Читать книгу Nine Rabbits - Virginia Zaharieva - Страница 15
ОглавлениеAt the far end of the yard, next to the brick wall of the neighboring house, there is a ripe cherry tree. It grows on the border of our gardens, so each family picks it from their side.
Today I’m wearing a dress, a white one, from my grandma Vera in Sofia. Stretched out on a thick branch, Rufi is eating cherries, spitting the pits at the cat and pretending not to see me.
“All black cats should be destroyed. Especially this one, ’cause it eats our cherries,” he says.
“Gimme one.”
“Did you see that? It went straight into its ear.”
“Gimme a cherry.”
“Here.”
“That’s not a cherry.”
“It’s a little pear. Check it out, it’s silver.”
“It’s just a regular old light bulb for a lamp.”
“This is no regular light bulb. If I drop it, it’ll explode, and the whole world will die.”
“You’re lying!”
“Should I drop it?”
“C’mon, don’t.”
With the light bulb in his mouth, Rufi slowly climbs down out of the tree.
“It’s just a lie, right? So why don’t I just give it a whack and we’ll see whether everyone dies?”
“Everyone who?”
“Your grandpa, your grandma, everybody.”
“And me?”
“And you.”
Silence.
He wiggles a brick out of the wall. I’m watching the light bulb from the ground.
“The world’s not inside,” I venture.
“No? Then how does it get inside the television?”
“Will you die, too?”
“I’ll be the only one left.”
“Why?”
“Why? Because I was the first one to find it!”
Silence.
“You’re a jerk.”
“OK, fine then.”
Rufi raises the brick as if to strike. I kick him. We go rolling onto the ground. He shoves me toward the wall, grabs the brick and holds it over the light bulb again.
Above us, the cat, its paw hanging in midair, wonders why these two creatures aren’t moving anymore. The wind tugs at my dress. In the silence, only the sound of overripe cherries hitting the ground can be heard.
“I’m letting it go now.”
Silence.
“It’s your own fault,” he taunts.
“Don’t, please.”
“There’s no use in begging.”
“C’mon, please.”
“OK, OK, since you’re that upset, I won’t. Buuuuut in that case.”
“But what?”
“You have to take off your panties.”
Silence.
“No.”
“Look, I just have to move this little finger and the brick falls.”
“No, no!”
“I won’t tell anybody.”
“No, I don’t want to.”
He slowly lifts the brick. I hurl myself on top of him. There’s a crunch and a scream.
We lie there clutching at each other. I can’t tell whether we’re both dead or whether we’re alive and if we’re alive, whether the others are dead. An ant crawls over Rufi’s leg. The cat carefully jumps down. Someone has scribbled across the sky with chalk.
“Mandaaa, Mandaaa. Where are you, girl,” Nikula’s voice comes calling. “Mandaaa. I’mgonnatearoutyourhair.”
“Grandma,” I’m running and bawling.
“Wait a second,” Rufi shouts after me.
“No!”
“Please, Manda, at least let me kiss you.”
“No way.”
“On the cheek?”
“Grandma won’t stand for it. I’ll tell her everything.”
“See if I care, you little shit. Just you tell her. I’ll burn down your whole house. I’ll kill your garden gnomes. I’ll shoot your dogs.”
I slam the garden gate and bolt it.
“God almighty, just take a look at yourself. Why are you bawling?” Nikula looms above me, frightening and solid.
Silence.
“Blood! What’s this blood here?” She points at a large stain on my dress.
“Grandma. I, I saved the world from dying.”
“Go on inside and take it off so I can wash it. That’ll teach me not to put a dress on you again.”
