Бесплатный фрагмент - The Virgin Well

The Virgin Well

A short story by Sergey Nedorub

«Whoa, Hokey!»

Pulling the reins, Kolovrat-the-old mumbled to his beard a lot of swearings in the name of horse’s mother, its canine sisters and mule’s granny, just before dray stopped. The crooked wheels creaked, arching habitually with upper spokes. Kolovrat slapped his cheek, killing a gnat, slipped from the dray to the slush, making splashes with his felt boots.

«Go screw your hoofs!» he yelled to Hokey, who turned her mournful snout to him. «I told you halt! The hell you go, there is no oats! You see that crap?!»

An uprooted tree laid across the broken track way, looked like it was pulled out by the bad weather.

Kolovrat-the-old waved his hands, spat out and pulled the sash. He stood for a while then.

«Damn you!» said he finally and began acting. Approaching the trunk covered with the bark chewed by the bugs, the old man grappled it and heaved with grunting.

«Ahh arse!» Kolovrat cried after the first crunch of his loin and dropped the tree. «You rot in hell, you waist of woods!»

Straightening his back he wrinkled at the clouded sky, which kept on grumbling moodily. Cursing everyone, the old man went away to look for a bypass.

The branches poured ladles of water every time he touched them. Forcing his way, the old man scolded the day. After that, suddenly he approached clearing in the woods he never saw before, and stared at the pit looking weird.

«What the hell?» Kolovrat wandered. He stepped closer, tossing heavy lumps of wet ground away with the felt boots. The pit was as wide as the yoke and as round as the scoop. It was filled to the brim with rainwater.

Narrowing his eyes, Kolovrat-the-old noticed some strange stones lying in the grass. They glimmered dimly with the red streams. The old man chewed his tongue and spat thickly at the stone. The spittle bounced away like a coin from a wall. The stones were red-hot.

Shifting his hat on the side, the old man scratched his unwashed head. Coming to the edge of the pit, he crouched and took a handful of water.

Adam’s apple moved up and down — the water flowed inside with fresh purity.

«That’s so good!» the old man quackled and drank more. He could not tell why he was itched to quench his thirst at rainy day and even without a hangover. But the water fit just right.

«Good, good,» he praised, shaking his head with pleasure. Then he thought of the axe in the dray. Rising to his feet, he plodded back.

«Shall build the well,» he boasted to Hokey holding the axe with calloused hands and touching the blade. «Shall do by myself. Hell to yokels, hell to all of them. Stones are so wondrous, will do good borders. And that log on the road, such a nice planks… every cloud has a silver lining. You see that branches? You are my little maredevil!»

* * *

A week later, Kolovrat’s dray stopped by the hut where his breed lived: the eldest daughter, Petunia, who has plumped up to wide doors since foretime, and a lot of grandchildren. The hut was built by Greefungus, bacchanalish son-in-law, who was always wearing an unpeeled shirt and made Petunia wash it only before works at the hayloft. Kolovrat had a son and daughter as well, and they lived at the other end of Forgetswille. A stalwart lad, Cyrith, with door-wide shoulders — and soft, silent Nitha. Old man adored them, so more he was happy because of two upcoming weddings of them both. Two pairs on young blood was about to get married, right after the ingathering, and Forgetswille buzzed waiting for the big feast. The village stored goods, made more hooch than usual, sorted livestock. The olders revised new huts. Wenches led by Malka, a Cyrith’s fiancée, gathered flowers with laughter, weaving garlands in despite of blossoms had never had a chance to reach their high day. Young Sweereed, betrothed to Nitha, kept working on hard at the hayloft under the guidance of Greefungus who kicked him out, every now and again, using the pitchfork to lock the gates from the inside, listening to joyful laughter of another slut. Boyka the blacksmith gave a pledge to roll his sleeves up and confront Cyrith in sparring in the day of feast, just to figure out who’s the strongest brave man of Forgetswille. The loser had to chop a whole larder of woods to the winner.

So the village was excited.

Kolovrat took a spring from the dray to the ground, filled his lungs with air and barked loudly, «Petunia! Come out my tulip!»

A minute after the door opened. Red-faced Petunia came out on the porch.

«What is there, father? My pies are about to broil.»

«Screw your cook you hussy. You do all the burnt cobs all the time. Cheekies home?»

«Tyesse at home, Lyenne at yard. Boys are blowing at bellows.»

«Let them blow. Get the girls and into the dray.»

«Why? Where?»

«Shall show you my stuff.»

«Some shitty cannel again?» Petunia asked in qualm, getting back to the hut.

Kolovrat heard his daughter calling girls and returned to his place, foretasting the show. After a while, two fair little hellions rolled down the porch.

«Grandpa!» They screamed, climbed the dray and hung on the old man’s neck. Kolovrat purred in favor.

Petunia piled herself in somehow.

«Where to?» she asked while her older daughter buried into the hay and younger one was pretending to pull a sister out.

«Not so far, there we go…» Kolovrat murmured holding the reins.

By and by, the dray arrived to the lawn. Old man stopped Hokey next to his «stuff».

«What you say, heh?» he asked dashingly.

Petunia left the dray, watching the well — low, waist-high even. It was decorated with unusual stones, glistening under the sun with orange firebolts.

«Dad, did you dig a well?» she asked while Tyesse and Lyenne took a delight run around the installation.

«Hell yes I did,» old man bragged. «A week of guts.»

He chose not to tell that the pit was ready afore and the stones just laid down here. Let the result look more solid. Let them talk whatever they dare.

Petunia came closer. The well was filled with water. Instantly she became covered with splashes when Lyenne jumped into the well. Petunia had no reason to worry — Lyenne stood at the bottom easily, her head stuck out.

«How are you going to get out?» peasant woman asked strictly.

Tyesse ran closer.

«Mom I’ll pull her out!» she promised and followed her sister.

With huge feeling of the pride, Kolovrat walked around the well.

«Why swim, we’re not fish,» he said. «Petunia, the water as bewitched as your tear. Have a drink.»

Kids lapped greedily. Petunia used her skirt to clean fat hands, lowered with groan and scooped up.

«Tasty,» she said.

Kolovrat used to giggle a little when Petunia trembled hard.

«What?» old man said.

«Something…» Petunia answered but not finished. Her hands reached her underbelly.

«Want to shit?» asked old man carefully. «Shrubs are over there.»

«No,» Petunia shook her head and ran quickly into the bushes.

Kolovrat scratches his head.

«Damn good water,» he said looking at the children raving in the well.

A loud scream from the bushes made him jump like a stung. Petunia rushed hither and thither.

«What are you doing?» Kolovrat tried to rein her up. «You saw some sylvan?»

Petunia held her hands between her legs. Looking at Kolovrat she yelled, «Mom, what a disaster!»

Then she fell on the ground unconscious.

«You, get out, now!» Kolovrat commanded. Grandchildren got out the well immediately, listening to their granddad with attention. The water drops flowed from them.

«You feel good?» Kolovrat asked. Granddaughters nodded.

Scratching the stomach old man stepped to Petunia who breathed clamorously in a faint.

«Here, give me a hand over here,» he ordered releasing the shafts. Then he climbed the horse and added, «Tyesse, you go to hayloft. Tell your dad to drop all he does now, either job or broad. Tell him that feme is bad. Let him go home, him, elkish boar.»

«Yep,» Tyesse nodded and ran back to village.

Kolovrat lashed Hokey, heading the same way.

* * *

Greefungus was sober enough to make Kolovrat almost happy because of it. Confused by Petunia’s statement, the old man waved his hat in front of woman’s face. Catching the sight of the son-in-law, Kolovrat showed his dray and the lad took his wife quickly to carry her into the hut. A glassful of hooch had results. Kolovrat would do it himself but he didn’t know where a bottle was stashed.

Woke from a stupor, Petunia yelled again, got from the bed and ran outside.

«Devilry’s dau…» started Greefungus but shut up under Kolovrat’s sight.

Petunia was running back and forth screaming so loud that the whole Forgetswille became wide-awake shortly. Peasants looked out from the windows squinting discontentedly because of broken forty winks.

«What’s the crap?» asked Chordan while passing by and patting the fat belly. «Kolovrat! Why is your offspring whooping?»

By the common efforts Petunia was caught and put on the bench beside the hut.

«Get calm already!» screamed Kolovrat, «What is going on with you?!»

Petunia twisted the face continuing sobbing quietly. Her hands moved between the legs again.

«It… it healed back!» she said.

Greefungus sat next to her.

«Say what?»

«It fixed!» she cried. «Father, I… I am innocent!»

«Err,» Kolovrat looked stupid.

«I am virgin! Again!»

The old man got stoned. Chordan burst into laughter, holding fat belly and stomping as hard as he could.

* * *

An old knucklebone, named Seditilia, who used to be a healer of Forgetswille, was called to survey Petunia. She plodded on giving nasty smiles to peasants. Everyone welcomed old woman, took an interest in her well-being right before demonstrating their sores, both chronic and fresh. Seditilia nodded abstrusely listening to wishes of good health for ages eternal. After reaching the hut of Greefungus she looked at Kolovrat proudly and declared him a walking youthful prowess.

Next minute she rolled out from the hut with heart-rending cries. By this time, a half of Forgetswille dwellers gathered in front of the yard.

«Help me the Lord,» — Seditilia screamed while shaking the rag soaked in vinegar. «Gracious me! What a mess my dear! Yet I delivered Tyesse, and Lyenne! God’s sake! Kolovrat! Virgin is your daughter! Said she drank a water of plague! Ahh!»

Old man stood next to Hokey like he was asking for her help. He was completely delirious.

The crowd hummed with whispering. A hostler, named Dorokh, stepped ahead, fingering his cap in his hands uncertainly.

«What water?» he asked, «Tell us Kolovrat.»

«Me, me will say!» Tyesse exclaimed while jumping joyfully, «Grandpa digged a welly! There it is, me show!»

* * *

The glade had seen so much of peasants only on the Greek calends.

Plowmen clamored, fingering at outlandish stones which composed the well’s borders. Women yelled discordantly and so did Kolovrat, louder than everyone else, trying to overvoice them all. Kids stared at the well with curiosity, getting nothing and biting nails. Some of them were going to get into the water but their moms immediately pulled them back, giving a cuff on the nape or the butt.

Kolovrat was sitting on the boulder, quiet now. Cyrith appeared next to him.

«So, dad,» he said, «Is it sooth or sklent? The well makes maiden a virgin?»

«Hell only knows,» old man answered cursing the whole world in the spirit. «It does nothing to men, knock on wood to be good… I drank it a lot, and I am still here.

«Anyone drank it as well?»

«Lyenne did. And so Tyesse.»

«They’re sucklers!»

«You said it! Who knew Petunia is going to screw this way?»

Breathing discomposedly, Cyrith looked for Malka. The prospective bride of him stood surrounded by gals, giving him uncertain glances.

«If Tyesse is fine,» he jerked his cheek, «So is Malka. She’s my chasty wench.»

Kolovrat cast a look askew on his oncoming daughter-in-law.

«So up to you,» he said. «I do not tamper.»