Under the warm side of this shaggy giant, who became a kind caretaker for them…
It so happened that Nikolai Sergeyevich lived alone in a large house on the outskirts of the district center with two small children in his arms. All household responsibilities fell on his shoulders. Nikolai worked as the chief engineer at the district car depot, sometimes having to travel on business trips for spare parts, equipment, and cars. If it were not for the help of old Pakhomovna—a kind and responsive woman—he would have had to either quit his well-paying job or send the children to an orphanage.
Nikolai’s younger daughter, Nina, could hear but did not speak. Doctors recommended waiting until she was six years old and, if the girl did not start speaking, to enroll her in a special institution. Nina did not want to be without her brother Sasha, who was a year older and understood his mute sister very well. For this reason, the children did not attend kindergarten.
Not only her brother understood little Nina. In the yard, in his kennel, lived a large shaggy dog named Sultan—a formidable guard whose barking made the window panes ring. Sultan recognized only his master and Pakhomovna, not allowing too much familiarity, as befits a guard chain dog. Everyone else, who was behind the wooden fence or appeared in the yard, were enemies.
However, Sultan adored the children; they could climb into his kennel, ride on his back holding onto his long thick fur, dress him in their father’s old jacket—in short, do whatever they pleased. The dog happily played with the children, supporting all their childish antics.
The father often watched as his daughter whispered something into the ear of her huge friend. Sultan listened attentively and responded with action, as if he heard a command or caress, “washing” Nina with his rough tongue amid the delighted children’s laughter. Deep down, Nikolai was convinced that they understood each other—the little mute girl and the big serious dog.
Pakhomovna was a very reliable person, but her old age ailments made themselves known. «You need a housekeeper, Nikolai Sergeyevich. I would be glad to help you with the household, but I no longer have the strength, my joints give me no peace. You can’t manage without a housekeeper,» sighed Pakhomovna, admonishingly.
During the November holidays, Nikolai was visited by a former colleague passing through. The friends sat at the laid table, talked, and in the evening Nikolai went to see his friend off at the station for the evening train. Killing time, they stopped by the station buffet. The waitress—a pleasant-looking middle-aged woman—smiled warmly at Nikolai while pouring beer. That’s how he met Galina.
Nikolai began to frequent the station buffet, escorting his friend in the evenings to the old wooden house where she had a small room. Galina told him that she was a lonely woman, having recently moved to their city from another region; her husband had died on the front, and they had no children.
Soon Nikolai invited his friend over for a visit. Galina came dressed up, with treats and toys, spent the whole day playing with the children, drawing and reading them fairy tales. Nina and Sasha took to this cheerful, energetic woman. The acquaintance with Sultan did not go well. The dog greeted every one of Galina’s movements with a deafening growl and did not accept the peace offering she brought. «Don’t worry, he’ll get used to it, he’s just very unsociable,» the owner reassured his frightened friend.
For the New Year holidays, Galina moved in with Nikolai for good, leaving her cramped room. They got married. Galina quit her job and became a housewife. She really liked her husband’s large house and immediately set about putting it in order. She moved the furniture, beat out the carpet, washed the windows.
Nikolai finally felt happy. The children were looked after, the house was in order, no need to worry anymore when leaving on business trips—what else does a person need for peace of mind? Galina, however, began to be annoyed by the other children who constantly demanded attention and took up almost all the free time she now had, thanks to her fortunate marriage. No more could she sit with girlfriends over a bottle of wine, meet men, go on barbecues, or spend evenings in restaurants.
Over time, forgetting her role as a caring mother, Galina began to vent her growing malice on the annoying and burdensome children. As punishment for loud conversations or laughter, she would lock the children in a pantry—a tiny dark closet—where they could only sit on the floor, not daring to move from fear. Aunt Galya forbade Sasha to tell their father about the punishments, threatening the most severe punishment.
Over time, the children learned to avoid punishments, trying not to catch Aunt Galya’s eye. They ran out into the yard and hid in Sultan’s kennel, feeling safe only under the protection of the formidable dog. The dog hated Galina, not allowing her even to approach him.
Galina complained to her husband. She asked to get rid of Sultan, but Nikolai wouldn’t even hear of it, advising his wife to simply stay away from the dog. The enraged woman couldn’t poison Sultan; she was afraid her husband would find out, besides, the dog flatly refused to eat the food she brought, raising his fur, growling, and baring his big teeth.
When the father went away on business trips, Aunt Galya had guests who stayed late into the night at the table, loaded with wine and snacks, dancing to the sounds of the radio and records. The children, hungry and tearful, ran away from home in advance and spent the night in Sultan’s kennel under the warm side of this shaggy giant, who became a kind caretaker for them. A tall, solid fence hid from neighbors’ eyes everything that happened behind it. Only Sultan’s barking at strangers or passers-by was heard—nobody was interested in that.
At the end of summer, the woods were full of mushrooms, nearly every weekend they gathered an incredible amount. During one of these trips, Galina went to an old abandoned quarry and, approaching the edge of the cliff, saw a rusty iron trailer below, abandoned long ago by workers.
The first night frosts began. Nikolai left early in the morning for another business trip. After seeing off her husband, Galina woke the children, washed them, dressed them up, and took them shopping. They bought sweets, toys.
They walked down the street with their new toys. Neighbors praised such a caring stepmother, and the children rejoiced at the attention of suddenly kind Aunt Galya. When they returned home, Galina unexpectedly locked them in the pantry. Sasha cried and begged for food and drink for himself and his sister. No one answered. Thus, the children sat until late evening.
When it got completely dark, Galina, after drinking for courage, took the lightly dressed children, ordering them to be silent, and went with them to the back alleys «to dad for mushrooms.» Nina had to be carried all the way. After crossing the deserted highway, passing a strip of roadside forest, they reached the quarry. In the trailer, the woman tied up the children and gagged Sasha. With difficulty, she slid the rusty bolt on the door and left for home.
Her drunken mind suggested further actions. Galina flung open the gate, the front door, dismantled the children’s beds, and scattered toys around the room. In the morning, when the frost did its job, she would sound the alarm, but now she could sleep peacefully.
Sultan howled loudly and prolongedly, and these sounds grated on her nerves, Galina habitually finished her vodka and fell asleep. The dog, exerting tremendous effort, moved the heavy kennel, the carabiner broke, and Sultan disappeared into the night darkness.
Stepan—an experienced driver, a former frontline scout, was driving his truck, returning from a trip, on a deserted night highway, tired, he was hurrying home to his family. Suddenly, a huge shaggy dog ran onto the road and lunged at his vehicle. By some miracle, it wasn’t hit. The dog barked and then dashed toward the forest. Returning back to the car. This repeated several times. The concerned driver, realizing something had happened, got out of the car and followed the dog and the woman.
Untying the frozen children, Stepan wrapped them in his jacket and ran to the car, the woman and dog were no longer nearby. He took the children to the police. Coming to his senses, Sasha told what had happened and gave the address. The children were sent to the hospital by ambulance. The local policeman and a detective drove to the address in Stepan’s car. Sultan was in the yard, but for the first time in his life, let people onto the porch. Stepan recognized the dog and pointed him out to the policemen. The dog, growling and barking, wanted to burst into the house, but they didn’t let him.
In the house, the police found the intoxicated Galina. She denied everything, but, completely tangled in her lies, under the pressure of the police officer, confessed to the committed crime. Neighbors began to gather, alarmed by the noise. «Please describe the woman who stopped you on the road and led you to the quarry along with the dog,» the policeman asked Stepan, taking down his testimony.
Stepan stood up, approached the portrait of a young woman, and said firmly: «Why describe her? It was her!» The neighbors gasped, and a grave silence fell. «Look closely. Are you sure?» «As sure as I see you before me now. I’m completely sure. It was her!» Stepan pointed at the portrait again.
Returning from the trip earlier than scheduled, Nikolai, learning from the policemen what had happened, turned pale and clutched his heart. Somewhat calming down, he told them that the woman in the portrait was his first wife, Olga, the mother of Sasha and Nina, who had drowned about three years ago when the children were very small.
As they led Galina away, begging Nikolai for forgiveness, Sultan burst out of the darkness and sank his teeth into the leg of the hateful woman, leaving her with a lasting reminder of himself and the children for the rest of her life. It was barely possible to pull the enraged dog away from the screaming criminal. Left alone, Nikolai could no longer hold back, he cried like a child, led Sultan into the house, hugged and kissed his snout, leaving salty drops on it. In the kitchen, he gave the dog a whole stick of sausage and, locking him in the house, ran to the hospital to his children.
Over time, in Olga’s hometown, next to her black marble monument, on the white snow bright with flames, lay a large bouquet of red roses
