Читать книгу 10 new Scythian tales - Guy Sebeus - Страница 4

1

This was back in the days when Midday was big-eyed like all pretty girls.

Her dress was light-colored, she had a wreath of ears on her head, bare feet, dancing gait. She was incredibly beautiful like hot flavor of solar noon.

Still, she was not all like this.

Her eyes were totally black. The look of those eyes was deadly to anyone who dared to admire her midday beauty.

It made Midday upset very much. She wanted to find a fiancé! Merry and beautiful!

Midday was responsible for a narrow passage between the worlds, which was like a bottleneck. Only once a day it was possible go from that world to our one and back – at noon sharp.

Midday performed her duties conscientiously, but there was a problem: she was curious. Once, she looked at the other side of the transition, at another world for a moment. There, she saw handsome young men who were not going to fall after her black looks.

“How nice!” She was delighted. “How wonderful! Finally, I’ll find a fiancé who will not die of loving me!”

She started posing in front of them and even lured several ones to our world through the transition that was strictly forbidden.

They danced together on the wheat field in the sun, reeled and boasted of the young prowess. Midday was a great dancer. Oh, how the skirts twined around her – like flames! How her sunny hair shone – like a beacon in the darkness! How her black eyes sparkled – like lightning!

And the handsome visitors, of course, did not die due to lethal Midday’s looks, but still behaved very strangely. From time to time… they turned out through the navel and went to dance again!

Midday got scared:

“These are famous immortal Turncoats! What have I done! Why have I brought these evil schemers to the human world?!”

But it was too late: the sun went behind a cloud and then completely passed over the noon.

Turncoats left Midday and went easily through Scythian settlements.

And that’s what they have done.

2

One of them met a Scythian girl.

Merry and beautiful – she could not avoid falling in love with him. With all of her heart, she believed his words about love and faithfulness bringing him to her parents’ house. The family began dissuading her:

“Do not trust the stranger. He does not appreciate bread in our house; he does not break it, but cuts. He demeans the akinak dagger, plays with it like a toy. He does not respect seniors, interrupts them with words. He will break your heart, turn out and leave!”

It happened this way.

Other Turncoats rolled up to the Scythian guys, hunters. They described easy, sweet and carefree life overseas. They called them to the ship beautifully rocking on blue waves. The relatives could not dissuade them:

“Do not trust the strangers. They do not appreciate bread in our house; they do not break it, but cut. They demean the akinak dagger; play with it like a toy. They do not respect seniors, interrupt them with words. Such ones are friends only during happiness, and if misfortune happens – they are windblown!”

It happened this way. The travelers were caught by storm in the sea. The Scythians relied on the friends since each pair of hands is not excess in the storm. But those ones fled to cracks shaking with fear. Besides, why should they strain themselves, they are immortal! When the ship was sinking, Turncoats turned out and jumped alive to the shore.

In the third settlement they came to the council of elders. With their odious speeches, they inspired the wise Scythians to quarrel with neighboring tribes. To occupy their lands then. The oldest man persuaded the elders:

“Do not trust the strangers. They do not appreciate bread in our house; they do not break it, but cut. They demean the akinak dagger, play with it like a toy. They do not respect seniors, interrupt them with words. For centuries, we lived with the neighbors in peace, many times helped one another. The betrayal cannot bring benefit for us. We will destroy the past and will not build the future. Our people will be gone, we will not survive!”