Fears

***

- Listen, Sofya… Who’s in your house? — An old man from the house across the street asked the old woman as she went for a walk to the grocery store. She looked at him questioningly and thought. - I have no one, Dmitri Petrovich, — Sofia replied with a shrug. — I live alone, you know. The old man frowned and leaned closer, as if to whisper something, even though the street was deserted. - It’s strange, ' he said thoughtfully. — I was sitting at the window last night, you know, awake. I hear the lights going on and off in your house, and some rustling. And you should be asleep at this time, shouldn’t you? Sofya frowned. - Rustling? Maybe you’ve made a mistake, Dima? I’m calm. - I’m not confused, Sofya! — The old man spoke hotly, waving his hand. — I saw it exactly. And also… A silhouette flashed past your window. A tall, lanky figure. Not your figure, that’s for sure. The old woman shuddered, but immediately tried to dismiss the unpleasant feeling. - Come, you’re imagining things. I live alone, I have nothing to be afraid of. - You should have checked, — Dmitri Petrovich insisted. — I don’t know who’s going round the houses these days.       Sofia thought, frowning. Maybe she should go home and make sure everything is all right? Or had Dmitri Petrovich just decided to amuse himself by making up stories? Sofya hurried into the little corner shop she had known since childhood. She rummaged through the shelves and quickly picked up the usual groceries: a loaf of bread, a couple of eggs, a stick of butter and a packet of tea. The cats were scratching at her heart after her conversation with Dmitri Petrovich, and she wanted to get home as soon as possible. She paid the shopkeeper and hurried out, clutching her bag tighter to her chest. The house greeted her with the usual silence, but the thought of her neighbour’s strange words kept haunting her. Deciding not to linger, Sofya went straight to the well to fetch water. The keys in her hands felt uncomfortably cold, and the wind pulled at her neck like an icy hand. The well was at the end of the property, closer to the old fence. The bailers creaked slightly as she lifted the bucket of water, and for some reason the sound seemed particularly loud in the thick silence. 'It’s all nonsense, of course,' Sofya tried to calm herself, though for some reason her heart was beating a little faster. Returning to the house, she slammed the door behind her and turned the key, just in case. The warmth of the walls of her home soothed her fears, but the old man still cast a restless shadow in her soul. Sofya looked into the kitchen, then into the small room behind the partition. Everything was in its place. Only the stove remained, where the slowly recovering nightmare rested. - Oh, you’re my darling, — Sofya said softly and reached out to stroke the creature. Nightmare stretched, yawned to show how comfortable it was now, and immediately lay down again, as if to confirm that everything was under control. Sofya breathed a sigh of relief. But before she went to bed, she decided to bolt the windows shut, just in case someone broke in. As she turned, she saw the creature standing in the doorway. Its black, bottomless eyes stared at her intently, and its nose quivered slightly as if it were inhaling air. - What are you doing? — It asked in a hoarse, hissing voice. Sofya breathed out carefully, trying not to give away the remains of her tension. - Checking the windows, — she replied calmly, her heart still in her throat. The creature, which looked like a man with large black paws instead of hands, stepped forward. There was still something sinister about his silhouette, especially after what had happened a few weeks ago. When a fire had nearly destroyed the house, it had barely survived, burned and hiding from the humans. Sophia knew the creature was grateful for her help, but sometimes she still couldn’t quite get used to its nature. - You’re afraid, — it said briefly, keeping its eyes on her face. - I’m just being careful, — the woman replied, adjusting the latch on the window. — You know this house has seen enough. The creature watched her movements in silence, then turned its head towards the stove, where the sleepy nightmare was looking at Sofya again. - If anyone comes, I’ll feel it, — the creature said quietly, a slight bitterness in her voice. Sophia paused for a moment and turned around. - I know, — she looked at him softer, as if trying to dispel his doubts. — 'But I also want to do something. This house is ours now, we must keep it safe. The creature bowed her head, her black paws clenched nervously in the air. - Then so be it. But if anything happens, I will protect you, Sofia. You’ve already saved my life, let’s say, which almost no one else has done. The words did not sound threatening, but rather reassuring. Sofya tried to believe the creature, who just smiled and crawled closer to the wall, still wrapped in the blanket her grandmother had given her recently. And how nice it was to enjoy the care she had long forgotten, or had never known. It was only a matter of time before the creature slowly came out into the light. One cloudy day, when it began to rain, Nightmare went to the door and opened it, letting the damp air into the room, and looked out. As she felt the raindrops start to drip on her head, her face, she finally smiled. There were practically no people in the street, everyone had boarded up their houses. It was possible to walk out to the doorstep and sit on the steps, enjoying the pleasant weather that the girl had only glimpsed a few times from the window. Seeing the nightmare outside, the grandmother just opened the window and leaned on the sill, smiling. Realising that the fence would provide some anonymity for the time being, she stroked the girl’s head. - Do you like the weather? Just not going out for a walk today… You’ll have to excuse me. - That’s all right. I’ll just sit for a while and then I’ll go home. OK? Nodding, the woman went back into the house, leaving the girl to enjoy the rain. Soon the creature entered the house, completely soaked. Water dripped from her black hair and her clothes clung to her body, accentuating the burn scars that always attracted attention. Sophia automatically clutched the warm blanket to her chest, ready to help. Nightmare threw off her wet clothes, exposing her taut body, naked in places where the scars from the unfortunate fire had never faded. She didn’t look embarrassed as she walked over to the stove and sat down, tucking her legs under her and wrapping herself in a blanket. - Come on, get on the stove, — Sofya said, nodding towards the heated room. — At least get warm. The nightmare narrowed her eyes as if suspicious of the old woman, but then she got up. - I’ll leave the dirt… — she muttered, glancing at the drops dripping from her hair and legs. - It’s all right, — Sofya said. — The main thing is to keep you warm. Nightmare climbed onto the stove, curled up in the corner and pulled the blanket tighter around her. The warmth quickly penetrated her shivering body and made her relax. - Better? — Sophia asked, watching her with a gentle smile. Nightmare nodded softly and dropped her head to her knees. - Yes… It’s warm, — she replied in a whisper, her voice sounding grateful. Sofya adjusted the corner of the blanket that had slipped from the girl’s shoulder. Nightmare, already thawed by the cold from the street, wrapped herself even tighter, as if to hide from the world outside these walls. Silence filled the room, broken only by the crackling of the firewood. It felt so damn good to be around the one person who helped her enjoy life in any way, confused and feeling so strange. It was only a knock on the door and someone else’s voice that made Nightmare stir, moving behind the stove where she couldn’t be seen. She looked at Sofya from behind, put a claw to her mouth and willed her grandmother not to say too much. The creature nodded and opened the door, allowing the boy to enter. The creature smelled the strange odour, wrapped itself better in the plaid and sat quietly, listening to the sounds. It did not listen to the conversation between the grandmother and the boy, only to the footsteps and the shaking of the floorboards. When the boy went to the window and looked in the direction of the stove, he saw the girl. Only not as she had been, but in a very different form. A plain girl with wet black hair, grey eyes and slightly blurred pupils. Nightmare looked at the boy, wrapped in a plaid. Sophia stepped closer, clearly worried but trying to protect herself. - Baby, don’t sit out in the cold… — she said, going over to Nightmare and pulling the plaid over her. As soon as she covered her body with hers, the creature showed her real, all black, bottomless eyes and begged her grandmother not to be afraid and to help her. The boy sat down on the bench by the window, took off his wet hat and looked at the girl. The grandmother brought them both something to eat. As soon as Nightmare took the plate of food, felt it and smelled what was in it, she shivered. Porridge. - Grrr… What is this? — she tried to keep her cool. - Porridge, it was the only thing that was brewing at the moment. Do you want some? — she tilted her head to the side. The girl took the spoon Sofya had given her and began to eat, slowly getting used to the taste of the other food. - Grandma-ah… — the boy stretched out his hand to attract attention. — Is she blind? Nightmare froze at the boy’s question. Her fingers gripped the spoon, but then she exhaled slightly and relaxed. She looked first at Sofya’s blurred silhouette, as if asking if she should answer, and then turned to the boy. - Almost blind, — she said in a hoarse voice, as if reluctant to admit it. — But I can see things. The boy opened his eyes in surprise and seemed to want to ask something, but when he saw her black, bottomless eyes, he changed his mind and suppressed it instead. Sophia, noticing that the tension between them had eased slightly, smiled softly and poured the boy a cup of tea. - See, it’s nothing, — she said, stroking Nightmare’s shoulder as if to reassure him. The boy looked back at Nightmare, less suspicious but still curious. - What’s it like? — He asked, putting down the cup. — Does it… hurt? Nightmare looked away, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket as if in defence. - It hurts in other ways, — she answered briefly, not going into detail. A questioning eyebrow raised on her face. The boy frowned but remained silent again, apparently sensing that it wasn’t worth pursuing the subject further. When he left for the other room, Nightmare relaxed, but still sat motionless, staring at the floor. - Why did you say that? — Sofya asked quietly, sitting down next to her. - Let her know. She should be less afraid, — Nightmare replied. Her voice was firm, but there was a shadow of weariness in it. — They’re always watching you anyway, looking for something else. It’s better to tell them right away. Sofya just sighed and adjusted the girl’s plaid. - He’s not afraid of you. He’s just a child. - A child or not… They’re always asking. Always trying to understand. The old woman looked at her sympathetically but said nothing, deciding that it would be better to wait for this conversation. Instead, she simply left Nightmare by the stove, where the warmth gradually eased the tension in her body and she fell asleep, curled up in a ball.