Tale of a tale ~ Chapter III
Added 2021-10-17 12:12:39 +0000 UTCAfter returning to old, ruined fortification, after few months of living without electricity, reality forced the pack to move on. First place was only... let it call, a bus stop. A month of life in a bottle. Time for repacking, deciding which things are really necessary, time for laundry clothes full of old dust from tower bedroom.
In the end of cold November they packed rest of stuff, the Family, the hay stocks they harvested in the summer and set off to a new place. Getting into the car, they weren’t sure where their life would throw them this time, because they had two possibilities. First – tiny wooden, cold cottage in the mountain Forest where it could be easy to hide – and it was checked place. And second one – the farm next to the river where they could create a place for animals, for people, for education. Place better for easier foundation development – but this place they know only from stories from others. Big area with stable for three horses, flat with a fireplace, with cows, dogs, cats, chickens, geese and other farm animals. Decision has been made during travel. The second place won.
They arrived after dusk and little girl was... terrified. She went to horrible place. Dirty, stinky, dark, awful, filled with caged, tied animals lying in their own dung. In the place where Agresja and Miss Sheep were supposed to sleep stood two young bulls. In their dung with bugs... The owner of the place couldn’t understand surprise of heroes of our story. Right the next day, when the Sun rose, little girl and her deamon started to clean. First – Agresja’s and Miss Sheep’s bedroom. Then their place to sleep. After some time they were able also to take care of the owner's animals. Cleaning their places, cleaning them, making friendships with them, learning their language, teaching some rules. Slowly, day by day, interiors have got more light, more fresh air, dangerous tools left in strange places have found good places. At some point little girl and her deamon started to change the place from old, dirty farm to nice, open stable. They believed that they are able to change also mind of the owner of the place. To show him and his family, that animals aren’t only money. Aren’t slaves or things. But he’s always repeated that “god made animals only for humans”...
But before that time came, the girl was forced to learn difficult tasks. Milking cows, assisting in the killing of geese, chickens, parting a dead, freshly born calf left under her balcony. One day, when her deamon needed to travel for foundation, she was forced to kill. One goose. She knew that killing others can be made in good way for the killed. Calm, quiet and clean, without pressure, without panic. But this time drunk, loud neighbor was a “boss”. She gave an axe and told that she’s too drunk to cut off head of a goose. Little girl had to do it. Even if she didn't like those loud geese that annoyed Agresja every day, she didn't want such ending for them. But she did it. She killed with tears in her eyes. Other time, when she was left alone, she went in the evening with Rogaty to give horses dinner and she was surprised by quietness of the owner’s dog who was caged. In the dark she approached the playpen and saw a dead dog hanging on its net. He was inside on a chain and tried to get out of a cage, like he used to do many times before. But the chain was too short...
There were lot of such difficult situations – they have always tried to help, to treat animals in need - they sewed together the belly of a duck that had been ripped open by a dog, they treated the leg of Miss Sheep that stood on a sharp tool thrown into the grass, her depression, udder of a cow that jumped through the barbed wire, found new homes for dogs who were abandoned by the “owners” in the neighborhood, far away from cities during vacation time, fighting with a fire in the stable caused by owner’s rubbish, repainting and re-cleaning interior after that...
But there were also lot of beautiful moments. Driada giving birth in bed, swimming in the great river with horses, Iskra’s joining to the Family, birth of Iligna, Wierzba’s appearance in the Family, mooses running in front of the kitchen window or on meadow with horses, listening to the amazing music of thick sheets of ice bursting on the river. At some point even Lucy was brought from the “Winter holiday palace” to live together. Seeing a kingfisher or white heron for the first time in life was spells which spilled little girl’s heart with happiness and hope. Teaching other’s horses and people to live, to speak with them made her believed that world really can be a beautiful place.
Little girl started to feel quite good and safe there – in place (still awful building, but clean) surrounded by amazingness of the wild Nature, so she decided to learn new things in life. Sewing dresses from old curtains, driving a car, trying herself in photography in front of lenses of professional photographers. To create pictures which were swirling inside her. Also swimming. You can laugh with the picture with the lifebuoy, but as a child she was drowning a few times, so swimming was something really difficult for her, petrifying her.
But there was a moment when little girl started to loose hope and the desire of new place – place which can be called her home, with her rules, not others’ – began to rise harder. This moment was when the owner of the place decided to cut down almost all Trees who lived in his area.
So the pack, bigger than ever, started to search for a new place.
Become the Beast
P.S. As usual, photos aren't set chronologically (2012-2015).
