Get out,” Tatiana Petrovna said, pressing her lips together, then spat after me. “If you leave now with the children, I won’t take you back,” Tatiana Petrovna shrieked. “Just so you know: I’ll leave the apartment to an animal shelter!” “Do whatever you want,” I replied wearily. “But we won’t stay here another second.” My … Read more
Tanya stepped out of the metro and immediately realized she was dressed too lightly. She shivered from the cold wind, hugged herself, and ran into the warm shopping mall. “I guess it’s time to start wearing my down jacket,” she thought. Inside the mall, Tanya headed to the café area and bought herself a coffee … Read more
Misha, look!” I froze at the gate, unable to believe my eyes. My husband clumsily stepped over the threshold, hunched under the weight of a bucket filled with fish. The morning chill of July seeped into my bones, but what I saw on the bench made me forget the cold. “What is it?” Mikhail set … Read more
Sitting on a bench outside the shop, I was mindlessly scrolling through my phone, paying no attention to the bustle around me. People hurried past—some talking on their phones, others simply going about their business. I would probably have stayed indifferent if I hadn’t heard a child’s voice—thin, weary, yet astonishingly serious. “Auntie, do you … Read more
You’re loafing around on your day off anyway—go work my shift for me. It’s only one day,” her husband grumbled, finishing his dinner as if nothing were wrong and shamelessly dumping yet another burden on the woman who already carried the whole family on her shoulders. Viktoriya Semyonovna was a strong woman—one of those people … Read more
— “What is that supposed to be?” Valera pushed his dinner plate away, grimacing as though he’d found something inedible rather than stew. — “Stew,” Kseniya looked up from her own serving, surprised. “The same one I’ve made dozens of times before. Is something wrong?” — “The meat’s tough,” Valera shook his head. “And there … Read more
Luda looked at the snow outside the window and thought about her parents. All December, her father had been complaining of chest pains but refused to see a doctor. “It’ll pass on its own,” Sergei Petrovich would dismiss when his daughter brought it up. In the end, instead of a festive dinner for the New … Read more
After finally retiring from military service, Viktor took a deep breath and felt the freedom. His wife had left five years ago, one beautiful morning announcing that “life is short and you have to live for yourself, enough of traveling from garrison to garrison,” filed for divorce, and moved somewhere south. His son was studying … Read more
The red dog, the forest ranger’s loyal companion, began to show signs of restlessness at dawn. While Ivan Grigorievich slowly pulled on his felt boots and stretched his stiff shoulders, the dog circled around his feet, quietly whining and repeatedly darting toward the exit. “What’s wrong with you? Did a wolf dream of you?” grumbled … Read more
Mom, another night shift?” Katya looked at her mother with concern. “Yes, sweetheart. You won’t get into trouble without me, will you?” Marina gently patted her older daughter’s hand. “Of course not. But you never rest,” Katya sighed. “I have to work, Katya. Your graduation is coming up soon. You want a beautiful dress, don’t … Read more