Where Does My Motherland Begin?

[1965]

At first, it seemed dark.

Cold.

Alone.

I couldn't walk.

I wanted to scream "help."

My tongue was frozen.

A candle appeared in the distance.

Suddenly, I could walk.

I approached the candle.

It illuminated something.

I blinked once more.

And everything changed.

I was back in the house where I lived as a child.

My form had shifted into a teenager.

.

.

.

Could this be a dream?

Or was I experiencing déjà vu in this house of mine?

Vitaly and Vitaly

[21 November 1921]

Knock, knock, knock!

That soft knocking, the priest thought. There is no one who knocked like that except one child. He quickly opened the door and ushered the person inside.

"Lyokha, are you alright?" the priest asked. But then he was shocked to see the boy's clothes stained with blood. "Are you hurt? Who hurt you?"

"No, grandpi..." the boy said, sounding a bit nervous. The old man noticed a drastic change in his grandson's face; the innocence was gone from his eyes. He closed and locked the door from the inside before asking, "You don't seem to be the Lyokha I know. Will you admit the truth to me?"

Cat Burial

[1949]

It's been a long day for Fyodor, despite it's a summer holiday and no concert held for the rest of 3 weeks. He spend much time to renovate his communal, making sure his 7 cats are safe enough with surroundings and not messing with neighbor's communal. He always successfully trained all of his cats to poop at toilet, so he only need to flush and not worrying about smelly and dirty surroundings. Pretty much a divine skill, as Fyodor thought to himself.

Dmitry's First Meeting With Darya

[1922]

One day when the sun just set, a nine-year-old boy standing on a sidewalk. His worn out coat flapping from the strong autumn wind. In silence, he witnessed a young girl was cornered by three boys his own age. Probably boy gang who often stealing from other people. They snatched a backpack she was carrying and darted into the alleyways, before she could even scream for help. The nine-year old boy hurried over to her, checking if she is not harmed further. Later as he moved by pity, he handed her a loaf of rye bread he had been carrying tucked inside his coat. Something that he always brought whenever he goes, just in case...

Above The Dreamline

"Agh!" I screamed, gasping for air. My eyes flew open, and my body jerked awake reflexively. But before I could even catch my breath, I was startled by the unfamiliar surroundings.

Everything was dark. I could only see myself, clad in a brown military uniform. A rucksack hung on my back, and my right hand clutched a combat knife... the very one I had always carried during the war. I recalled that I had been fighting someone; a target I was meant to assassinate. Beyond that, all I could see was blackness. I mustered the courage to stand and walk, searching for something amidst the dark. Yet, for the first time, I felt a paralyzing fear. The temperature was freezing, and my vision began to dim.