on the porch at night like that, and the sky above them was the same. Sometimes they’d see a shooting star. Michael always managed to make a wish, but she didn’t.

Then her husband laughed at her, saying, your wishes are too long. She could have wished for something simpler. How could it be simpler? She just wanted a child.

But it wasn’t meant to be. With her husband, they lived almost 10 years, and all this time they dreamed of becoming parents. But doctors gave them some diagnosis, prescribed additional examinations and all in vain.

Anna and Michael even went to the capital to the luminaries of medicine. And they didn’t help. Anna remembered how she sat waiting for the results of the tests, how nervous she was.

The result was the same. Infertility. And sometimes it seemed like she was going crazy.

Sometimes, she would walk down the street and peek in her stroller. She loved looking at those angels so much. She imagined that like that herself would one day walk with a stroller.

But fate was inexorable. She was barren. Michael once mentioned that maybe he could take a baby from the orphanage.

But Anna resisted. She honestly admitted to her husband that she could not love someone else’s child. Yes, she likes to admire children, but she can’t bear to take care of one she didn’t give birth to.

She cannot cross that line of squeamishness, which the birth mother does not even think about, because it does not exist for her. Michael understood his wife and did not insist anymore. So they lived in their village, a good life, I must say.

Michael was a hardy farmer. Anna worked in the village library, where they moved immediately after marriage. And in general, they were both city dwellers in the village by chance.

It’s just that when they got married, Michael’s business in town was in trouble. He had a small auto store, and it was bringing in a decent income. And then the recession hit.

And then Michael realized he was starting to run his business at a loss. And then Anna’s grandmother died in the village and they left her a house. Grandma Olya had lived in Marjanov all her life.

It was her mother’s paternal grandmother, a nice old lady. She was very worried about her death, and her husband consoled her. His support was very important at the funeral.

Michael looked around the countryside, talked to the locals at the wake, and realized that there was a free niche for farming. But they didn’t know how to use anything and wanted to sell it all. Would someone buy it? So Michael bought the shares by selling his business in town.

Then he took a loan and started to develop in the village. Anna supported her husband. As a child she liked to stay with her grandmother in the village.

And secretly she always dreamed of a quiet life away from the noise of the city. Of course, Michael and Anna’s parents did not understand the children, but they did not ask them. It was only over the years that it became clear that Michael had done everything right.

He was able to restore what had been destroyed for years. The machine yard was equipped with modern machinery, and the current during the harvesting season was humming day and night. So much so that the whole village could hear it.

But nobody grumbled. On the contrary, people rejoiced. After all, now there is work in the village for them.

And all thanks to Michael. Michael had a lot of energy. Only here, on earth, he suddenly realized that business does not necessarily have to be done in the city.

In the village, too, everything can work out quite well. Next to Anna’s hut and grandmother. He built a good house.

Together with his wife planted a garden. After the farm Michael planned to develop one more thing to plant an orchard. So that not only apples and cherries grew in it, but also apricots, pears, grapes learned to rattle his garden for the whole region.

And maybe even further. For this, Michael began to study horticulture. For hours he could sit reading special literature.

He even has a huge corner for this in an old shed. It was converted into a study. There was a light, and a chair at the table, and even a stove.

For the period of cold weather, Anna was perplexed about it. Is there not enough space in the house to make an office there? Everything is more comfortable. But Michael laughed in response.

So he is closer to nature, which he studies. He laughed, but Anna asked him not to go into that very shed, saying that he had books and records there. Anna would suddenly start cleaning and confuse everything.

In short, in Michael’s absence, the shed was always locked. The wife was not offended, she understood that it is not necessary to distract her husband from his new ideas. And Michael after the main work all read and read books for gardeners.

Several times went to the nursery of the region for a consultation. He was already halfway to his next dream. He’s even drawn up a plot of land for a future garden.

And everything would have worked out, except for one thing. That tragic evening Michael had a bad backache. During the day he helped the men unload sacks of cement into the cowsheds.

The floor needed a touch-up in one place. The man thought he was just working. He was tired of carrying sacks, and they scolded him.

That’s why he grabs every job. There are hired laborers who get paid for it. Michael just waved him off, saying, how could I not help as fast as I could? All the more rain on the nettles the cement could dip us.

The only side then put an anesthetic cream on my husband’s back, and got ready for the bedroom. Michael said he would work a little longer. I wanted to buy a new combine for the farm, and there was a chance to get into a program where you can do it with benefits.

But you have to gather a lot of documents. So Michael was making sure all the paperwork was in order. You don’t take care of yourself at all.

Anna shook her head. Your work isn’t going anywhere until morning. I’ll just sit here for a while.

Michael smiled weakly and wrinkled his nose. But my back hurts. Let’s go to bed.

I’ll just sit up for half an hour. Her husband promised her, and she left. Then she berated herself for not waiting for Michael.

Maybe she could have helped. But that night she only touched the pillow and fell fast asleep. She was tired, too.

With the house and the library, she had enough on her mind. In the morning, she opened her eyes and a strange anxiety gripped her heart. Michael wasn’t there.

Had he been working all night? Probably fell asleep in the living room on the sofa. What kind of a dream is that? He’d be like a plague all day. She got out of bed, went to the living room.

Michael was lying face down on the floor. At the first second Anna thought that he was sleeping like that. And then she felt as if she had been electrocuted.

It was unnatural. She rushed to her husband and froze. And he was already swinging lice.

They screamed. Then Anna screamed like a woman. Her neighbors heard her, came running, helped her.

Then in the morgue they told her that Michael’s heart was like a rag and was running like an 80-year-old man’s. Why? Why? Because Michael had never complained about his heart, never drank, never smoked, never got nervous over nothing. To which the pathologist reasonably pointed out, he never complained.

That doesn’t mean it didn’t bother him. Yeah, Michael was like that. He didn’t like to listen to his ailments, he gets sick, takes a pill and goes about his business.

He was on fire with his work. So he burned out before his time. Heart attack, heart attack and death.

It wasn’t his back that hurt that night, it was his heart screaming. But they didn’t hear it. Anna just didn’t think it could happen.

City friends came to bury Michael. All the village came other farmers came district leaders, even was all respected Michael, sincerely worried about his departure. That was especially hard for Michael’s parents.

They could not believe that he was gone. After the funeral Anna’s parents began to insist that she return to the city, but she refused. She would not give up Michael’s case of course, she doesn’t know much about it, but she would look into it.

And for that, her husband’s parents were grateful. Farming was more than a business to Michael. It was his baby, and it was sad to wind it down.

Maybe Anna will be able to keep and increase and good name. Michael will continue to be remembered. And so it’s been 40 days.

While the farm was in the field, James, the farm manager, was in charge. He had a lot of experience in farming. He’d grown up in the area, she could count on him.

And yet the woman was only now beginning to realize what a heavy burden she had taken on. Anna stared into the night sky. The thoughts in her head were one sadder than the other and the one above didn’t come off.

A bright star. Interesting, but this time it flew for a particularly long time. Or so I thought.

At least she managed to whisper the cherished words. What women and herself did not immediately realize. And then even collapsed herself.

Why should she do all this now that Michael know? Now she’s alone and all her life will be like this. No one and no one else is needed. The widow never again on this most painful topic to even think.

But her heart couldn’t be stopped. Yes, Anna whispered that night. I want a child.

The star went out. Anna shivered in the cold. What are the temperature swings in August? Hot by day, cold by night.

All right. The main thing is that there will be no frost. It’s still early.

She sighed again, got up and went into the house. She had to go to bed. Tomorrow she had to go to the library and then to the field.

James, though he is good, but she has to get into things herself. Tomorrow, the men go to work. Everything is right.

And there, look, and the wheat with the minimum will come up. A lot of worries. And maybe it’s good.

There is almost no time for sadness. And heavy thoughts recede. But falling asleep, she still sobbed in three streams, remembering her husband.

How much she loved him, and still does. All night they dreamed as if she was rocking the baby. She could even smell the sweet smell of his head.

The baby looked at Anna and smiled, smiled. She woke up with a smile on her lips. She remembered the dream and wondered who was the boy or the girl? She never realized.

But the feeling of maternal happiness still did not pass. As if I really held my own baby in my arms. But who was it? Anna did not know, but only remembered the eyes of the child.

Surprisingly reminiscent of her husband’s eyes. The memory of Michael immediately wiped the smile from her lips. Yes, it was a good dream.

But now it was definitely not redundant anymore. Anna sighed heavily. She got out of bed and settled into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

What’s the point of making it? A cup of coffee and a cheese sandwich. For her alone. That’s all she needed.

In the kitchen, she grabbed the first mug she could find. Her hand froze. It’s the car’s favorite.

And this is the little spoon he always used to hang sugar with. There’s still a little old spoon on it. Inherited from Anna’s grandmother, it’s old, but so memorable.

While the kettle is boiling, the woman sat down on her husband’s former place, or the window pressed this very spoon to her lips and thought. Maybe her parents were right to insist she return to the city. Everything here reminded her of Michael, and that made it so painful and hurtful to realize that she would never see him again, never hear his voice.

The kettle had long since gone off, and for all she sat staring at one point, I’m not going anywhere. Finally, she said loudly, as if someone else could hear her, and reached for the kettle. Yes, life goes on.

And that life is connected with the village. After drinking her coffee, she quickly got ready and ran to the library. Cindy was waiting for her at the closed door.

To her she was going to hand over the files. To be honest, Anna was a little shocked in front of this elderly woman. Cindy had worked in the village school all her life.

For many years she had been the headmaster, a bossy, soft-spoken woman. But at the same time if she spoke, it was always to the point. Cindy was respected by everyone and her opinion was listened to.

For three years, as she took a well-deserved vacation, she did not think to work. And then, Anna decided to leave the library. It was difficult to find a new responsible worker in the village.

But no one wanted to dissuade Anna. Everyone realized that if the farming business folded up, everyone in the village would have a hard time. We had already gone through this stage.

And so the chairman of the village council went to Cindy, with a request to take over the duties of the librarian at least for a year. Cindy thought for a while and agreed. Indeed, who else but her? You can’t leave the people in the village without spiritual food you delay.

Anna, she said, and they instead of greeting. Oh, I’m sorry, Anna replied, out of breath. I didn’t calculate a little time, I overslept a little.

If this is how you will manage our household, it’s not good. For sleep the field does not like. I will take into account, peacefully answered Anna.

She wanted to answer Cindy something harshly. What’s wrong with an ex-principal? Well, he’s got a lot of socializing to do. There was a lot of work to do in the library.

While we checked all the books against the catalog, while we waited for the commission from the district, while we waited for the commission from the district, while we formalized all the necessary paperwork. In short, we got out of that old library. Anna was Cindy.

When the sun was already rolling down, lighting up the red sunset. The livestock had already returned from the fields of trouble. Left mistresses hurried to the barns.

Nodding scoundrels, somewhere a laughter could be heard walking youth. Soon it would descend again that night. I didn’t have time.

I’m in the field today, Anna remarked stably. I hope James himself will quite right himself. That one will do fine, replied Cindy.

Sergei can be relied on. He’s a good agronomist and a good manager. But he still needs an assistant.

He doesn’t know how to work with documents. And he hasn’t learned how to talk to his bosses. He’ll manage.

Cindy looked questioningly at her companion. They were walking along the evening street. The August chill was once again covering the village.

How could it be otherwise? Cindy, I can’t let Michael down. Quietly, she answered. That’s right.

Nodded the former principal now librarian. Then Cindy looked at Anna carefully and added in the softer tone. Honey, why don’t we have some tea? Yes, that’s a good idea.

Anna nodded in confusion. Let’s go to my place. I really don’t have anything prepared.

We’ll think of something. What’s to think of? There is boiling water. That’s good.

Cindy answered cheerfully and smiled slightly. Anna looked at her companion with different eyes. Now she did not seem strict, even stiff.

During this day at work, they had even become friends a little. No, Cindy is not an iron woman. As she was called by many ordinary women in the village.

She smiled kindly, almost like a mother. They went into the house. Anna was fussing in the kitchen.

Cindy in the meantime walked through the rooms. Nice house Michael fixed, noted the guest, going into the kitchen. Everything is so thorough solid.

Well done. And you, and a great hostess. It’s cozy.

Who needs this coziness now? Barely holding back tears, Anna replied. I do not want to be in the house. Everything reminds me of Michael.

Tomorrow, I’ll go to the office at dawn and then to the field. It’s good that you are so eager to take on a new job. But you can’t tear your heart out.

Cindy sat down at the table and looked at her hostess carefully. I know it’s hard. Everything reminds you of your husband now.

But how do you want it to be? Anna looked at the guest in surprise. And she continued. First of all, take away all his things.

Hide it away. Secondly, why is Michael’s picture still in the living room? But that’s how it’s supposed to stay for 40 days. While the soul, they say, says goodbye to home.

It’s been longer than that. Take the picture down. Easy for you to say, Cindy.

Anna exclaimed. How can I? It’s like betraying him. These things are pictures.

The only thing that warms the soul. Nonsense, you say? Cindy frowned. Then grinned sadly.

That’s easy for me to say. Do you know what I had? And then over a cup of tea, the former principal told her story. When I was young, when I was still in the institute, when I studied in the city, I got married for the first time.

She loved her husband to the point of madness. She was expecting a child from him and was about to take a sabbatical leave. For this reason, when disaster struck, her husband was hit by a car.

He died afterward in the hospital. And Cindy had a late-term miscarriage. And after that, the doctor said she was definitely not going to have any more children.

The young woman was devastated. The light faded before the eyes of her beloved Noh, and the meaning of their life was lost forever. Then her mother came and took Cindy to the village.

Here she recovered a little, then graduated from the institute by correspondence, went to work in a school. And then one day in the district center at a teacher’s meeting she met Peter. He taught math in another village.

Young interesting man, colleagues whispered widower. His wife died in childbirth. So he raises his son alone.

The boy is only three years old. Cindy, when she heard about it, she felt sorry for Peter and the baby. She remembered her own story.

After the meeting, they accidentally ran into Peter at the local cookery shop, where Cindy had run in for a cup of tea. They smiled politely at each other. Peter offered to sit next to them at a table.

They talked about professional topics and ate bellyashi. That was the end of their first communication. Then they met a few more times for work, and then Peter came to visit Cindy for the November holidays.

They had a nice time. Cindy’s mom liked Peter very much, and Cindy herself realized that she was attracted to Peter. Anyway, the four of them spent Christmas with Cindy, Peter, his son Kevin, and his mother.

They got married in the spring. And they’ve been together ever since. Cindy and Peter are soulmates.

Kevin from the first days of Cindy mother and calls Cindy became, and he became for her the only and favorite son. It’s been many years now, and all is well with them. Guests in town for a long time a big boss to his parents on holidays, with the whole family comes his wife.

He and two daughters Cindy adores granddaughters, and the arrival of his son is waiting impatiently. You marveled, Anna. I didn’t know you didn’t have a son.

No one ever said anything to me about it in the village. He’s my own. Even though I didn’t give birth to him, Cindy smiled.

They say people because it’s forgotten, I guess. I’ve become a real mom to him. Kosti knows everything, but it doesn’t matter to him.

That’s the way it is. Why did I tell you all this? Anna, you must understand that life doesn’t end with the loss of love. And as she was leaving, Cindy repeated Anna’s phrase, life doesn’t end.

Remember that. As Anna fell asleep, she remembered the words of the wise principal. And in the morning, waking up, she was going to her new job.

James was already in the office. When Anna appeared on the doorstep with the first day of work, Anna smiled old agronomist in the field with me will you go? Or will you stay here? Anna nodded. I want to study the documents.

And James agreed correctly. I can handle the men myself. The paperwork’s harder for me.

You can ask Wendy if you need anything. Wendy is an experienced accountant who has worked in the office for many years. Indeed, during the day, she helped Anna to understand many questions.

But it was still clear. It would not be easy not from the librarian and farm manager to retrain. But the young woman suddenly as a spirit perked up and realized that she will succeed.

After all, around good people who will help if anything. Yes, Michael picked the right people. Anna returned home in the evening….

 

I took my automatic rifle, taking the safety off. The elephant looked at me understandingly without asking questions. We need to go down to the river and then follow the river.

There is less snow there than on the bank. I whispered in the elephant’s ear, as if I was afraid that someone would hear me. You go first.

I’ll cover everybody out. I pulled back the heavy bolt, opened the door and froze. Opposite the hut, with its back to the river stood the blurred morning poem of the corners.

A black cash register, a figure in front with empty eye sockets. In a bonny fist clutched the handle of a knife with a bloody blade. A wave of animal fear swept through my entire body.

Instinctively, I raised my automatic rifle and with a short burst slashed at the creepy creature. To my amazement, I saw that the shots had no effect. The bullets had hit the target.

I saw it clearly, but the figure did not even sway. It continued to stand still and stare at us silently, as if I had fired blanks. Finally, the figure took a step back.

Its outlines gradually began to blur, and soon it disappeared, as if it had vanished into thin air. For some time, we stood like a halt, afraid to move. Why are we standing there? I hissed, coming to my senses.

Let’s go. We moved down the path with a quick step. When I left this strange place, I had to find a way down to the river.

I followed behind, looking carefully around. At some point, I began to think that we were not alone. Someone was following in our footsteps.

I’m not a great tracker, but I noticed the bushes trembling, crackling, twigs behind us. Sometimes, there was a blurred shadow among the trees. I had the impression that the pursuers were not particularly lurking.

We were already dying in the frozen swamps. When a terrible howl sounded ahead, we were deliberately pressed close to the swamp. Cutting off escape routes, we switched to running, trying to break through to the river.

I had already seen the cliff, when from somewhere on the side of the thorny shrubbery covered with snow, a gray shadow rushed at me. The sound, machine gun bursts, cut the silence. It did not reach me.

A huge wolf leaked away. It was unclear if it had hit or not. A shadow flashed again.

I fired without aiming. It squealed pitifully. At that moment, I saw something black and shaggy coming from my left.

I held my breath. I fired again. The beast buried its head in the snow.

There’s the cliff. And that’s when they came at me from behind. Yeah, I didn’t see that coming.

I could hear the beast’s stinking breath on the back of my neck. The wolf tried to grab me by the neck with its teeth, but it was prevented by a thick fur collar. It was impossible to use a machine gun in this situation.

I threw away the now useless weapon and tried to pull out my knife, frantically fumbling around my belt, but could not find the hilt. The teeth of the beast were inevitably approaching my neck, and that’s when I remembered the stiletto. Wrenched it from its sheath on my hip and stabbed it back with all my might, from the bottom to the top.

It hit us squarely between the ribs, and we collapsed to the ground. The wolf wheezed. His grip loosened, and I struggled to get out from under the carcass.

He was still twitching from mushrooms, clawing at the snow, but it was clear he didn’t have long to live. I feared another attack, so I did not hesitate to cut his throat. At that moment, an elephant ran up to me in a bush coat with a torn off sleeve, but since he was breathing heavily, it looked like he had gotten it too.

I picked up the automatic rifle and wiped it with my glove on the snow. A vague thought was going through my head, and then it came to me. Wolves.

They’re so smart. For an ordinary animal. And they were hunting us by the book.

There was a barely audible rustle. A new character appeared in the clearing. Stepping out of the shadows of the trees, the red corners of its eyes cleared at us.

A huge wolf stared intently. The white light of the rising sun was building on his pelt, and it seemed as if the fur was cast with silver. My finger rested on the trigger, but the wolf didn’t attack.

He stood for a while longer, and then turned leisurely and seemed to disappear into the taiga. We were still standing with the elephant, breathing heavily, trying to collect ourselves after the fight, as a ringing dog barking was heard from the river. Three surrounded nart, mated with dogs, were passing us along the frozen river towards Rasdolnoi.

I raised my automatic rifle and fired several times into the air. By evening, we were in Rasdolnoi. The next day, a hitchhiking timber truck delivered us with the elephant to the district center, from where we flew to the capital of the region in an old entou called by the people as a corncob.

Our native city met us with snowfall and cold wind. Despite the bad weather, everything around spoke about the imminent coming of the new year. Multicolored lights on artificial Christmas trees shone festively.

Temptingly, new lights of advertisements were burning. People hurried to buy gifts for their relatives and food for the New Year’s table. It is said that one should never leave the year unfinished.

My elephant and I knew this tradition well and decided to find a customer for our taiga odyssey. We pushed the automata back to Rasdolnoi. A local amateur bought them for a good price.

With this money, we were able to buy tickets home. Everything else, including the knives, we managed to spend in our luggage. There was even enough for a cab from the airport to our temporary haven.

I got there when it was already dark. The lot was snowed in, and there were no tracks to the house in sight. I ballooned over the door.

The key was in place. Soon the stove was humming merrily. I made myself whatever dinner I could from what I found in the refrigerator and sat down in the chair opposite the stove.

Kathy was gone. Judging by the fact that there weren’t any of her things in the room, she’d been gone quite a while. Probably right after we broke up, was I upset.

It was a little sad that nothing is permanent in my life. Sooner or later things leave me. So Kathy left too.

I poured some vodka and pulled out a classic pickle from the bathhouse. Well, be well. Suddenly I remembered my find in the abandoned ranch.

I took the trophy ring out of my jacket pocket and carefully placed it on my palm. Trying to determine its weight, it was clearly a man’s ring. In the old days, silver was always considered a masculine metal, unlike gold, a feminine metal.

I turned on the table lamp and scrutinized the ring. It was a solid ring. No special frills.

An equilateral cross in a circle, obviously without religious connotations. In the center of the cross is a convex circle, similar to the urban. Between the crossbars of the cross is poured in places by sections of time black and red enamel.

In general, it all looked very much like a shield. Most likely it was some symbol, the meaning of which I was not destined to understand. I moved the ring away from my eyes.

It looks beautiful. Will I ever find out how this ring ended up in the hut? Who made it and to whom it belonged? I don’t think it was the man whose remains we found. This ring doesn’t match his supposed appearance.

But who knows? Looks can be deceiving. I couldn’t take my eyes off the ring like I was mesmerized. And somewhere inside me, I suddenly began to feel fear.

I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I couldn’t breathe. My heart was pounding under my throat.

Fear surfaced from its hidden depths and clanny paws enveloped and bound my whole body. I shook my head, trying to pull myself together. And suddenly, as if obeying an unknown force, I put a ring on the ring finger of my right hand.

Immediately it became hot. The heat on my hand went up to my shoulder and spread all over my body. Even more boredom at heart, I began to fall into a bottomless well.

And after a moment, everything disappeared. I was sound asleep. I woke up to a knock on the front door.

I looked at my watch. I turned my head. A strange man stood in the doorway and looked at me curiously.

Hello. Christopher. The man said hello politely.

Yes, it’s an unforgivable mistake. Not locking the door behind you. Intelligence, my ass.

Could have been a nighttime stabbing. Suddenly, I was relieved. They would have wanted to stab him.

I wondered if it was from the customer or someone else. I looked around the room. There was nothing suitable at hand.

If I threw myself at him with my bare hands, he’d shoot me in flight. The man seemed to read my mind, Christopher. You’re in no danger.

You don’t need to kill or maim me. The man smiled. John wants to talk to you.

He’s been here for a long time. Did your grandfather come? Yes, for about a week now. Come on.

Is he expecting you? The stranger continued to stand in the doorway, making no attempt to enter the room. At that moment, his cell phone began to cry in his pocket. The man put it to his ear and listened in silence for a few minutes, then handed it to me.

It’s for you, Christopher. I heard the familiar voice of my grandfather in the phone. Come right away.

We need to talk. Now you know everything. Grandfather looked at me carefully, and his gaze penetrated into my very soul.

He rose from his chair and poured me half a glass of bourbon. I think it’s about time. He set the glass in front of me.

I poured the whiskey into my mouth without even tasting it. What my grandfather had told me shook me to the core. I had never seen such filth and filth in my life.

My whole being protested against the truth, but not to trust the only person I had left close to me. I had no reason to. I’ve been surrounded by betrayal and lies for the last five years.

How stupid do you have to be to ignore the obvious for so long? And there were clues. They were always there, but I didn’t want to see them. Trying to hide in the world I invented, I remembered my wedding with a bride in a white dress with witnesses, all rank and file.

Betty’s surprise at my family’s visit. The joy of the lavish gifts. It’s too fake, too artificial.

Betty knew about the apartment and the car. She knew in advance and skillfully played up the joy and surprise. First lie.

Then it became a habit. My long and frequent business trips. Her love affair with Steven.

And then my father. The family mix. And she seemed to enjoy it.

A wife for everyone. Except for the baby. It was a mix-up.

An unplanned pregnancy. Could have been from her twin brother. No DNA test can tell.

Who’s the father? No. I got pregnant by my ex-father’s horny brood of a father. So the DNA test in court proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the child was not mine.

And I was blindsided. I mean, it was clear it wasn’t Steven’s either. Who knew, you ask? Everyone but me.

And mom knew everything. Nothing was hidden from her. She knew and kept quiet.

She was afraid of her husband. Or she disliked her own son so much. How can you love one and hate the other so much? Betty, I can understand.

What am I? A pauper. An outcast. And Steven is the heir to a vast empire.

Rich and successful. There’s nothing to be gained by living with me. A shameful life of misery and misery.

On the other hand, my husband’s rich brother and father-in-law. That’s where a child comes in handy. Tie it to you tightly and enjoy life.

What about love? Come on. We’re grown-up girls. More money, more love.

I looked longingly at my grandfather. God, what am I still pouring it all in for? My companion showed no emotion. I nodded.

One glass wasn’t enough. I remembered Kathy. And there’s the lie.

The failed kidnapping and the beating. The fake love and the passionate breakup. And there I fell for it.

I believed it. Oh, right. The savior’s a romantic asshole.

She listened to me talking to the elephant and leaked everything. And they got confused. They made up a tale about a stolen daughter and lustful kidnappers.

The daughter was played by a fellow craftswoman. Yes, it was clearly visible at the camp. A mix is a mix in the Tega.

I didn’t notice anything. Batman. I remembered when Kathy was taken in an alley in Yalta.

Very natural. It was painful, but gentle. Yes, Kathy was genuinely in love, but not with me with money.

I wonder if he ever slept with her. Probably not. It wasn’t his style to get involved with a trivial war.

It was all set up from the start. Except for the evil Tega creature and the wolves out there in the Tega. I was supposed to disappear forever, without a trace.

No man, no problem. I remembered Camille’s attentive gaze at our meeting in the restaurant. And his face was vaguely familiar to me.

He’d missed the clue, too. And he was a scout, too. Thank God the elephant was real.

Otherwise, I’d hang myself. I sat there trying to figure out what to do with all this. I felt like I was burning out inside.

The door clicked and a young woman entered the office. She walked through the office and stopped behind my grandfather’s back. I looked questioningly into his eyes.

Decide for yourself. My grandfather seemed to read my mind. There’s a board meeting in half an hour.

I think your presence is necessary. The owner and CEO of the steel mill stood up. Camille will help you pick out a suitable suit.

Grandfather kissed his assistant’s hand, showing me more than just a working relationship. Are you going to put me on the board of directors? To be honest, I was a little puzzled. Instead of who? You have no idea.

Grandpa smiled for the first time in our conversation. It’s for me. Did you decide to push your favorite grandson into a cushy position? I answered cheekily.

That, too. But not only that. Your father and your brother have been stealing.

They opened fake accounts and transferred the company’s money there. Good thing we managed to block their access to the main cash funds. Grandpa looked at his assistant.

I stood up and headed for the door. The suit was picked up quickly. I put on a cream vivid shirt under my jacket and tied a dark blue tie.

I stopped in front of the mirror. A glamorous office clerk looked back at me. Only the unusual ring on my right hand gave my image some mysterious individuality.

In the hallway in front of the door leading to the small conference room, Stephen was excitedly circling. What do you want here? He hissed when he saw me. But I saw him in time.

A glimpse. The disappointment in his eyes. Well, of course.

It wasn’t like I’d perished in the tega. Unpleasant surprise. Camille ignored Stephen’s hiss and opened the door.

Come in, Christopher. Everyone was already assembled. No one knew me.

So many looked at me in surprise, confused by the table. Grandfather got up from his seat and took a few steps towards me. Gentlemen, let me introduce you to my grandson, Christopher.

Have a seat. Grandfather pointed me to a vacant seat at the large round table and sat down in the chairman’s chair again. I have a question.

I heard my former father’s voice. Why is there an outsider present at the board of directors? Indeed, the grandfather was not embarrassed. But we will correct this mistake now.

Standing behind grandfather’s chair, a young man put a blue folder and a pen on the table. This is a notarized document on the transfer of 51 percent of the shares of the concern to my grandson. The grandfather signed the document in front of him.

Gentlemen, he continued. I propose to introduce Mr. Christopher to the board of directors of the company. The members of the board raised their hands in unison.

One moment, gentlemen. My former father raised his voice. The number of members of the board is always constant and cannot change.

According to the rules contained in the charter of the company, we cannot introduce a new person at this time. Indeed, smiled my grandfather. I propose to remove Mr. Sebastian from the board.

I was sitting in a deep armchair behind a huge table on a leather sofa to the right of the table. It’s a little early for you to take over the reins of the company, isn’t it? And I’m still in my right mind. Grandpa laughed.

There was a knock at the door. Camille put a plate of fruit and a bottle of cognac on the coffee table. Camille, stay grandfather, looked at his assistant.

She smiled and sat down on the edge of the sofa. To be honest, I was a bit tense about the relationship between my grandfather and his assistant. Who is she, his mistress? That was the first thing that came to mind when looking at their relationship.

But isn’t she a little young for my grandfather? It was as if my grandfather read my mind. Camille is the daughter of an old friend of mine. He died tragically with his wife.

A quarter of a century ago, Camille was taken away to a boarding school. Grandfather stroked the young woman’s hand affectionately. I tracked her down, took her in and adopted her.

She’s been with me ever since. I was a little taken aback. Camille looked at me and blushed.

Young man, this is not silver. The old jeweler pursed his lips. It’s platinum.

I must tell you the ring is very old, but you understand me. See for yourself. Boris Izakovich handed me the lupa.

I trust you completely. I politely put the instrument on the table. Can you give me an approximate time of manufacture? Well, early 17th century.

That’s when rings like this were becoming fashionable. It was made by a good jeweler. Fine workmanship.

By the way, the enamel is English of the period. So your ring was made in Europe, England or Scotland, most likely. I’d like to know who it belonged to and how it ended up in eastern Siberia.

I asked and put the ring on my finger. Alas, I do not know that. The old jeweler spread his hands.

Well, are you ready? I looked at the elephant quite. When the car, the elephant finished shooing. At that moment, the cell phone rang.

The helicopter made a circle over its cold waters and began to descend to the rocky shore. The rotating blade swayed the tops of the spruce and pine trees growing along the shore. I was the first to jump on the ground.

Then I took my wife in my arms. She flatly refused to let me go alone. The elephant handed me backpacks and weapons, waved to the pilot and jumped out onto the rocky beach.

The helicopter hovered over the shore for a while, then went sharply upward and rushed along the river. Soon the sound of its engine faded around a corner and a motor slipped out of nowhere. It turned toward the shore and soon jabbed its nose into the coastal sand.

A man sitting in the stern jumped into the water and pulled the boat to shore. Good afternoon. How did you get here? He smiled welcomingly.

We shook hands and began to load the equipment. Well, let’s go. I hugged and kissed Camille.