for you.
– I know. But go alone before it’s too late. And don’t forget about the grave.
– I remember. But I do not know the name of the deceased. How will I erect a monument?
– Konstantin. My name is Konstantin. I looked around and saw him. How so. You did not leave with everyone.
– As you can see, no. Friends do not leave their friends. You need to hurry along with your grandmother. Otherwise, it is about to start, and even I cannot help you. I have an unmarked grave, and that gives me an advantage. I can disappear for a short time. However, not at all.
I looked pleadingly at my grandmother. She made hesitant movements in my direction. As soon as she made them, an earthquake immediately began. The clearing began to shudder.
– Your tears will not help you. You will all stay here forever. It is here, even without its place here. We have completely lost our fear. The three of us froze in fear. My heart was jumping out of my chest, and it seemed to me that I could hear it pounding.
– What now? I whispered faintly.
– You look like your friend who was always whining. I told you everything would be fine. I looked up hopefully, hoping to see the sky and pray. Yes, yes, to pray. For the first time in my life, I wanted to do it, but the sky was not visible, instead there was darkness, and the black sun was shining above us. I sat down on my knees and began to pray. I did not even know who or what I believed in anymore. However, I prayed hard.
The earthquake intensified, I felt myself staggering from side to side. I sat and held on to the ground with my hands.
– That is what you made her angry. I have never seen her like this.
– «You should have run when I told you to. You would have been saved.
– «I’m not a coward. I will take you with me.
– You should be proud of your grandson. The grandmother looked in his direction and said nothing.
I felt like my strength was leaving me, and I was about to pass out. I was familiar with this state. I have already studied it during my stay in the underworld. I understood that I was going to fall into unconsciousness and then it would be too late.
– We need to distract her. Let him crawl to the tree, I heard him say these words to my grandmother. They both went to the oak tree and wrapped their arms around it to form a ring. It turned out to be a vicious circle. This enraged Mara and she went there herself, in person.
– What are you doing here? What do you think I cannot handle you? A gang of servants. You will serve me until the end of your days. Her eyes were sparkling, and she directed the blizzard towards the oak tree. Nevertheless, to my surprise, the oak could not freeze. I was amazed by what was happening. How is this possible? There is a defense against her charms.
It turned into a blizzard and began to circle over them. I took advantage of this and approached them. They took me into their ring, and I began to wait for a wonderful return home. The ghost looked at the grandmother, and she looked at him approvingly. They opened their hands, and I stayed. As soon as they moved away from the oak tree, Mara threw my grandmother away and she fell to the icy floor. Everything was covered with ice again, except the oak. She was lying on the bare ice. Her soul regained the body of a young girl. She lay still.
– It is time. The ghost shouted. Take it and bring it here. I picked her up and went. Mara attempted to make me fall. But I resisted, and held my burden tightly. The appearance of Koshchei caused me panic. I realized that I could not cope. – You can handle it. Bring it faster.
Mara cast an evil glance in the direction of her husband. – I will deal with them myself. These are my uninvited guests. Koschei disappeared, and I quickened my pace. I did not have time to reach it and dropped it at the feet of the magic tree. I knelt down next to her, took her icy hand and began to kiss her.
– I miss your fairy tales so much. I said, and a tear rolled out of my eye. As soon as this happened, the body of my young grandmother began to disperse into microparticles of light and disappear. She seemed to evaporate. – What is going on?
– Your grandmother is leaving this world. And goes into another dimension. You saved her, just as if you dreamed! Congratulations!
– What will happen to her?
– Well, either she will get into the bright Iriy, or be born again. Mara was furious. In addition, she walked towards me. – Hug the oak tree and think about the good.
– And you?
– I will take your grandmother’s place.
– How do you understand this?
– It means that I am staying here instead of your grandmother. I will serve Mara. In addition, you will seal the entrance to the underworld. Moreover, everything will stop.
– I cannot leave you here. You are my friend now.
– You cannot save all the inhabitants of the kingdom of darkness. It is impossible. Go. You have been here too long. Your goal has been achieved. Your friends were not supposed to be here. You have done many things. It is time for you, there’s no time left at all. Goodbye.
I hugged the tree like the first time I was here. In addition, at that moment, a tear rolled out of my eye. However, she was no longer there, but here in this world. – It turns out that love actually saves the world. In addition, the kingdom of darkness is the kingdom of darkness, and there is no place for love and tears.
– Maybe it is. But your tears have melted even the underworld. See how it happens.
– I myself was surprised that tears can help grief. Maybe it is something else, not tears. She was furious when her tears touched the ice.
– Maybe it is from the heat. If the tears are sincere, then they are hot, and the underworld is beating with warmth and light. Tears drown the ice. What happened then?
– Then I found myself in the same place in the cemetery. I was half-naked, and I started freezing instantly. It was bitterly cold outside. I ran to get warm. I was haunted by the thought that she could overtake me and I would go back to hell. I ran out of the cemetery and went to meet the cars. I tried to stop the ride, but they all drove by thinking I was crazy. One of the cars stopped, and I explained everything by saying that I was not a local and got lost in the cemetery. They gave me a ride to my friend’s house, and I went into the apartment.
– Did your friends recognize you right away?
– They did not say anything. And I didn’t feel anything. It is possible that nothing happened. Our meeting with Mara was not the last.
– How not the last?
– All the most interesting things will be ahead. My friend looked at me with surprise. We went out into the corridor to walk and smoke, although it was forbidden. But everyone who could not do without cigarettes did it. – My friends will install a fence and a monument tomorrow. And the passage for the living to the world of the dead will be closed. When I crossed the threshold of the apartment, I did not know what to say to my friends. I did not know if it was true or not. Alternatively, I am actually frozen and lost. To be honest, remembering those events, I remember that I was tired. I am tired of running around the cemetery, the underworld and thinking is it true or not.
– And we wanted to go look for you. Just don’t know where? In the cemetery? On the other hand, to hell! These words were uttered with such a laugh that I was not pleased. From their ridicule, I realized that it was all true.
– We were lucky. Our souls were not cleaned up.
– Don’t get excited ahead of time. First, you need to close the