— Larisa, just a little bit more, come on,» Gleb encouraged his wife, who could barely drag her legs. Each step seemed like her final effort before complete exhaustion. The illness drained her strength like an invisible vampire, consuming the last bits of her energy.
Gleb occasionally glanced at her with a look of guilt, but his eyes revealed something entirely different: cold calculation and firm determination.
«I can’t go on any longer, Gleb,» Larisa whispered, her voice trembling with fatigue and hurt. «I understand you want what’s best… But I have no strength left.»
«Look, there’s the hut!» he exclaimed, pointing somewhere deep in the forest. His tone was almost ceremonious, as if he had just unlocked the key to salvation.
Larisa squinted, trying to make out the little house through a murky veil of weakness. Indeed, the hut stood there, crooked like an old woman ready to collapse at the first gust of wind. Its windows, covered in cobwebs, resembled empty eye sockets, and the moss-grown roof looked like the cap of a ghost long forgotten by time.
When they reached the porch, Larisa could hardly stand. Gleb helped her up the creaky steps and laid her on a hard bench. A flicker of satisfaction flashed in his eyes, as if he had accomplished a crucial task.
«Now, rest as much as you can,» he said with a smile, though his smile was devoid of warmth.
Larisa looked around. The old walls exuded the smell of dampness and decay, and in the corner lay scraps of old rags and planks. She looked at her husband fearfully.
«Gleb, but it seems no one lives here.»
«Of course, no one has lived here for about twenty years,» he replied nonchalantly, as if that were self-evident. «And no one ever comes here. If you’re lucky, you’ll die your own death; if not, wild animals will get to you.»
«Gleb… Gleb, what are you saying? Come to your senses!» Larisa tried to sit up, but her body refused to obey.
Gleb straightened, and his face transformed. The cold gleam in his eyes was replaced by a fierce fire.
«I asked you nicely to transfer the business to my name. But you were as stubborn as a ram. Do you know what it cost me to put up with you, to sleep with you? You disgust me.»
«So, it’s not my money that makes you sickened?» Larisa bitterly asked.
«It’s my money! They’re already mine. The rest is just formalities. Everyone knows how you love all those so-called wizards, who don’t exist. I’ve been telling everyone for days that you’ve lost your mind about going off to the middle of nowhere with that charlatan. I tried to dissuade you, but everyone knows how stubborn you are. How do you like my plan? I won’t even have to spend a penny on a coffin, not to mention a funeral.»
Gleb laughed, and his laughter echoed through the forest, sounding eerie and menacing. Larisa closed her eyes. “This can’t be—it must be a bad dream,” she thought. But her husband left the hut, leaving her alone. She tried to rise. “I must catch up with him; he’s gone too far with this joke!” Yet her body would not obey; weakness had her in chains. In recent months, she had been rapidly losing strength, unable even to move. Her eyes grew heavy, and Larisa surrendered, drifting into a troubled doze.
They had been married for five years. Gleb had come from another city, penniless and jobless, yet possessed with irresistible charm. Larisa, tired of loneliness, had fallen madly in love. She listened to no one, despite many warning her: Gleb only wanted her money, he was unfaithful with other women, lavishing them with gifts.
She learned the truth a year ago, and since then her health had rapidly declined. A series of ailments struck one after another; she spent time in hospitals. The doctors all said it was a nervous breakdown with lasting effects. She tried to stay calm, but thoughts of Gleb’s betrayal tormented her soul.
“Don’t tell anyone, just hold on,” she kept whispering to herself.
And now she was rich, successful, but so ill that she couldn’t escape the forest. She would die alone, and no one would ever know what had happened to her.
Suddenly, Larisa heard the wild animals had caught the scent of prey. In the dim light of the hut, someone was standing next to her… No, it wasn’t an animal.
«Don’t be afraid.»
Larisa shuddered in surprise. Before her stood a little girl of about seven or eight. The child sat down beside her, her eyes glowing with a mix of childlike innocence and determination.
«I’m from there,» the girl said, waving her hand toward the corner. «When your… when he dragged you here, I was already here. I hid.»
Larisa sat up.
«Where did you come from? Did someone bring you too?»
«No, I came on my own.» The girl stomped her foot. «I come here often. When I quarrel with my dad, I come right here. And let him sit and think about his behavior!»
«Does he hurt you?» Larisa asked with interest.
«Absolutely! Why should I, a child, have to help him around the house? If I don’t feel like it, he makes me wash the dishes!»
«Maybe he’s tired, and he gives you tasks within your strength. If my father were still alive, I’d do everything he said. Absolutely everything, even what I can’t do, don’t want to do, or can’t do.»
«Is your father dead then?»
«Yes, long ago. We’re all mortal.»
«So, are you saying that my father will die too?» The girl smirked at Larisa.
«I don’t mean to upset you, but yes. And you will bitterly regret not having helped him.»
«My father won’t die!» The girl frowned and turned away.
Larisa was momentarily confused. Now this little brat will get upset and run off, she thought.
«Sweetie, everyone dies. But only when they grow old. Unless they fall ill.»
The girl sighed.
«Mom was ill. She left us for the heavens. I often cry because I miss her so much. I’ll help my dad so he won’t die. And did they bring you here to die too?»
«Seems like it.»
«And why? Why aren’t you in a hospital?»
Larisa sighed, a tear rolling down her cheek. The girl looked at her in fear.
«That scoundrel! Did he do it on purpose so they wouldn’t cure you?»
«Apparently, yes.»
The girl jumped to her feet.
«I’m going to get my dad right now. Do you know what he’s like? He heals the whole village. Only he couldn’t save mom. He said he can’t help those he loves.»
«What do you mean?»
The girl glanced at the door, then at Larisa, and whispered:
«My father is a wizard.»
Larisa chuckled softly.
«Sweetie, wizards don’t exist.»
«Oh, they don’t? But you said you believe in them. Alright, don’t get bored, I have to run—it’s time to run properly.»
«What’s your name?»
«Dasha.»
«Dasha, aren’t you afraid of wild animals?»
«What wild animals? Besides hedgehogs, no one goes into this forest.» And just like that, the girl vanished as suddenly as she had appeared.
Larisa closed her eyes, trying to think of something pleasant…
Larisa sank into a doze, but was roused by a soft whisper. Someone was murmuring nearby, as if afraid to disturb the quiet of the hut.
«Dad, is she already dead?» Dasha’s voice was full of childlike curiosity.
«No, she’s just sleeping,» answered a man, his voice confident, as if he were used to making decisions even in the most unpredictable situations.
«Really?»
Larisa abruptly opened her eyes, her heart beating faster. In the half-darkness, she could barely make out the silhouette of the girl sitting beside her.
«Dasha, you’re back!» Larisa exclaimed, then turned her gaze to the man. His face was partly hidden in shadow, but something in his posture and movements spoke of strength and confidence.
«Hello, excuse me,» she said weakly.
«Don’t worry, everything will be fine,» he assured her. «Will you be able to get outside?»
Larisa sighed. She wanted to say “no,” but the words stuck in her throat. Her body felt alien, as if it no longer belonged to her.
The man touched her forehead with his palm, and Larisa felt a strange warmth radiating from his hand.
«You will, I’m sure,» he said, his voice so determined that Larisa believed him.
Strength began to return. With the support of the stranger, she took a few steps, feeling her legs regain their footing. Outside the hut stood a strange vehicle—a hybrid of a motorcycle and a car, with enormous wheels and a carriage that seemed too massive for such a device.
One step—and darkness clouded her eyes. Larisa began to slump, but strong arms lifted her and gently placed her into the carriage. Where they were going, how much time passed—she couldn’t remember. Only occasionally, during the bumpy ride, did she regain consciousness, catching fleeting glimpses of trees before sinking back into oblivion. She no longer cared. Strangers were taking her somewhere, and so be it. What did it matter if it was meant for death?
But instead of the cold and darkness of death, she felt warmth and peace. «Strange, but I’m hungry,» she thought. «I wonder, do they serve food there too?»
She opened her eyes and froze in surprise. Before her was not an afterlife, but a cozy home with high ceilings, bright log walls, and a modern television on the wall.
«What kind of afterlife is this, so similar to earthly life?» Larisa was utterly confused.
«Awakened? Wonderful! Now, let’s have dinner. Tonight we have a special dinner—Dasha offered to help for the first time. I don’t know what you told her, but I’m very grateful,» said the man, his voice so warm that Larisa couldn’t help but smile.
She decided never to reveal what she had spoken with Dasha. Me, an adult woman lecturing a child! The man helped her sit, placed pillows behind her, and pushed the table closer.
«Oh, come now, you wouldn’t say you don’t want to eat, would you?»
Larisa listened to herself: «No, I want to eat.» That forgotten feeling stirred. Dinner consisted of mashed potatoes with gravy and meat, a salad of fresh vegetables, milk, and bread. «That’s what smells so appetizing!»
Larisa examined the bread in wonder. The loaves were enormous, and the holes in the crumb resembled the traces left by escaping air bubbles, as if they had tried to flee but were instead baked in.
«Eat up, it won’t bite. You know, I can’t eat store-bought bread; I bake it myself,» said the man.
Lara looked at him with wide eyes.
«Really? You bake it yourself?»
«Yes, later I’ll show you, maybe you’ll want to try some too.»
Larisa smiled sadly, taking a spoonful of potatoes. It seems I’ve never eaten anything more delicious in my life. Halfway through her plate, she began to feel nauseated, and the man leaned over her. He helped her lie down, and Lara managed to ask:
«What’s your name?»
«Aleksey,» he replied, and she smiled before drifting off to sleep.
Each day, Larisa felt progressively better. Her appetite returned, and her strength was restored, though how remained a mystery. No medicines, no treatments. One day, when Dasha had run off somewhere, Larisa asked Aleksey:
«Is it really you?»
The man looked at her with clear blue eyes in surprise.
«What do you mean?»
«Well, I feel much better now. And I was supposed to… well, you know. Dasha said you were a wizard.»
Aleksey looked at her silently for a moment, then burst into contagious laughter, making Larisa smile involuntarily.
«Oh, Dasha, you little dreamer! Our grandmother was… well, as you say, one of those. She told and showed me a few things. But as for a wizard, that’s as far off as the moon.»
Gradually, Larisa recovered, and soon the moment came when she could step outside on her own.
«Larisa, Larisa, you’re wonderful!» Aleksey lifted her in his arms and twirled her around, and Larisa, clinging to him, wept with happiness.
Meanwhile, Gleb paced nervously in the office.
«I don’t understand… I need all the rights! Do you realize someone must run the company? I can’t wait—everything will fall apart!»
One of those present quietly said, «The company is running like clockwork; Larisa has fixed everything.»
«Enough already, Larisa—oh Larisa!» Gleb roared. «You do understand, she’s no longer here. She went off into some backwater, and there, apparently, wild animals tore her apart. I am the lawful husband!»
«Don’t say that. Until there’s proof, she’s a missing person. An investigation is underway, so you’re in a hurry, Gleb Sergeyevich. And that raises suspicions.»
Gleb glared maliciously at the speaker.
«I hope you understand that you are no longer working for this company. I am a man who has lost his beloved wife, and here you’re throwing insinuations at me!»
An elderly man stood up.
«In any case, I wouldn’t work with you.»
Gleb mockingly scanned the room.
«Well then, who else doesn’t want to work under my leadership? Who else wants to be shown the door?»
He watched in horror as everyone rose from the table.
«Whatever, today I’ll hire new people!»
Gleb seethed, wishing he could strangle them all. Idiots, waiting for their…
Larisa entered the office. The frail, exhausted woman was gone without a trace. In just half a year, she had transformed—she looked younger, more attractive. She wasn’t alone; she was accompanied by a man and several policemen. Gleb collapsed into a chair, his legs giving out.
«You… how… you were supposed to die!»
«But, as always, your plan has failed. You really are not very good with plans.»
As Gleb, screaming curses, was led away, Larisa smiled at those present.
«Hello, everyone. I’m back, and I have plenty of plans. Allow me to introduce my husband, Aleksey. By the way, everyone is invited to a barbecue this weekend—you’ll get to know not only Aleksey but also nature. I’m saying that now, so there are no questions later. I now have a daughter, Dasha. She came with us, but alas, our Svetochka swayed her with her suitcase of cosmetics.»
Larisa’s secretary—a beautiful, fashionable young woman—never left without her suitcase of cosmetics. All the girls flocked to her for makeup advice.
«Semyon Arkadyevich, we need to arrange a divorce and adoption,» Larisa said to the firm’s lawyer.
He smiled, «I’ll take care of everything, Larisa. Welcome back!
