The muzzle of the gun was staring at Marianne, and not one. You cant hesitate any longer. Marianne lunged forward at the leader of the gang, crashed into his chest. The blow was very strong. The big man grunted loudly and flew head over heels into the snow. Marianne ran over it and dashed away. Shouts and abuse were heard from behind. And Marianne had already straightened up and ran as fast as he could. Then he glanced over his shoulder. Just in time: one of the men raised his gun and aimed at his back. Marianne darted to the left, ducking his head as he ran. A shot rang out. A bullet whizzed nearby. Marianne fell into the snow, then got up and ran again. Two more shots rang out. Marianne never looked back. He ran like a spirit across the snowy steppe. It is necessary as quickly as possible to reach the nearby trees and hide behind them. Now breathing was in his ears, the beats of his heart pressed into his throat, but Marianne did not slow down. Two more minutes, and he fell into the snow behind a saving tree.
Wiping the sweat from his face, he crawled and peered cautiously out of his hiding place. It turned out that he managed to overcome a fairly long distance. Much more than he thought. A group of people in black robes sprawled across the plain. Two or three people were far away. Harsh screams echoed into Mariannes ears. Someone moaned, someone cursed. The leader among them could not be discerned. The pursuers slowed down. Some stopped completely, one of the robbers turned back. Or so it just seemed. It was difficult to make out from a distance. Only the two most enduring and strongest continued to walk towards Marianne, but they could no longer see him.
Marianne figured he had no more than a minute of head start if the two continued to chase.
We must move on.
He straightened his snowshoes and was glad that he did not lose them during the race. He looked at his pocket, afraid to touch it with his hand.
Mignis, are you all right? Mignis?
The pocket stirred. Marianne even saw a pair of thin tendrils peeking out of the hole. Hoping that Mignis was okay too, Marianne walked quickly into the woods, figuring out how not to leave footprints in plain sight.
The gloom thickened. It became completely dark. Low clouds covered the moon. This lifted Mariannes spirits: it will be more difficult for robbers to find him in the dark, and soon they will abandon this venture. A gust of wind showered the youths face with ice flakes. Marianne pulled on his hood tighter. He turned around, looking at the fresh line in the snow, trodden by him. How soon will the snow cover it with new flakes? Now we need to get away from the chase as far as possible. A sleepless night lay ahead.
Marianne walked and walked. The coniferous forest sometimes thinned and climbed an untouched snowy hill, then became a dense wall near a shallow clearing.
The walking pace became lower. Marianne felt tired in his legs. The moon gave him strength. When will he see her again? Tomorrow, in a month? Or maybe at all But its better not to think about it. Tomorrow night he will be waiting for her. And it will definitely be as intoxicating as it is today. He looked up hopefully: maybe even tonight she will appear in the sky? The black furry tops of the fir trees swayed overhead, and the falling snow obstructed the view. In such weather it is hard to see anything even ten meters around you.
Soon something hard came under my feet. The snow here was not deep, it became easier to walk. Marianne looked around. There are no trees in sight.
Marianne went out onto a frozen pond or river. In such a blizzard, he could lose direction and go to the side or walk in circles, so he decided to walk along the left bank. In addition, Marianne was afraid to fall on fragile ice and fall into the water. But now the mood has improved. He left less noticeable traces, and the blizzard will quickly do its job. The chase must be deadlocked in the morning.
Chapter 6. Ice Lake
Marianne walked for a long time. The wind howled dejectedly in the forest, and it always seemed that someone was around. When dawn began, Marianne was completely exhausted. He could not go further, and besides, he wanted to sleep. The sleepless night completely wore him out physically and emotionally. Marianne looked out for a secluded spot under a tree, surrounded by tall snowdrifts.
A good place for temporary shelter no wind.
He hastily made a depression in the snowdrift and lay down. Fearing a terrible night, a nightmare or something like that, Marianne remembered the medicine, but it was not in his pocket.
Marianne prudently lay down on his right side, so as not to crush Mignis in his sleep, and opened the flap of his pocket. He remembered nothing else. Consciousness fell into the abyss of dreams.
Snow and trees. This is the same forest. I think this place is familiar to me.
I see a red rose in the snow. Nearby is a beautiful bud of a flower unknown to me. I look at them and feel a rush of blood and warmth in my chest, near my heart
Ive seen them before. Am I dreaming all this?
This is a dream? Realistic vivid, but still a dream?!
And I can feel it now, under my heart?..
Weird dream. But I like.
And where does all this come from in my brain?
I bend over and take a closer look at the miracle.
A plucked bud thrown in the middle of the snow. Its petals opened barely noticeably.
Covered with thin white sparks of diamonds, a beautiful creation of nature. Flower. The symmetry of shape and curved lines conjures up a blooming garden of vibrant colors and scents. And here is white snow and cold, lifeless, frozen forest. There is silence in the air. Not a soul in the area.
Where did the flower come from here? Who brought it? After all, someone cut it off, ripped it off. Why left here? Or maybe its not a rose next to him? Maybe its all the same
Through the enveloping cold in his legs, Marianne felt himself awakening.
This is a dream just a dream.
Marianne woke up late in the afternoon. Birds shouted loudly somewhere. The sun was shining brightly on the frozen surface of the frozen lake, and the ice glittered with many small sparks.
Marianne felt completely chilled. Besides, I was very hungry and thirsty. In his sleep, he never changed his body position and was now rubbing his numb legs. Mignis looked out of her pocket as soon as Marianne stirred and sat on his shoulder. The mouses whiskers looked crumpled, and she began to diligently rub her muzzle.
Bad dream? Mignis asked worriedly.
No. Very beautiful. It is a pity that it ended. I didnt want to wake up, Marianne admitted, closing his eyes and trying to keep in his memory even vivid images. And yes. A little bit bad Everything is as in reality, and Im really worried.
Take it easy. It was a dream. There are no robbers here, Mignis squeaked, taking a seat in front of Mariannes face.
There were no robbers in it. Only Flowers In a dream I find a flower. Very beautiful. So much so that not goose bumps. Can you imagine?
And what is this flower? asked Mignis, looking into the eyes of Marianne.
Its hard to say so right away. Hmm Both white and yellow. Sometimes it seems like purple and pink streaks and lines slip through. As if reflections on the surface of metal or silk, glass or mirror. Maybe its the suns rays that play on its velvety petals?.. Royal flower. I dont know why I called it that, its just spinning on my tongue. This is the most appropriate name for him. It also gradually freezes, becomes covered with ice. Im sure hes still alive now. If you put it in water in a warm house, under the rays of the sun, it will thaw and It will give roots, it will live.