Wind in the Hands

Chapter 36. The Voice

  The voice sounded familiar.

  “Is that you?” the Stranger asked and envisioned the Hermit’s seamed face, with running and very bright eyes.

  “Do not be afraid of anything. I’ll help you.”

  “How should I go?” the Stranger asked.

  “In forty paces there is a gap.”

  The Stranger took the Bird by her arm and started counting steps aloud.

  In thirty eight steps they stopped. The Stranger lied down and crawled forward, knuckling the floor. The sound changed, and he guessed that it was a stretched cloth. Having founded the point where the cloth disguised as the floor relief was attached, the Stranger overburned the cords and pulled the cloth vigorously, it was attached by one side only. Then, he lied down the floor again to light the gap. A stone thrown down plumped. By the length of the cloth, he could define the gap’s length: about three meters long.

  “What’s next?” the girl asked.

  “Leap,” the Stranger tried to seem as calm as possible,

  “But I cannot make such a long jump. Maybe, I’d rather make it down, and then you’ll pull me out?”

  “There is a deep pit down. I think, this is a fatal trap, you cannot make it down, we’ll jump it over.”

  “Jump alone, I’ll stay here. Go,” the Bird uttered sadly.

  The Stranger stroked her hair.

  “Once upon a time, I was in the army, and my commander used to say: the most important thing is to preserve the staff, and let things happen as they will. The man was absolutely right, though there were few who understood him. We will over jump, be sure. But you’ll have to jump without your shoes.”

  “Do you believe that I’ll be able to leap it over?” the girl asked in a hollow tone.

  “No, I don’t,” and taking a pause he added, “I’m sure.”

  “Who jumps first?”

  “I’ll have to. I will spot for you,” the Stranger said cheerfully.

  “You will snatch me, will you?” she was still guarding composure.

  “Provided, that you won’t make a complaint against me about sexual harassment later,” he tried to joke.

  “It is what I’m dreaming about!” the girl huddled up to him.

  “I’ll kiss you on the other side,” the Stranger felt abashed.

  “Jump now,” the Bird thrust him forward.

  He took off her sandals to put them into the bag. Then, he burned paper near the gap edge to mark the line. Thrown the bag over and leapt over the pit easily: he used to clear obstacles no match for this one.

  “Step back a few meters! Take a run! Go ahead!”

  The Stranger moved to the edge of the gap and turned sidewise, his knees half-bent. The Bird was falling short of just some centimeters. He felt this, opened out his arms, caught the girl up, and swung right around. Feeling that he is falling, he threw the girl rather far from the gap, and flailed his arms to keep balance. One leg slipped down, but the Stranger managed to carry weight onto the other leg and jump far away. His heart was beating heavily, his knees trembling. The Bird jumped up to him and burst into tears, hugging him tightly.

  “There, there… don’t overdramatize,” whispered the Stranger taking the girl to breast. “That was not the last obstacle. Let’s go.”

  “You promised something,” the Bird wept out. He bent over to kiss her on the lips.

  “I love you,” the girl said softly. “I like to be with you.”

  “We have to go,” the Stranger took her by the shoulders.

  They were following the tunnel corridors for a long time. The Stranger did not feel danger, yet his inner tension was developing, and when reaching the climax, replaced by indifference and apathy. “You mustn’t relax. You ought to set yourself up for struggle, be ready for fighting, be cautious and concentrated.” The Stranger vigorously went off, the girl staggering heavily behind exhausted. Suddenly, he stopped squinting into the dark.

  “Don’t you see anything?” he asked his companion.

  “Where?” she tossed head looking around.

  “Ahead.”

  “Nothing. What have you noticed?”

  “Nothing special,” he tried to listen to his feelings: uncomfortably, yet not too anxiously to make a stop.

  In a few meters, they saw some contours. The Stranger moved the girl behind his back and started slowly for the silhouettes. He had come across cave drawings and ancient scriptures not once, but, as far as he knew, there was no picture in the tunnel; however, archeologists had no time to investigate it thoroughly.

  “What is there?” the Bird whispered not daring to look from behind the Stranger’s back.

  “Perhaps, a phantom.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Pictures drawn to put the wind up the tourists,” the Stranger was trying to speak in jest, as he decided that the danger has passed.

  “They have performed a mission. I’m scared,” the Bird was speaking in a level voice.

  Coming closer, the Stranger heard: “It is not a phantom.” He stopped dead. The girl bumped against him.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “Do not come up, do not touch them and, the best of all, do not breathe when passing by.”

  “It is stalky,” he thought. “First, you are frightened of a fluorescent picture, but when the fright is defeated, you think it blank to fall into a trap invented with a view to human curiosity…What’s next? The Voice warns me, but I’m not sure it will do it always, that I’m armored. I am just an instrument…”

  “What are you thinking about?” the Bird asked, breaking his thoughts.

  “About life,” the Stranger was short-spoken.

  “You have ransomed me. Where was the gem coming from? As judged by your getup, you are not a rich man, only your boots are solid.”

  “Never judge by appearance. Moreover, if wealth does not serve good purposes, it is a trap more fearful than trip wires and mines.”

  “But why? After all, money is needed to live, and it gives a lot of comfort.”

  “I mean treating money not as a means to purchase goods but as an idol. It is awful when people believe in money as in God who can rescue them from troubles. It is awful when a rich man boasts his wealth and holds in scorn those poorer. Who can see the deprived suffering and starving but does not help them. It is awful when excess money provokes nice people to get pleasures that kill both mind and body. You know this better than I: that was the weak point you used to call dupes on. Sometimes, I can hear what people think… The greatest dream that seizes even the rich ones is to have money as much as possible. Mankind lives according to the formula: money can buy everything.”

  “All dream of money?” the Bird smiled ironically.

  “Not all, but most of them. Some dream of fame, popularity, or power. Romantic girls dream of love. Then again, those sick dream of health, not of wealth.”

  “But could you redeem me without money?” the girl resented.

  “Money is a neutral thing, it’s up to a person how to earn and spend it.”

  “I see,” saddened his companion. “For family life money is vital.”

  “Well, you hitch your wagon to a star,” the Stranger burst laughing. “When the time comes, money will help nobody.”

  He felt a distance appearing between them.

  “I had three gems, and I gave the last one. I have no savings, but can earn crust and shelter. God never left me alone,” he went on stubbornly.

  “And what had you done before? Did you have a family?” the girl inquired.

  “I did have a family,” the Stranger responded dryly. “Now, I am alone.”

  He cleared his throat, smiled and sang:

  I’m free as a bird in the sky.

  I’m free in waking life.

  I’m free, I forgot what fear means.

  I’m free like savage wind…