Were - There were ancient Russians.

музыка: 'return то innocence' enigma.rmx
    от: Mik .ascii copy. 18-feb-2002



(с)Александр ЧерноБровкин



            CKOMOPOX.

                 Рассказ

  Древнийprincely mansion, surrounded by va-
a crowbar with a high tine stood on the edge, it looked like
on the Ram's Skull hill and overhung
road and the outskirts of the village into which she
la, and from the strict, oppressive greatness of the
the darkening walls of the Towers wafted with a menacing force
and fair, but with more careful
look - not because of the fang-like
There are logs, or because of the narrow loopholes and
especially the windows, as if they had been cut in a hurry
located in an already constructed building, not due to
bright green moss spots on the roof - appeared
I had the feeling that I was seeing a deception: from the outside
strong, but rotten or wormy inside.
  “A nest of vipers,” pronounced the verdict of the
morokh - A cheerful old man of short stature with
flexible, youthful body and with rare red hair
with a woolly mustache, dressed in a faded shirt and
ports sewn from multi-colored scraps, and
a pointed cloth hat, almost new.
  - Why, grandfather?  - asked a boy aged
ten, freckled, dirty and for a long time
uncut hair, also reddish,
but still thick.  Having caught up with his grandfather, he went
slower, dragging, as if gliding on
skiing, bare feet, ankle deep drowning
in soft warm gray dust. - Why? -
he repeated the question and looked back at the tower.
  “God knows,” answered the buffoon,
adjusting the straps of the bag on the shoulders, the armor
noi-repatched, as if altered from sop-
the tearing of the owner's old shirt. - Sometimes
you don't see with your mind,but with the heart, and it is near-
somehow, the root has poor vision. Let's go faster:
people will leave the Bazaar, nothing will be contaminated
We're nerding.
  The village was not poor, but somehow un-
well-trodden, as if the owners knew that soon
will leave the yards, go to seek happiness in
other places. However, sleepy and as if
some people, like autumn flies, wandered
through the streets with such laziness and indifference,
that it was difficult to believe that they would decide to
such a desperate and difficult task
bye, they'll probably get stuck in the cracks and somehow
will survive the bad times. Dogs and those for-
having marked strangers, did not rush at them with
barking, but they trotted out, tails between their legs, towards the weather
that one on the edge of the village.
  On Market Square, where people gather
there were a lot of elk, It was not that quiet, but also
Ordinary - loud and cheerful - polyphonic -
no one was heard, not even cattle and birds,
put up for sale, not particularly discreet
whether.  On the porch of a large, well-kept church
only one beggar was sitting, apparently deaf-blind.
dumb because he didn't move when
An angry, ill woman hurriedly, as if she were afraid,
was afraid that someone would notice, threw a coin
that one in the hat, but missed, and a penny with
fell with a ringing sound at God’s feet.
  So the coin would remain lying at my feet
beggar, if the buffoon had not raised her and
put it in my hat. The cripple nodded gratefully
head, long hair jumped, exposing
Cropped ears andstaring straight ahead
Empty eye sockets. Confident and Safe-
Sideways, as if I saw the donor, crossed him
the beggar buffoon mumbled something widely
opening her tongueless mouth and exposing her blackened
bare, bare gums, only the teeth were dry
injured.
  - Do not bring it, Lord! - crossed -
sitting, the buffoon wished for himself and went to
the far end of the Market Square, where about
carts guarded by boys, there was no
There is a wide platform.
 The buffoon took off the bag, took out the pity from it -
ku and four multi-colored balls made of horse-
th hair. Standing up on the whitened, licked
rains stone, the grandfather blew out of the pitiful
how many ringing, cheerful trills and shouted
In a cheerful voice:
  - Hey, hey, honest people! Come, don't ro-
Hit, get ready quickly!  We will sing for you and
Let's dance and show something like that, stretch your mouth
to the ears and a sparrow will fly into it!..
  The grandson did the cartwheel several times
jumped up, somersaulting over his head
woo.  His thin body, as if woven from
willow twigs, flexible and light, as if from
gust of wind bent backwards, reaching
kami and head to the morning earth,
stood on them and tumbled again, like
avoiding the tumbleweeds driven by the Storm.
  The boys ran away first.  Shoving
dirty fingers in slightly open mouths, they
looked at their peer with admiration,
so dexterous and lively. I’ll pull them up
adults arrived, stopped a little further away and
looked with slight disdain: eka innocent
far!
  The buffoon took four balls, and they said...
but they themselves tumbled over his
flying, flying up now higher, now lower, or using
chasing behind the old man's back, and appearing
from under a raised leg, or falling like
Even in the neckline of a shirt, and flying out from behind the back
us. The grandson stopped jumping and also took out
sacks three balls that swirled above
his head is a little faster than his grandfather's.
Sometimes the grandfather and grandson exchanged balls, and
the boy had either three red ones or
two blue and two black, then two red and
black.
  Five young men came out of the church in
ro-brown kaftans, which made them resemble
kites.  The whole flock they came upon, as if on
wounded partridge waved at a beggar
whips.  The people in the square retreated from
porch, huddled more closely near the platform where
grandfather and grandson worked. Leisurely from the church
a burly man with a gray head and Bo-
Roda, dressed in a bright red satin fe-
mud with gold buttons. He turned around
and crossed himself, looking at the dome of the church.
The movements were sedate, strict, in them there was an
I had a habit of dominating. He unfolded
turned his face to the square, looked around it, paused
leaned on the buffoon, towering on the head
woo above the crowd, on colorful balls,
flying up. Softened by prayers
the face is notchanged its expression, but
the look hardened and, as if lashed by the older
good fellow, tall and rosy-cheeked, with
the tips of the mustache bent upward. That one
bowed his head, then said briefly
something to two other fellows and, having separated
from the procession, which is led by her husband in
the feryazi headed towards the mansion, walked unhurriedly
Sha, rudely pushing people into the distant co-
netz of Market Square, to the buffoon.
  Grandfather understood the silent conversation of the owner and
servants and also Silently, with only their eyes,
ordered the boy to finish the show
tion.  Now all seven balls are in
old man, and the grandson, As if fooling around, tore off
cap on his head and walked in a circle, calling
asking the audience to pay whatever they can.
Either not wanting to part with the money, then
either frightened by the approach of the “kites”, then
There is no other reason why, but people began to quickly spend
to dance, only a few people hurriedly,
as they walked, they threw a copper into their hat.
  The senior servant turned White-Bry's ear
the boy who happened to be in his way was suspected
went to the buffoon, glanced a little at the old man
Rick and how would you give yourself time to fill up?
anger, because the cheeks are bright red
became Brown. With a short wave of his whip, he
hit the buffoon on the hands and, when the balls
fell to the ground, neighed merrily. Echoing
The two henchmen also laughed at him.
  - Why are you seducing people, distracting-
you're leaving church, huh?! -simultaneously with anger
the senior servant asked mockingly. -
Instead of atonement for sins, they
They hang around here, watching the demonic games!
  Two younger servants walked around the buffoon with Bo-
kov, stopped, playing with their whips,
waiting for the elder to have some fun
ideas and will give a sign to get down to business.
They did not seem to notice the boy who
He crawled at their feet, collecting balls.
  - Are you Godless? Well, say cross!
  The buffoon took out a copper chair from his bosom.
teak on linen gaitan, raised to the level
the eye of the senior servant and, constantly looking into
them, spoke monotonously and drawlingly
vowels:
  - Look. Look carefully. Right here.
B crosshair.  - He moved the cross slightly
to the left - the heads of all three "kites" turned
turned in that direction, moved the cross a little
to the right - heads turned there. -V-
do you think?  The cross is true, consecrated. Not Without-
I am God.  - The old man shook his cross
down and up - and the “kites” shook their heads -
we definitely agree with him. -You've already finished-
flattered me with his whip. He threatened to kill him if he
Am I not going to leave the village? You can come back
to the owner and report that the order has been fulfilled.
Understood?
  “Yeah,” barely audibly moving your tongue, you-
said the senior servant.
  The buffoon put the cross in his bosom and quietly,
but said imperiously:
  - Take your henchmen and go to the tower, - and
He added loudly: “Go!”The senior servant shuddered as if from a slap.
ranks, and stared in surprise at the old man,
unable to understand where he came from here
buffoon.
  “Go,” the grandfather repeated in a whisper and closed
face with hands, as if he had just received a punch
him with a whip.
  “Go,” repeated the senior “kite,”
I told my assistants with a whip that they should follow
followed him, and waddled, lazily went to the prince
the same mansion.
  - Ek, he's fucking you, Hero! - sympathized
buffoon, a little little man, from whom
the horn smelled of mead a mile away. - I'm glad you-
puddle, you mangy dog!
  The buffoon dropped his hands, and the little man was replaced by
Til that there are no marks from the whip on the face, and
he grimaced in confusion. Tugging the ragged
A beard so disheveled, as if
they just dragged her for it, the man made
said in a less angry tone:
  - This one is nothing: not too zealous,
pity knows. If he did not serve the thiun, the golden
that person would be. - He pulled again
Beard.  - This is our tiun - this one is truly
Bloodthirsty echidna!  The face is righteous,
in business - the spawn of Satan.
  - Why don’t you complain to the prince?
  - They hit the tiun with their foreheads - what's the point? - Husbands-
Chonka scratched the bottom of his chin. - Tiun so
turned that man and turned out to be vi-
new.  The prince left and drove them away from the world.
Apparently, God punished us with this for our sins
brat. - He crossed himself and went to the -
the row where they sold honey.The boy gave his grandfather five coins - two ko-
peikas and three half-kopecks - and said Bez
About Grievances:
  - And they drive me away from here.
  - That’s why they have free bread: freely and
To be left without bread, - with a feigned Bod -
the buffoon said with stature.  - Well, let's go
continue to seek happiness.
  They bought two rolls and a bowl of baked goods
milk, which they ate immediately, returning the dish
dina trader - a thin and stooped old woman with
crooked nose. After walking between the rows,
Rokh was asking the price of various goods,
bargained and even persuaded the stupid mu-
Zhika sell the chick for half a ruble, and when
the time has come to hit hands, the ve-
village Those who piqued their curiosity also laughed.
di watched the bargaining, and began to joke -
over a man, although before that he accepts
was everything taken seriously and even advised
don't pay so much.
  From the Market Square the buffoon and the boy
went out onto the street along which we got to the village
lo. Ahead there were three "corks" turning towards the castle.
shuna". Apparently it was because of them that the street was empty.
tsa. Only the shaggy dog lay in the shadow of the cat
the log house and looked with fear
on strangers. In the yard opposite the well with a noise-
Then the gates opened, and the dog, tucking
tail and ears, darted into the bushes.
  A black and brown Bull flew out of the gate,
broad-chested, with bloodshot eyes, and
with a broken left horn. It stuck out in the nostril
ring from which hung a piece of thick
chains.
  From the yarda man's cry was heard,
quite angry and scared:
  - Stop, damn seed! Wait, who's talking?
ryat!
  The bull shook his head, stamped his hoof and,
bowing his head and dragging a piece of chain along
road, I liked my grandfather and grandson. It seemed
there is no force in the world that can stop
twist this block.
  The buffoon threw the bag off his shoulders and stuck it
to the boy and blocked him with himself. Deeply
sighing, he stared into the Bull's eyes,
Big and red and black, and everyone's tense
body as if it had already encountered a
crowing animals.  Literally a fathom from
man The bull seemed to run into a strong
OAK FENCE froze in place and angrily
Beat with his hooves and shook his head and chain,
raising gray dust. The buffoon tilted his
catch to the left shoulder - and the Bull tilted his head
wu, but to the right; the man tilted to the right
vom - the animal mirrored his movement;
then the old man sharply threw back his head, Bud-
then from a blow to the back of the head - Bull tried
repeat, but failed and immediately went limp and became
appear shorter and thinner. Human hand
sat down on the Broken Horn and led the way
root animal to the open gate, in
whom a barefoot man in a rube stood with a whip
heh let out and looked at the Bull with suspicion
as if they wanted to foist someone else's on him
cattle instead of his own. Released
buffoon, the Bull walked to the far end
farmsteads andstopped at the post on which
rum hung a piece of chain and, quiet and obedient,
I was waiting for them to pin it in a new way. Waking up-
the owner quickly ran up to him and
did it quickly.
  - He's back, damn seed, - with love
- the man said, - he didn’t have time to get to Bedoku -
rit.
  - And often does he break down? - asked skomo-
roh.
  - Often. And such a robber: two people
the catcher has already crippled, but how much goodness has been transferred
broke - countless! Completely ruined me!
  - I would sell it or kill it.
  - Sell - no one buys, they know him
nobility, but he doesn’t raise his hand to score:
“He loves me painfully,” the owner complained.
in-man scratching the Bull behind the ear, Big
and overgrown with long thick hair.
  The buffoon nodded his head sympathetically and,
remembering something, he stared at the owner of the Bull
with a steady, hard gaze. Man oB-
softly, his eyes grew salty, and his legs bent
stood as if it were about to fall.
  - The chain is a bit thin, it needs to be changed, -
the buffoon said monotonously and drawlingly
vowels.  - Okay, next Sunday
I'll change it.  When the church service ends,
tiun will pass by my yard,
Then I will repent of the Bull to change the chain.
I repent, and the Bull will break out, the damn seed. A
let him run!  I'll pay the blame again -
total business. But tiuna is scary. Feryaz on
red tiune - oh, how the Bull won’t like it!
Paccbupeneet!  Let him grow fierce. I'm not the one who
I’ll be new, butBull... It's not my fault I will...
Not me... Next Sunday, after...
Matins... After Matins.
  The buffoon held his hand in front of the man's face
ka, As if he wiped a foggy window, and others
in a loud and sad voice he said:
  - So, you say, there is no milk for sale,
the hostess took everything to the Bazaar?
  “No,” the man quickly confirmed and
looked at the buffoon in surprise, as if he
appeared from underground.
  “No, no,” the old man threw up his hands and
turned to the boy: - Let's go to the neighbors
Let's ask.
  The owner of the Bull accompanied them to the gate and
stood there for a long time, looking after the old man and
boy and trying to remember something very
important.

              * K O H E C *