Katya suddenly jumped up, her whole body trembling.
The old sofa creaked plaintively, protesting the sudden movement. The girl threw it a worried glance — hoping it wouldn’t collapse completely. Then she looked around the walls. Winter was relentlessly approaching, and she had no idea what to do next.
She had left her native village at her stepfather’s insistence. According to him, Katya had become a «stain» on the family’s reputation because, after her mother’s death, she lost the ability to speak. He declared:
— «It’s not my job to explain to everyone now that you weren’t born mute? And I still have three daughters to marry off. So what if the family’s rotten!»
Katya herself had long wanted to leave. It had become unbearable at home. But in the city, new troubles awaited her: along with her documents and money, all chances to start a new life disappeared. She went to the office — to explain, to ask for help. But only wheezing sounds came from her throat. They took her for a drunk and pushed her out without warning.
The first month was a real struggle for survival. Katya didn’t know how to ask for help. Shame kept her back straight even when her legs gave out. There was a time when she simply collapsed by a stranger’s fence, pressing her forehead to the ground, and decided: enough. Better to die here than to humiliate herself every day.
It was there that Malvina found her.
This woman was a legend in the neighborhood. The true queen of the local street. The homeless obeyed her without question, and those who dared to object were promptly knocked out — her size allowed it. She stared silently at Katya for a long time, then approached.
— «Hey, what are you sitting there for? This is my territory!»
Katya was silent, staring at the ground.
— «What, mute?»
The girl raised her eyes and nodded.
— «That’s what I thought. Then why are you lying down? Thinking you’ll die pretty?»
Katya nodded again.
— «Fool. Get up. Come with me.»
She obediently stood and followed the woman. She led her to an old basement. Inside were beds, a couple of nightstands — not much, but cozier than expected. Malvina arranged a real treat. Katya looked around wide-eyed: «God, how do homeless people live… it’s almost normal here!»
The woman poured her hot tea, handed her a notebook and a pencil.
— «Eat. And write down everything you know. Since you’re on my territory — I need to know everything about you. To the last detail.»
Katya nodded. She stayed for the night. Tired, hungry, she soon began to nod off. Malvina told her to rest and brought her to a small house in the morning.
— «Here, settle in. You won’t survive on the street. Here you’ll help — show graves, take care of things. They’ll pay — a little, but enough to live. And anyway — there’s always some kind of work at the cemetery. If someone gives you trouble — you know where to find me. Come — we’ll sort it out. Well, goodbye.»
Malvina turned and left without looking back.
Two months had passed since Katya received this little house. It had belonged to a guard before, until the position was abolished. Now it was her corner, albeit half-ruined. The local old women said that people used to live inside before, and now Katya was the next in that line.
She drew water from a bucket, took a few sips. The nightmares had long stopped. But today… they returned.
Five years ago, it all began in the city. Katya came to enroll in a college with her friend from the village — Svetka. After the first exam, they stayed overnight in the dorm to avoid being late for the next one.
In the evening, Sveta suggested going for a walk:
— «Katya, come on, let’s go? Just walk around, see the city. Why do you act like a stranger?»
— «I’m scared…»
— «Scared of what? We’ll just sit, look at the lights.»
But that night she almost lost more than her voice.
On the embankment, a trio of drunken men caught up with them. Svetka was the first to get scared — and ran away so fast she didn’t even look back. Katya was surrounded. She tried to push them away, but they pressed on all sides. They tore off her jacket, and she couldn’t scream. Not a single sound. Only silent despair.
And then he appeared. A young, confident guy. He flew into the gang like a hurricane and started fighting back. Katya stood frozen until he handed her back her clothes.
— «Put it on,» he said simply.
She put on the jacket, although the buttons had long been torn off. The attackers moaned nearby, writhing on the ground. He gently took her by the elbow.
— «From the textile school?»
Katya nodded.
— «Let’s go, I’ll see you off.»
They almost reached the dormitory when she began to tremble. First a slight shake, then stronger and stronger… Tears ran down her cheeks on their own. Her body shook as if in a fever. The man sighed heavily.
— «That’s it,» Katya thought to herself. «And I kept waiting for the hysteria to start.»
But the tears had dried long ago. After twenty minutes of uncontrollable crying, something inside seemed to release, as if all the accumulated fear came out.
The man looked at her carefully and asked:
— «What’s your name?»
Katya opened her mouth… but instead of words, only an indistinct murmur came from her throat. She looked at him in horror, tried to say something — nothing again. Just a wheeze. Another wall between her and the world.
— «I see…» he said thoughtfully. «Okay, go rest. I think it will pass by morning. If not — go straight to the doctor. Got it?»
Katya nodded. He smiled, trying to calm her:
— «Everything will be fine. Don’t worry.»
He turned and quickly disappeared into the darkness. Katya entered the dorm. Sveta was already in the room. Seeing her, she threw a short, almost indifferent glance.
— «Why didn’t you run after me?»
Katya silently looked into her eyes. Sveta looked away:
— «What would have changed? They would have handled us both. At least this way you stayed safe.»
The girl slowly headed to her bed and buried her face in the wall.
The morning brought not what she expected. Her voice never returned. She failed the exam and was asked to leave the auditorium. From the dormitory, they also made it clear: pack your bags. No explanations. Just «that’s the rule.»
Half-asleep, Katya watched the brightening sky. She knew this pattern: if in a dream she was again surrounded by three men, it meant trouble was nearby. Sometimes not with her, but definitely very close.
As soon as the sun rose, Katya took a bucket, a hoe, a small shovel, and garbage bags. She went to where she had finished cleaning yesterday. She cleaned everything — graves, alleys, even those no one asked about. She believed that since fate had brought her here, it should be clean and beautiful. Her life had turned here for a reason.
Old ladies who often came to visit relatives’ graves noticed the changes. They brought food, sometimes money, and once even a whole bag of warm clothes. It was priceless — the nights were getting cold.
Katya approached one of the fresh grave fences. There was almost nothing to clean — obviously relatives had been there recently. Only dry flowers remained, which she carefully gathered.
— «You’re not going to eat this?»
Katya flinched and sharply turned around. On the face of a boy about eight years old was a living hope. He was staring with interest at the candies and cookies on the grave.
At first, Katya wanted to scare him, as a caretaker should, with a stern look and a warning gesture. But the boy just sighed:
— «I know you can’t… I just really want to eat.»
Katya waved her hand and gestured for him to follow her. The boy nodded and trotted after her, talking non-stop:
— «I’m not a beggar! I just ran away. Dad brought his new girlfriend home. I told him, ‘If you’re going to marry her, I’m leaving.’ He said, ‘None of your business.’ So I left. I’ve been wandering for five whole days!»
Katya stopped, looked at him with disapproval, took out her worn notebook and a stub of a pencil. She wrote:
«Do you even understand how worried your father is about you?»
The boy frowned:
— «I don’t care. Now she’s more important to him.»
Katya wrote again:
«Did he say that to you himself?»
— «Why say? It’s obvious,» he stubbornly replied.
Katya just shook her head. She opened the door to her little house. Mishka peeked inside with curiosity:
— «Are you mute?»
Katya helplessly shrugged, then took out the food: bread, cutlets, vegetables — everything kind people had given her. The boy pounced on the food like a hungry puppy.
Katya watched him eat and wrote:
«What’s your name?»
— «Mishka.»
«And do you remember your father’s number?»
He froze cautiously:
— «I remember… Why?»
Katya quickly scribbled:
«I won’t tell him anything. I can’t myself. But if you want him to find you — I’ll help.»
Mishka beamed:
— «Exactly! You can’t speak, right? Great idea!»
Katya handed him the phone and gestured for him to dictate the number. She typed the message and sent it. Then pointed to the sofa and wrote:
«Do you want to sleep? I’ll clean up for now.»
— «Will you call your dad?»
Katya looked away and added:
«Later. I need to work now.»
— «Well, then I’ll sleep!» the boy happily agreed, flopping onto the sofa.
Katya covered him with an old blanket that local old women had once given her and went outside.
She returned a couple of hours later. Mishka was still asleep. But soon the sharp sound of brakes came at the entrance, and literally a second later, there was a knock at the door.
Katya opened it. A man stood on the threshold. Tall, with sunken cheeks, disheveled, but his eyes held both pain and relief.
He looked at her. Frozen. Then quietly said:
— «Is that you…?»
Katya nodded and pointed to the sofa where Mishka was peacefully snoring.
The man sat down on the edge of a stool, took a deep breath:
— «He still doesn’t talk?» he asked, looking at Katya.
She shook her head. When he asked if she had been to a doctor, she helplessly shrugged. The man looked around the little house, nodded to himself as if realizing: is this really the time for doctors?
— «Don’t think I don’t love him,» he said quietly. «It’s just that after his mother left, he became too vulnerable. He often takes everything personally. And then this girl came — a specialist from the farm. We spent a lot of time together, and he apparently misunderstood everything.»
Katya nodded, feeling warmth in her heart from these words.
— «Dad, you really weren’t going to marry her?» Mishka’s voice suddenly rang out, waking up from the conversation.
— «Not at all, son. I would have discussed everything with you. Decided together.»
The boy ran to his father and hugged him tightly.
— «Let’s go home!»
— «Let’s,» the man smiled but didn’t hurry to leave. He looked at Katya:
— «And what’s your name?»
Katya took the notebook and wrote:
Katya.
— «I’m Kirill. Here,» he handed her a business card. «Come to my office tomorrow. I’ll take you to the doctor myself. And don’t even think about refusing!»
Katya smiled and nodded. How kind they turned out to be — both father and son. Before leaving, Mishka hugged her tightly too.
— «Come visit! If Dad said he’ll help — then he definitely will!»
She nodded again. She wasn’t going to refuse. For the first time in a long time, a little spark of hope glowed in her chest — small, fragile, but real.
The doctor examined Katya for a long time: studied the notes she made in the notebook, shone light into her eyes and throat, checked reflexes. Then he turned to Kirill:
— «Will you leave her with us?»
— «I hope so,» he answered.
— «Good. We’ll try. Most likely, this is the result of severe stress. Her vocal cords seem to have stiffened. Psychosomatic. We will work — hypnosis, therapy, speech recovery.»
Kirill nodded:
— «Of course. I’ll take her now, we’ll go shopping, and in a couple of hours, we’ll come back.»
— «Great.»
As they were leaving, the doctor lightly nudged Kirill with his elbow:
— «Pretty girl… Maybe better if she keeps quiet?»
— «Oh, Mikhailych, you’re something…» Kirill shook his head, though a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
— «Would make a perfect bride…»
Two weeks later, Katya’s first word slipped out. Completely by accident. She stumbled, hit her toe, and couldn’t hold back, shouting:
— «Ouch!»
The nurse laughed:
— «Usually the first word is ‘mom’ or ‘dad.’ But you start with ‘ouch!'»
Kirill and Mishka rushed over within half an hour. Katya was still shy, words came with difficulty, but she was talking. Talking! After so many years of silence, her voice finally returned.
— «Now you’ll live with us,» Kirill decided. «Mishka will get you talking completely. He’s a master of endless chatter. Then we’ll think about where you’ll enroll. You must study.»
When Katya finally enrolled — though not where she dreamed in her youth — Mishka seriously approached a conversation with his father:
— «Dad, you know, if you married Katya, I wouldn’t mind.»
Kirill slightly smiled, raising an eyebrow:
— «Why’s that?»
— «Because she’s normal! Doesn’t act like a princess, doesn’t show off. And if she can’t do something — she doesn’t pretend, she says it straight. That’s the whole reason.»
Kirill laughed:
— «Alright, Mishanya, I’ll keep your advice in mind.»
But the boy had already run off, pleased with himself. And a month later, he was joyfully spinning around the wedding cake at a loud, happy celebration — where his father and Katya stood hand in hand before the guests as newlyweds.
