S. Skitalec - Shackles

Stumps are heard, the man leaves. The father slammed the door of the neighboring room too. Vukol hears how he speaks about something with mother.

Vukol did not understand sense of a conversation with the man. What does the word “exterminate” mean? To finger? Of whom the man complained? Who eats hens? Suddenly his heart clenched alarm: yes it is the King! About the King before said that she steals and eats hens!

Vukol caught easy steps of mother. The curtain was removed: mother costs and smiles the silent smile.

The king jumped off from a bed, having flashed a fluffy tail. Vukol reaches for mother. She kisses it and quietly asks:

– And who to you broke hours it?

– Tatorka.

– And you would not give!

– He took… to have a look … – Vukol justifies himself – he is big! He to me befouled a hand and violently fed with manure!.

His eyes were filled with tears again.

– Mother… it is not necessary to me a new cap! Children laugh… Tatorka fights… There is nobody to play… Only with the King… yes from Pashkaya!

Mother sighs:

– Well that! Play with Pashka, with the girl it is better, and I will banish Tatorka from our yard!

She dresses it in an everyday old suit, puts on stockings, boots.

– A new suit all in dirt at you! Be not found you with this robber!. Well, get up!.

Vukol jumped off from a bed.

The father – in a jacket, in a cap, with the gun hanging on a belt behind shoulders entered.

– Mother! Tatorka told that we are the rich. Truth?

– No, pretty, poor! Men are richer than us! We will leave from here soon! Well and you yet small, will understand nothing!.

– Tatorka does not love the rich… beats me, thinks – we are the rich!

– Fool your Tatorka! – the father interfered. – Here it will get to me – I will dig to it ears!. The thief will leave him, and it worst of all!

– Tatorka broke hours! – mother reported.

– Are guilty: entrusted the child, dressed up as acceptable… I look – and he in a pool that a pig.

– Yes it, companions such!.

– That also is! – the father sighed.

– You where with the gun?

– Yes here I want to take away a dog to smithies! Sonny! Let’s go with me, your dog! I tied her at a porch! Also you will lead itself!

– The child should not look at it! – noticed mother.

– No, let sees what for theft happens!. That since then was afraid of theft!

– Yes what else understands дитё! – mother objected.

– Anything! Let will remember that and in thoughts this Tatorka was afraid to be the thief… and that…

At a porch the King on a leash quietly sat. The father untied it and that she did not escape from the child’s hands, the free end of a rope about Vukol’s belt tied.

– Itself also conduct it and remember that she is a thief, torment is what the thief has to gain!.

Vukol bewildered listened to the father, without understanding why they go to smithies, but to go there with the father was flatter. Vukol was already there, it is close behind their house, on backs, on the river bank.

The king jumped about Vukol, trying to lick him in a face. Having caught sight of this procession from where the children coordinated by a trace in some distance undertook.

On the occasion of a holiday in smithies did not work.

Against each of them there were columns for forging of horses. Under a steep slope the river, a bend approaching close backs of houses shone. From a belltower the cheerful ringing of bells rushed.

The father shortly tied the King to one of four columns and, having taken Vukol by hand, turned back. Having passed steps twenty, he stopped and removed the gun.

– Become behind! – severely he told the son – and be not frightened – now I will shoot!

Vukol stood behind, with fear watching as it lifted the gun, put a bed to a shoulder, and without understanding why and where the father wants to shoot. Burst a shot, from a trunk fire took off. With smoke began to smell something sharp. Vukol turned pale, lips began to tremble him.

– Well, that’s all! – the father told, lowering the gun.

Through odorous smoke it was visible how on the earth at a column the King fluttered.

Without remembering itself, Vukol ran to it. The king twitched all over. From her nostrils blood streamed. Vukol loudly began to squeal, fell to it, embraced for a neck.

– King! King! – he shouted… Spasms squeezed his throat. Tears dimmed light. In eyes darkened. When the father raised it on hands, a child’s face twitched…

Vukol regained consciousness. It seemed to it that he long slept that hours are whole that Tatorka did not pursue it that the King is living and now will jump to it on a bed, will lick lips and an ear.

Behind a window laughter, noise of children’s, male and female voices, some crash as if peas pour in an empty bucket is heard, and someone shouts drawlingly:

– And well, how the woman follows water? and how children steal peas?

And again began to knock in a bucket, and children so laugh that even scream.

– Mother! – Vukol wants to shout loudly, but it turns out poorly and plaintively. – On the street!

Mother opened bed curtains.

– What you, my darling? The head does not hurt you? It is impossible on the street, the father did not order! You had a heat!

– No, does not hurt! I will go to the street! What does it crack?

Women, men, children surrounded with a ring the man in a blue caftan, in a high black hat grechneviky, with the drum hanging at it on a belt. He fractionally beat the drum with two small sticks, from time to time pulling the thick chain tied by one end to a belt, and another – passed throughout a nostril to a big shaggy animal.

The animal somersaulted and grabbled on the ground, rose as the person, on hinder legs and then became the whole head above crowd. On other, thinner chain attached for a collar there was other same animal, but still small, it is no more than bandog. The young of wild animal sat at legs of the man and quietly looked at works of the mother, at the crowd with laughter monitoring representation.

– This is a she-bear with a bear cub! – mother told, lifting on the son’s hands.

She-bear showed any ridiculous pieces. Then it was entered into the house, and the room was filled with the people. She-bear stood on hinder legs and drank up vodka from a glass, holding it in forepaws.

The festive crowd filling the room laughed, made a din.

The bear cub was brought to the yard and there tied to the tumbled-down wattle fence under a canopy. Vukol very much became interested in a bear cub: the young of wild animal was absolutely manual, was afraid of nobody and behaved ridiculously. Vukol ran after him. There was a strong wish to get acquainted with it closer and to play as played with the King.

The bear cub sat on a wattle fence, pogromykhivy a chain. Vukol stood few steps away from him, having thrust hands into pockets of trousers. Small bear eyes sparkled good-natured friendliness. Both with curiosity watched some time at each other. Vukol decided to begin a game: bent down, lifted a small dry stick and threw into a bear cub. That sniffed at it, took in a paw, sucked and threw back. Vukol laughed and, having decided to continue a game, threw into him a stone. The bear cub looked for a stone, did not find and, having gone down from a wattle fence, went to the little person on all fours, but the chain prevented. Then he got up on hinder legs and quietly, plaintively zaurchat, as if complaining of a chain and as if inviting to approach him closer. Here Vukol remembered how the she-bear owner for fun struggled with her before the laughing loudly people. There was a wish to clasp also to it the new friend in arms. He gave hands to a young of wild animal. The bear cub sniffed at Vukol. From an animal smelled of wet wool. Approached it closely, but at this time someone seized him behind and lifted on air: it was Vukol’s mother. Without telling anything, she ran from the yard, strong pressing the son to a breast.