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\u201cGreat. We arrived in the village, started all over again \u2013 and you immediately hit me on the head. Maybe it would be better to keep quiet? At least get to the destination in peace\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough. Just\u2026 shut up,\u201d Tatyana almost whispered, pressing her forehead to the window. She closed her eyes, and a tear slid down her cheek.<\/p>\n
The car skidded a little on the turn, but Igor held it. An old house appeared behind the icy trees \u2013 blue, crooked, as if forgotten by time.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere is our destination,\u201d he said, stopping at the edge of the field. \u201cWe\u2019ve arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no road further \u2013 only snowdrifts and off-road.<\/p>\n
Tatiana slowly got out of the car, hugging the baby in a blanket. Her steps were uncertain, like those of a person who no longer believes that the ground under her feet is reliable.<\/p>\n
She took a couple of steps \u2013 and stumbled. The snow was deeper than it seemed. She squealed, fell to her knees, hugging the baby.<\/p>\n
\u2014 What are you doing\u2026 \u2014 Igor rushed to her, taking her son from her arms. \u2014 Be careful! What\u2019s wrong with you?<\/p>\n
\u2014 Don\u2019t scream\u2026 \u2014 Tatyana whispered. \u2014 Just don\u2019t shake him\u2026<\/p>\n
\u2014 I know how to hold him myself, \u2014 he answered irritably, helping his wife to stand up. She walked on silently, with reddened eyes, leaning on her husband.<\/p>\n
The house greeted them with silence. The creaking of the steps, the click of the lock, a cold gust of wind \u2014 and snow that had to be cleared away with your hands. The key entered the rusty keyhole with difficulty.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Well, I\u2019ll be\u2026 \u2014 Igor shook the door, exhaling steam. \u2014 Don\u2019t let me down now, you old wreck\u2026<\/p>\n
Finally the lock gave in. They entered the darkness.<\/p>\n
The smell of mold, dust and dampness hit their noses at once. In the light of the phone, scattered sacks, scraps of rope, and grain were visible. Everything was covered in a gray film of abandonment.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God\u2026\u201d Tatyana whispered. \u201cAre we going to live here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor now,\u201d Igor answered briefly. \u201cWe\u2019ll clean it out, and get used to it little by little\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
He found a broom and a bucket and began to actively clean. Rustling, creaking floorboards, bangs\u2014the sounds were more reminiscent of the noise on a sinking ship. But it worked.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Let\u2019s make a children\u2019s room, \u2014 he said, not stopping cleaning. \u2014 This one. The radiators are old, but they work. The walls are intact. The windows are double-glazed.<\/p>\n
\u2014 And the ceiling? \u2014 Tatyana asked doubtfully. \u2014 And the mold in the corner?<\/p>\n
\u2014 We\u2019ll wipe it down, dry it, insulate it. Just hold on, Tanya. For him, for his sake.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t answer. She just sat down on the sofa, wrapped in her coat.<\/p>\n
The room had grown slightly warmer. Though the walls were cracked and peeling, one of them held a picture: the Nutcracker brandishing a sword, encircled by mice. A thought briefly crossed Igor\u2019s mind, but he quickly brushed it aside.<\/p>\n
\u2014 So much for your protector, Dimon, \u2014 he grinned, hammering a nail into the wall. \u2014 The Nutcracker is on guard.<\/p>\n
Night fell suddenly, as if someone had flicked a switch. Everything around became gray and silent. Only a barely audible sound behind the wall made Tatyana shudder.<\/p>\n
\u2013 Igor\u2026 Did you hear that?<\/p>\n
\u2013 Probably mice, \u2013 he shrugged.<\/p>\n
\u2013 No, there is someone\u2026 whining. Outside.<\/p>\n
He listened. And indeed \u2013 a thin, drawn-out sound, breaking off every now and then, came from the snowstorm.<\/p>\n
\u2013 I\u2019ll check now, \u2013 he said and went out.<\/p>\n
On the porch, in a snowdrift, sat a dog. Dirty brown, with a dark muzzle and eyes full of unspoken pain. She was shaking, her paws tucked in, her tail between her legs.<\/p>\n \u2013 What\u2019s wrong with you? \u2013 Igor sat down. \u2013 You\u2019ll freeze, stupid.<\/p>\n The dog raised his head. There was confidence in his gaze, as if he had come here and nowhere else.<\/p>\n \u2014 Let\u2019s go, \u2014 Igor said quietly and motioned for her to come inside.<\/p>\n Lada ran into the house and immediately headed for the nursery. She went up to the crib and froze in her tracks.<\/p>\n \u2014What the hell?! \u2014 Tatyana exclaimed in fear. \u2014 Take her away immediately! She\u2019s going to the baby!<\/p>\n \u2014 Calm down, \u2014 Igor tried to convince her. \u2014 She\u2019s friendly. Look \u2014 she\u2019s barely even breathing. She\u2019s just cold.<\/p>\n \u2014 I\u2019m scared. I don\u2019t want her near him, \u2014 Tatyana said firmly.<\/p>\n Igor hesitated, but nodded:<\/p>\n \u2014 If anything happens, I\u2019ll throw her out. Okay? Give her a chance.<\/p>\n She turned away without a word. That night, she slept fitfully, holding her son tightly in her arms, while the dog lay motionless at the foot of the bed\u2014like a statue, unmoving and unblinking. Tatyana was the first to awaken. She rubbed her eyes and noticed an unfamiliar lightness in her chest\u2014for the first time in ages, she wasn\u2019t coughing. She quietly made her way to the nursery. Dima was fast asleep, breathing calmly, and the dog lay beside his bed, stretched out taut, as if on guard.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re still here \u2026\u201d Tatyana whispered. Her voice was restrained, but something new flashed in her eyes.<\/p>\n The sounds of dishes were heard in the kitchen. Igor was bustling about at the stove, in a sweater and shorts, carefully breaking eggs. The sun was pouring through the windows, and something alive seemed to be beginning to emerge in the house.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re having a celebration today,\u201d he smiled without turning around. \u201cBreakfast! And, look \u2013 we now have chicken!\u201d<\/p>\n Tatiana raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n \u2014 Alive?<\/p>\n \u2014 Yes, I bought it from my neighbor, Grandpa Misha, across the ravine. And I took some eggs \u2014 homemade ones.<\/p>\n She sat down at the table. Lada carefully lay down at her feet, but Tatyana pretended not to notice.<\/p>\n \u2014 What did you name her, by the way? \u2014 she asked after a pause.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lada. In honor of my grandmother. She was quite a kind soul.<\/p>\n \u2014 In honor of my grandmother, \u2014 Tatyana repeated, frowning slightly. \u2014 And when were you going to tell me about it?<\/p>\n \u2014 Well\u2026 I told you now. Morning, tea, scrambled eggs, family revelations.<\/p>\n She sighed. Snowdrifts crunched outside the window again \u2014 someone probably passed by the house.<\/p>\n \u2014 Sometimes it seems to me that you live as if you have no one \u2014 no wife, no child, \u2014 Tatyana said quietly, without raising her eyes. \u2013 You make decisions alone, without even consulting me. Not about the chicken, not about the dog\u2026 You even gave her a name without me.<\/p>\n \u2013 Tanya\u2026 \u2013 Igor sat down next to her. \u2013 You know how exhausted you are. I didn\u2019t want to add to your worries. I tried to do everything myself. Really.<\/p>\n \u2013 Tried? \u2013 She smiled bitterly. \u2013 And the fact that she lay down right next to the crib? Is that also part of your \u201ctrying\u201d? Are you not worried at all?<\/p>\n \u2013 Yes, \u2013 he leaned closer, \u2013 I just understand how exhausted you are. The move, illnesses, cold, little\u2026 And this dog. Perhaps she is the only one who took us seriously here.<\/p>\n Tatyana did not answer. She only ran her hand through her son\u2019s hair, then slowly stood up, straightening her back with an effort.<\/p>\n \u2013 I need to rest. The cough came back again.<\/p>\n Lada followed her with her gaze and followed, silent as a shadow.<\/p>\n The day turned out to be busy: Igor insulated the windows, sealed the cracks, looked for sources of drafts. Quiet music came from the old radio, creating the illusion of coziness. The air was filled with the smells of wood, dust and something else \u2013 the house seemed alive, but only beginning to learn how to be a home.<\/p>\n Lada did not leave Dima\u2019s side for a single step. Wherever Igor walked with the child in his arms, there she was \u2013 attentive, focused, with an unusually lively look.<\/p>\n \u2014 As if she were watching, \u2014 he muttered under his breath.<\/p>\n \u2014 It\u2019s scary, \u2014 Tatyana responded from behind the curtain. \u2014 Dogs don\u2019t behave like that. As if she\u2019s waiting for something.<\/p>\n Igor went out onto the porch to smoke. The snow crunched under his feet, the frost tickled his skin. He took out a cigarette \u2014 and suddenly heard a rustle behind him. He turned around \u2014 Tatyana was standing in the doorway, wrapped in a shawl.<\/p>\n \u2014 Again? \u2014 his voice was shaking. \u2014 You promised to quit.<\/p>\n \u2014 Just nerves, \u2014 he tried to justify himself. \u2014 I can\u2019t change my ways right away.<\/p>\n \u2014 You\u2019re a father, \u2014 she said firmly. \u2014 And I trusted you.<\/p>\n He stubbed out the cigarette and trampled it in the snow. Anger was boiling inside her \u2013 at herself, at the village, at this house, at the dog that was looking at her from the darkness almost like a human.<\/p>\n That night, Tatyana woke up with the feeling of someone\u2019s presence \u2013 too close, too real. Lada was sitting by the baby\u2019s crib, tense as a string. The fur on the back of her neck was raised.<\/p>\n \u201cIgor, wake up,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n He winced, opening his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLook at her. She\u2019s growling.\u201d<\/p>\n Igor approached. Lada wasn\u2019t paying any attention to him \u2013 her gaze was directed at the corner of the room. Her ears were pressed back, her teeth bared.<\/p>\n \u201cLada?\u201d he called cautiously. \u201cHey\u2026 calm down.\u201d<\/p>\n The dog didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n \u201cOh, God\u2026,\u201d Tatyana whispered. \u201cWhat does she see?\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 Maybe you imagined it? \u2013 he tried to calm down. \u2013 Or it was a mouse. Or it\u2019s nothing to worry about\u2026<\/p>\n \u2013 Nothing to worry about?!\u201d she flared up. \u2013 She stands there like a sentry and bares her teeth! Is that normal?!\u201d<\/p>\n Igor was at a loss for words. He put his hand on her withers \u2013 Lada shuddered slightly, but did not retreat. He carefully led her into the hallway and closed the door.<\/p>\n \u2013 If you drive us all crazy, \u2013 he whispered to her, \u2013 you will spend the night in the barn.<\/p>\n The dog looked at him and followed him \u2013 but without tension.<\/p>\n The days flowed in a gray succession: porridge in the morning, a snowstorm outside the window, a child\u2019s cry, Tatyana\u2019s cough\u2026 And always nearby \u2013 Lada. Part of the house, like the floor or the walls.<\/p>\n Another morning was gloomy. The snow became dirty gray, as if it was losing its meaning. Igor stood by the porch, crumpling a rag in his hands. His eyes stung from lack of sleep, his chest ached dully. He felt that something was wrong in the house. As if the air had thickened, and it was hard to breathe.<\/p>\n In the barn, he noticed something fallen. He went over. A chicken. Dead, mangled. Feathers torn out, neck broken. Large footprints in the snow. Blood.<\/p>\n \u201cLada\u2026\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n The dog came out from around the corner. Its tail was down, its muzzle was dirty. There were crimson spots on its fur. It froze. It didn\u2019t growl or squeal. It just looked straight into his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat have you done\u2026\u201d Igor exhaled.<\/p>\n Tatyana followed him out.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you doing there?\u201d she asked and saw the carcass. She stepped back. \u201cIs this\u2026 her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u2014 Looks like it.<\/p>\n \u2014 Oh, my God\u2026 I told you! And you were protecting her! And now this!<\/p>\n \u2014 Maybe it wasn\u2019t her\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Her face is bloody, Igor! \u2014 her voice broke. \u2014 She growls at night, watches the child, and now she\u2019s killed a chicken! And what if tomorrow it\u2019s Dima?!<\/p>\n \u2014 Tanya\u2026<\/p>\n \u2014 Today. Either you take her away, or I\u2019ll do it myself. Do you hear?<\/p>\n She entered the house, slamming the door. A minute later, Igor heard the characteristic sound of a bottle of sleeping pills opening.<\/p>\n He approached Lada and squatted down. She didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n \u2014 What should I do with you? \u2014 he whispered. \u2014 I don\u2019t know, Lada. Honestly. I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n The dog didn\u2019t want to get into the car. He pulled, persuaded, got angry, pushed. She resisted. But then, at some point, she gave in. She climbed inside herself.<\/p>\n The road was long and quiet. The engine rumbled, the blizzard obscured the headlights. Snow flew like frames from a film ending tragically. Igor clutched the steering wheel, as if trying to hold on to something important. There was emptiness inside.<\/p>\n He stopped at the bridge. He let go of the Lada and drove away. Without turning around.<\/p>\n When he returned, the house greeted him with silence. Without the dog, it became different. Empty. Cold. As if someone had turned off the lights.<\/p>\n Tatyana was sleeping. Dima was breathing peacefully in his crib.<\/p>\n Igor tried to read, then chop wood, then just sat, staring at the wall.<\/p>\n Rustle.<\/p>\n He shuddered. Listened.<\/p>\n Again. Behind the wall. As if claws were scratching the wood.<\/p>\n He walked around the house. Everything was quiet. He returned.<\/p>\n A rustle again. And a creak.<\/p>\n He went outside. He stood, looking into the night. The snow was falling in thick flakes. He took out his cigarettes. He held them in his hand. Then he crumpled them and threw them into the snow.<\/p>\n And suddenly something brown flashed to the right.<\/p>\n \u201cLada?\u201d he said out loud.<\/p>\n A dog flew out of the darkness. Covered in snow, disheveled. Straight to the house. Without stopping, without looking back. She ran through the door, hitting her shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cDamn it!\u201d Igor shouted and rushed after her.<\/p>\n There was barking in the house. Sharp, furious. From the nursery.<\/p>\n \u2013 Tanya! Wake up!<\/p>\n Tatiana came out as if in a dream.<\/p>\n \u2013 What\u2019s going on?<\/p>\n \u2013 Lada. In the nursery.<\/p>\n \u2013 What?!<\/p>\n They burst into the room.<\/p>\n The bed was overturned. The sheet was thrown off. Lada was standing, shaking, her mouth was open \u2013 something was sticking out of it.<\/p>\n A long, gray, nasty tail.<\/p>\n She shook her head \u2013 and a rat fell out onto the floor. A huge one.<\/p>\n Tatiana screamed.<\/p>\n \u2013 Lord\u2026 Lord, protect us\u2026<\/p>\n Lada approached the child, sniffed, licked her nose and lay down next to him, turning her head towards the door \u2013 as if she was still on guard.<\/p>\n Igor approached as if in a fog. Slowly bent down, took the dead rat by the tail. He lifted it to the light \u2013 the animal was the size of a large cat. Its fur was matted, its teeth were yellowish.<\/p>\n \u201cShe was protecting him all this time\u2026\u201d Tatyana whispered, looking at Lada. \u201cIgor nodded. His voice had treacherously disappeared.<\/p>\n Tatiana knelt down in front of the dog, clasped its head in her palms, pressed her forehead to its muzzle:<\/p>\n \u201cForgive us\u2026 Forgive me. If it weren\u2019t for you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n Tears rolled down her cheeks. Lada took a deep breath and laid her head on the floor. Calmly. As if she knew: it was all over.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s grandma\u2026\u201d Tatyana whispered. \u201cShe came to us through her. From the other world.<\/p>\n Igor went out into the yard. He stood there for a long time, clutching the stiff body in his hand. Then he threw it into the snow, buried it with his foot. He returned to the house. He sat down next to his wife and put his hand on Lada\u2019s back.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you,\u201d he said. \u201cForgive us, fools.\u201d<\/p>\n The room was filled with silence. Only Dima was peacefully snoring in his crib, and the blizzard outside was gradually dying down.<\/p>\n Lada lay quietly, her eyes closed, her breathing even. There was no longer any anxiety or tension in them \u2013 only fatigue and quiet, silent loyalty.<\/p>\n Tatiana slowly knelt down in front of her and began to stroke her neck, her cheeks, her soft ears. Her hands were shaking, her face was pale, her lips were pressed into a thin line.<\/p>\n \u201cForgive me\u2026\u201d she whispered again. \u201cIf it weren\u2019t for you\u2026 Dima might not have existed. And we\u2026 We would have simply fallen apart.<\/p>\n The dog didn\u2019t move, only looked up \u2013 with some kind of almost human sadness and dignity. As if she was saying: \u201cI understand everything. I forgive you.\u201d<\/p>\n Igor stood by the wall, pressing his shoulders against the wallpaper. In his hands was a blanket, under which lay the already dead animal. He could not look at it. He simply could not.<\/p>\n He went out, went down to the yard, took a shovel. Silently, with effort, in wet boots, he dug a hole in the frozen ground. He threw the rat in there, quickly buried it. He leveled the snow, as if erasing the tracks.<\/p>\n Then he returned. He did not look at Lada.<\/p>\n The morning began with silence. Dima slept peacefully, even smiling in his sleep. Lada lay in the corner, as if she had never left.<\/p>\n The kitchen smelled of semolina porridge. Tatyana stood by the stove, wrapped in a long robe, her hair neatly gathered. For the first time in many days \u2013 without a shadow of fear in her eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI want her to stay,\u201d she said without turning around.<\/p>\n Igor was silent, sitting at the table. Lada came up and laid her head on his lap.<\/p>\n He stroked her mechanically.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s true,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cNow she\u2019s like family to us. Like a guardian angel.\u201d<\/p>\n From that day on, everything became different. The house came alive. The silence stopped oppressing. The sun peeked into the windows more often. Dima grew, Lada grew with him \u2013 not in body, but in heart.<\/p>\n One day, three teenagers from a neighboring farm showed up. They were hooligans, running around the yard, knocking on the windows. Igor was in the barn, Tatyana was in the house. And Lada was on the porch.<\/p>\n She came out and stood in front of them. She didn\u2019t growl, didn\u2019t bark. She just looked straight into their eyes. So that they froze, exchanged glances \u2013 and ran away without a word. No one dared to approach without asking.<\/p>\n A month later, the village began to thaw. The first shoots blossomed, the air became softer, the evenings longer. Igor no longer lit a cigarette. It seemed that the craving itself had disappeared.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes I think,\u201d he said one evening, sitting by the stove, \u201cif I hadn\u2019t let her in then\u2026 or hadn\u2019t returned in time\u2026\u201d He paused. \u201cI almost lost everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Tatiana put her hand on his shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cBut now we know who we are to each other. And to her.\u201d<\/p>\n Almost two years passed. Spring returned to their small village house again. Together with it \u2013 a new chapter in life.<\/p>\n A diaper was drying on the porch. The house smelled of milk and chamomile. Tatiana was lying on the bed \u2013 pale, but happy. Next to him was a newborn girl, with dark eyelashes and a strong, pink fist.<\/p>\n Dima was running around the yard in old felt boots, Lada was next to him, not lagging behind a single step.<\/p>\n A car stopped at the gate. Igor and his mother got out of it \u2013 cheerful as always, with suitcases and packages.<\/p>\n Tatiana looked out the window and laughed.<\/p>\n A red carpet was spread out in front of the porch on the snow \u2013 an old carpet. And on it, as if at a parade, stood Igor, Dima and Lada.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re such a joker, Igor,\u201d Tatiana smiled.<\/p>\n He came up to her and carefully picked her up.<\/p>\n \u201cI promised. The second one is a princess. For her \u2013 carpets.\u201d<\/p>\n Slowly, solemnly, as if at a royal reception, he walked along the carpet. Lada walked alongside him, as if she knew how important this moment was.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since early morning, heavy snow had been steadily falling\u2014thick and slow, like someone carelessly dumping flour from a shovel in the sky, indifferent to where it landed. A single car crept along a snow-covered country road, a tiny speck in the vast, frozen landscape. Inside, the wipers squeaked rhythmically, snow crunched beneath the tires, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2724,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-random-stuff"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6638","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6638"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6638\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6639,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6638\/revisions\/6639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6638"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/buzzfeednews.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bunny-wp-pullzone-qbwibhia54.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-21-155727.png\")
\nMorning arrived bright and brilliant. Sunlight danced across the frosted windowpanes, casting strange, whimsical patterns on the ceiling. A rooster crowed outside\u2014sharp and insistent, as if declaring the start of a new day. The room carried the scent of dampness, cold timber, and something else\u2014foreign and indescribable.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bunny-wp-pullzone-qbwibhia54.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-21-160917.png\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bunny-wp-pullzone-qbwibhia54.b-cdn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Screenshot-2025-05-21-161149.png\")
<\/p>\n