– Lord, at least he didn’t suffer! Such an easy exit. They say that those who are so lucky were saints in life. It’s a pity that he was so young. He didn’t see his son grow up, – Nina Semyonovna tried to console herself.
She needed to somehow get over the fact that her only heir, her own flesh and blood, was gone. But his wife Anya thought differently. Only she knew what the late Pavel was really like. And so, without any regrets, she exclaimed:
– It’s a pity he didn’t suffer! I would like him to live. And suffer!!! – she answered her mother-in-law angrily. She recoiled. She didn’t expect such words from her quiet daughter-in-law.
Nina Semenovna considered her behavior a reaction to stress. And immediately suggested with concern:
– Anya, leave Seryozha with me! He will be better off with me! For me, he is the last memory of my son. And you are young. You will still arrange your life!
– Seryozha? – Anya was taken aback, – no. He will never live with you. I will raise my son myself.
– Anya, what are you saying? It’s hard for you now. You can’t come to terms with the loss of your husband. How will you be able to take care of Seryozha?
But Anya answered firmly:
– I can. Moreover, I will leave in a few days. I decided to move to the village. My grandmother’s house is there. I will settle there and start my life from scratch. And I will never, never give you my Seryozha!
Anya was most afraid of someone finding out the truth about her son. The five-year-old boy was diagnosed with a rare anomaly. It had not yet manifested itself in any way externally. But sometimes he would fall into unprovoked aggression.
The specialists the woman consulted unanimously said:
– You’ll have a hard time with him. You’re coping while he’s little. But when he becomes a grown man, he’ll be stronger than you. People like that are put in a special institution. And it’s better if Seryozha gets used to him from childhood. It’ll be easier for him to adapt.
But Anya did not give up her baby. She hoped that the specialists were wrong in their verdict. And her Seryozha was an ordinary boy. He was just not like everyone else.
Her husband Pavel was a stern man. He believed that his son was an indicator of his courage and wealth. And therefore he would never accept a sick child. Anya did not doubt this for a minute.
He would have easily agreed with the doctors’ opinion. And her Seryozha would have been placed in a special institution. And that’s why she never said anything to her husband and mother-in-law.
For them, Seryozha was an ordinary child. A little withdrawn, a little aggressive, a little incomprehensible. But every child is unique. And no one attached much importance to the boy’s illogical actions.
Pavel was not just harsh. He was cruel. Only God knew how many tears Anya shed, covering up bruises and abrasions with foundation. But the woman could not leave her husband.
He threatened her that he would find her even at the end of the world. And then neither she nor her little son would be spared. Moreover, he reproached his wife for her desire to break off the relationship.
Pavel believed that she would then go to another man, from whom, most likely, she gave birth to Seryozha. This thought hurt his pride and fueled his jealousy.
He was consumed by anger. And Anya had to endure hellish torments again. Then Pasha became addicted to strong drinks. And life became unbearable.
The mother-in-law believed that Anya was to blame for her son’s addiction. In her opinion, good wives’ husbands do not cheat and do not allow themselves to go too far. Now the woman suffered from her mother-in-law as well.
But one fine day it all ended. Pavel was found lying on the kitchen floor. A half-empty bottle lay next to him. This is how millions of alcoholics end their lives. And Pasha was no exception.
At first, Anya really regretted that her husband’s passing was so easy. She would have liked him to become disabled or feeble and suffer as much as she did.
But after thinking about it, she realized: it’s better this way. Now no one and nothing holds her back. She can leave everyone. And keep the secret about her son without fear of being exposed.
She realized her intentions. Literally a month later, Anya packed her simple things and went to a remote village. Her mother did not support her daughter’s decision. She also did not know the truth about her situation, and so she said:
– Anya! What will you do there alone with a child? We will help you here. But there, in this wilderness, there are only mosquitoes and bears! Don’t you dare go anywhere! Think about the child!
“I’m going for his sake,” the daughter answered firmly. The mother only shook her head. She didn’t know about her grandson’s rare mutation, and therefore didn’t understand Anna’s intentions.
And so Anna and Seryozha are far away. They are in a remote taiga village. Anya was here as a child. Her mother brought her to introduce her daughter to her grandmother. They quickly found a common language.
Anya liked the village. Together with her grandmother, they baked pies, heated the bathhouse, filled the cow Zorka’s tank and went to the forest to pick berries. But that was a long time ago, in a past life, before Seryozha was born.
And now Anya was met by an empty house and a yard overgrown with grass. Seryozha was being capricious. He didn’t like it here. His mother calmed her son down and said:
– Son, you will see how nice it is here. Now we will clean up, mow the grass. I can do everything. My grandmother taught me. It’s a pity that I didn’t listen to her. She called me here. She said that I would find peace in the village. In vain I didn’t listen to her.
Little Seryozha finally calmed down. His attention was drawn to the pencils. And Anna immediately gave him an album for him to draw. And she herself began cleaning.
In two days she put the house in order. But now the decision to stay here no longer seemed the only right one. Anya admitted to herself: it would be hard.
It is not easy for a city woman to carry water from the pump, deal with weeds and cook food in a small stove. Then Anna remembered how her grandmother used to tell her:
– Are you tired? Heat up the bathhouse! The bathhouse will relieve fatigue. It heals not only the body, but also the soul.
And Anya decided that it was time to heat the bathhouse. She remembered this simple science. And she succeeded. This success raised her spirits. She decided that she needed to go to the store, buy something for tea. It was so nice to drink aromatic tea with delicious candies or gingerbread after the bathhouse.
Anna, taking her son by the hand, went to the local shop. Seryozha was again capricious and trying to get away. He didn’t want to go anywhere. But his mother persistently led him along.
– Seryozha, calm down, – she asked her son tenderly, – now we’ll buy some sweets and gingerbread. And then we’ll go home. You’ll be drawing again!
The saleswoman in the village store looked at the new customers with interest. She was a sociable woman, and so she asked bluntly:
– How long are you staying with us? I know you’ve settled in Granny Nyura’s house.
– Well, I’m her granddaughter, Anya. I used to come to my grandmother’s. Maybe you remember me, – the woman answered willingly.
– No, girl, I don’t remember. I got married here, I came from the neighboring village. It will be hard for you alone with the baby. Is there anyone to help?
– No. I’m left alone with my son. And I don’t need anyone, – Anya answered firmly. She couldn’t admit to the saleswoman that this was the only way she could keep the secret about Seryozha’s anomaly, – my name is Anya.
– Anya, they brought in fresh candies yesterday, here are some cookies and gingerbread! Maybe you’d like some sausage and cheese? – the saleswoman began to suggest.
– Yes, I’ll take a little bit of everything. Tell me, how do you protect yourself from mosquitoes? Do you have any remedies?
– There are remedies, of course, but they won’t help against taiga mosquitoes! We’re just used to it.
– What should I do? I’m okay, I’m enduring it. But my Serezhenka is crying. They’re biting him.
– Of course, how can a city child get used to mosquitoes? They eat you alive! And you know what? Go to the forest. Bring some fir or juniper branches. Treat the house with smoke. Mosquitoes can’t stand the smell! You’ll get rid of the midges in a jiffy!
– Thanks for the advice! I’ll definitely go today.
– Of course. And take your son with you. He’ll be interested. He’s a bit of a taciturn one!
– She’s just shy! – Anya answered hastily and quickly left the store. Would she really be asked questions about her son here too? And would she have to hide the truth from everyone again?
But Anya pushed away her sad thoughts and went home. Here she changed her son’s clothes, put on a tracksuit herself and, taking a bag in case of mushrooms, decided to go into the forest.
The forest greeted them with amazing aromas and birdsong. The impression was spoiled only by annoying mosquitoes and midges. There was simply no escape from them.
And Anya decided not to linger in the forest, but to quickly pick some juniper and go home. The woman said to her son:
– Seryozha! You stay here! Don’t go anywhere! Got it? I’ll break some branches now and come back.
The boy looked at his mother and was about to cry. But he was distracted by a butterfly. The winged beauty landed right on the boy’s hand. Anya smiled approvingly and stepped forward.
She was gone for about three minutes. But when she emerged from the dense thicket with an armful of branches, her son was no longer there. She was so frightened that she even dropped the armful of juniper and rushed to look for him.
But Seryozha did not answer.
– Where could he have gone? I was gone for three minutes! – Anya thought. Then a loud crack of deadwood was heard behind her.
– A bear! – Anya was frightened, but she bravely turned towards the sound. After all, her son was here, she couldn’t leave him and run away. But it wasn’t a beast that stood before her.
A young, stately man was leading her son by the hand. He was trustingly walking with the stranger. This was so unlike Seryozha. Usually he started crying, biting and even tried to fight.
“Isn’t it your loss?” he turned to the frightened Anya.
Seryozha, seeing his mother, rushed to her. He pressed himself against her knees and smiled contentedly.
– Why are you, mother, abandoning your child in the taiga? It’s not right! Or are you tired of him? Have you decided to get rid of him?
– What are you saying? – Anya hugged the baby, – I only turned away for a minute. I thought I’d gather some juniper and come back right away. And he was playing with a butterfly!
– Taiga doesn’t like jokes! How can you leave a child?
– Oh, thank you. And I thought it was a bear!
The man laughed:
– My name is Bogdan! I am the local forester! And you are probably that same Anya who settled in Granny Nyura’s house? I have already heard that some city girl has come to us for good with a child!
“Yes, it’s me,” the woman answered, lowering her head. After living with Pavel, she began to fear men even more than bears.
– We don’t have any bears! They’ve gone deep! Why would they want to meet people! – the new acquaintance shared the information, – let me take you out! And your son, is he mute or something? Usually children ask questions, but yours is silent!
– No, he says. He’s just shy, – Anya answered quickly. She realized: she would not be able to hide the truth about the boy anywhere. People would always ask questions.
Bogdan noticed Anna’s irritation and anxiety and fell silent. He said:
– Forgive me if I offended you with the question about your son. How are you settling in? Maybe you need help?
– No, nothing is needed. The mosquitoes just got the better of me. Your saleswoman advised me to set fire to the juniper. So I went into the forest.
– The lingonberries are ripening now. Be sure to go with your son. They grow here, right outside the village, – Bogdan said, – and I’ll give you some mosquito repellent ointment. I made it myself. Not a single midge will come close!
Bogdan kept his promise. That same evening he brought Anya a jar of miraculous ointment and some fragrant candles. The mosquitoes really did leave the house, and they didn’t fly up to her outside.
Life became easier. Anya was able to finish cleaning the yard. She was already making plans about how she would plant a small vegetable garden in the spring.
Time passed. Anya and Seryozha got used to the new place. They had already met all the locals and mastered the village customs.
Seryozha also got used to it. He became less capricious and cried. Most often, the boy drew or watched the butterflies, of which there were plenty.
Bogdan and Anya often went for walks together now. They usually went for a walk when the boy was already asleep. He still couldn’t stand strangers. And although Bogdan didn’t provoke any fits of aggression in him, Anya limited her son’s communication with the new acquaintance. She was afraid that he would learn the truth about the anomaly.
And Seryozha became much calmer in the village. Anya could already leave him alone and do her own thing. The son did not leave the yard and returned to the house himself.
One such day, the woman was preparing lunch. She decided to cook her son’s favorite soup with dumplings, and so she became completely immersed in the process.
It was time to call her son to dinner. But he was not in the yard. Anna rushed into the garden, looked in the back, opened the doors of the bathhouse and the barn. The boy was nowhere to be found.
– Oh, my God! How could I have failed to keep an eye on him again? – Anya scolded herself. She ran out of the yard and rushed to the neighbors. Had anyone seen her boy?
But no one saw Seryozha.
– I didn’t protect him. I didn’t protect him, – only one thought was beating in the woman’s head, – why did I come here? In the city he wouldn’t have gotten lost from the apartment!
But she immediately said to herself:
– But they would have made fun of him and laughed at him there, and then they would have taken him to a boarding school! But where is he?
She remembered how her son was watching a butterfly in the yard and decided that he went into the forest. After all, his first encounter with these beauties took place there.
She rushed into the forest, to the clearing where they had collected juniper branches and met Bogdan for the first time. But Seryozha was not there. Anya screamed and called in vain. No one answered.
Anya ran to the village again. Her hair was disheveled, her hands were shaking, she was already crying bitterly. At that moment Bogdan came out to meet her. His question brought her to her senses:
– What happened, Anya? Why are you crying?
– Seryozha! My Seryozha has disappeared again!
– Anya, calm down. He’s not going anywhere! He probably went out the gate and joined the local kids. Now he’s playing somewhere and doesn’t know that his mother is looking for him!
– You don’t understand! You don’t understand anything! – Anya screamed.
– What don’t I understand, Anya? Explain! I understand: you’re hiding something! Speak!
– Seryozha is special. He is not like everyone else! He cannot and should not be left alone! He is not allowed to be with people!
– Anya, give us more details!
– My son was born with a rare mutation! He should be placed in a special institution. He can be aggressive and hurt himself or others! I didn’t tell anyone. Not even his grandmothers and my husband! I took him away from everyone! And I didn’t protect him!
– Anya, calm down. We’ll find him now! Don’t cry! – Bogdan firmly ordered.
They found the boy on the river bank. He was playing with local boys, building some kind of hut. Anya rushed to her son, but Bogdan stopped her:
– Come on, let’s watch!
Anya stopped. And she was amazed. Her son was playing calmly with his peers. Moreover, he was talking to them!
– Are you sure about the experts’ verdict? – asked Bogdan, – according to you, he should be aggressive. But he didn’t show any irritation or anger when I came to you. And now, look, he’s playing!
Anya quietly called her son. He immediately turned around at the sound of his mother’s voice and ran up. The boy buried his face in Bogdan’s lap and said:
– You haven’t come for a long time. I missed you and went to look for you!
– I was in the forest on business, my boy! I missed you too. You and your mother. Let’s go home.
All three went home. From then on, Bogdan’s visits to Anya’s house became more frequent. He played with the boy, talked with Anya, and gradually learned everything about her past life.
He learned that her late husband beat her, and she had to hide from him under the bed. He learned that Seryozha got it too. He often walked around with bruises. After all, Pavel believed that he was born from another.
And Bogdan decided: there is no diagnosis. It was his father’s aggression that made the boy unsociable. He simply did not see a worthy example. He believed that shouting and beatings were the only method of communication.
– Why didn’t you leave him, Anya? – asked Bogdan, – after all, you ruined not only your life, but also your son’s! He could have become the same monster as your husband! – exclaimed Bogdan. And Anya now agreed with him.
Later they will go to the capital’s specialists. And they will confirm: the boy is normal. He was deeply psychologically traumatized. After all, his mother was beaten before his eyes.
And only love and affection can cure him. He must see a real man in front of him who loves his mother. And Bogdan became such an example for Seryozha. He raised Sergey to be a worthy person.
And Pavel never learned the truth. Seryozha was his son. And he almost made his son a moral monster, just like he was.
