Sunlit oak tree

The train in which Augustine was traveling was stopped at the entrance to Leipzig. Augustine, who did not understand anything, looked at his comrades each time with a degree of calm and desire for generalization. Judging by the dialect and military uniform, they were detained by the British. They lined up the soldiers, and then asked everyone their name and rank. Augustine was last in line. The British took his documents and looked doubtfully at the torn photograph. They found out something about Augustine and, in the end, took him to another place. He was ordered to sit in a small clearing that looked more like a pen: it was fenced with barbed wire. Several soldiers were already sitting there. The midday sun was beginning to heat my head. Augustine sat a little to the side. He didn’t know what to think: would they kill him now, or would it still turn out that he was innocent? Or maybe the truth about his past will come to light? — Why are they keeping us here? Everyone else had already been taken away. — Augustine whispers to an unfamiliar man. Peering, he catches something familiar in his facial features… His regrown hair is dyed a different color, this can be seen from the protruding red roots; somewhere he had already seen those gray-green eyes and wrinkles near the nose. “Alex,” Augustine says quietly, with amazement. The man smiles and extends his hand to him. “And I kept wondering whether you would recognize me or not.” I recognized you right away. — Augustine doesn’t believe his own eyes. — How did you get here? — I went to Berlin, pretending to be a soldier. I wanted to find my family and you. And then you yourself know. And you? “It’s a long story, but I want to tell you that I’m very glad to see you.” And about the queue — they gather here all the people whose identities they are not sure of. — Alex stretches his shoulders. — I’ve been here since yesterday. — Wait, so they know something about us? — May be. This is the first time I’ve seen you so dirty. So, are you just back now? — Yes… I realized in time what was happening in Berlin. And you, Alex? Tell me something. — I was carried around a lot. That story with Arthur has not come to light. They never found anything. They never went to Austria, but went straight to Switzerland, as Irene told them. Not finding any uncle there, they blamed it all on the fact that Arthur had disappeared, and again rushed to interrogate Irene. She said that she never saw Arthur. Desperate investigators began to look into his biography, and it turned out that he framed your father. Augustine turned pale, and the air became stuck somewhere at chest level. — So they knew each other? — To a certain degree. Arthur removed your father, and his business rival disappeared. Other departments began to be wooled, and I was afraid that they would hurt me. While they were busy with your family, I got ready and went to the front. That’s the whole story. I don’t know what happened after, but it seems like the last time we saw Irene and Agnes, the matter was hushed up. Augustine could not believe his ears — all the horrors of life that he had to endure were because of Arthur! It was because of his connections that his parents went to prison; because of him, Augustine had to endure endless moves, trials and poverty. It was all because of Arthur, and Augustine was involved in his death. Of course, now the past no longer mattered, but mixed feelings fought among themselves in Augustine. He simultaneously felt anger and joy for revenge. And this revenge turned out to be very successful — no one ever went to serve time for the murder of this scoundrel. “I thought they would hush up the matter.” There are too many contradictions in the apparatus and in the entire structure. No integrity. Do you think we’ll get out of here alive? — Maybe if we prove that they didn’t kill. “Alex still managed to joke while sitting behind the barbed wire. — Well, in fact, we killed the enemy of my family and saved many others from his clutches. — Well, this is factual, but how they really look at it, only God knows. — Augustine shrugged. They were kept until night and only at night they were brought to prison, where the proceedings began. Augustine and Alex were given three months each, during which their cases would be reviewed. They were on British territory, the soldiers behaved loyally with them. Augustine, while serving in prison, thought a lot about Yuma and Yuna, about his father and mother, he remembered his house and sister, he again remembered that evening in his house, Anna, Wilhelm… Were they alive and were they able to somehow get out? Does Agnes remember about their agreement, about the house and is their mansion flooded with sunlight? Is there a huge old oak tree growing in a small clearing nearby? Spring and summer flew by very quickly. In September, after the charges were dropped, they were finally allowed to go home. Alex left prison with Augustine, but their paths soon diverged: Alex needed to join his family in Munich, but he said that he would soon come to Augustine. *** Augustine was on the last train to return home. Tired and dirty, he went straight from prison to a small apartment in Berlin, where this whole difficult journey began. Augustine pondered a lot with a heavy heart when he saw his family’s houses, of which now only ruins remained. He waited for the bus to stop and, slowly getting out, looked around. It was quiet all around. People gradually returned to normal life. Augustine stood with a sinking heart in front of their old, multi-story, shabby house, trying to catch at least some signs of life in its dark windows. Later he realized that there was probably no electricity or water in the house. It’s good that at least the house itself survived. Augustine went inside and heard rustling noises in one of the apartments. Augustine opened the crumpled door that hung flimsily. Going inside, he found himself in a dark room. There was chaos and devastation everywhere. Inside, people he didn’t know slept on dusty mattresses. They reluctantly woke up when they heard footsteps near them. The strangers looked at Augustine’s silhouette with puzzlement and a little hostility, rubbing their eyes. “Sorry,” Augustine apologized awkwardly. — Do you know if the family from apartment twenty-five has not moved? People silently turned away from him, Augustine walked away, knocking on other apartments. — Excuse me, do you know if the family from apartment twenty-five lives here? — he timidly asked the old woman, who had collapsed on the tattered sofa. — And who are you? What are you asking them? — the old woman looked askance incredulously. — I am Augustine, their pupil. You probably don’t remember me. “He was about to turn around.” “Augustine…” the old woman said thoughtfully. — Augustine, of course! I remember you. Lord, how thin you have become! — She exclaimed. Smiling at him, she took him aside to the stairs, where no one was there. “I didn’t recognize you right away, you’ve matured so much.” “And not only that,” Augustine said with a bitter smile. “When… I left here, everything looked different here.” — Yes, a lot happened. Anna and Wilhelm are no longer here. They left. We locked your apartment and never opened it to anyone. She survived, don’t worry. There are, however, almost no things there. Where have you been all this time? — Yes, many places. I left my parents' house and have not appeared there until now. First I was in Germany, then I was sent to Austria, and then to Poland, where I was until this year. Then they took me prisoner, and, without finding any significant evidence, they released me. I had no more options but to go here. — Augustine looked around the staircase — once their house was richly decorated and was considered one of the elite. — How are you doing here? — Yes, as you can see, it’s bad. Our apartments have not survived. Yes, few people decided to stay here. Some left, deciding that they did not belong here. Others died or went missing. You can’t even remember who is where now. Okay, I’ll go, find the keys to your apartment and go to bed. The old woman slowly began to descend. Augustine, who had been looking after her all this time, exhaled deeply. He knew what was happening in Berlin from the newspaper scraps that were brought to prison, but he did not think that everything was so bad. He was very ashamed of not knowing about Anna and Wilhelm. I wanted to hear about their fate, to find out how their destinies turned out. But not now. Today there is already enough news and shocks. The woman brought him the keys, smiled goodbye and went home. Augustine didn’t even have time to say anything. He slowly walked upstairs and, opening the apartment with the key, breathed in the dusty and musty air. Taking off his shoes, he lay down on the sofa and fell asleep, deciding that he would leave everything else for tomorrow. Augustine spent the entire next day lying in bed — he didn’t want to get up so much. But it was necessary to find Agnes, Irene, Yuma and Yunna and find out about the others. For the first time, some incredible burden fell on him from a feeling of shame for the fact that he had fled to Austria and had been holed up there all this time, abandoning his relatives. All that remained was to wait for Alexander, he promised to come soon and maybe they would come up with something together. Augustine had no strength. The first voices of people began to be heard on the street, the city began to come to life. Augustine forced himself to stand up and look outside. Yes, they still say correctly, there is no such war after which it would be impossible to recover. *** One morning Augustine was awakened by a knock on the door. He quickly opened his eyes and quietly asked who was there. It turned out to be Alex; Augustine quickly opened the door and let him inside. — Well, how was your trip? Alex waved it off: it was clear that he was clearly worried about something and was consumed by anxiety. — Have you found anything these days? Augustine shook his head. — No. I went to the Red Cross, but they told me that none of my relatives had been heard from there. — Maybe we should go to their apartment? Or find somewhere else they could go. — Their apartment is destroyed. I checked. Besides, I don’t think Agnes would have stayed there. “But they went somewhere, they couldn’t have disappeared.” Remember! — Alex shouted at his friend. Augustine looked at one point. This was, of course, madness, but a minute later he jumped up and, grabbing his backpack, ran out of the apartment. Alex rushed after him. Flying down the flights of stairs, Augustine stopped when he found himself on the street. — Augustine, where are you going? Damn it, are you going to tell me or not? “They could go to our family home, where we once grew up. We agreed to meet there if we lost contact. So the only place they could go was there. Alex, sighing, found it hard to believe his friend’s words, and he led him. Augustine saw nothing in front of him, dreaming only about their house, which stood on a small green hillock in the rays of the bright sun. He remembered the laughter of little Agnes when he clumsily rode a bicycle — the memories covered him completely. Alex miraculously managed to pull Augustine away from the road along which cars were rushing madly. — Augustine, what’s wrong with you? Don’t you look around at all? — He got a little angry. “Sorry…” Augustine replied, again plunging into his dreams. Augustine found a fellow traveler who agreed to take them to the address, and all the way he sat as if on pins and needles: he constantly looked around, dirty and all smeared, for the first time in many years after they left this house, he felt at home. truly happy. Maybe Augustine didn’t break down only because all this time he dreamed that someday he would return, sit with a book under his favorite oak tree and everything would be as before. Very soon he will again see the groves, bathed in the red sunset sun, look at the portraits of his great-grandfathers, walk through his father’s library and finally sit in his chair, see the already matured Yuma and Yunna and find the peace of the winner who did everything right. Augustine was worried all the time and looked out for familiar landscapes — he knew that their house could only be visible from one corner of the road. But everything was in ruins. All that was left of the neighboring houses were rubble, trees along the roads were knocked down, and vegetable gardens were plundered. They came out not far from the very road that led up the mountain to the house and to the oak tree under which Augustine once loved to sit. Alex and Augustine went uphill. After walking about two kilometers, they finally saw the house, safe and sound, and Augustine rushed with all his might to its old doors. He ran, stumbled and started running again, rejoicing like a child. He ran onto the porch, but the main door was barricaded. Augustine turned around with a jerk and ran to the garden, which was located on the back side of the house. Augustine remembered that there was another door there. The garden and vegetable garden have long been neglected. Fresh vegetables and beautiful flowers, which their mother had worked so hard to cultivate, no longer grew here. The door to the kitchen was open. Augustine entered, leaned against the wall and remembered Edith preparing delicious poppy seed buns. He ran his hand over the dusty surface and began to run from the kitchen into the small living room, running through the dilapidated hall. He opened the doors to the small living room and saw all his relatives there. Augustine opened his mouth in silent surprise, not knowing what words to choose. Agnes was sitting in her mother’s place and now looked exactly like her, telling something to Yunna and Yum. Irene, sitting a little further away, was reading something. They all looked sharply at Augustine, and for a second there was silence in the house. — Are you alive! — A moment later, Agnes jumped up from her chair, rushed to her brother and embraced him. — Certainly. — Augustine hugged her back. — Sorry for making you wait. “He opened his arms and motioned for everyone to hug together. All five of them hugged for a long time and held back tears of happiness. Augustine was finally reunited with his family. He glanced at Yunna and Yum and was glad that they survived without falling into the clutches of that terrible meat grinder. It seemed to Augustine that Irene had not changed again over all these years and was as beautiful as when they first met. How he missed all of them. Somewhere behind me I could hear Alex trying to catch his breath. — Augustine, damn it, why are you running so fast? — he asked out of breath. — Because at your age you smoked all your lungs. — Very funny. — Alex wanted to add something else, but Agnes almost pushed him off his feet. — You are both alive! “She buried herself in Alex’s shoulder and sobbed loudly. He gently stroked her hair and after a couple of moments began to make his stupid jokes. Augustine descended the steps from the house and saw the road up the mountain, bathed in partial shade, which was drowned in the seeping light of the sun. He walked up the mountain along the avenue of oak trees, in which he had once loved to relax. He definitely remembered that same big and old oak tree. He still stood in his place, no longer so branched and majestic, but still personifying the unforgettable calm that Augustine so desired all this time. All the time he was away, he dreamed again, just like now, to sit under an oak tree and watch the sunset. Tears rolled down from his eyes; he remembered his parents and his little self. He probably only now realized how hard all these years he had tried to run away from himself. Augustine always covered himself with a black jacket in an attempt to close the hole that gaped in his soul after the night they left here. Yes, he probably just wanted to be happy all the time, but he kept putting off his dreams for later. If Augustine had loved himself, his whole life would probably have turned out differently. Now, of course, it was too late to regret it. Augustine was simply glad that he had come to that same oak tree. The sun was rising, illuminating abandoned gardens and houses. Oak Alley still stood in its place, as if the war had passed it by. Augustine looked at his watch — it was exactly four o’clock in the afternoon. The wind that blew from the northwest this morning blew his long hair back.