Coolness
– We just met Ludwig. He treated me to a hare, and I, as a sign of deep respect for him, simply could not allow myself to leave him alone and, thereby, personally insult him. So I decided to keep him company.
– Yes, – Charlotte answered with a hint of sarcasm, – Penelope will get a good husband.
– Come on – Andreas said calmly, turning to his wife. – Penelope is a modern girl. There’s very little that will scare her.
– Well, there you go – Erikson added in a satisfied voice.
– But the fact that our son grew up without good manners… – Andreas added, looking at Erikson. These words caused a grin to appear on Morten’s face, who was sitting opposite his older brother.
– Oh, stop worrying, – Erikson said as if nothing had happened. – If something had been wrong, she would have told me everything she thought of me to my face, and since she doesn’t complain, it means I’m not a man for her, but just a dream. So everything’s fine. – Then Erikson looked at his youngest brother and said: – Willie, pass the cheese.
– Did you hear, Charlotte? – Andreas said in a pompous tone. – We raised not a son, but the ultimate dream. – Then he looked at Erikson and said: – Watch out, don’t overdo it, so that your girlfriend doesn’t have a new dream.
– Yes, – Morten suddenly said. – For example, I am free.
Andreas pointed his spoon at his middle son and said:
– But you’ve gone too far.
Erikson said in a completely nonchalant tone:
– Dad, don’t pay attention. What can he even do? Give a woman a bouquet of dill?
– Willie, why aren’t you eating? – Andreas asked in an encouraging voice. – Come on, go ahead. Come on, come on. In a couple of days we’ll start making sleds.
Hearing about the sled, Willie lifted his nose and reached for the plate of porridge.
– Let me help you – Charlotte said, filling Willie’s plate, then took the dish and went to the pot to serve a new batch.
Ian entered the house when everything was already set and they were waiting only for him. His mind was still occupied with Penelope, and therefore he did not immediately hear his father’s question about whether he had washed his hands.
Martin was far from blind and understood what his eldest son was obsessing over so often. He was irritated by Ian staring at the girl next door, as if he was about to ask her out on a date. Although Martin did not openly tell anyone about it, sometimes he considered this girl to be to blame for the fact that his son had become so out of touch with reality. At the same time, he did not try to blame the boy for his daydreams, but not because he tried not to scold his son for every reason, but simply because he no longer saw the point, since such was Ian’s character, who often immersed himself in his dreams, where he was ready to get stuck for life. At the same time, Kolinda, who was only a year younger than Ian, and Klaus, who was three years younger, experienced the same approach to upbringing from their father. Martin firmly believed that a man should not just run a family, but suppress any dissent and any liberties. He would like to make a real man out of his eldest son, but a couple of years ago Martin realized that he would hardly be able to achieve this. No matter how hard he tried, Ian could not turn from a soft, peace-loving teenager into a stern man, ready to establish his own laws in the house and command someone. This approach did not justify itself in relation to Klaus, who did not understand what his father wanted from him, but simply considered his older brother as an example. He was not in the clouds, but there was no strength of character in him either. Kolinda became, perhaps, the only one of the three children who turned into what Martin wanted to see in front of him: an obedient girl, unquestioningly fulfilling any requirements, resigned to her role as a woman who does not even try to consider alternatives for a different life. But in regard to their daughter, it was Magdalena who tried. If the children were afraid of Martin, they sincerely loved her, feeling their mother’s warmth and love. She was a year younger than Martin, but she was the absolute opposite. It was largely thanks to Magdalena that their children avoided the upbringing inherent in an army barracks. Although Magdalena was a faithful and docile wife, fully accepting the will of her husband, she always consciously sought to smooth out those unevennesses in the children’s moods that were left by the harsh and demanding hand of their father.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner in their house were always the same: not a single word at the table. That is why the meal in this family took such a short time that they, if they wanted, still had time to run to the other families in the village and help with dinner.
4. Between wine and abyss
The harvest was almost finished. There were a few days of hard work left and it would be time to start winter sowing. Everything was going as planned.
It was a time when the elders, who were the heads of families, had a tradition of gathering in the barn late in the evening after dinner, playing “Tower”, dice and drinking wine.
The barn was a common warehouse for the entire village, where each of the residents could go at any time for the necessary provisions. The parameters of the barn were twenty by fifteen meters. The floor was covered with boards, under which there were wooden beams as a support. Under the floor there was a cellar for the entire area of the barn. Under the roof there was an attic, which was made in the shape of a rectangle. The attic was designed in such a way that the floor stretched from the outer walls deep by five meters, thus leaving a void in the middle, which made it possible to put a ladder and climb up from any point on the first floor. In the center of the barn there was a stove, which was heated with the onset of severe frosts. To do this, there was someone inside around the clock to ensure that the fire in the stove did not go out. For this purpose, the elders and some of their sons took turns to ensure that the provisions did not freeze.
In addition to the barn, in this part of the village there were pens for livestock, where pigs, cows, sheep, rabbits and goats were kept.
That evening the company was in full force. It was already dark outside, and loud laughter reigned in the barn.
– Who’s next? – Thomas asked cheerfully after winning “Tower” game against Karl.
The principle of the game was quite simple. Sixty wooden blocks of an elongated shape with six sides are lined up three high, alternating the direction of the blocks in a new row, after which the players begin to pull out one block at a time. The game continues until the structure collapses when trying to pull out another block. Thomas was in good shape that evening. Before Karl, he had defeated Wilhelm and Martin. Now Andreas sat opposite him.
– Now I’ll teach you how to play – he said menacingly to Thomas, starting to stack the blocks.
– Yes, yes – Thomas answered sarcastically. – You’ll tell these tales to someone else. But only after I bring you down to earth.
– You taught your boy to hunt well, – Andreas suddenly said in a restrained tone. – By the way, tell him thanks for the hare.
– No problem. It would be better if we went shooting – Thomas answered in the same calm voice, finishing stacking the blocks.
– Yes, we should do that sometime.
Suddenly Andreas turned around and said:
– Hey, Herman, come join us.
– Why not? – Herman answered, wiping the drops of wine from his lips with his sleeve. He sat down to the side, and the game began.
At the next table sat Karl, Wilhelm, Martin, Gustav and his two sons – Ragnar and Henry – each of whom was married and had children. Someone was playing dice, someone was keeping the level of wine in all the glasses, and someone was just making conversation.
Andreas lost at “Tower” and sat down at the next table where they were playing dice. He picked up a bottle and offered Karl a top-up of wine. Karl handed him the glass, but out of habit, he said nothing where everyone would normally say “thank you”. In general, Andreas never felt the desire to make friends or establish close contact with Karl. He categorically did not share the views on life that distinguished Karl. Andreas considered Karl’s habits and manners too outdated, harsh, and sometimes downright reckless. For him, Karl was a man who had no opinion of his own and blindly followed the laws inherited from his ancestors. Despite the lack of any sympathy for Karl, he still tried to be patient and at least occasionally have even the most trivial conversations with him. Andreas understood that this was necessary if he wanted his son to marry Karl’s daughter. He liked Penelope and fully approved of his son’s choice, believing that this girl would become a wonderful wife and mother.
However, Karl already had a friend in Martin, who respected his conservative morals and severity of mind. Plus, Martin hated Penelope, and after noticing several times how Karl raised his voice to his eldest daughter, he began to respect him even more. Sometimes Martin thought that if his neighbor did not have such a pretty daughter, then his son would not be in the clouds, dreaming that one day he would definitely marry some princess of unearthly beauty. He believed that such thoughts were very harmful, since because of this, Ian risked starting a family too late than he should have, or, even worse, being left without offspring at all.
– We need to finish the harvest quickly so we can get to the crops – said Gustav, finishing the rest of his wine.
Gustav was fifty-one years old, which made him the oldest in the village. Formally, he was not the head of the settlement and did not have the right to vote, but he was considered the unofficial head among the elders. During his life, his father, Henrik, commanded respect from the entire village and was a great authority. He was revered as a wise man with vast life experience, and each of his advice was of great value. When Henrik passed away, Gustav for some reason decided that his father’s authority would be passed on to him by inheritance, and he did not need to try to earn such an attitude from those around him by his own efforts. However, it was never customary in the village to appoint the chief among the elders. Every issue was decided by voting. But nevertheless, Gustav consciously tried to convey to everyone the idea that he was the chief here and his opinion should not cause objections. No one demonstratively ignored him, and they allowed him to try on the role of leader only out of respect for the deceased Henrik.
By the way, Gustav also had his own reasons for hating Karl’s eldest daughter. The reason was that when his youngest son, Konrad, offered to court Penelope, she resolutely refused him. A certain flare of hatred also swept over Andreas when Gustav found out that Penelope was being courted by Erikson. Thus, Gustav came to the simple conclusion that, in Penelope’s opinion, his son was worse than Andreas’ son.
– We’ll make it – German said confidently at the next table. – The harvest is going according to plan, so there will be enough time.
– I wouldn’t be so calm. The weather has already surprised us once this year.
Herman didn’t answer, because everyone understood how stubborn Gustav was in his rightness. He spent several more minutes citing a bunch of arguments in favor of his opinion, and Herman thought about how much Gustav was dramatizing everything. Herman himself was the exact opposite and preferred to look at any problem as a matter of time: it’s worth making a little effort and there won’t be any problem. And now, having lost in “Tower”, he said to Thomas in a confident tone, energetically waving his arms:
– So, let’s do it again. The glass is empty, so now nothing will interfere with me.
These words greatly amused Thomas.
Martin glanced at everyone present, weighed everything one last time and finally risked saying:
– Okay then. I see that no one wants to talk about it, then I’ll start. – Everyone immediately looked at Martin. Putting his left hand on his hip, he continued speaking without the slightest tremor in his voice: – We must face the truth. The harvest this year is meager. There will definitely not be enough such reserves until spring. Maybe it’s time to discuss the alternative.
Gustav was the first to answer:
– I wouldn’t say, Martin, that everyone here is avoiding this conversation. Everyone understands everything. We just need to finish harvesting the wheat to assess the final volume of provisions.
– It seems, – Wilhelm began, – that this option does not bother you at all.
– We are simply realists – Martin retorted.
– You are simply crazy – Thomas objected.
– Be careful with your expressions, – Gustav insisted.
Thomas forgot about the game, put his glass down on the table, stood up abruptly from his stool, pointed his finger at Gustav and said reproachfully:
– It’s easy to talk when you don’t have daughters.
Raising his voice a little, Gustav replied:
– What does that even mean!? Are you trying to say that I’m a ruthless bastard!? Or maybe you think it’s my fault that I have three sons!?
– I don’t care what you think – Thomas continued. – Many of us have girls older than ten, and we’re not going to listen to such talk from those who risk nothing.
– How dare you!? – Martin shouted, slamming the table. – In addition to my sons, I also have a daughter, but I try to accept the will of fate, and not avoid responsibility.
Herman wanted to stand up and call for everyone to calm down, but Thomas shouted another remark:
– What are you saying!? You have a daughter!? Wilhelm has four, of which only one is not yet ten! How does he feel hearing such things!? If you were in his place, I don’t think you would have the courage to start this conversation!
Suddenly Andreas jumped up from his chair, stood between two tables and shouted at the top of his voice:
– ENOUGH!!!
There was a silence in the barn that was louder than a cannonade of cannons.
Andreas may not have made everyone calm down, but at least he made everyone sit down. He remained standing and began to lay out his proposal:
– Many of those present here have daughters. First of all, we must be understanding of their opinion and not act as if we were discussing the fate of some animal. In any case, it is too early to consider this option. We have not yet gathered all the harvest and have not done the counting. In any case, we can hunt. In the end, we can slaughter a little more cattle, then we will replace part of the plant provisions with meat and at the same time reduce the harvest consumption for the maintenance of animals. So, first of all, each of us needs to work our brains, – then Andreas looked at Martin, and then at Gustav, as if addressing his words to them, – and then suggest something like this.
Martin could not understand Andreas simply because he had three sons and no daughters. Gustav was sure that Andreas was worried about his offspring, who had already found himself a bride among the local girls.
Whatever it was, this topic was closed. At least for a while.
Having finished his glass, Wilhelm got up from the table, getting ready to go home. Andreas and Thomas offered him a game, but he politely declined. With each passing day, he tried to leave Ava alone less and less, fearing a premature birth, as had happened once before, when Astrid was born.
Soon Wilhelm crossed the threshold of the house. Usually he went straight to the bed, where, before closing his eyes, he pressed himself tightly against Ava, who at that stage could no longer sleep on her stomach and had to lie on her side. This time Wilhelm went to the bed where the girls were sleeping. He bent down and kissed each of them on the forehead. At that moment, tears were already beginning to accumulate in his eyes, but he found the strength to hold them back.
Wilhelm looked at the girls for a while, especially at Frida, who seemed to be about to push Astrid out of the bed. He carefully moved Frida a little deeper, then went to bed. He pressed himself against Ava, wrapped his arm around her bulging belly and lowered his eyelids, in order to quickly fall asleep and at least temporarily hide from thoughts of Nix.
5. After sunset
During those same autumn days, when the elders began to gather in the barn in the late evenings, the women of the village were also on the move. After dinner, everyone wanted to spend time in someone’s company.
Regina was about to wipe up the flour stains she found on the floor, but Penelope said she would do it herself. She kissed her daughter on the cheek and went to fill the lamp with oil. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Regina hurried to open the door. Ava stood outside the threshold, surrounded by Irma, Astrid, Frida and Wanda. Regina invited everyone inside. At the end, she kissed Ava with words of greeting, after which she asked her to wait a little while she filled her lamp. While waiting for Regina, Ava quietly approached Penelope from behind and sharply pinched her sides. Penelope screamed hysterically in surprise, and Ava could not suppress her laughter for a long time.
– Sorry, – she said through laughter, – but I couldn’t resist.
Penelope tried her best to contain her smile, but she was unable to do so.
– Okay – Penelope answered as if forgiving. – The main thing is, make sure the baby doesn’t jump out of your belly. Ava appreciated this joke, grabbing Penelope’s shoulder with her palms, as if feeling for support so as not to fall, and, bursting into laughter, almost pressed her chin to it.
Soon Regina appeared. She handed Ava the oil lamp and took a freshly baked apple pie. They headed for the exit. Standing at the threshold, Regina said:
– Well, that’s it, we’re leaving. Don’t be bored.
Ava waved and said:
– Girls, obey Penelope.
Soon there was a knock of a closing door.
On such evenings, Wanda was the one who was most excited about visiting Penelope.
– What’s for today? – she asked.
– Be patient, you’ll find out soon, – Penelope answered, wiping the remains of flour on the floor.
Having finished cleaning, she led the girls to her room and asked them to wait a little. Then Penelope went out to the backyard and said loudly:
– Okay, everyone in the house!
Ursula, Willie and Sven ran as fast as they could to Penelope. Having brought the children inside, she closed the door from the inside and went into the bedroom. There, Penelope, as usual in such cases, spread several wide and warm blankets on top of each other, where all the children could sit in a semicircle, and she herself, with a lamp in her hand, sat opposite, tucking her legs under herself. On each of these evenings, when parents throughout the village went off in search of entertainment and interesting conversations, the little ones ran to Penelope to listen to legends and fairy tales. This time in her hands lay a book with stories by unknown authors.
That evening, she chose a story for the children about the love between a simple fisherman and an emperor’s daughter. According to the plot, the emperor forced his daughter to marry a member of the upper class under the threat of killing the fisherman. The fisherman could not survive this and, feeling how life was fading inside him, decided to pierce his own heart with a dagger. But moments before this, the young man turned to the higher powers and asked for only one thing: to allow him to be reborn in order to see the face of his beloved at least once more, at least with one eye. However, the emperor’s daughter could not bear parting with the young man either. She was so scared that she decided to jump out of the window of her bedchamber in a high tower. The lovers were gone in one day and at one hour. But then, just a few months later, a stranger appeared in the city: a human by day, a huge wolf by night. The stranger suffered for a long time because the face of a certain maiden kept popping up in his head. This face seemed familiar to him. He did not know who this beauty was, but he wanted to find her. He searched for her for a long time, but never met her. The stranger was alone, and this loneliness became more and more unbearable with each passing day. Turning into the wolf at night, he attacked the locals, who soon turned into the same wolves. The stranger was no longer alone, but the face of the beautiful maiden did not give him peace. His second essence, which appeared with the onset of darkness, did not allow him to be alone, creating a pack in which he found friends. But the stranger still felt lonely.
Soon, under the light falling on the pages from the burning lamp, Penelope finished reading the last lines of the story:
– Captured in the flesh of a beast, for long centuries he wandered the earth in search of his beloved in the hope that she was waiting for him somewhere.
Lying on the floor, propping her chin on her fists, the impressed Wanda took a deep breath and said out of habit:
– Will you read anything else?
But Penelope abruptly closed the book, causing a muffled pop, and said:
– That’s enough for today.
Wanda sighed even louder, upset. The others were also annoyed that Penelope refused to read another story, but it was Wanda who was the most indignant.
There was a knock at the door. Charlotte hurried to open it. On the threshold stood Regina with the apple pie and Ava, who had the lamp hanging in her right hand, and with her left hand pressed a cape to her bulging belly to warm the baby.
– Well, finally – Charlotte said, kissing her friends on the cheeks in turn. – Hurry up, come in.
Regina and Charlotte were bosom friends. This could be said about Ava too, but in their case the friendship was fueled by the children’s intention to marry. Charlotte and Regina often touched on the topic of marriage in their conversations, discussing what kind of future they wanted for Erikson and Penelope. Andreas also perceived Regina as a full-fledged relative. At every chance meeting, he said that she should visit him more often, and that he would ask Charlotte to cook something special for the occasion.
– By the way, Yvette said that she can’t come – said Charlotte, pouring boiling water over the rose hips. – Their youngest fell ill. – After a short pause, Charlotte added: – I hope you didn’t overeat during dinner?
– Not really – said Regina, putting the first piece of pie on Ava’s plate.
– You don’t have to worry about me – answered Ava. Having bitten off an impressive piece of pie, she added with her mouth full: – The baby will help me, but it’s always not enough for him.
Regina and Charlotte laughed, and when the laughter died down, Charlotte said:
– Selma promised to bring a baked hare.
Ava lowered her eyelids and thought with some lust about how much she wanted meat, continuing to chew the pie, which she was eating alone for now, since the others had preferred to wait for Selma and the hare first.
– Magdalena also said that she couldn’t – Regina suddenly remembered. – She didn’t say why, though.
Charlotte added in an encouraging voice:
– But we won’t see Roberta.
– She couldn’t? – Regina asked. Ava wanted to ask the same question, but the pie in her mouth didn’t allow it.
– I have no idea. I just didn’t invite her.
This was great news for Regina and Ava, as it will be for Selma.
Roberta, Gustav’s wife, had earned a reputation as a local bitch, with whom few wanted to be friends. However, Roberta had a habit of not so much asking, but simply letting everyone know that she would also join in the get-together that the women of the village had, when their husbands gathered in the barn, the younger children went to Penelope to listen to stories, and the rest went elsewhere. Her very presence prevented the other women from talking about everything that came into their heads. Almost half of these evenings the company was missing one or two women. On those occasions when Roberta could not please everyone with her visit, she truly pleased everyone. Unlike their husbands, the wives did not gather every day, but often enough: most evenings – especially in the cold months – they spent in noisy company. The previous morning Charlotte had been “lucky” to meet Roberta on the street, who advised her to get rid of that awful shawl. Of course, Roberta could not have known that the shawl had been a gift from Charlotte’s late mother, but she would hardly have changed her manners even if someone had told her about it beforehand. Charlotte, without saying a word, continued walking towards the well. That same day she went around to all her friends and invited them to her place for tea and poppy seed buns. Of course, she remembered Roberta. She remembered her so much that she kept her name off her guest list.
