Fedko-brigand (Федько-халамидник англійською) - Винниченко Володимир

Tolya was the son of the owner of the house where they lived. He was a gentle, delicate and meek child. He always went outside feeling a bit bashful and timid, and he smiled, looking about with his innocent blue eyes. Such a spruce and neat boy like him didn't have the propensity for Fedko's rude games. But this brigand was tempting him by all means; and poor Tolya came home being scratched, wounded, and with a broken nose to boot. His mother, who was a sensible and delicate woman, almost fainted at the sight at Tolya looking like that. "What happened to you?! Who tore your clothes like that?" She was horrified. Tolya answered sobbing that it wasn't his fault but Fedko's. That evening, Fedko's father interrogated the "syberian". "Have you gone with Tolya to tear sparrows?"

"I have."

"Did you rip his trousers?"

"No, he did. He can't shin up but tries it. Let him not shin."

But at that moment the mother was interrupting, "How dare you speak like that? He's a noble and gentle child, and you, yokel, treat him the same way you do Styopka. Because of you we may be kicked out of the apartment. Don't dare to come to him, you turnip mug. You're allowed to play only with swineherds, not noble children. Oh, my misfortune! What awful thing did I do to make God punish me with having such a syberian? And the father won't tell him anything, so do, my son, everything you want: beat children, let us be kicked out of the apartment."

The father keeps silent and looks gloomily through the window. It's evening. From the direction of the owner's house, barely audible sounds of gentle music arise. It's warm and cozy there. Tolya's father saunters somewhere in the large, spacious house, thoughtfully listening to music. Here's, may be, Tolya, a spruce, gentle boy with beautiful cheeks like prosphora. Tenants will bring them a payment for renting apartments, and peasants will pay them money for using their land,. They won't be kicked out of their apartment, no matter how much Tolya offended Fedko.

"Take off your trousers, son of a bitch!" All of a sudden the father turns menacingly to Fedko. Fedko looks at his dad sullenly.

"Why?" he asks very softly.

"Because you mustn't hang out with noble children. Brat, I told you a thousand times: don't dare to have any deals with nobles. They aren't your company."

"But I don't hang out with him, he himself sticks to me."

"Tell him to go away from you to hell... He isn't a good companion for you... Lie down!"

Fedko lies down, but the father beats him up so that the mother remains completely disgruntled. Two or three days later, Fedko is tempting Tolya again; and he's tempting him at such a moment when any other man wouldn't even think of doing it.

There's a storm outside, and rain is pouring from the sky in such large streams as if there are thousands of Fedkos throwing over a thousand water barrels. Clouds are dark-blue and shaggy, and they are constantly being cut by greenish lightning. Thunder cracks with such magnificent force that dishes jingle in cupboards loudly. Lurking by the window, Tolya is looks out into the street. It's empty; there's no one. Everyone and everything hid. Only a large stream of dirty, bubbly water is flowing down the hill. The rain flogs water, stones, pillars. Whole waterfalls flow down from gutters into the front garden. It's dark, gray and scary.

His mom is lying now in her own quarters with her head bandaged — she can't stand storms and always becomes sick during them. Tolya would also hide somewhere, but his mom forbade him to sit near the window; because of that, Tolya wants even more to sit there and look. Oh, what a wild dirty stream is flowing down the street! And where does it always come from? Swoosh! Whoosh! Bang-bang! Bang! The thunder strike arose with renewed vigor, and the lamp is jingling somewhere in the canteen. Tolya crosses himself quietly and becomes pale, but still can't leave the window.

Suddenly he sees something incredible: in the street, in the very stream, in the rain, wet and without beanies, Fedko, Styopka and Vaska are wandering. They pulled their pants up to their bellies; they're frolicking, laughing, shouting something, and they seem to be having lots of fun! The water is probably warm, and the rain pours upon them like shower in a bathtub. Fedko puts forward his face up to the blessed rain and catches drops with his mouth. Their wet heads look so damn funny! Vasko has found something in the water. What's that?.. A horseshoe. Fedko hides it in his bag. They'll be gathering nails, horseshoes and pieces of irons again. Once, Fedko even found five kopeks!

Tolya gets on the windowsill, to his full height, and waves his hands for them to see him, but the guys aren't looking at the window. They stomp their feet, frolicking and sloshing; the thunder cracks above their heads, but they don't care at all. The clouds above them are so ghastly that it's scary to look at them, but they're happy because of that — it means that it'll rain for a long time. Here they're hopping and even singing (a note to the text: it's a Ukrainian national children's song):

— Raindrops, raindrops, how-d'ye-do,

Such a tasty borsch I brew

In a green pot just for you.

Buckets of rain fall through and through

Over the grain and the cornfields too!

And the rain falls on their heads, shoulders, and arms. Their shirts are stuck to their bodies.

The stream runs fast, and the thunder cracks; but Tolya isn't afraid of thunder anymore. He himself would flee outside. He waves his hands even harder, but he doesn't knock on the window because his mom may hear the noise. Finally, Fedko notices Tolya and starts to wave his hand too, calling the boy to come. Vasko and Styopka also wave, show him horseshoes and nails, stomp their legs, and bob up and down. Vasko falls right into the water. Fedko and Styopka nicker, and Vasko does too.

Suddenly, Tolya jumps off the window, quickly takes off his shoes, and pulls his pants up, running almost silently into the entryway, then out of the entryway onto the terrace. He's wearing a velvet jacket and pants — he's sorry to pollute them. But the boys are already near the terrace, and he hears their exclamations:

"Come here, don't be afraid! The rain is warm."

"Come on! Oh, he hesitates like a broad... One — two! "

Tolya feels cold and scared, but he doesn't want them to call him a broad. He leaves the terrace and walks gingerly to the guys. His tender and sleek legs stumble. The dirty stream floods the velvet trousers; the neatly combed hair and the pretty jacket get wet immediately. At first, cold pierced his body but then it feels so awesome and goody-goody! Those pleasant feelings make Tolya squeak, and he stomps his legs in the water. The boys also scream and run down the hill, holding hands, with Tolya is in the middle of them. In the evening, Tolya is sick with a fever, and Fedko is laid on a chair and flogged.

Spring came. The snow is yellow and dirty, and the ice on the river is like sugar soaked with water. After that, the rivulets start to flow across the streets, and the ground is covered with a small fog that evaporates in the sun, gradually creating a fading haze. Once Styopka, Hrytsyk, and Spirka were launching paper boats along the street.

At that time, Tolya came outside to the terrace and looked at them. He himself didn't launch boats because he was strictly forbidden to play together with street boys, but he was allowed to stand in the terrace. Suddenly Fedko appeared. His sheepskin coat was all wet, his boots had turned reddish because of the water, and his beanie was in the swamp. But he was beaming all over and swinging a huge stick that was twice his size.

"Guys! Just imagine where I've been!" he has screamed from afar.

They abandoned their business immediately and rushed to him.

"Where? Where?"

Fedko nimbly stuck the stick into the heap of wet snow, took off the beanie, and wiped off sweat.

"Huuuh...! I got so tired, chaps! Well, this work was difficult enough."

"And where have you been? What work?"

"Well, I was at the river. There's so much going on right now there!.. The ice is melting awfully! The market bridge was demolished, dash it! That's it! We'd been pulling out the boards. I pulled out such an oak that oh-oh-oh!"

His narrative took the guys' breath away... They didn't know about that!

"Don't you lie? Is it really the truth?"

"Go and see. And they just sit here and launch boats... Tomorrow I'm not going to school, I'm planning to go to the river..."

"How will you not go to school? What will your father say?"

"Here's the thing! I'll just get to not go. Hey, Tolka!" (A note to the text: "Tolko" and "Tolya" are forms of the name "Anatoliy". "Tolka" is a more informal form than "Tolya")

Tolya had been listening to their conversation since the very beginning and he was terribly anxious to ask how the ice was going on the river. But he couldn't stand it when this Fedko called him "Tolka". As if they were friends.

Tolya turned away and didn't say anything, as if he didn't hear Fedko's words. But it was so interesting to hear how the ice was going on the river that he immediately turned back to the boys and said, "Hey! Have you been to the river?"

"I have."

"Does it go well?"

"Go and see if your mom lets you," Fedko grinned and turned away from Tolya.

Tolya turned reddish — how dare he sneer, this filthy munter! If he complained to his dad, Fedko'd be given a hard time! Fedko was talking meanwhile further.

"The ice is going on the whole river. It runs down and cracks... And the crowd on the shore is so-o-o huge! One guy wanted to ride on ice and make a trip, but he was scared in the end. I'm going to do it tomorrow."

Tolya wanted to go home, but after hearing these words he went down to the guys. The guys were also astonished — this Fedko is truly crazy! It's scary to even look at that and he was going to swarm up there on his own.

"Are you going to swarm up the ice alone?"

"That's for sure! You see, I already have a stick for that — it's so much fun on ice! Last year I saw how Antoshka was riding on the ice...