Approaching the farming village, or the main hamlet of it at least, where all the other workers seemed to be living, we found ourselves partial to a greeting party. Two men and two women, while the first man and woman pair seemed normal with dark hair, tanned skin from working the fields and dark eyes the other pair weren’t much different on first glance- this was until you took into account the large pair of Bull horns growing from the man's head along with a somewhat cow like ears as well as tails that swayed behind him. The same could be said for the woman, she had similar ears and a tail, though no horns.
The pair with animal features seemed somewhat larger and more naturally muscled as well, as for the normal looking pair they might have fit in well amongst any farm in the world.
It was the women who waved with wide smiles and open dispositions greeting us happily while their partners looked on brutishly with weary eyes of men who had seen what a vagabond could turn a town into if they were allowed free reign.
I held my expression reserved and neutral as I enjoyed a long drag of the Prima, blowing smoke out over my left shoulder away from the spirit riding my back with her chin resting on my right shoulder.
Setting Ivanovich’s pack down where I stood I waited for them to arrive, I didn’t wish to impose on their boundaries and appear hostile.
Stopping a few metres from me it was the tailed woman who greeted me first-
“Good evening friend! How’re you doing?” She asked in a warm mature voice.
Now that they all stood so close it became apparent to me how well fed the farmers were, the women were not only well endowed but had full healthy figures, as for the men while the non bull horned man wasn’t as large as his peer he was still a stocky man. They all dressed in worn knee length tunics and simple ankle length dresses in the womens cases, the men wore brownish tinted green shirts and the womens dresses were a light-bluish colour. As well they all wore shoes made from leather hides.
“I am Illya, this is Sveta.” I introduced myself. “We are looking for a place to sleep if you will have us?” My forwardness caused a silent stir between them, not expecting my forthwith reply.
Perhaps they expected something else?
A moment of silence passed before the cow-woman responded.
“Ah! Well we would be happy to accommodate you, Mister Illya! And sweet Sveta! I am Miriam and this is my Husband; Jun.” She motioned to the normal man and not the horned one as I had thought she would.
The Bull horned man introduced himself and his wife next. “I am Maor, this my wife Henrietta.” he motioned to the human woman who smiled happily.
“Where was it you said you had come in from?” Henrietta asked, raising a dark eyebrow as she stepped forward.
“Sveta and I have arrived here from a village that was destroyed, all the inhabitants were slain- it was a day's travel along this road back the way we came.” I answered flatly, the didn’t seem all that surprised by my words.
“Your bags? Why are they covered in blood? And what is with your clothing? It's so foreign and unnatural” The normal woman's questions drew blank thoughts from me.
“I found this bag amongst the dead, it was a friend’s and so I made sure it wasn’t wasted.” My answer barely seemed to satisfy the woman as she only seemed to raise her brow higher.
She turned to her fellows and exchanged looks before speaking in hushed tones with them, of them it was Miriam and Maor who seemed the most accepting of my explanations and the pair managed to convince their partners of trusting my words.
With a sigh the huddled conversation broke off with the cow-woman giddily jumping in front of the other woman to say-
“Welcome to Grennich Illya and Sveta! I hope you find our hospitality to your liking!” She nearly shouted in excitement, almost turning away to lead us along before realising she’d forgotten to say something more. “If you’re hungry we’re about to treat ourselves to an early dinner! You’re welcome to join us!”
Her bright demeanour and somewhat flamboyant means of expressing herself was endearing and I would never turn down food, nor would my companion for that matter as she fervently nodded her head into my back. Taking the hint I followed after the four as they turned and began walking back, picking up the pack I had set down I lagged behind a little as Maor asked a question to me.
“You are a wandering soldier?” He queried and continued when I decided to nod my head agreeing with the idea in its most literal sense. “Then you are familiar with the Barivans whose carnage you witnessed?”
I shook my head, my face becoming a frown.
“I am from another land.” came my answer after a long pause of thought. “If there are people who so violently lay waste wherever they land, shouldn’t there be people fighting to stop them?”
My question earned a shake of the horned man's head. “They are a wandering tribe of cutthroat murderers that only seek those places not guarded by Angels.”
“Angels?” I questioned and the man didn’t answer with words instead he turned and pointed.
In the centre of the village was a large painted marble statue of a fierce looking winged woman wearing knights armour with her hands placed on the hilt of a sword that was driven down into the stone slate she stood atop.
The angel's face was the picture of serenity, calm and yet inviting and warm in a manner that made me loose near all of the tension in my body for a moment.
As he’d pointed to it, Miriam had stepped back to speak with the girl on my back easily managing to convince my ward there was food to be had with her-
just as the wind blows a child yearns for more to eat
Climbing down from her spot the young ghost jumped into the arms of the plump woman hugging her tightly as she was carried off. I kept my eyes on them as they left, finishing my cigarette by dropping it to the dirt path and pressing it into the ground.
“What do you plan to do with her?” Asked the normal man, Jun, his wife having absconded with my charge he stayed behind with the other man as Henrietta also left.
“Find her a home, I arrived here with my comrades who are now lost, I do not know where they have gone and so I shall find her a home as I search for them.” My reply comes easily as I hold my gaze on the rescinding forms of the women and the girl.
“And if you cannot?” Posed Maor.
“I will take such things when they come.”
Over the course of a single meal with the married couple Sveta and I became part of the extended family of the pair with only a few words from myself and many from the wife as she managed to elicit more than yawns and sombre nods from the pale girl. In any case we were offered not only accommodation but meals with the caveat that I share my body for labour with the husband during the day, the wife offering to spend her time teaching Sveta anything she was unfamiliar with.
Thankful for their hospitality I accepted their terms looking forward to not carrying the easily eighty or ninety kilograms of equipment, my father said it best after he returned from Afghan-
No such thing as Dogs in war, only Mules, Cattle and the dead.
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I was never one for dreams and especially not when we were at war and so it was immediately obvious to me that I was having one.
“You first Khorkov.” Maksym said, pushing on my back with the butt of his rifle, my eyes locked onto the hatch doors that went down into the basement of the blown out stone tower.
Taking in a deep breath I released it as I gripped the handle of the door with my left hand holding my gun with it but pressed into my shoulder as I ripped it open pleading to any and all goodwill I had with God to keep me from being shot.
With a loud clank and crash of steel hitting the side as the door swung open I quickly gripped the front of my rifle with my left hand as Maksym appeared at my shoulder ready to provide support. Looking down the dark stairway my heart drummed in my chest loud as any armoured carries gun, my shoulders slunk as I took the first step down hearing the sound of my footfalls echoing on the stone walls.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
It was only ten steps before we reached the bottom.
“What in God’s name…” The words left my mouth as my eyes transfixed on the butchering in front of me.
“What do you-” Maksym’s voice trailed off as mine had when he saw what I did.
Arms wide with rebar stakes in the hands, eyes gouged out, disembowelled with intestines having been used to strangle them to death and words written in blood on the walls of the small room. Two men crucified and ripped apart dressed in our uniforms, I recognised their faces, they had recently gone missing- deserters not that anyone could blame them.
After a long silence Maksyms hand came into my vision holding the red cardboard of a Prima pack in front of my face, we both took a cigarette and lit up as we walked out of the hole with grim expressions and minds wandering to mundane conversation as we tried to forget the sight-
“Ah!” I yelled out in surprise as a feral white dog with red eyes leapt at us, as I was closer the hound it tackled me down the stairs rabidly barking and gnashing its jaw violently.
“Azarov fucking shoot it!” I shouted, barely holding the mut from clamping its slobbering jaw around my neck.
The sound of his Makarov firing echoed as my head rocketed back slamming into the stone.
“!”
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“Fuck!” Throwing my body upward into a sitting position I spat another curse sneering at the dark of the room.
My body was covered in sweat and I reeked of marching in summer heat.
My heart raced and thoughts of old memories I’d forgotten at the forefront of my mind.
Rubbing my forehead I looked around and found two glowing red dots in the dark staring at me, they were Sveta’s eyes, she was awake in the middle of the night again.
“Sleep, my bad dreams aren’t your problem.” I say and the eyes shake side to side, her form invisible in the darkness of the room.
In the blink of an eye the red eyes crossed the room and the girl is suddenly next to me sitting on the space between my legs, shaking my head with a sigh I got up and reached down into my clothes next to the bed retrieving my Prima packet and lighter I made my way to the door and left the room.
Closing the door behind me the energetic ghostly girl followed me out, she was in a clean white blouse that Miriam had given her, wearing it more like a dress than a shirt. I was in what was left of my long johns, long ago when I’d stopped being a spirit and part way into being a Ghost I did like many other soldiers and barely wore my uniform when I was around base this involved cutting the garment down to being more like shorts than winter wear after many hot months.
Out under the moonlight once again I smoked to calm my nerves.
We were staying in the back of the couple's house allowing us some autonomy without bothering them, as such the walled land around their farmhouse made for a good play area for the nocturnal companion of mine. Much like the previous night the girl was full of boundless energy now that the moon- moons I mean- were out and the stars are in full bloom.
The light they provided is more than enough to allow me a view of the pale girl dashing about like a cat jumping up and climbing the few trees in the yard, the action made my eyebrows arch watching her with a bemused look.
Something isn’t right with that girl… but I don’t think it's anything bad.
My thoughts clouded over as I released a long breath of smoke into the air.
After fifteen odd minutes Sveta runs up to me leaning against a wooden post-
“Illya-Illya-Illya!” She says my name several times waiting to receive my nod of acknowledgement before continuing. “Will you play with me?!”
I shook my head as I put the Prima out on the post, stuffing it back into the pack.
She pouted something fierce causing a chuckle to erupt from me, my smile subdued her pout as my hand patted her head. The image of a persian cat my sister kept coming to mind, once again the dissonance of our situation now compared to our meeting touched me as the girl enjoying it nuzzled into my side as she did.
“The demeanour of a kitten” My thoughts slipped out loud though she didn’t acknowledge them.
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The morning after our arrival in the farming village of Grennich I found myself in the hands of Jun as the man showed me how he preferred to tan hides, he was a tanner and leatherworker by trade and needed help with soaking the skins.
This was how I learned they were drenched in piss.
Around the property as I helped him, Sveta was shown the cattle Miriam tended- well until the girl became exhausted after barely an hour of being out and returned to her bed for the rest of the day. Whatever affliction she had that made sunlight sear her skin also tired her out through the day very quickly, with no real forest to block most of the light leaving just Maksym’s jacket to do most of the work it was apparently too much for her.
We worked through the day at a reasonable pace and talked as we did. I found the Tanner to be decent company though he enjoyed talking far too much. It was hard to keep my attention on his words and the work he had me doing.
“She is cute, that girl.” The man said in idle conversation. “Her eyes are unnatural though, a predator's gaze.”
“How so? They are dulled by death?” My reply caused the man to stop where he stood, raising the blade he used to shave fat from the skin so as not to damage it.
His dark brown brows arched and near black blue eyes watched my face for a moment in silence before he spoke again.
“So are yours boy, but yours are kind at heart- hers are like wolves or foxes lying in wait.” The older man returned to shaving the fat after he stopped speaking.
I wasn’t sure what to make of his words and let them simmer in my mind for some time before letting them filter from my head as we worked.
The work was finished by midday, or at least my part in it and we were treated to lunch by Miriam, cooking fresh cutlets from one of her cows that was butchered just a day ago. The seared beef was cut into small chunks with root vegetables in a broth sided with small buns of bread, as she set bowls before us on the table in the old stone kitchen she held us from eating to say a prayer-
The cow tailed and eared woman clasped her hands together standing at the head of the table, closing her eyes and breathing softly causing her large chest to rise and fall before speaking.
“Dear Lord of the Sky and Mother of the Earth, we feast on food created by your blessings and so offer that which we will not finish back to you-” gentle barely noticeable green light emanated from her as she used a ladle to fill a bowl before setting it down. “We share this in hopes Guardian Gabriella continues to ward our village from evils.”
As the already dim light faded into obscurity and Miriam's eyes opened, the food she had placed in the bowl vanished in a short flash of similarly coloured light.
I couldn’t keep the look of surprise from my face as I watched the miracle take place.
A large smile took place on the woman's face as she clapped her hands “Now we can eat!” she said cheerily before dishing out the stew to us.
Without waiting another second the pale girl tore into the meal with little in the way of thanks, the man of the house thanked his wife before he began tearing up his bread to dip in the stew, the woman herself seemed to catch my dumbfounded expression causing her to giggle.
“Have you never witnessed an offering before Illya?” She asked, seating herself as she did.
“I- No I haven’t.” I stated flatly gaining my composure after a moment.
I had heard of miracles taking place as a boy and never believed them, then at war I felt as though I had witnessed some, but this-
what she has done and the world I find myself in seem all to be one grand miracle in itself.