The woman stood next to them and began to cry quietly.
– The mother will not be recognized. How so,» she said in a whisper with tears.
The man grinned and said:
– Well, what kind of mother are you, what were you thinking up here? I recognized you.
– Do you know her?» Dima was surprised.
The man pulled out a chair and sat down on it stretching his long legs.
– Everyone who watches TV knows her. Honey, why did you run away from the fourth psychiatric hospital in Moscow?
– I don’t want to go there anymore… I don’t want to understand, they treat me badly there – - the woman screamed and ran to the exit.
The man turned out to be a hunter who was just passing by and, for the happiness of the children, went into the house to rest. He took the children home on the same day. Later, Dima began to search for information on the Internet about this woman and found it.
It turns out that she has been on TV for two years, they say that she is not only crazy, but also dangerous. In those parts where Dima and Anechka were lost, five more children went missing and were not found.
Did they catch baba Luba or is she still wandering through the forest, Dimka didn’t know that. But he learned very well the lesson that he should not go far from home into the forest and he also realized how defenseless his little sister is. Therefore, he must necessarily protect her and not only in childhood, but always protect her.
«That’s the story you just told me,» Ivan exclaimed.
He was no longer lying down as before, but was leaning against the wall and looking at Sergei with surprised eyes.
The candle had gone out, but the full moon was shining brightly through the window, and it made the room not so dark and gloomy.
– I’m going to tell you something else now, a new story is much cooler than this one.
– Serega won’t fall asleep with you. And what is it about?
– I’ll call her so «Hanged»…
Hanged
«Vanya, the walls of this gloomy house showed me this story,» Sergei said quietly, lighting a cigarette.
– Well, we have you this… what’s his name… psychic. I remember how you once said that you should go to star in a show of psychics. Why didn’t you go?
– The time has not come yet.
– You’re a strange one, how do you know it’s time or not? Ivan was surprised.
Sergey thoughtfully inhaled, but remained silent. It became quiet in the room.
– Serega, God be with him with this show. You’ll get ready again. You tell me the story you promised and we’ll sleep.
– Well, listen. She’s creepy only.
Slavik knew about the lonely house that stands in the middle of the forest. And he also knew that he would be there completely alone and no one would interfere with him.
Therefore, he prepared and planned everything in advance. And even the date of death, he noted on his calendar it was the New Year. Why exactly on this holiday, I didn’t really know. Probably, he wanted to leave beautifully and festively.
Or maybe just for the sake of pathos in front of relatives and acquaintances. Let them always celebrate the New Year and remember that Slavik left them on this day. They have not noticed him all their lives, but now they will definitely notice him.
And now this day has come. Slavik began to pack things for the road, a rope of two and a half meters, soap, diapers. I took diapers for adults to pharmacies, it’s for aesthetics, well, you never know… and I also picked up a bottle of vodka in the store for courage. When everything was packed, he tightened the straps of his backpack and went to the exit.
– If you come drunk to the festive table, I will kick you out of the house without hesitation – - said the wife and threw her angry look at him.
– Why do you hate me so much? – I decided to ask Slavik goodbye.
And again, lightning bolts of anger flew out of her eyes, but she did not say anything out loud, but silently began to continue preparing the festive meal.
Suddenly, the door to the apartment opened and his fifteen-year-old daughter Sonechka appeared on the threshold.
– Hi, – she awkwardly dropped and, avoiding him, ran into the room.
Slavik flew out of the apartment as if scalded with boiling water, threw a backpack on his shoulders and hurried into the forest.
He got to the forest by bus, and then went on foot. He remembered the place where the abandoned house was located very well. It took about two hours to get to it on foot.
When I went into the house, the first thing I did was throw off my backpack and took out vodka, poured myself half a glass. I drank. There was a snack, but I didn’t have a snack. He took a rope and climbed on the table with it, wrapped it around a piece of wood that protruded from the ceiling.
– Well, as they say, Slavik rest in peace – - he said aloud and poured another half a glass of vodka.
From the dose he took, he got a little drunk and people with whom he had communicated before began to seem to him. Vasily Stepanovich, his former boss at work, was right in front of him, he was sitting at his desk.
– Well, bitch, you’re sitting there looking at me with a fat face. With my money, did you fly to the Canaries with your mistress Sofka? Choke on my salary, I won’t need it there. I see you looking at me and you’re glad that I’ll be gone soon.
Well, never mind, you’ll run a little more in this world and come running to me like a darling. And there, Vasil Stepanovich, we will be on equal terms with you. I’ll look at you as you sing.
Slavik looked up and made a Lynch knot on a rope, which he specially learned to knit in a few days.
– And what are you grinning at, Lubka? – he continued, looking in the other direction, – you say an alcoholic is drunk. Did you see yourself from the outside? There are rolls on government goods that I’ve eaten.
You can’t count the salary for this one, you’ll make a mistake for that one. And you yourself live well on our national labor, stuffing your purse and belly.
Slavik lowered the rope, and it hung in the air, and he went down and sat down at the table, took the bottle in his hand and pointed the neck at the glass, but his hand jerked and the contents poured onto the table. He cursed out loud and poured the remaining vodka into a glass, drank it in one gulp and stared at the door.
On the threshold appeared, as it seemed to him, the silhouette of his wife. Maybe the house started drawing these people to him, maybe the alcohol he drank, or maybe even the devil himself. Who knows now?
– Well, honey, you’re an alcoholic and a loser. And when we met in our youth, who asked me to marry just to get away from my stepfather as soon as possible, because he beat you, and from my mother, who kicked you out of the house.
Didn’t you swear to me that you would love me to the grave and support me until death? How so, my dear? Or have you forgotten all the good things over the years? And now I’m not your favorite husband, an alcoholic and a loser.
A silhouette of a girl formed near the mother.
– Well, Sonechka, how are you doing at school? All the kids are there mostly with folders, without him you will not be so comfortable and good. You’ll see. Don’t neglect the folder like that, you have it alone.
