Наталья Андреева - Islanders

“What is it?” Vera hesitated.

“Can you see that crack above?”

“Well, of course.” Arthur said.

“I guess Sergey's story had left nobody indifferent.”

“Why have you decided that?” Lida tried to put her hair in order nervously.

“I see it on your faces. You are thinking about something.You, Lida. You don’t tell me anything.” Ivan said softly. “I suggest you to overcome the fears. When I suffer from something, I act as follows myself. I write the fear on a paper and I burn it. Let’s burn the fears.”

“Burn fears?” Zhanna wondered. “How?”

“I shall carry the box in the next room. Put it on the table. There you can find clean white envelopes, pens and paper. Write your fear, put it in the envelope and throw it in the box. You will come in by turns, I understand that you hesitate. It is better to write it in loneliness …”

“And mind printed letters.” Arthur added.

“Why?” Vera asked again.

“Who knows what happens. I prefer anonymity.”

“Then we shall burn the sealed envelopes.” Ivan promised. “But you can really write printed letters. Or by the left hand.”

“Change the handwriting.” Arthur added smiling.

“Arthur is an optimist.” Ivan noticed. “He is always in a good mood. “

“I don’t understand why has he come here in general?” Angelica watched him expressively.

“Why? Oh, I’ve got the reason to come.” Arthur answered.” But I like the idea with the envelopes. To say truthfully I have also got my fear. And I dream to burn it.”

“I shall join this game with pleasure.” Angelica began to clap her hands.

“You are forty years old and you behave yourself as the little girl.” Lida revenged her.” It looks ridiculous.”

“Why do you think that I am forty?!”

“Ladies, calm down.” Ivan tried to stop them. “Lida, you quarrel with Angelica as she smokes towards you. Angelica, you know it and directly smoke to her side. Lida, it is evident. For Аngelica you now the weakest person and that’s why she attacks you. That’s your irritation, your anger. It is a weakness. Actually you are a kind woman, Lida. Why did you remind Angelica of her age knowing it will be so painful to her?”

“And she did the same. Well, that’s bad. You are right. I apologize.”

“Thanks.” Angelica answered.” I also apologize. But I am here the newcomer.”

“You are deep inside yourself.” Ivan smiled. “That’s right.”

“Are you going to comment all the situations?” Angelica asked.

“Some of them. My aim is to teach you to avoid conflicts. To be self-controlled means to own a situation. So have you got anything against it?”

“Do you mean against burning our fears?” Zhanna asked.

“Yes.”

“I am not against.” Sergey shrugged his shoulders.

“I agree.” Seva added.

“I have already showed my opinion.” Angelica noticed.

“Agree.” Arthur said at the same time.

“I support all of us.” Zhanna dropped quietly.

“And I do.” Vera said briefly.

“So, we have again the majority.” Lida signed. “I am not lucky today.”

“Well, let’s begin.”

Ivan left the room for a minute carrying the box in the next one. Seva sitting in an armchair said.

“In a circle, let’s begin with Sergey. Please.”

Sergey rose and slowly went to the door. Seva was to the left of him and took the pose as in a sport’s game preparing. As soon as Sergey had left he ran to the door.

“You are quick.” Vera noticed.

“Too quick.” Arthur added.

Seva stayed in the room only for a moment. He ran back and fell in his armchair. As if he did the duty, unpleasantly but fortunately as he had already done it. Zhanna rose from her armchair. While she went to a door Angelica looked at her figure. As she had noticed before, the girl was tall. Magnificent light hair shone on her shoulders, jeans fitted her very well.

“She could become a model.” Lida said suddenly catching that sight.

“It is not enough for a model.” Angelica answered.

“Not enough of what?”

“Everything!”

“Tell better that you envy her.”

“Ivan is looking at us. Do you want to become an object of his psychoanalysis again? I don’t.”

Zhanna returned quickly and Arthur was going to hide his fear in an envelope. Vera’s turn was after him. They were there equal quantity of time as if they had agreed. Lida stayed there the longest. And when she returned, Angelica asked her suspiciously:

“Have you read everything written by the others?”

Lida became red and Ivan noticed.

“It is impossible. Only I know how to open the box.”

“I was thinking!” Lida answered her angrily.

“Don’t think much!”

And Angelica jumped out of her armchair and slowly went out showing off her figure. Really she returned quickly. Angelica was the last, Ivan said.

“It is my turn. I shall bring the totem back.”

In a minute he returned with "the box" and put it on the low little table.

“Here there are your fears. We have almost got rid of them. We must burn them now.”

“And how shall we do it?” Zhanna asked.

“There is a metal tray in the kitchen. I shall open the box we take out envelopes on a tray and burn them.”

“And nobody knows what is written inside.” Arthur noticed smiling.

Sergey looked at his watch and offered.

“Perhaps, shall we have a break? One and a half hour has passed as we here. I suggest to make a break and then to continue. Then we will burn our fears.”

“I support!” Seva supported him with joy.

“I don’t mind to go out on a balcony to breath fresh air.” Angelica said dreaming.

“I also want the break.” said Lida. “I’ll go to the bathroom.”

And she touched her hair which was really in a disorder.

“At last you are in the majority.” Vera noticed. “I personally don’t need the break but if everybody insists so much …”

“So, by the majority of voices it is solved.” Ivan summed up. “We do a ten-minute break. We may breath in the balcony or smoke in the corridor or whatever.”

“I can make coffee.” Zhanna suggested.

“Perfect!” Arthur said with enthusiasm. “Zhanna, you are the best!”

“And I want coffee too.” Vera signed.

“Coffee and cigarettes.” Lida condemned them. “At night!”

“What’s wrong, darling?” Angelica asked. “If you don’t want, don’t drink! And I do with pleasure! And by the way you are alone again!”

“Does anybody else want coffee?” Ivan looked at them. They all kept silence. “It means seven cups of coffee. Zhanna, can I help you?”

“No, I shall try.” and the girl rose from the armchair.

“So, let’s have the break.”

Ivan also rose and said.

“I will go out for ten minutes to the cabinet as you are not against.”

And he went out the same time as Zhanna who moved to the kitchen. Angelica followed them then Vera and Lida, Sergey was with Arthur. Seva stayed alone.

In his childhood he needed love greatly. He was small, proud and lonely. He wanted to be hugged but he jumped aside from everybody who tried to do it. It seemed to him that all these people faked. So he grew up thinking that nobody loved him. And when he became an adult he began to feel absence of love in himself. Still proud and lonely, he avoided hugs as well as kisses and any open emothins. In childhood he had learned to laugh at everybody who kissed in public. He was shy about the aunt, she seemed old and very ugly and mum had been almost always busy, worked a lot with her private lessons and got tired much earlier than there came time of love. He was lack of the fairy tales at night, a parent kiss in a cheek and tender words “good night, dear". He was dreaming about it lying in bed with the open eyes waiting for his mother. He was thinking.