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CHAPTER 2

The gods greeted each other and took their places. The hall was empty, it was very dark and there was a deathly silence. This silence did not bode well. The hall was huge, and it seemed to me that it would be heard even if a snowflake fell. That is what happened. First, a fire lit up on the suspended chandelier, which was swinging, and then a whirlwind of snowflakes began. Again, there was a deathly silence. The fire went out. Only the outlines of the gods were visible.

The same old woman appeared, her appearance was still terrible. My friends were surprised to see her.

– Is it really your grandmother?

– Yes. I replied dryly.

The old woman began to build a fire. She brought dry brushwood, and tried to set it on fire, but she could not do anything. The brushwood was too cold and saturated with moisture. This process took time, and everyone silently waited for the result. The fire began to flare up and went out. Mara was amused by this, and she sat silently and smiled, I could see a grin in her eyes. The fire went out before it had time to ignite. The old woman bent down to light it again. Bat, she was thrown away by an invisible force, and with such force that she hit the ice wall, but immediately stood up briskly and looked in the direction of the gods. No one moved, everyone was looking at the extinguished fire. Mara laughed, it amused her. The flame broke out, of course. In addition, it flared up like a pioneer bonfire. The appearance of this flame was not natural, more like an artificial one. While the flame was burning, I wanted to get to my grandmother, but my friends stopped me.

– It’s not time yet. Wait.

– She’s right here, she can hear me.

– «She’s not the only one who’ll hear you. I listened to my friend and stayed where I was.

Then the souls flew away and took seats for the guests. Devils teamed up with trolls. The chandelier made of ice began to sway, the flame of the fire burned evenly. Nothing-foreshadowed trouble. Gradually, one by one, the dead who were standing next to us began to disappear. It was not known where they had gone. The cold hall turned into a taiga, it was the summer time of the year. The thickets parted by themselves, forming a flat clearing. The fire continued to burn, all the evil spirits began to come out of the thickets, ghouls, goblins, demons, there were so many of them that I could not see them and even find out which of them, who. They all climbed out of the darkness, came up and bowed to Mara. This ritual did not last long. When all this was over, and they disappeared, dark gods began to come out into the clearing, who had a direct connection with the dark world and expressed their respect to Mara. Mara received them kindly, and they went back to the depths of the taiga. The flames of the bonfire subsided. It illuminated the holiday. Then the taiga parted, forming an abyss, and the whole picture collapsed, and the hall took on its former appearance, and the same lighting, the chandelier continued to sway. Then one of the dead men appeared and removed the remains of the fire, after which he disappeared along with the remains.

It was the turn of the invited guests, they lined up in pairs, devils and trolls did not part. They flew up to the gods and gave them the skulls they came with. It was more of a gift for Koshchei. He decorated his home and even furniture with them. After these events, it was the turn of her favorite guests. She accepted them generously. The pile of skulls disappeared, at the snap of two fingers of their owner. The servants brought tables and chairs for dead souls to sit at them, only in human form. They took the form of sitting down at the table, and did it by seniority. First the male elders sat down, then the female ones. Only then, in the order of dying, the bodies and souls mixed up and sat down as they had to. The sight of these bodies spoke for itself. It looks like they died a long time ago, and are already used to being in the dark. They did not pretend to be anything more, they liked their existence. Their eyes shone with a transparent light, and the shell around their eyes betrayed the absence of life. Their bony fingers were like skeletal bones, their hair was lifeless, and they were not breathing. They were just sitting at the table.

The guests took their seats and sat waiting for something. We continued to watch. An old woman appeared, she appeared out of thin air and splashes of frozen water scattered in different directions. In her hands, she held the pot from which I managed to drink the magic drink. The servants carried wooden cups, one dead man carried a tray with dishes, and another poured this drink and distributed them to the guests. There were several of them, and they did their job quickly. One of them made a mistake and was immediately deleted. The scattered like flakes of snow, and in his place was another. Then all the servants quickly disappeared.

– How are you going to save her if she appears and disappears? It can turn into flakes of snow at any moment.

– Yes, you are right. I do not know myself anymore. Can I approach Mara herself?

– «What are you going to tell her?»

– Let him take me, and let the grandmother go.

– You are stupid! Why. You still have your whole life ahead of you; you are only twenty-five.

– I know. Bat, it is also my fault that she is suffering.

– I do not think so. It is her fault that you are here being alive. She told you fairy tales. Our argument was interrupted by a third.

– Quiet. Do not collect troubles. We are already in hell. Her husband will also make skulls out of us. Let us wait. Maybe the grandmother actually knows something. We must wait for the moment.

– «You’re right.

The guests were sitting peacefully at the tables; the hosts of the holiday were talking about something among themselves, or even not talking, but exchanging glances. The house cleaner collected the empty dishes from the guests and disappeared. Trolls came out into the hall and began their single dance. They were dancing something beautiful, trying to please the guests, something like a ballet. In my opinion, this ball was nothing special. I had more idea how to do my job faster and get away from here. I looked away and thought for a second, closing my eyes. As soon as I did that, I heard a sharp sound. It was like a creak. I looked into the hall. Guests, devils and tables, everything was cleaned. The guests took their seats as before. Devils and trolls were sitting in their places. The tables disappeared.

Mara Marena was standing in the middle of the hall. She stood tall and began to change her appearance. Her hair looked like the sun, it was golden, a light beautiful dress complemented the image of spring. Having taken the form of summer, the color of her hair remained the same golden, and she was even more beautiful. In autumn, she looked like a decrepit old woman in old clothes and a hump on her back, and with the arrival of winter, she turned into a young beautiful woman. Her beauty was fatal. I could not get enough of her. Her hair was decorated with a crown with precious stones; her gaze was stern and proud. She was a great goddess.

The festive hall changed its beauty with her. It all started in spring, despite the time of year there has never been light here. The light was a bonfire on which people burned an effigy of spring. At that moment, Mara wrinkled her face and clenched her hands into fists. This picture ended abruptly.

Then summer came. The picture changed its screensavers the way I had seen it before when I came here and saw the abandoned dwellings of the gods. It was dark enough here for the summer season, and the black sun served as the light. Spring and summer left quickly enough, but autumn was delayed. It was a damp and cold picture. There was a dark and gloomy street in the hall. Gray wooden houses stood in an abandoned state. There was no light in them and the street was illuminated by a lantern. It was drizzling outside, but no one felt it from those present, the rain did not touch them. The trees stood like gnarled guards.

The picture began to slowly change its screensaver. The water began to freeze gradually, turning into icicles. The raindrops turned into flakes of snow and a blizzard began. Mara was coming into her own. The blizzard rose stronger and stronger until it turned into a tornado and abruptly stopped. After the stop, the picture disappeared, and the inhabitants of the hall, all except the gods, were covered with ice. All the servants, devils, trolls and guests in human form. They all turned into ice statues. This picture has already surfaced before my eyes. I remember this moment well. My grandmother was standing in a half-bent state and held a shaman’s tambourine in her hands. The Winter Palace was fabulously beautiful, as was its owner. Winter frowned. Mara has come into her own.

I finished my story. A doctor came into the room and interrupted him. The doctor was doing his rounds. He said rather sad words for me. My friend should be discharged soon. I had already become attached to him and I did not want to part with him. In addition, after the experience I was afraid to stay in the ward alone. The doctor left the room. There has been no talk about my discharge yet.

– Don’t be sad. We will meet again, you will see. I took a deep breath in response. How quickly you can get used to a person, I thought. I was sad because so many things happened to me in such a short period, I met a person, now everything is ending, and we will have to part. What a pity. Alternatively, maybe I really dreamed everything and nothing happened. I thought and went out into the corridor.

– Where are you going?

– Just to walk. Walk to the bathroom, I joked.

– Let’s go together. My friend never let me go alone, and I did not even think about why. We walked down the corridor, drank coffee, and I continued my story.

The inhabitants of the castle assumed their former forms. Many guests disappeared, turning into splashes of snow. So they got rid of unnecessary guests. Everything took its former form. The ice thawed a little and became much warmer, although no one felt the cold. Mara threw her gaze at my grandmother, and she turned into a young girl. Beautiful enough for her age and position, but no one could compare with Mara. The girl straightened up to her full height and carefully looked in the direction of Mara. No one dared to look her in the eye.

A moment later, the castle disappeared, and we found ourselves in the winter garden. Everything took its former form, only instead of the old woman there was a girl standing and shamanizing by the fire. The guests separated, the trolls and devils separated from the spirits and lived by themselves. Only the chosen guests remained, and this final part of the holiday was for them. They were facing each other and they were separated by fire. Only the chosen guests remained, and this final part of the holiday was dedicated to them. The gods sat invariably, as they sat originally in the castle. Koschei, did not take his eyes off his wife, he admired her beauty. His eyes glittered greedily; his bony fingers fingered the handle of the throne, lined with skulls. Mara looked with her icy eyes at the fire; her gaze was cold and ruthless, and still changed color.

The old girl was still brewing a miraculous drink; it was already the third pot. My friends and I were standing under a tree and continued to watch what was happening.

– You should have approached her in the castle. However, it will not work out here. See how it turned out.

– I see.

– Then she will disappear and that is it.

– We need to catch the moment, as soon as the moment succeeds, I will immediately use it.

– We all believe in you.

The effect of the drink was beginning to end, and we began to feel cold.

– Do you feel the same as me?

– You will not believe it, but yes! Same as you.

– She is brewing a new potion. If you drink it, then the action will last.

– And how will we do it?

– Let’s hope for a miracle.

The girl continued to cook and shamanize at the same time. In addition, every time the shamanic words intensified, she became older. First, it was a girl, then a girl-woman, then a young woman, and so gradually, she turned back into a poor old woman. She stood hunched over by the fire and continued to brew a potion.

The drink was ready. The old woman poured it into the same wooden cups and distributed it to the servants. They drank and assumed human form. Then the servants carried it to the others. First to souls, then to demons and trolls. Everything went smoothly. I saw how the drink remained in the pot. Fumes were coming from it. After drinking the drink, the Sabbath began. Demons, trolls and souls were having fun. The old woman and the servants stood aside, they could not take part. The fun was in full swing. In addition, I decided that this was a chance and I should take it.

We walked around the tall fir trees, the holiday remained ahead. After walking a little forward, I got as close as possible to the grandmother. The three of us were shaking from the cold. She had her back to us. I plucked up the courage and called her in a low voice. She heard me from the first call, but did not dare to look back. I realized this and waited. She exchanged a glance with one of the servants. This dead man sneaked into our Christmas trees and brought a cup of drink. We drank it one for three, forgetting that we were drinking from the hands of a dead man. The gods were watching the Sabbath and did not notice what was happening. The fire was blazing with a bright flame and we were not visible. The old woman took a few steps back and without turning to face us began a dialogue.

– Why are there three of you here?

– We do not know ourselves. A friend replied.

– Well, he is fine, and what are you doing here? With three, it will be more difficult.

– «Don’t they know we’re here?»

– I think they know; only the three of you will be more difficult to save.

– How to understand?

– It means that he died alone and dragged his tail behind him. You should not be here.

– And what should I do now?

– Rescue drowning people.

The potion began to work, and we felt a surge of strength and stopped feeling cold.

– You have been here too long; you have already spent too much time. It is time for you to get back. In addition, in order not to get into the court again, you need to close the passage to the other world. It is an unmarked grave. You need to make it personalized, install an obelisk and a fence. In addition, no more going to the cemetery at this time of year. It is better in spring or summer. This grave has taken away many lonely souls. I will try to send you back. However, this Koschei is a powerful sorcerer. No, matter how he enchanted you.

I looked around. We were in a beautiful garden. It was night all around, snow and a bonfire lit up the clearing. I had no idea where I could go or run away here. Devils and trolls were having fun; this holiday was to their liking. The souls stood aside and watched the fun. They adopted the image of ghosts; probably it was more convenient for them. The celebration was in full swing.

– Actually, we came to save you. I said firmly. Grandma could not stand it and looked around.

– Have you come to save a dead soul? My place is here. I am already dead. However, you need to run away from here; otherwise you will find yourself in my place.

– I have been thinking about it. She did not see our faces and talked to the Christmas trees. Turning away from us, she resumed her former pose.

– Do you want to take my place? In addition, where do you want to send me?

– In the bright Iriy.

– What he wanted. Who will let me in there? In addition, how long have you known about Iriy?

– My sister told me. You can get there. You can be saved. You were just stolen by dark forces.

– It is. But…

Our conversation was interrupted, and she walked away from us.

– What are the next steps?

– We are waiting for her. We do not have enough support. We need our supporter.

– Find supporters in hell. It sounds ridiculous. If this is blurted out there at the top, then we will find supporters elsewhere.

– I have been thinking about it too. My grandmother took her place by the fire and began to throw firewood into the fire.

– If she throws firewood, then the Sabbath is not over yet.

– «It doesn’t look like it.

After taking a few steps back, she said she knew the way to another dimension. However, if they think of us, we will stay here forever as servants. We agreed to take the risk.

The three of us began to crawl through the snow in the direction indicated by the grandmother. She assured us that she would catch up with us when they got rid of her and she would not be needed. Our path was as follows: first, we had to disappear from sight. Then go to a certain place, from this place go through a snow tunnel, it was the most dangerous way, then go to another dimension through an ice bridge, this is the threshold of Navi. The bridge should be laid out because winter has come and the water has frozen, this bridge was intended for guests leaving the holiday. On the other side we had to go through the same houses, there we had to go through a green tunnel and go out to an oak tree, and there the grandmother had to take us to our world of the living. After hearing the information, I became unsure of myself. Remembering what I have already been through and I will have to go through it again. The scariest thing for me was that it was all in vain. It was impossible to save my grandmother, and I was responsible for my friends.

I made my way with a heavy heart. I did not want to leave her. I could not even hug my grandmother. My friends understood the reason for my sadness and tried to comfort me.

– Don’t be sad, she promised to catch up with us, so she will catch up. It was the only consolation, and it warmed my soul in this icy world.

The gods were too busy celebrating. Mara was having fun playing with the blizzard. Koschei sculpted skull figures out of snow, respectively, not by himself, but with the help of magic. He was amused by it, and he was carried away with it. This was the most favorable period for escape. The old gods were thinking about something of their own and focused on the fire. They were not interested in the holiday, and they were bored watching the dancing evil spirits, ghosts joined this evil spirits and the heat began. The ghost servants stood further away from the fire, and made a circle of fencing, thereby emphasizing their insignificance.

The snow tunnel actually turned out to be the most difficult. We walked through it like a maze. It has been a long way. Coming out of it, it seemed to us that we had not been walking for so long. We reached the bridge and waited for my grandmother.

– It seems to me that we need to run across as soon as possible.

– Me too.

– I do not. I will be waiting for her. I am only here for her.

– If she finds out about it, you will not live.

– I do not care.

– Let’s go together, one of the friends suggested to the other.

– I think we should go together. If we wait, the bridge may melt, and we will not get to the other side in any way, unless Mara herself carries us. Your grandmother can disappear and reappear. She will find us that is a fact. Let us go together. I hesitated, but an inner voice told me to go, and I went.

We ran across the bridge and looked back. The view was even more beautiful than before. Winter has come into its own and the ice has strengthened. Now nothing was falling, everything was covered with ice. The bridge was paved and it was not scary to walk on it as we walked for the first time. He was strong and handsome. I was a little sad that I did not watch the holiday to the end, and I wonder how it will end.

My friends were walking from side to side and waiting for further action. Then we had to go and pass four houses.

– Who remembers how to walk, I jokingly asked.

– I remember. We looked around and saw our ghost friend. We were so happy to see him that we wanted to hug him, forgetting that he was a ghost.

– «You’ll have that opportunity soon,» he said jokingly. I was looking forward to seeing this soul in the flesh.

We followed the flying package, accelerating our pace each time. I looked around, remembering the places I had walked once. With the arrival of winter, everything has changed, I thought.

– It is not with the arrival of winter. These are still the halls of Mara. When we come to the world of Navi, everything is different there.

– Yes, but everything has become much more beautiful. The Spirit said nothing, and we quickened our pace. I fell silent, and so did my neighbor. Silence reigned in the ward. – Next will be the most interesting.

– I get it. So let us smoke and take a break. I am tired. For the first time in all this time, my neighbor said that he was tired. It seemed strange to me, but I did not argue, and we went out. On time after lunch sleep, he asked how I would get home.

– Will you fly alone? Or will your sister come for you?

– Of course. I will fly alone.

– Will your friends accompany you?

– Yes. Of course they do. Nothing has changed. It is all over and the danger is over. My friend sighed heavily, and I continued the story.

We approached the houses and Koshchei’s house stood in front of us. Nothing has changed; it is as if we never left. We tried to leave as soon as possible. His house was very creepy. Each time the places became scarier, and the more we moved away from the snow palaces, the more the horror and dampness overtook us. When I reached Velez’s house, I breathed a sigh of relief.

The hardest part was over. I remembered the path we had left to go, and it seemed easy to me. It was a green tunnel and we were waiting for a meeting with grandma. Passing by the house, I tried to look into the windows, out of curiosity, hoping to see something interesting. It was impossible, the house was so protected that it was simply impossible to look through these windows.

When we reached the tunnel, we stopped and looked at the way we had done. It was a long way that was left behind. I felt uneasy, and began to shake with excitement. I felt the danger, and began to doubt that I would see my grandmother again. I took the first step and dived into the tunnel, followed by the footsteps of friends. There was a deathly silence. No one said a word. I looked at our friend the ghost; he was hiding his eyes from me all the time. Although he had nothing but his eyes. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but I knew he already knew what I was thinking.

The entrance to the tunnel disappeared, and we were in darkness. I took my friend’s hand and asked if he felt the same as me? The green tunnel turned icy. I felt him well, there was no doubt, and he was all made of ice.

– Do you think so too? I asked again, so as not to doubt.

– We think so too. There is no doubt. We are in the ice. There is only one question, is it a green tunnel or have we been moved to a snowy one.

It is hard.

– I was scared. Moreover, I did not know what to do. – What suggestions? I asked in a whisper.

– Let’s move on. It will be visible there in the clearing. We continued on our way with the hope of salvation.

– Your chance of salvation is not great, and my fate has long been sealed. Our friend spoke softly. I felt sorry for him, and I did not know how to help him. Our journey through the tunnel was ending, and the closer the exit got, the scarier it was for me.

Coming out of the tunnel, I straightened up to my full height and saw her. She stood and looked at me with her icy gaze. I wanted to sink through the ground, but I was already underground. Her icy gaze pierced my soul, and I felt like Kai, kidnapped by the snow queen. Deep down, this queen charmed me, and I did not want to part with her. On the contrary, I wanted to talk to her, stay with her for longer. But I felt like her slave and trembled before her.

My friends came out of the tunnel and froze in confusion. They did not know how to behave. They moved aside, and I joined them, taking a few steps back. Our ghost friend managed to hide, and we did not give him away. We realized that no one had thought of him. I also realized that he has a plan in his head for our universal salvation.

The whole clearing was covered with ice. As when icicles hung from green trees, my grandmother was also covered with ice. The ice on the moss created a thickness and looked massive. I realized that she had brought her grandmother here to settle accounts with me, and I did not know where to start. I wanted to speak first, but I did not dare. I was ready to give my life to free my grandmother’s soul and be close to this goddess, to be her slave forever. I looked resolutely in her direction and plucked up the courage to say the first words.

– Take me to your place. That is the first thing I said. I wanted to say something completely different, but out of fear, that is what came out of me. In response, Mara laughed angrily and began to circle in the air. We stood there and were afraid to move. There was an ice statue of my grandmother in front of us, and we were afraid to be like her.

– What should we do now? A friend who panicked all the time said this.

– I will try to persuade her. She will pick me up and let you go.

– I do not think she needs it.

– It seems to me that she does not need you. She needs my grandmother and me.

– Do you mind staying here along the way! I understand that!

– Which is noticeable. I said without denial.

– Yes, indeed. It is all written on your forehead. Your grandmother was talking about an oak tree. This is the transition to our world of the living. Maybe you will distract her, and we will take out your grandmother and run away ourselves.

– How do you imagine all this? This soul needs to be conducted. I do not know what is going to happen.

The storm subsided and snow quietly fell on the ground, and we began to wait for the attack. The oak tree was not far from us and we just had to run to it. But I didn’t know what to do in order to be there, at the top. Only the grandmother knew about it. It turned out to be a vicious circle. Moreover, I fell into despair. I sat down on my knees and began to sob. My helplessness was killing me. Tears started rolling down my face, one, two, and three. They were dripping, and I heard the ice cracking. The crunch of ice made me look up. The ice began to break and fragments scattered everywhere.

This event greatly enraged the dark goddess, and she began to rush viciously. – There is no place for tears, love and kindness here. Mara threw her evil look at me, a blizzard flew at me with it, but she quickly calmed down and disappeared. The ice continued to fly apart and we had to protect our face with our hands. His crunching cut the hearing, and together with the face, we had to squat down and cover our ears.

When everything was quiet, we stood up and there was a terrible picture in front of us. We were in the same green clearing, and there were fragments of ice on it. I noticed an oak tree, it stood as before, the same green and strong, forever young, I thought. To my surprise, my grandmother came up to us, already without fear. I took it as a good sign.

– Isn’t it dangerous for you to walk around the realm of the dead like this? I asked jokingly.

«The danger is over.

– You are wrong. We looked around and saw a ghost. All the most interesting things are ahead.

I finished my story, leaned back and fell silent.

– «So that’s the thing. Said my neighbor.

– In what? What do you mean?

– I did not tell you. Moreover, the doctors do not really care, but you had better find out now.

– What?

– Come with me.

– Where to?

– You said that fragments of ice were flying.

– Yes, I did.

– You also said whether I believe you. I told you that yes, I do. Therefore, we do not have a mirror in our room, but you should see it. I do not even know how to tell you about it. In addition, we got up and left the ward.

We went into the men’s room and went to the mirror. My friend took me to the mirror, and I did not look at my reflection boldly, for the first time in all these days.

– All these days I have been trying to shield you from this, but I will be discharged soon, it is time to see.

The main character from the horror movie was looking at me in the reflection. My face was scarred and its color was bright red. For some reason. The scars were long healed, there were many of them. I looked like a monster. In addition to all this, my head was like a gray harrier. I felt like an elderly freak, in my twenty-five. I stood silently by the mirror. My friend Vova stood aside and was silent. In the reflection, I saw this man’s tears welling up looking at me. I was pleased with his friendly love for me. The dead pause continued, and I sank into despondency, looking into my eyes in the reflection. – How could something happen in such a short period of time that not everyone would believe it? – For what? I thought. I hit the mirror with my fist and stepped aside.

– Let’s smoke. Suggested Vova. I gladly agreed and it became easier for me. We returned to the ward. The thought that my neighbor would be discharged tomorrow made me sad.

– Don’t be sad. We will definitely meet again. I looked at him sadly. My thoughts occupied my scars on my face. I could not understand why I did not feel them. My face just burned from the resulting cold. I have not washed for so many days; maybe that is why I did not feel them. My face was smeared with some kind of cream, and it gave me relief. I plucked up the courage and touched the scar. To my surprise, my face felt smooth to the touch. How is this possible? I ran both hands over my face and felt nothing. I got out of bed and went out. Going to the toilet, I went to the mirror and looked at myself closely. What a freak I am. I was terrible. But running my hands over my face, I didn’t even feel burns.

– It is strange I do not feel these scars. Maybe they were a long time ago, and I do not remember.