"I followed the constable out into the hallway giving Katiya a few last private moments alone with Ivan. I asked him if he was able to tell me anything more about what had happened. He moved closer and spoke to me in a subdued voice. He told me that my brother's body had been found alongside a train crossing just a short way out of town. I knew the crossing well. There was a trestle there that spanned the river. A dirt road crossed the tracks immediately at the end of the bridge. We had walked that road many times as children to fish in a bend in the river a short distance downstream. He said that it appeared that Ivan had been struck by a train but would keep me informed of what they discovered. I thanked him and shook his hand." "By the time that we left the hospital that morning, it had turned grey" muttered Dimitri. I had to ask Katiya where she lived. She sat there in the front seat of my car and without turning towards me she said, "Beremki". “She said that they had lived there for almost six years. I thought ruefully to myself, my brother, living in a neighboring village only a few kilometers away, and me, unaware, for all this time. She told me that it was Ivan's idea to move there. He had become aware that his parents were not well and held out hope that they could reconcile but, all his overtures had been rebuffed. She told me how difficult it was for Ivan when he learned that both of his parents were gone, and with that, any possibility of a healing. It was true Boris. Our mother and father had been admitted to a local care facility for the impoverished. They had become....how should I say....mentally enfeebled. Every week I would visit them but at some point they didn't even recognize who I was. They appeared happy when I would visit...to the very end quoting scripture and prophetic events with a faraway look in their eyes...taking my hand and babbling on about the "last days" and "paradise". Unknown to us, they had signed documents giving everything they possessed to the "Council". One day, two members of their "Acquisition Department" arrived and liquidated everything. The house, their vehicle, the furniture, everything. When my mother and father passed, I was left to care for the expenses. When we arrived at Katiya's home, I was struck with how beautiful it was. Ivan had made a wonderful home. I struggled to conceal a wry smile when I thought how we had been conditioned to believe that those who left the "path" would become like senseless animals. I walked her to the door and as we stood there on the stoop, in the rain, I fumbled with what to say. I tried to express how sorry I was but I just felt so culpable. I asked Katiya if my wife and I would be welcomed to visit. I'll never forget how she reacted Boris. She took both of my hands in hers and said, "Of course Dimitri...we are family". I embraced her, turned and walked back down the drive. It's difficult for me to tell you Boris, what my feelings were as I drove home. Everything came crashing in on me at that moment. I had to pull the car over to compose myself. By the time that I pulled into our drive, the wipers could barely keep up with the rain that was falling. A cold rain falling from a darkened sky. I thought how appropriate for what had transpired that morning."

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........to be continued