Philipovna by Valentina Gal

Author:Valentina Gal
Language: por
Format: epub
Publisher: Guernica Editions
Published: 2019-02-07T16:00:00+00:00

May Day

THE MORNING SUNSHINE was streaming into the eastern window when I woke up. It was so bright in the big room of the house that I blinked several times before my eyes could adjust to the dazzling light. From where I lay on the sleeping bench, I could see the blue sky with not a cloud in sight. I snuggled under my feather bed, staring at the snow-laden branches of our birch tree as they glittered in the sun. The air was cold and still. How could the world turn from the dark and scary place of last night into a beautiful fairyland in such a few hours? The house was very quiet. Could I have dreamed the terrible day that had passed before I cried myself to sleep? But Xenkovna was still lying beside me. I was afraid to look beyond the window to where the twins and Viktor slept. I wondered if Auntie knew that Maria was gone and I didn’t want to be the one who discovered Marta — in case she had died while we were sleeping.

A coughing fit from the bed by the hearth got everyone in the house moving. Xenkovna and I almost tripped over each other in our haste to get to Viktor. We could have spared ourselves the effort. From where I lay under the covers, I hadn’t seen that Auntie was there all along. She was silently weeping, looking from one dead twin to the other. When Xenkovna reached for Viktor, Auntie didn’t move. She tried to stroke Maria’s cheek and then Marta’s, but she had trouble making her hands do what she wanted. She buried her face in her arms and wept some more.

Meanwhile, Xenkovna patted Viktor’s back and helped him cough up more white goo from his lungs. She got him some water and tried to make him drink.

“He doesn’t feel so good this morning, Mama,” Xenkovna said to her mother. “Should I get him some medicine?”

Auntie silently nodded.

I stood there stupidly. I didn’t know what to do. Her eyes had such a dazed look, as if she was in a different world.

“Auntie, can I do something?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Good morning,” Uncle Misha said. “Get dressed and fetch some water, would you, Philipovna?”

He took one look at his wife and rushed over to where she stood. When he realized his babies were dead, it seemed that his sobs would shake the house to its very foundation.

I was relieved to do Uncle’s bidding. The fresh air felt sharp as I sucked it into my lungs like someone who has been deprived of air for months. The cold temperature assaulted my nose and cheeks, but somehow, it felt good— at least I was still alive. I breathed in deeply and blew out my breath in white clouds as I took my time retracing my steps from the well.

Xenkovna had the big washing pot ready to fill with water. I made several more trips to the well and then, under Auntie’s supervision, I helped Xenkovna bathe the twins.

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