“Oh Lord, at least he didn’t suffer! Such an easy passing. They say those who are so lucky were saints in life. It’s a pity he was so young. He never saw his son grow up,” Nina Semenovna tried to console herself.
She needed some way to cope with the loss of her only heir, her own flesh and blood. But his wife, Anya, thought differently. Only she knew what the late Pavel was really like. And so, without any regret, she exclaimed angrily:
“It’s a pity he didn’t suffer! I wish he had lived. And suffered!!!” she snapped at her mother-in-law. Nina Semenovna stepped back, surprised by such words from her usually quiet daughter-in-law.
Nina Semenovna considered this outburst a reaction to stress. Immediately she worried and suggested:
“Anya, leave Seryozha with me! He’ll be better off with me! For me, he is the last memory of my son. And you’re young. You’ll build your life anew!”
“Seryozha?” Anya was stunned. “No. He will never live with you. I will raise my son myself.”
“Anya, what are you saying? It’s hard for you now. You can’t come to terms with your husband’s loss. How will you be able to care for Seryozha?”
But Anya answered firmly:
“I can. More than that, in a few days I will leave. I’ve decided to move to the village. There’s grandmother’s house there. I’ll settle there and start life anew. And I will never, never give you my Seryozha!”
More than anything, Anya feared that someone would learn the truth about her son. The five-year-old boy was diagnosed with a rare anomaly. It hadn’t shown externally yet, but sometimes he would fall into unprovoked aggression.
The specialists Anya consulted all said in unison:
“You’ll have a hard time with him. You manage now while he’s little. But when he becomes an adult, he will be stronger than you. Such people are placed in special institutions. It’s better if Seryozha gets used to it from childhood. It will be easier for him to adapt.”
But Anya did not give up her baby. She hoped the specialists were wrong. And her Seryozha was just a normal boy. Only different from others.
Her husband Pavel was a harsh man. He believed that a son was a measure of his masculinity and success. Therefore, he would never have accepted a sick child. Anya never doubted that for a minute.
He would have easily agreed with the doctors. And her Seryozha would have been placed in a special institution. That’s why she never told her husband or mother-in-law anything.
To them, Seryozha was an ordinary child. A bit withdrawn, a bit aggressive, a bit incomprehensible. But every child is unique. No one paid special attention to the boy’s illogical behavior.
Pavel wasn’t just harsh. He was cruel. Only God knew how many tears Anya shed covering bruises and scratches with foundation. But she could not leave her husband.
He threatened that he would find her even at the ends of the earth. And then neither she nor the little son would be spared. Moreover, he reproached her for wanting to break off the relationship.
Pavel believed that if she left, she would go to another man — probably the real father of Seryozha. This thought wounded his pride and fueled jealousy.
His anger consumed him. And Anya had to endure hellish torment again. Then Pavel became addicted to alcohol. Life became unbearable.
The mother-in-law thought Anya was to blame for the son’s addiction. In her opinion, good wives have husbands who don’t stray and don’t allow themselves excesses. Now the woman endured suffering also from her mother-in-law.
But one fine day it ended. Pavel was found lying on the kitchen floor. Nearby lay a half-empty bottle. Millions of alcoholics end their lives like this. Pavel was no exception.
At first, Anya truly mourned that her husband’s passing was so easy. She wished he had become disabled or helpless and suffered as much as she did.
But after thinking, she realized: it’s for the best. Now nothing and no one holds her back. She can leave everyone behind. And keep the secret about her son without fear of being exposed.
She put her plan into action. Literally within a month, Anya packed a few simple things and went to a remote village. Her mother did not support her decision. She didn’t know the truth about Anya’s situation and said:
“Anya! What will you do alone there with a child? We can help you here. But there, in that wilderness, there are only mosquitoes and bears! Don’t you dare go! Think about the child!”
“For him, I’m going,” her daughter answered firmly. The mother only shook her head. She didn’t know about her grandson’s rare mutation and didn’t understand Anya’s intentions.
And so Anya and Seryozha were far away. They were in a remote taiga village. Anya had been there as a child. Her mother had brought her to introduce her to her grandmother. They quickly found common ground.
Anya liked the village. Together with her grandmother, they baked pies, heated the bathhouse, milked the cow Zorya, and went to the forest for berries. But that was long ago, in a past life, before Seryozha was born.
Now Anya faced an empty house and an overgrown yard. Seryozha was cranky. He didn’t like it there. His mother tried to calm him:
“Son, you’ll see how nice it is here. Now we’ll clean up and mow the grass. I know how to do all this. Grandma taught me. I wish I had listened to her. She called me here, saying I’d find peace in the village. I was wrong not to listen.”
Little Seryozha finally calmed down. His attention was caught by colored pencils. Anya immediately gave him a sketchbook to draw while she started cleaning.
In two days, she tidied the house. But now the decision to stay didn’t seem the only right one. Anya admitted to herself it would be hard.
A city woman found it difficult to carry water from the well, deal with weeds, and cook on a small stove. She remembered how her grandmother told her:
“Tired? Light the bathhouse! The bathhouse will take away your fatigue. It heals not only the body but also the soul.”
Anya decided it was time to light the bathhouse. She remembered the simple craft and succeeded. This lifted her spirits. She decided to go to the store to buy something for tea. It’s so nice after the bath to drink fragrant tea with delicious candies or gingerbread.
Taking her son by the hand, Anya went to the local shop. Seryozha fussed again and tried to pull away. He didn’t want to go anywhere. But his mother firmly led him along.
“Seryozha, calm down,” she gently pleaded, “now we’ll buy candies and gingerbread. Then we’ll go home. You’ll draw again!”
The shopkeeper eyed the new customers with interest. She was sociable and asked straightforwardly:
“Are you staying long? I know someone moved into Grandma Nyura’s house.”
“I’m her granddaughter, Anya. I used to visit grandma before. Maybe you remember me,” the woman replied willingly.
“No, girl, I don’t remember. I moved here from a neighboring village when I got married. It will be hard for you alone with the little one. Is there anyone to help?”
“No. I’m alone with my son. And I don’t need anyone,” Anya answered firmly. She couldn’t confess the truth about Seryozha’s anomaly to the shopkeeper — only this way could she keep the secret.
“Anya, fresh candies came yesterday, here are cookies and gingerbread! Maybe some sausages and cheese too?” the shopkeeper offered.
“Yes, I’ll take a little of everything. Tell me, how do you protect yourself from mosquitoes? Are there any remedies?”
“There are, of course, but they don’t help against taiga mosquitoes! We’re used to them.”
“What should I do? I can bear it, but my Seryozhenka cries. They bite him.”
“Of course, a city child can’t get used to mosquitoes! They eat you alive! You know what? Go to the forest. Bring branches of fir or juniper. Smoke your house with it. Mosquitoes hate the smell! You’ll get rid of the gnats in no time!”
“Thanks for the advice! I’ll go today for sure.”
“Sure. Take your son with you. He’ll like it. He’s a quiet one, isn’t he?”
“He’s just shy!” Anya answered quickly and left the store. Would they really ask about her son here too? Would she have to hide the truth again?
Anya pushed sad thoughts aside and went home. There she changed her son’s clothes, put on a tracksuit herself, took a bag for mushrooms, and decided to go to the forest.
The forest greeted them with wonderful scents and birdsong. Only annoying mosquitoes and gnats spoiled the impression. There was no escape from them.
Anya decided not to linger but quickly gather juniper branches and go home. She told her son:
“Seryozha! Stay here! Don’t go anywhere! Got it? I’ll be back soon with the branches.”
The boy watched his mother and was about to cry but got distracted by a butterfly. The winged beauty landed right on the boy’s hand. Anya smiled approvingly and stepped forward.
She was gone for about three minutes. When she emerged from the dense thicket with a bundle of branches, her son was gone. Frightened, she dropped the juniper and rushed to look for him.
But Seryozha didn’t answer.
“Where could he have gone? I was gone for three minutes!” Anya thought. Then a loud crack of falling wood sounded behind her.
“Bear!” Anya was scared but bravely turned toward the sound. Still, it wasn’t an animal.
A young, well-built man was leading her son by the hand. The boy trusted him and walked along quietly. This was so unlike Seryozha. Usually, he would cry, bite, and even try to fight.
“Is this your missing boy?” he asked the frightened Anya.
Seryozha, seeing his mother, ran to her. He pressed against her knees and smiled happily.
“Why do you abandon your child in the taiga, mother? That’s not right! Or are you tired of him? Trying to get rid of him?”
“What are you saying?” Anya held her son tightly. “I just looked away for a moment. I thought I’d gather some juniper and come right back. He was playing with the butterfly!”
“The taiga doesn’t like jokes! You can’t leave a child alone!”
“Oh, thank you. I thought it was a bear!”
The man laughed:
“My name’s Bogdan! I’m the local forester! You must be the Anya who moved into Grandma Nyura’s house? I’ve heard some city woman came here for good with a child!”
“Yes, that’s me,” Anya lowered her head and answered. After living with Pavel, she was more afraid of men than bears.
“And there are no bears here! They’ve gone deeper into the forest! Why would they meet people?” the new acquaintance shared, “Let me show you the way out! Is your son mute? Usually kids ask questions, but yours is silent!”
“No, he talks. Just shy,” Anya quickly replied. She realized she wouldn’t be able to hide the truth about her boy anywhere. People would always ask questions.
Bogdan noticed Anya’s irritation and worry and fell silent. Then he said:
“Sorry if I offended you asking about your son. How are you settling in? Need any help?”
“No, nothing. Just mosquitoes bothering us. Your shopkeeper told me to burn some juniper. So I went to the forest.”
“Lingonberries are ripening now. Be sure to go with your son. They grow right behind the village,” Bogdan said, “And I’ll give you a special ointment against mosquitoes. I made it myself. Not a single gnat will come near!”
Bogdan kept his promise. That very evening, he brought Anya a jar of miraculous ointment and some aromatic candles. Mosquitoes really left the house and didn’t fly around outside anymore.
Life became easier. Anya finished cleaning the yard. She was already planning to plant a small garden in the spring.
Time passed. Anya and Seryozha got used to their new home. They had already met all the locals and learned village customs.
Seryozha also adjusted. He fussed and cried less. Most often, the boy drew or watched butterflies, which were everywhere.
Bogdan and Anya now often went for walks together. Usually, they went out when the boy was already asleep. He still didn’t like strangers. And although Bogdan didn’t trigger his aggression, Anya limited her son’s contact with the new acquaintance. She feared he might learn the truth about the anomaly.
Seryozha became much calmer in the village. Anya could leave him alone and do her chores. The boy didn’t leave the yard and came back home by himself.
One day, while Anya was cooking lunch — her son’s favorite dumpling soup — she fully focused on the process.
When it was time to call her son to eat, he wasn’t in the yard. Anya ran to the garden, checked the barns, opened the bathhouse and shed doors. The boy was nowhere to be found.
“Oh God! How did I lose track of him again?” Anya scolded herself. She ran out of the yard and rushed to the neighbors. Had anyone seen her boy?
But no one had seen Seryozha.
“I didn’t protect him. I didn’t protect him,” the thought pounded in her head. “Why did I come here? In the city, he wouldn’t have gotten lost from the apartment!”
But she immediately told herself:
“But there, they would have mocked him and laughed, then taken him to an institution! Where is he?”
She remembered how her son watched a butterfly in the yard and decided he went to the forest. Their first meeting with those beauties was there.
She rushed to the clearing where they gathered juniper branches and first met Bogdan. But Seryozha wasn’t there. She shouted and called in vain. No response.
Anya ran back to the village. Her hair was disheveled, her hands trembled, she was crying bitterly. At that moment Bogdan appeared. His question brought her back to her senses:
“What happened, Anya? Why are you crying?”
“Seryozha! My Seryozha is lost again!”
“Anya, calm down. He won’t go far! Probably went behind the gate and joined the local kids. Now he’s playing somewhere and doesn’t know his mother is looking for him!”
“You don’t understand! You don’t understand anything!” Anya shouted.
“What don’t I understand, Anya? Explain! I get it: you’re hiding something! Tell me!”
“Seryozha is special. He’s not like others! He can’t and shouldn’t be alone! He can’t be around people!”
“Anya, tell me more!”
“My son was born with a rare mutation! He should be placed in a special institution. He can be aggressive and hurt himself or others! I never told anyone. Not even his grandmothers or my husband! I took him away from everyone! And I didn’t protect him!”
“Anya, calm down. We’ll find him now! Don’t cry!” Bogdan ordered firmly.
They found the boy on the riverbank. He was playing with local boys, building some kind of shelter. Anya rushed to her son, but Bogdan stopped her:
“Let’s watch first!”
Anya stopped and was amazed. Her son played calmly with his peers. Moreover, he talked with them!
“Are you sure about the specialists’ verdict?” Bogdan asked. “By your words, he should be aggressive. But he didn’t show irritation or anger when I visited. And look, he’s playing!”
Anya quietly called her son. He immediately turned toward his mother’s voice and ran over. The boy buried his face in Bogdan’s knees and said:
“You didn’t come for a long time. I missed you and went to look for you!”
“I was in the forest on business, my boy! I missed you too. You and your mom. Let’s go home.”
All three went home. Since then, Bogdan’s visits to Anya’s house increased. He played with the boy, talked with Anya, and gradually learned everything about her past life.
He learned that her late husband beat her, and she had to hide under the bed. He learned that Seryozha often had bruises because Pavel believed he was fathered by another man.
Bogdan decided: no diagnosis exists. It was the father’s aggression that made the boy unsociable. He simply didn’t see a worthy example. He thought yelling and beating was the only way to communicate.
“Why didn’t you leave him, Anya?” Bogdan asked. “You ruined life not only for yourself but also for your son! He could have become the same monster as your husband!” Bogdan exclaimed. And Anya now agreed with him.
Later they went to city specialists. They confirmed: the boy is normal. He suffered deep psychological trauma, having witnessed his mother being beaten.
Only love and care can heal him. He must see a real man who loves his mother. Bogdan became that example for Seryozha. He raised Seryozha to be a worthy person.
And Pavel never learned the truth. Seryozha was his son. And he almost turned his own son into a moral cripple, just like himself.
