The healer and the sorceress. The backwoods. Olga Kholodova

      The sun had not yet risen when the black Persian cat Barsik climbed onto the bed to Elsa. He crept to the girl’s face and began to purr. The cat tensed in anticipation of affection when Elsa reached. She yawned and rolled over on his stomach. She put her hand under the pillow and went to sleep. Barsik was angry by such impudence. He climbed on the back of the girl and began biting her hair. Elsa broke down and laughed. Barsik in a moment rushed into the kitchen and sat down at his empty bowl.

      “Oh, you and mischievous Barsik,” said Elsa, when went into the kitchen. She took the milk out of the refrigerator and poured it into a bowl of cat.

      “Eat, my furry alarm clock, and I will go and wake my grandmother,” said Elsa the cat and came out of the kitchen.

      The girl went to the old woman and sat down on the edge of the bed.

      “I want to sleep,” said Elsa, and crawled under the covers.

      The house was cold, so Elsa longer wanted to luxuriate in a warm bed. She has a little tossing and fell asleep. The room was quiet.

      “What is it? What is it to me?” murmured Elsa during sleep. She opened her eyes and saw in front of him Helga.

      The house has become a warm and smelled like apple pie.

      “What do you dream?” Helga asked, “You do not sleep quietly.”

      “Grandma, I had a strange dream,” said Elsa, and continued, “I was completely unfamiliar to me a place before the big white house. Around there were two or three houses. The sun was blinding, and it was quite hot. When I went to the old wooden porch and walked to the door suddenly to me opened the door a strange old lady in a black robe and a red scarf. Her gray hair was barely visible from under her shawl. She did not let me log into the house, and handed the old black book. In The book red handle some phrases in a language I did not understand were written. I again tried to enter the house, but the old lady pushed me onto the porch and closed the door. Book remained in my hands.”

      “So it’s time,” the old woman sighed with relief, “With me it was the same. You saw in a dream the first in our family healer. She in a dream gives you a sign that it’s time to learn the skill of white magic. I’m happy for you baby. First, you will learn the simplest things, and then I’ll show you a secret place in the woods. There I keep special herbs and something else. I’ll tell you later.”

      From that day, Helga began to teach a granddaughter of white magic. Elsa all listened to the grandmother and tried to remember every detail.

      Autumn passed and winter came. This year, she was generous. In December, before the New Year the weather was warm and Elsa went outside to sculpt out of snow beautiful dog.

      She put on her boots, warm jacket and hat. In the courtyard the snow was not enough, and she decided to sculpt a snow dog behind a fence. The snow was wet and well amenable to modeling. Elsa almost molded the dog, when Helga came up to her and said, “Elsa, go on a visit to Hilda. Christmas Is Coming. Invite her to visit us.”

      The girl stood up, shook off the snow, and went to Hilda. When she came to her house, she saw an old woman at the fence. She was always dissatisfied with something.

      “Hello Grandma Hilda,” greeted Elsa, “that you happened this time?”

      “Hello Elsa. Again, the boys do not haunt me, ‘complained the old lady Hilda,’ Jacov, Willie, Hans and Martin again last night staged a game in my house. They were screaming and I chased them away. It was already the night, when I heard a loud crackling. The crackling was so strong that I had to go outside. What do you think? These urchins made a fire at my fence and sketched in his slate. Very well, my grandson Nikolos came from the city to visit me. He put out the fire.”

      “And where is he?” asked Elsa. She knew Nikolos since childhood, but over the past five years, he visited his grandmother only twice.

      “He went to talk to the parents boys,” said Hilda, “Let they punish those brats.”

      Elsa could not wait to see his old friend, and she decided to go to meet him.

      “I must go,” said Elsa Hilda.

      “Go on, Elsa,” Hilda nodded and asked, “and why did you come?”

      “I quite forgot,” said the girl and rubbed her hand across his forehead, “Grandmother invites you to visit us at Christmas.”

      “Thanks for the invitation. I will think over this proposal,” said Hilda through his teeth and leaning on a cane and limping, went to the house.

      It was dusk and Elsa hurried to meet with Nicholos. The girl was not left alone curiosity. She wanted to see what became of her friend. He was older than Elsa three years. He’s always been very good to her.

      Elsa walked and stopped. Not far from Martin’s house she saw a strange silhouette of a young man. He was surrounded by Jacov Martin, Willie, Hans. They were talking in a raised voice. Little tomboy was eleven years old. The boys were neighbors and had been friends since childhood. Martin was taller than the rest of the friends and considered himself the most intelligent. Willie imitated him. He was the growth of low, but stocky build. Willie and Martin were a kind of generator of ideas, because of which suffered all four boys. Hans was thin and fair-haired. He always kept a neutral party. Small and harmless Jacov was thoughtful boy. Before each act, he always insisted on his point of view and trying to persuade the children to think again.. This face confrontation between Jacov and Martin always resented Hans. In such a situation to keep neutrality it was extremely difficult and had to make a choice.