As I was walking down the platform waiting for my train to arrive, I’ve noticed a young lady sitting at the bench all by herself. She was crying and calling for a man, “Sasha”. I wonderes if it was my Sasha, who got killed in the sickbay. I sat near here looking at her beautifull black hair, her full lips of pleasure, her emerald eyes. I was enchanted by her beauty. So long had passed since I saw a real woman, most desires that I forgot about, woke in me, lusting for lost memories of love like a ferocius beast burried inside. She looked at me with her tearfull eyes, I’ve felt her pain by just looking at her
-Why do you still look in the past when nothing is there to be forgoten about. Your memories are guided by images that hurt you most, in places you’ve never understanded before. – I said to her
-Oh, sir, you don’t know how is to love and to be loved. My heart still goes forward since my darling died.
-He was your husband?
-No, my brother that kept me alive all this time, that helped me to stand up every time I had fallen on my knees.
-I to had lost my brother, my whole family, and yet is still live not turning back. I know that God has a plan for us all. My lady, before I leave could you tell me your name?
-Antoniete, shy as a little deer, and kind sir may I know yours – she replied
-Nikolai.
It saddens me to leave her behind. She was waiting for her father to arrive and I had to leave for Romania. I stepped on the stairs leaning on my left arm and got up. It was a nice and cozy train, and I’m that I got the ticket in the last moment. Why Romania, I have had a choice to pick any country and I picked Romania. My old friend lav told me that there was the saffest route to America. From there I could saffely travell to France and get a ship to New York.
My cabin was very warm, I did not need to relax my hands on the fire like I’ve done it in the trentch. It felt so good that I finnaly got away from the cold winds of Siberia, but it was quite sad for me to leave my birthplace. Never less, now I am a new man, and I have a new way of life.
Moments after departure from Zaporozhje, I heard explosions and gunfire, the Nazis were fighting trough our defenses, I thought. It seemed to me that this war was not needed for our world. Only stupid people kill each other, it is best to stay away from them. What will happen now, when the war finishes, will Germany prevail or will it fall down like the rest of the countries? First Chekhoslovakia fell under Hitler’s tirany, then Poland, followed by all the rest of them. Germany was like a big giant, it just ate and searched for more.
When I fellt relaxed by the comfort of my warm cabin, the doors swung open leaving a man behind them that was enveloped in a corrosoive smell. He was dressed in a long gray coat, his eyes were like empty sockets that were watching me. The man carried a walking stick, he held it closely to his pale face. As you could see his veins pulsing through his bald forehead, he smiled at me.
-Is this free seat? – he asked with a slovakian accent roughly speaking English
-Why of course, make yourself comfortable. – I coughed from the stench
-Thank you, my name Goblar, I travel to my house, it’s with Romania. – he could not speak my language very well, it semmed as he was new to Ukraine – Where you go?
-I am too travelling to Romania, my relatives live in Brasov. – I replied glancing at his strong hands, he was two feet taller than me, and he smelled bad, very bad
-How coincidence, my master live near Brasov. You go with me. – he looked at me with his dark gray eyes.
-Thank you, but I cant – You go with me – he interrupted – No sir, I cannot – You go with me – he smiled as I fell back in the comfortable seat
-You go, I help your journey, no large deal for master.
I had frozen in fear, I’ve never felt so cold in Siberia than here sitting right next to him. I slowly reached for my bag taking out my gloves observing him. He sat there on the seat like a zombie watching me without blinking, smilling at my gestures. Goblar was someone not to be tempered with.
-Where is your master now? – I asked breaking the silence
-He sleeping from a long travel, we been to Moldova, city called Kishinev. He back, at the second train. – what, he was here, I’d hate to meet his master, but I had to
-Is he coming here, in this cabin?
-Yes, at when day go dark, at night. – Goblar smilled
What was his master like, someone that likes the night very much? His master was a fiend, but I do not regret any choice that I made that day in the train. Darkness was falling soon, as for Goblar, he went to sleep, I couldn’t close my eyes that night, and it was not the smell. Images of war polluted my mind, I only felt the cold winds of Siberia rushing, the sounds of bullets firing at the enemie, but that was Goblar snoring. As the waxing moon rose in the sky the atmosphere became scary, nothing was heard, and no rackling from the train, no wolves outside, not even Goblar’s snoring.
-The night is fresh at this hour. – A man apperaed right next to me.
I jumped on my seat terrified. He had long black hair that was covering his face. His wide shoulders were binded a long cloak. He had crystal clear blue eyes that shined in the moonlight. His nose was supported by a dense dark brown moustache.
-Sorry for frightening you, are you okay, you look like you could use a drink. – he took a goblet and sipped some vine giving it to me – Here you go.
-Thank you, my name is…
-Nikolai. – I trembled as he spoke my name – How do I know, it doesn’t matter. I am Vladislav the Third, a Romanian voivode.
He wa s a voivode, but a very old one as I had seen it in his eyes. Vladislav insisted that I should come to his mansion in the region of Transylvania. There I would replenish myself and continue my long trip to America. Vladislav was a very unusual person who travelled with Goblar. He did not smell badly as Goblar, and certainly spoke English good.
-You see, the Nazis just want to be the “Jacks”. They will crush anything and enslave it for their own need. But you Nikolai, I wonder how did you survive this war? Are you one of their allies?
-No, mister Vladislav – Call me Vlad – he interupted with a smile – It was only my damn luck. Now I am embarrased to leave my country as a desserter, but I fear for my life.
-As we all do, Nikolai. I am giving you an invitation to a new way of living, you can chose between your life as a desserter and a traitor to you precious Motherland, or you can come with me and Goblar to be my student.
-Student? Student of what…? – I asked looking at his clear blue eyes
-Well, if you want to know I can show you. Be in the last coach before the dawn’s breaking. I must go now to find me some dinner. – In that momment I turned arround to look at my watch and he dissapeared with Goblar, leaving only the foul smell.
I squirmed in my seat, waiting until the last hours passed. I couldn’t sleep, I was deeply in the ecstasy of excitement. I felt just like in the caravan ambush that I did with my brother that day at the line, holding tightly my rifle, waiting for our mission to begin…
Post je objavljen 06.04.2007. u 15:21 sati.