Collecting of victims

Mother has returned to the house. It was in fleeing from Germans, but she could not live anywhere, except a native place, and has come back home. It two times has passed intermediate fields by German strengthenings because the front here was rough, and it went direct near road. It had no fear and was not careful of anybody, and enemies have not hurt it. It went on the fields, grieving, prostovolosaja, with vague, precisely gone blind, the person. And to it was all the same, that now exists and that is made in him, and anything in the world could not it neither disturb, nor please, because its grief was eternal and the grief unsatiable — mother has lost dead all children. It was so weak and indifferent now to all light that went on road like dried out bylinke, nesomoj a wind, and everything, that she has met, too remains indifferent to it. And to it it became even more difficult, because she has felt, that nobody is necessary to it, and it for that is equal is necessary to nobody. It is enough of it to die to the person, but she has not died; it was necessary for it to see the house where she lived a life, and a place where in fight and execution its children have died. On the way she met Germans, but they have not touched this old woman; it was strange to them to see so sad old woman, they were terrified a humanity kind on her face, and they have disregarded it that she has died in itself. In a life there is this vague aloof light on persons of the people, frightening animal both the hostile person, and such people to anybody excessively to ruin, and it is impossible to come nearer to them. An animal and the person ohotnee battle with similar to, but not similar he lays aside, being afraid to be frightened them and to be won by unknown force. Having passed through war, old mother has come back home. But its native place was now empty. The small poor house on one family, covered with the clay, painted by a yellow paint, with kirpichnoju the chimney similar to reflected head of the person, has lost for a long time from German fire and has left after itself the coals which are already becoming overgrown with a grass of sepulchral burial. And all next inhabited places, all this old city too has died, and everywhere it became around light and it is sad, and it is visible far okrest on the stopped earth. Still will pass a few time, and the place of a life of people will grow with a free grass, it will be blown by winds, will level rain streams and then there will be no trace of the person, and all muchene sushchestvovanja on the earth could not be understood and inherited it in good and lecture for future time because does not become in live anybody. And mother has sighed from this last thought and from a pain in heart for a forgetful perishing life. But its heart was kind, and from love to victims it has wanted to live for all died to execute their will which they have carried away behind themselves in a tomb. It has sat down in the middle of the cooled down big fire and began to touch hands ashes of the dwelling. She knew the share, what it is time to it to die, but its soul did not reconcile to this share because if she will die where it will be held in remembrance its children and who will save up them in the love when its heart too will cease to breathe? Mother of that did not know, and she thought one. The neigbour, Eudoxia Petrovna, the young woman has approached to it, pretty and full before, and now weakened, silent and indifferent; two its juvenile children have killed a bomb when it left with them a city, and the husband was missing on excavations, and it has returned back to bury children and to live time for a dead place.
- Hello, Maria Vasilevna, — has said Eudoxia Petrovna.
- It you, Dunja, — have told to it Maria Vasilevna. — Pдись with me, allow conversation to talk to you. Look at me in a head, I did not wash for a long time. Dunja with humility has sat down nearby: Maria Vasilevna has put a head to it on knees, and the neigbour began to search at it in a head. To both now it was easier behind this employment; one diligently worked, and another has clung to it and has dozed off in rest from affinity of the familiar person.
- Your all have died? — Maria Vasilevna has asked.
- Everything, and that as! — has answered Dunja. — And your all?
- Everything, anybody is not present. — Maria Vasilevna has told.
- At us with you fifty-fifty anybody is not present, — has said Dunja, satisfied, that its grief not the biggest in light: at other people same.
- At me burning more than yours will be: I and before vdovaja a vein, — have spoken Maria Vasilevna. — And two my sons here at posada have laid down. They in a working battalion have arrived, when Germans from Petropavlovki on the Mitrofanevsky path left And the daughter washing has led me from here where eyes look, she liked me, it the daughter washing was, has then departed from me, she has grown fond of others, she has grown fond of everything, she has regretted one — it was the kind girl, it my daughter, — it has bent to it, it was the patient, it the wounded man, it became as lifeless, and it too then have killed, have killed from above from an airplane And I has returned, me that! To me that now! To me all the same! I now as dead
- And that to you to do: live, as dead, I too so live, have told Dunja. — I lay, and you have laid down I know, where you lay, — they there where all have dragged and have buried, I here was, I the eyes saw. _ерва all of them have counted the killed dead men, a paper have made, the have separately put, and ours have away dragged away further. Then our all have undressed bare and in a paper all pribytok from things have written down. They it is long that cared, and then to bury to drag have begun.
- And who has dug a tomb? — Maria Vasilevna was disturbed. — it is deep otryli? After all naked, chilly buried, the deep tomb would be warmer!
- No what there is deep! — has informed Dunja. — the Hole from a shell, here to you and a tomb. Have piled there dopolna, and places have not sufficed another. Then they the tank have driven through a tomb on dead, dead men were kneaded, the place became, and they still there have put, who remained. It to dig desires is not present, they protect the force. And from above have thrown slightly the earth, dead men and lay there, stynut now; only dead also will endure such flour — to lay a century nude on a cold
- And mine — too the tank mutilated or them from above the integral have put? — Maria Vasilevna has asked.
- Yours? — Has responded Dunja. — Yes I have not noticed that There, for posadom, at the road all lay, will go — will see. I it from two branches have connected a cross and have put, yes it to what: the cross will be tumbled down, though you it iron make, and people will forget dead Maria Vasilevna has risen from knees Duni, has put her head to itself and itself began to search at it in head hair. And from job to it it became easier; manual job treats sick grieving soul. Then, when already svecherelo, Maria Vasilevna has risen; it was the old woman, she has got tired now; she has said goodbye with Dunej and has gone to a twilight where its children — two sons in the near earth and the daughter in a distance laid. Maria Vasilevna left to posadu, that adjoined to a city. In posade there lived earlier in wooden small houses gardeners and truck farmers; they were fed from the grounds adjoining to their dwellings, and that existed here from time immemorial. Now here anything any more there was no, and an earth on top speklas from fire, and inhabitants either have died, or have left in wandering, or them have taken prisoner and have withdrawn in job and in death. From posada the Mitrofanevsky path left in plain. On a path roadside during former times grew vetly, now their war has picked to the stubs, and the deserted road as if already close there was a doomsday was boring now and seldom who reached here. Maria Vasilevna has come to the place of a tomb where there was a cross made of two connected across plaintive, shivering branches. Mother has sat down at this cross; under it its nude children, umershchvlennye, scolded and thrown in ashes another's hands laid. There has come evening and has addressed at night. Autumn stars were lighted in the sky, precisely, having had a good cry, the surprised and kind eyes motionlessly peering at the dark earth, so sad and attracting there have opened, that with pity and painful attachment anybody cannot take away from it a look.
- You would be live, — has whispered mother in the earth to the dead sons, — you would be live, how much jobs have done, how much destinies have tested! And now well, now you have died, — where your life what you have not lived who will live it for you?. matveju how much was? Twenty third went, and to Vasily of twenty eighth. And a daughter was eighteen, now the nineteenth would go, yesterday it the birthday woman was Zолько I of the heart has spent for you, how much my blood has left, but, means, was a little, was one my heart and my blood, times you have died a little, time I the live have not kept the children and from death them have not rescued They that, they my children, they to live on light did not ask. And I gave birth to them — did not think; I have given birth to them, start up live. And to live on the earth, it is visible, it is impossible still, here it is ready nothing for children: prepared only, yes have not coped!. Here to live it it is impossible, and more they had, — that to us, to mothers to do, and we gave birth to children. And differently as? One to live probably and to what She has touched the sepulchral earth and has lain down to it the person. In the earth it was silent, it is audible nothing.
- _ят, — has whispered mother, — anybody and not poshevelnetsja, — to die it was difficult, and they were exhausted. Let sleep, I will wait — I cannot live without children, I do not wish to live without dead Maria Vasilevna have taken away the person from the earth; to it was heard, that she was called by daughter Natasha; she has called her, not having said a word as if has said something one weak sigh. Mother has looked round around, wishing to see, to it the daughter whence appeals, its mild voice — from a silent field, from terrestrial depth or from sky height, from that clear star whence has sounded. Where it now, its lost daughter? Or not it is more than it anywhere and mothers Natasha's voice which sounds memoirs in its own heart only seems? Maria Vasilevna has again listened, and again from silence of the world the calling voice of the daughter so removed that was similar to silence, and, however, pure and distinct on the sense, saying about hope and pleasure, that everything will come true that has not come true has sounded to it, and died will come back to live on the earth and separated will embrace each other and will not leave more never. Mother has caught, that the voice of her daughter was cheerful, and has understood, what is it means hope and trust of her daughter of returning by a life, that the died expects the help live and does not wish to be dead. " How, a daughter, I will help you? I am hardly live, — Maria Vasilevna has told; she spoke easy and intelligibly as if it was in the house, in rest, and conducted conversation with children as happened in its recent happy life. — I one do not raise you, a daughter; if would weigh the people has grown fond of you, yes all lie on the earth has corrected, then and you, and justly died it by a life has lifted all: after all the death also is the first lie!. And I one than will help you? Pма only I will die of a grief and I will be then with you! "Mother long spoke to the daughter of a word of a reasonable consolation, precisely Natasha and two sons in the earth attentively listened to it. Then it has dozed off and has fallen asleep on a tomb. The midnight dawn of war has ascended in the distance, and the rumble of guns was distributed therefrom; fight there has begun. Maria Vasilevna has woken up, and has looked towards fire in the sky, and has listened to frequent breath of guns." They are ours go, — she has believed. — let come more likely, let again there will be a Soviet power, she likes the people, she likes job, it to all nauchaet people, it uneasy; can — the century will pass, and the people will learn, that dead steels live and then will sigh then deserted heart of mother "will be delighted. Maria Vasilevna believed and understood, that all and will come true, as she wished and as it was necessary for it for a consolation of the soul. She saw flying airplanes, and they too were difficult for inventing and making, and all died can be restored from the earth to life on a sunlight if the reason of people addresses to need of mother giving rise and burying children and dying of separation from them. It has again dropped to the sepulchral soft earth more close to be to the stopped sons. And their silence was condemnation to all world-villain which has killed them, and a grief for mother remembering a smell of their children's body and colour of their bright eyes By noon Russian tanks left on Mitrofanevsky road and have stopped near posada on survey and refuelling; they did not shoot now forward themselves because the German garrison of the lost small town was saved from fight and has in good time departed to the armies. One Red Army man from the tank has departed from the car and has gone to walk around the earth, over which now a star the peace sun. The Red Army man was not so young, it was in letah, and he liked to look, as there lives a grass, and to check up — whether there are still butterflies and insects to whom he has got used. Near a cross connected from two branches, the Red Army man has seen the old woman who has nestled to the earth the person. It has tended to her and has listened to its breath, and has then turned a body of the woman backwards and for correctness was put still by an ear to its breast. " Its heart has left, — the Red Army man has understood and has covered the ceased person of the dead pure holstinkoj which it had at itself(himself) as spare portjanku.
- To it and to live there was nothing: see as the body its hunger and a grief sglodali — a bone through a skin is shone outside ".
- _и while, — the Red Army man at parting has aloud told. — whose you mother were, and I without you too remained the orphan. It has stood a little more, in languor of the separation from another's mother.
- To darkly you now, and you are far cunning from us What to do! Uйчас we have no time to grieve on you, it is necessary to put the enemy at first. And then all world should in razumene enter, differently it will be impossible, differently — all to what!. The Red Army man has gone back. Also it became boring to live to it without the dead. However he has felt what to live to it now it became especially necessary. It is necessary not only exterminate tightly the enemy of a life of people, it is necessary to manage still to live after a victory that higher life which to us silently was bequeathed by the dead; and then, for the sake of their eternal memory, it is necessary to execute all their hopes of the earth that their will was carried out also their heart, having ceased to breathe, it has not been deceived. Dead there is nobody will trust, except live, — and we should so live now that the death of our people has been justified by happy and free destiny of our people and that had been collected their  destruction.