Venia Mishin - On the stone road

© Venia Mishin, 2019

ISBN 978-5-4496-8790-6

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Without hurrying, but looking at watches – Eric Lanter was coming back home, slowly walking along an empty street under the dim light of lanterns. In the town he was known as a guy with unnaturally pale gray color of hair.

Rising up the hill, Eric felt coming chill of autumn, which was blown by wind. Looking around, Eric observed the sad trees: the leaves were trembling, its fear was disseminating over the hill. Probably, it felt the death, which was coming. Diluting rustling sounds by steps, Eric thought about the last weekend of outgoing summer and about the school routine, that happens after the summer.

It was going to be the last year in school. Eric couldn’t believe that he never had to come back there, that this stage of life is going to come to the end. He thought that that this stage of life is going to long eternally and the moment, when he reach the age of 16 is never to come.

Everything would be fine, but it left almost a year before this memorable moment. During this time it was necessary to get prepared for the exams, for graduation, and certainly, to make a choice with the college. Eric had problem with the choice, even the problem was serious. He didn’t have any particular aim in life, he also didn’t know, what he is going to do in future and he had no idea, which sphere he wanted to devote his life. He didn’t want to regret in future about his choice and experience the desire to turn the time back. At the moment he had an only option – to study in college, that choses his best friend Konstantin Balington. Most likely, it’s was going to be an economical or juridical college.

Konstantin’s parents had owned a sawmill. In the childhood Eric and his best friend spent there almost all their free time. In unused space they were playing hide-and-seek, catch up, and sometimes they observed the magical process of conversion of huge logs into flat boards. When the guys grew up they visited the sawmill not for playing, but for working in order to earn some money for their daily needs. At least, one of them. Usually Konstantin was a company to his friend. Basically they did auxiliary work, and sometimes they helped Mrs. Balington with parsing documents in accounting.

Sometimes Eric thought that his friend is not excited about the future inheritance. It were not the best time for the sawmill because of bust of their town.

Silent Valley was an old town with forgotten history, which was slowly dissolving in nature. Some local entrepreneurs, who owned the chocolate manufacture or the ceramic plant after numerous crises stopped their activity. As the result, the work in mines has become the only occupation, which gave people a good income. The young people, who lived in the Silent Valley were intended to move to the big city because of the daily routine and the lack of opportunities. Those people, who had managed to do that, never come back to the Silent Valley any more.

Nevertheless, there lived some people, who didn’t want to move anywhere from this sinking into dormancy town. Eric didn’t like bustling metropolis, he also didn’t like places, where there are lots of people around. Lots of people everywhere. He was convinced, that it’s impossible to stay alone with himself, even in his head, when there are always millions of people around you.

Opposite to Eric, Konstantin dreamed about leaving this panting from boredom province. Once Konstantin confessed to Eric, that he doesn’t want to take the reins in his hands. He didn’t want to run a sawmill in future. In reply Eric suggested with a smirk to replace Konstantin in this post, if he doesn’t mind of course.

Sometimes Eric got angry to his friend, course he had so much, but he didn’t appreciate it. Wonderful parents, who work all the time, trying to give their son all the best. In the childhood Konstantin had the best toys, the best clothes, and their house considered to be the most beautiful in the Silent Valley. The situation hadn’t changed nowadays, but toys were changed by modern gadgets and by cool black and red motorbike. Eric, at the opposite, was brought up by his caring mother, whose troubles he all the time was trying to reduce and make her difficult life a little bit easier.

There was one more person in Eric’s life, but about his existence Eric has dreamed to forget forever. It was his father, who was a carefree sloven and the “killer” of Eric’s good mood.

Eric’s parents considered to be the representatives of the middle class, maybe even lower. They hardly had money even for moving. Karl Lanter accused of the lack of money all the family, but not himself. It was his principle to put the responsibility on others. Cause it’s so much easier to live. Mr. Lanter got very angry when someone was trying to hinder him, and he had never stunged by remorse.

The street, which was filled with darkness and slowly getting covered by fog, was faintly covered by dim light of lanterns. The view was gloomy, but exiting. Eric was impressed by this scene. The Hill street was shrouded in thick ghostly colors. The street got its name because of the location. Leading to the clouds hill scattered on the outskirts of the town. It was built by small white houses, which were similar to each other. All the house, except the house №17 were empty. Nowadays Lanters was the only family, who lived in this street.

The Hill street was shrouded by wild charm and filled with wonderful smell, which was disseminated by weak blowing of wind. Fragrant flowers and scented bushes emitted a pleasant smell and all the houses in this street were drown in this magic smell. Eric scared, that once someone will get to know about this wonderful place.

Walking past these empty windows, without hurrying, Eric came to his home. By the way, their house didn’t suit the general atmosphere. All the yard seemed to be a little island, surrounded by high green trees. There were many garden flowers around manicured lawns. These flowers seemed to be weak and vulnerable to wild nature, which surrounded its yard.

Before stepping on the concrete path, green-eyed boy observed his dwelling and habitually thought “I love this place so much, but at the same time I hate it!”

Eric loved his dwelling, but at the same time he hated his house because he had to share it with his evil and useless father. He scared, that one day he will become familiar to his father.

Softly moaned, Eric moved to the house. Rising the steps on the porch, he looked back through the shoulder: thin subtle sound caught his attention. He turned sideways to the door and saw a ball, which was flying directly to him. In a second he was rammed the bright sphere: the hit was so strong, that Eric felt down and he flied through the wooden platform, then he hit his temple on the front door and went through it on the wooden floor of a small porch.

There was a flash inside and outside. Burning multi-colored contraption soaked in a teenager’s body, like a drop of water in a dry land.

Pain. It spread from a single point on the entire body. It has spread and ruthlessly burned everything on its way. Eric opened his moth: he didn’t have a force even for shouting. Poor guy spurted gained air and fought the neck to the floor. Then he began to choke.

Never before had he felt such unbearable torments. In this time he thought, that he will never fell anything any more, that the pain is the last feeling, that he experienced in his life. Each piece of his body simultaneously punctured both inside and outside. The body was shaking, hands and feet overwound and writhed in convulsions. Then everything inside has been phased out and cuddle up to each other, as if rammed into a solid mass.