Elena had kept silent about what had happened to her many years ago. She lived quietly, steering clear of other people’s affairs and problems. When people asked her for help, she always responded, but she never stepped forward without being asked.
She sensed the world around her more sharply than any wild animal. By the faintest movement of the air, she could detect the presence of other people. Scents told her about the illnesses or emotional state of those nearby.
One day, a man came to see her and asked:
— How do you manage this? I deliberately took a shower and put on fresh clothes. In the half-hour journey to your home, I didn’t even have time to absorb the street smells, yet you sniffed me, sat in contemplation, and pinpointed my problem precisely.
Elena smiled slightly at the corners of her lips:
— People suffering from ailments emit a special aroma of despair. One only needs to learn to understand from where that scent of hopelessness emanates.
To comprehend what seemed to others unfathomable and impossible.
But that visitor turned out to be too curious.
— Tell me, you help many, I know that for sure. I didn’t come to you for nothing. But why can’t you help yourself? Forgive me for asking, but it seems to me that it is some kind of injustice.
Elena merely shrugged:
— I have no means to help myself. This cannot be fixed with herbs. The fact is, this isn’t an illness. It is rather the consequence of the mind’s workings.
— You know, sometimes it happens that a person is frightened or something terrible happens, and they lose the ability to speak or start stuttering for life. Something similar happened to me, only I stopped seeing.
This was the only time when Elena spoke of her blindness. And even then only because before her stood a man whom she expected would die soon. He exuded boundless despair. Completely. Without the slightest glimmer.
Elena felt as if a fire raged within him. He had very little time left.
On that day off, as usual, Elena went into the forest. Beside her trotted Baron—a huge shaggy dog. A smart, well-mannered animal, who nevertheless allowed himself to misbehave when no one was watching.
Elena listened to his leaps with a smile. She knew well that no matter how wildly he frolicked, he always kept an eye on her. And if Elena ever stumbled or wavered, Baron would instantly be there by her side, offering his support.
In the village where Elena lived, she was regarded as an old woman. Everyone addressed her exclusively as “Grandma Lena,” and she never objected. She only pulled her scarf lower to hide her face.
No one needed to know that she would only turn fifty the following year. Let them think she was a grandmother, so there would be fewer questions.
Suddenly, Elena froze. She sensed that Baron had stopped too. She listened. After losing her sight, her hearing had become incredibly sharp. Somewhere in the distance, a car was moving. The vehicle was heading toward her house. Getting closer and closer. Baron stood by her feet, pressing close so she could feel his presence.
— Quiet, little Baron, perhaps it’s not for us, — the woman whispered.
But the car stopped at her house. She and the dog headed toward the gate. Fortunately, they hadn’t gone far. A feeling of unease settled in Elena’s soul. When people came for help, she felt entirely different emotions. Now, it seemed that trouble was approaching, brought by an unknown guest.
The car door opened, and she heard:
— Why are you doing this? You do understand that if the doctors couldn’t help, then a healer in a remote village certainly won’t manage.
— Here you are mistaken. Just think about it—everything seems perfect. I took you to doctors many times, didn’t I? A very caring wife. Nothing helps, right? And so, in despair, I cling to my last hope—this woman.
I’m taking you to the healer. Perhaps alternative medicine will work. And again, I am the caring wife. And the fact that you will die here rather than at home is even better, agree? Fresh air, nature. Perhaps you will even have time to enjoy beautiful sunsets. See how well I’ve taken care of you. I even brought you a chair.
— You scoundrel. You’re trying too hard. All the accounts have been blocked.
— It’s nothing to worry about. I’ll wait. When I inherit, the block will disappear. And I don’t think it will be long. If only you knew how much you’ve annoyed me. I can’t bear to look at you anymore, you know? To live and realize that next to you is almost a corpse.
The man sighed heavily:
— Maybe you’re right. Better to die next to wild beasts than with a hyena like you. Get out.
The car door slammed. The engine started, and the vehicle sped away.
Elena immediately recognized a female voice. Once, this woman had come to her, offering a large sum for herbs to slowly poison her husband. She didn’t understand that here life wasn’t measured in money.
Elena felt the man looking at her:
— Hello. Excuse me, but I’ve been dropped off here, and I can’t get anywhere on my own.
Elena froze. That voice also seemed familiar, but her memory refused to reveal from where.
— Hello, — she said.
She and Baron moved closer. The dog was nervous, and Elena understood why. The man, it seemed, was sitting directly on the ground. He needed help getting into the wheelchair that the woman had mentioned. Elena quickly felt around with her cane.
— Ah, here it is, — she bent down, checked it with her hands, and assembled the structure.
Many people had come to her, moving in such contraptions. She rolled the wheelchair closer to the man:
— Please, sit down.
— I can’t. There’s nothing to hold onto.
— Baron, help.
Elena heard the man snort in disbelief, then exclaim in surprise:
— You’re smarter than some people!
After some effort, with grunts and huffing, the man settled into his chair.
— You’re not going anywhere right now. Your blood pressure will start to rise. Soon it will become critical, — Elena gently placed her hand on his head.
He shuddered:
— And how do you know?
Something stirred in her chest. Now. Now she must remember why that voice was familiar. But no, it slipped away again.
Elena began to get angry. For the first time, such a thing happened. She always remembered everything. Always controlled the situation. And now, her brain seemed to be playing a cruel joke on her. Like back then…
It happened many years ago. Thirty years. To be precise, almost thirty-one. Elena—young, beautiful, full of plans and hopes—had set off for the city. She intended to study, work, conquer the world. And there, two days later, she met him. He became her air, her light, her life. He loved her, and she felt it clearly.
Later, Elena learned that she was pregnant. She couldn’t wait to share the joyous news with her beloved and hurried to his home. But what she saw there turned her life upside down. In his bed lay another woman.
It wasn’t just a blow—it was the beginning of a complete clouding of her mind. Elena ran out into the street, not paying attention to the road. Sometimes she had to stop—her body twisting as if she were a chronic alcoholic after a binge. Her only desire was to vanish. To leave so far that she’d never see anyone again.
She ran to the river. To the place where she and Alexey had often spent time together. She lay down on the grass, looking at the sun, at the sunset, and realizing: the light seemed dim, muted, as if covered with dust. And then it turned into a blurry spot, and everything around her disappeared.
In the morning, passersby accidentally found her. They called an ambulance and the police. Before them lay a living girl who wouldn’t move, with lifeless eyes.
Elena remembered almost nothing from those days. Only one thing—there was always darkness and unbearable terror. Some spoke of doctors, examinations. Some mentioned that she had lost her child. But for her, that child had never existed. Everything that happened before the darkness was erased from her memory and never returned.
She had come to this house completely by chance. An old woman at the shelter where Elena had ended up had long talked about her village, healing herbs, and the simple life. Elena was left with neither family nor property, except for an old hut two hundred kilometers from the city, which had probably long since fallen apart. And so she decided to move.
Elena was preparing, learning to live anew. The doctor asked her:
— How do you plan to live alone?
— Somehow… People do live somehow, — she replied.
— Perhaps it’s even for the best. Maybe something there will help you, and your sight will return. Although, of course, you’d have to be presented to the professors. Your case is unique. In all my practice, I’ve only heard of one such case.
— And in that case, the sight was restored? — Elena asked.
— No. The woman couldn’t endure it. She lived only five years and then passed away.
— I see.
— But don’t lose hope. Miracles do happen.
Elena tried with all her might. She struggled, learning once more to understand the world around her. She remembered the stories of that old woman, tasted every little herb, inhaled their scent. Gradually, it began to seem to her that she could sense the plants with some sixth sense.
First, she helped a woman save her husband from alcoholism, then a man who constantly suffered from high blood pressure, then a third person… She never charged money for her help. If people left food, she was grateful.
One day, one of the visitors returned and brought her Baron. The dog was then a puppy. But as soon as he licked Elena, she immediately understood: this would be her most devoted friend for many years.
Inside the house, she navigated flawlessly. Meanwhile, the man’s condition was deteriorating. Elena quickly brewed an herbal infusion and placed it before him:
— Drink.
— Ugh, what a foul taste, — he grimaced.
— Drink, while you still sense the smell. When you no longer smell it, drinking will be futile. It will be too late.
The man drank, and Elena gestured with her hand:
— And now, lie down. You will fall asleep soon.
The man obediently shifted onto a wooden sofa covered with a thick mattress. Elena heard his steady breathing and sighed with relief. She straightened up, removed her scarves and baggy jacket. She always wore them when going out, to minimize questions and avoid people’s curiosity.
Who is this guest? Why does his voice seem so familiar? Elena sat beside the sofa and placed her hand on the man’s forehead. Suddenly, his eyes began to burn. She pulled her hand away. Unbelievable! Could it be someone from her past life?
She placed her hand on his forehead again.
— Lena? — the man whispered.
She slowly removed her hand. Her eyes blazed with fire, and the pain intensified. She felt her heart pounding, the noise in her ears.
What happened was something that should never have happened.
— Alexey? — she asked in a trembling voice.
— Lena?
— This can’t be. This is some kind of delusion…
— But you died many years ago. I searched for you. I raised everyone, but even my mother showed me your grave. I nearly lost my mind. I had doctors on call at home constantly, Lena.
Elena was silent. She closed her eyes to calm herself a little.
— And I died too. I died the moment I saw you in bed with another girl. I died. And our child perished as well.
— Lena. What are you talking about? What bed? What child?
— That day I found out I was pregnant. We were supposed to meet in the evening, but I couldn’t wait. I ran to your home. My mother said: “At your place.” I got up, there…
— Wait. On that day, when we were supposed to meet in the evening, you couldn’t possibly have seen me. I left. I only returned at eight. I was so afraid you wouldn’t wait for me by our clock. I arrived— you weren’t there. I rushed to the dormitory— and you weren’t there either.
I got angry. I thought that you decided to teach me a lesson. And by the way, I even went to get a present for you. Remember, you really wanted that antique cuckoo clock? You said it was a symbol of a real family. So I decided that instead of a ring, I would ask for your hand with that clock.
The burning in the eyes subsided. As if someone had pressed on them and held them in place.
— But then, in the room…
— That day, my cousin came. Oh, mama! He must have been overjoyed, realizing he could tear us apart. Lena, what happened to you? Why did you…
And she began to speak. Speaking in a monotonous tone, without opening her eyes. Everything she remembered. Even what she had already forgotten.
— My dear, you’ve suffered so much… But how could you think that I… You knew that I loved you more than anything in the world.
Elena opened her eyes and screamed. And immediately lost consciousness.
Baron rushed to her, and Alexey slid to the floor. After the accident, he never recovered. He couldn’t walk, and in general, his condition kept deteriorating.
— Lena! Lena!
Elena slowly came to. Her eyes ached unbearably, but she realized: around her, there was no longer impenetrable darkness. She saw the light. Blurry outlines of objects. She blinked. A little better already. The objects took shape.
— I see. I see!
For a whole year, Elena labored over Alexey. Suddenly, he passionately wanted to live.
— Lenaushka, we’re still so young. I will get up. I will defy all diseases. We are together, you understand? We have twenty years, or even more, Lena!
She smiled through tears. She soaked the herbs to dissolve the scars that prevented Alexey from living normally.
Sofya was speeding in a car. She needed to get to that healer, to pay her. After all, she was burying Alexey, or… Even if she wasn’t burying him, she would find out who did, and where. The main thing now was the documents. She had spent almost two years abroad with her lover.
And then it turned out that he had an old wife, who had cut off his financial support. Upon returning, she hoped that at least here everything would be alright. But no one knew anything about her husband’s death. Nothing. Now she would find out everything herself.
She circled around and around, unable to find the road to that little house. Everything around had been rebuilt. Some new clinic, houses were being built. Look, a car is driving by. I must ask them.
The car stopped, and Sofya jumped out to meet the driver:
— Excuse me, can you tell me, did a healer live here before? I can’t find the way.
The driver removed his glasses and smirked. Sofya took a step back:
— Alexey!
— Is this some kind of joke?
A woman got out from the passenger seat. Beautiful, though already of age, not a girl.
— Why have you come? — she asked.
— Is that you?
— No, what nonsense? You must be at least ninety years old.
— Alexey, why are you still alive?
He laughed. And Sofya realized how she looked now. Her disappointment was so strong that she screamed:
— This can’t be! The doctors said— half a year at most, and that’s it. Do you hear me?
— I hear you. And listen. Was the house ever really yours? By the way, I left it to you when we divorced. Live. On the table there is the divorce certificate and the house documents.
— Live? And the money?
— No, I won’t give you a divorce.
— Sofya, don’t be ridiculous. I’ve been married to the woman I love for half a year now.
