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The VirginВ Well
Sergey Nedorub
After the fall of the meteorite, a well was formed near the village of Forgetswille, the water from which restores virginity. In a matter of days, the peaceful life goes collapsed.
The VirginВ Well
Sergey Nedorub
Cover designer Tatiana Orlova
© Sergey Nedorub, 2021
© Tatiana Orlova, cover design, 2021
ISBNВ 978-5-0053-5111-1
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
The VirginВ Well
AВ short story byВ Sergey Nedorub
В«Whoa, Hokey!В»
Pulling the reins, Kolovrat-the-old mumbled to his beard a lot of swearings in the name of horse’s mother, its canine sisters and mule’s granny, just before dray stopped. The crooked wheels creaked, arching habitually with upper spokes. Kolovrat slapped his cheek, killing a gnat, slipped from the dray to the slush, making splashes with his felt boots.
В«Go screw your hoofs!В» he yelled toВ Hokey, who turned her mournful snout toВ him. В«IВ told you halt! The hell you go, there is no oats! You see that crap?!В»
An uprooted tree laid across the broken track way, looked like it was pulled out byВ the bad weather.
Kolovrat-the-old waved his hands, spat out and pulled the sash. He stood for aВ while then.
В«Damn you!В» said he finally and began acting. Approaching the trunk covered with the bark chewed byВ the bugs, the old man grappled it and heaved with grunting.
В«Ahh arse!В» Kolovrat cried after the first crunch ofВ his loin and dropped the tree. В«You rot inВ hell, you waist ofВ woods!В»
Straightening his back he wrinkled at the clouded sky, which kept on grumbling moodily. Cursing everyone, the old man went away toВ look for aВ bypass.
The branches poured ladles ofВ water every time he touched them. Forcing his way, the old man scolded the day. After that, suddenly he approached clearing inВ the woods he never saw before, and stared at the pit looking weird.
В«What the hell?В» Kolovrat wandered. He stepped closer, tossing heavy lumps ofВ wet ground away with the felt boots. The pit was as wide as the yoke and as round as the scoop. It was filled toВ the brim with rainwater.
Narrowing his eyes, Kolovrat-the-old noticed some strange stones lying inВ the grass. They glimmered dimly with the red streams. The old man chewed his tongue and spat thickly at the stone. The spittle bounced away like aВ coin from aВ wall. The stones were red-hot.
Shifting his hat on the side, the old man scratched his unwashed head. Coming toВ the edge ofВ the pit, he crouched and took aВ handful ofВ water.
Adam’s apple moved up and down – the water flowed inside with fresh purity.
«That’s so good!» the old man quackled and drank more. He could not tell why he was itched to quench his thirst at rainy day and even without a hangover. But the water fit just right.
В«Good, good,В» he praised, shaking his head with pleasure. Then he thought ofВ the axe inВ the dray. Rising toВ his feet, he plodded back.
«Shall build the well,» he boasted to Hokey holding the axe with calloused hands and touching the blade. «Shall do by myself. Hell to yokels, hell to all of them. Stones are so wondrous, will do good borders. And that log on the road, such a nice planks… every cloud has a silver lining. You see that branches? You are my little maredevil!»
* *В *
A week later, Kolovrat’s dray stopped by the hut where his breed lived: the eldest daughter, Petunia, who has plumped up to wide doors since foretime, and a lot of grandchildren. The hut was built by Greefungus, bacchanalish son-in-law, who was always wearing an unpeeled shirt and made Petunia wash it only before works at the hayloft. Kolovrat had a son and daughter as well, and they lived at the other end of Forgetswille. A stalwart lad, Cyrith, with door-wide shoulders – and soft, silent Nitha. Old man adored them, so more he was happy because of two upcoming weddings of them both. Two pairs on young blood was about to get married, right after the ingathering, and Forgetswille buzzed waiting for the big feast. The village stored goods, made more hooch than usual, sorted livestock. The olders revised new huts. Wenches led by Malka, a Cyrith’s fiancée, gathered flowers with laughter, weaving garlands in despite of blossoms had never had a chance to reach their high day. Young Sweereed, betrothed to Nitha, kept working on hard at the hayloft under the guidance of Greefungus who kicked him out, every now and again, using the pitchfork to lock the gates from the inside, listening to joyful laughter of another slut. Boyka the blacksmith gave a pledge to roll his sleeves up and confront Cyrith in sparring in the day of feast, just to figure out who’s the strongest brave man of Forgetswille. The loser had to chop a whole larder of woods to the winner.
So the village was excited.
Kolovrat took aВ spring from the dray toВ the ground, filled his lungs with air and barked loudly, В«Petunia! Come out my tulip!В»
AВ minute after the door opened. Red-faced Petunia came out on the porch.
В«What is there, father? My pies are about toВ broil.В»
В«Screw your cook you hussy. You do all the burnt cobs all the time. Cheekies home?В»
В«Tyesse at home, Lyenne at yard. Boys are blowing at bellows.В»
В«Let them blow. Get the girls and into the dray.В»
В«Why? Where?В»
В«Shall show you my stuff.В»
В«Some shitty cannel again?В» Petunia asked inВ qualm, getting back toВ theВ hut.
Kolovrat heard his daughter calling girls and returned toВ his place, foretasting the show. After aВ while, two fair little hellions rolled down the porch.
«Grandpa!» They screamed, climbed the dray and hung on the old man’s neck. Kolovrat purred in favor.
Petunia piled herself inВ somehow.
В«Where to?В» she asked while her older daughter buried into the hay and younger one was pretending toВ pull aВ sisterВ out.
«Not so far, there we go…» Kolovrat murmured holding the reins.
ByВ and by, the dray arrived toВ the lawn. Old man stopped Hokey next toВ his В«stuffВ».
В«What you say, heh?В» he asked dashingly.
Petunia left the dray, watching the well – low, waist-high even. It was decorated with unusual stones, glistening under the sun with orange firebolts.
В«Dad, did you dig aВ well?В» she asked while Tyesse and Lyenne took aВ delight run around the installation.
В«Hell yes IВ did,В» old man bragged. В«AВ week ofВ guts.В»
He chose not toВ tell that the pit was ready afore and the stones just laid down here. Let the result look more solid. Let them talk whatever they dare.
Petunia came closer. The well was filled with water. Instantly she became covered with splashes when Lyenne jumped into the well. Petunia had no reason to worry – Lyenne stood at the bottom easily, her head stuck out.
В«How are you going toВ get out?В» peasant woman asked strictly.
Tyesse ran closer.
«Mom I’ll pull her out!» she promised and followed her sister.
With huge feeling ofВ the pride, Kolovrat walked around the well.
«Why swim, we’re not fish,» he said. «Petunia, the water as bewitched as your tear. Have a drink.»
Kids lapped greedily. Petunia used her skirt toВ clean fat hands, lowered with groan and scoopedВ up.
В«Tasty,В» she said.
Kolovrat used toВ giggle aВ little when Petunia trembled hard.
В«What?В» old man said.
«Something…» Petunia answered but not finished. Her hands reached her underbelly.
В«Want toВ shit?В» asked old man carefully. В«Shrubs are over there.В»
В«No,В» Petunia shook her head and ran quickly into the bushes.
Kolovrat scratches his head.
В«Damn good water,В» he said looking at the children raving inВ the well.
AВ loud scream from the bushes made him jump like aВ stung. Petunia rushed hither and thither.
В«What are you doing?В» Kolovrat tried toВ rein her up. В«You saw some sylvan?В»
Petunia held her hands between her legs. Looking at Kolovrat she yelled, В«Mom, what aВ disaster!В»
Then she fell on the ground unconscious.
В«You, get out, now!В» Kolovrat commanded. Grandchildren got out the well immediately, listening toВ their granddad with attention. The water drops flowed from them.
В«You feel good?В» Kolovrat asked. Granddaughters nodded.
Scratching the stomach old man stepped toВ Petunia who breathed clamorously inВ aВ faint.
В«Here, give me aВ hand over here,В» he ordered releasing the shafts. Then he climbed the horse and added, В«Tyesse, you go toВ hayloft. Tell your dad toВ drop all he does now, either job or broad. Tell him that feme is bad. Let him go home, him, elkish boar.В»
В«Yep,В» Tyesse nodded and ran back toВ village.
Kolovrat lashed Hokey, heading the sameВ way.
* *В *
Greefungus was sober enough to make Kolovrat almost happy because of it. Confused by Petunia’s statement, the old man waved his hat in front of woman’s face. Catching the sight of the son-in-law, Kolovrat showed his dray and the lad took his wife quickly to carry her into the hut. A glassful of hooch had results. Kolovrat would do it himself but he didn’t know where a bottle was stashed.
Woke from aВ stupor, Petunia yelled again, got from the bed and ran outside.
«Devilry’s dau…» started Greefungus but shut up under Kolovrat’s sight.
Petunia was running back and forth screaming so loud that the whole Forgetswille became wide-awake shortly. Peasants looked out from the windows squinting discontentedly because ofВ broken forty winks.
«What’s the crap?» asked Chordan while passing by and patting the fat belly. «Kolovrat! Why is your offspring whooping?»
ByВ the common efforts Petunia was caught and put on the bench beside theВ hut.
В«Get calm already!В» screamed Kolovrat, В«What is going on with you?!В»
Petunia twisted the face continuing sobbing quietly. Her hands moved between the legs again.
«It… it healed back!» she said.
Greefungus sat next toВ her.
В«Say what?В»
«It fixed!» she cried. «Father, I… I am innocent!»
В«Err,В» Kolovrat looked stupid.
В«IВ am virgin! Again!В»
The old man got stoned. Chordan burst into laughter, holding fat belly and stomping as hard as he could.
* *В *
An old knucklebone, named Seditilia, who used toВ be aВ healer ofВ Forgetswille, was called toВ survey Petunia. She plodded on giving nasty smiles toВ peasants. Everyone welcomed old woman, took an interest inВ her well-being right before demonstrating their sores, both chronic and fresh. Seditilia nodded abstrusely listening toВ wishes ofВ good health for ages eternal. After reaching the hut ofВ Greefungus she looked at Kolovrat proudly and declared him aВ walking youthful prowess.
Next minute she rolled out from the hut with heart-rending cries. ByВ this time, aВ half ofВ Forgetswille dwellers gathered inВ front ofВ the yard.
«Help me the Lord,» – Seditilia screamed while shaking the rag soaked in vinegar. «Gracious me! What a mess my dear! Yet I delivered Tyesse, and Lyenne! God’s sake! Kolovrat! Virgin is your daughter! Said she drank a water of plague! Ahh!»
Old man stood next toВ Hokey like he was asking for her help. He was completely delirious.
The crowd hummed with whispering. AВ hostler, named Dorokh, stepped ahead, fingering his cap inВ his hands uncertainly.
В«What water?В» he asked, В«Tell us Kolovrat.В»
В«Me, me will say!В» Tyesse exclaimed while jumping joyfully, В«Grandpa digged aВ welly! There it is, me show!В»
* *В *
The glade had seen so much ofВ peasants only on the Greek calends.
Plowmen clamored, fingering at outlandish stones which composed the well’s borders. Women yelled discordantly and so did Kolovrat, louder than everyone else, trying to overvoice them all. Kids stared at the well with curiosity, getting nothing and biting nails. Some of them were going to get into the water but their moms immediately pulled them back, giving a cuff on the nape or the butt.
Kolovrat was sitting on the boulder, quiet now. Cyrith appeared next toВ him.
В«So, dad,В» he said, В«Is it sooth or sklent? The well makes maiden aВ virgin?В»
«Hell only knows,» old man answered cursing the whole world in the spirit. «It does nothing to men, knock on wood to be good… I drank it a lot, and I am still here.
В«Anyone drank it as well?В»
В«Lyenne did. And so Tyesse.В»
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