LITMIR.BIZ

      ISBN 978-5-0056-1492-6

      Created with Ridero smart publishing system

      Littlefish

      The horse dragged along the road, barely moving legs. His hooves left almost no trace on the hard, dry ground.

      The afternoon sun had no intention of hiding behind the sparse clouds.

      Lendun has not met a single traveler in the last few hours, not since he left the borders of Martz district.

      However, perhaps we should not be surprised: the people in the surrounding villages today indulge in idleness, resting after the Kakhnitz fair that ended the day before yesterday. Yesterday the road was no doubt crowded with wagons, mules and oxen, not to mention people on foot. After selling out their goods and filling up with other people’s goods, although there is already enough for someone, they hurry to go home, to put food in the stalls, to try on new clothes, to give the children toys and dainties.

      He had missed the market himself, having been delayed at the shepherd’s home (or, to tell the truth, with his lovely daughter), so he was going to Kakhnitz, to the voivode, only now. But maybe it’s for the best: at least they will solve everything without fuss, without distraction.

      A cool breeze blew in his face, which was unspeakably pleasant in such a sweltering heat. The boy perked up, cocking his dark-haired head, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Blue eyes picked up a faint glimmer beyond the nearby woods. Water…

      A lake, perhaps, or a stream… …or a creek… Doesn’t matter.

      He pulled the reins to get the horse off the beaten path and spurred him toward the trees. The animal snarled unhappily, his head jerking, but he obeyed.

      In a couple of minutes, they were at the edge of the forest.

      The shadows, rare at first, gradually thickened, bringing a welcome relief from the heat, if only for a short time: the beechwoods were a rather narrow grove, skirting, as he supposed, a small lake, five hundred feet across.

      He literally jumped off his horse and rushed to the water, throwing off his clothes as he went: in a moment the worn pants, the sweaty linen shirt, the embroidered vest, and the boots lay on the shore in a slovenly heap. The traveler immediately dove headlong into the cool waves, confidently cutting the water with sweeping strokes, swam almost a third of the lake and came back. Reluctantly getting out on the ground, Lendun made sure that the horse was still there. He was a fine beast, no doubt: Zhimbar had taught him not to drink without a master. The boy came closer, stroked the steep black side. Firs snorted again, squinting dark blue eyes.

      «Be patient, my friend. I’ll get you drunk later. We’ll be in Kahnitz for another hour. The voivode won’t spare the barley, will he? Baron has given us the full allowance. Not bad, what do you think?

      An iridescent laugh that came suddenly from somewhere behind him made him shudder. His wet skin was covered in goosebumps.

      Blaming himself for this indiscretion, Lendun turned sharply, snatching a long dagger from his satchel.

      His eyes were fixed on a pile of boulders that jutted out into the lake. A girl’s giggles came from there.

      Finding no one around to attack him, the young man, still looking around, quickly pulled on his clothes and cautiously, gazing round, headed toward the strangely inviting sound.

      Behind the water-and time-honed stones, he saw an unexpected but wonderful picture.

      A beautiful half-naked girl was sitting in the shallow water, splashing and laughing. Her long blond hair sparkled in the sunlight. Her skin, barely tanned, looked as smooth as a statue’s. Though no one would mistake her for a statue: she was too lively.

      Lendun swallowed frantically, stopping dead in his tracks, unable to utter a word. He just stood there, watching the transparent droplets dripping down her young body, the straw strands fluttering in the breeze.

      Suddenly the maiden turned around, staring straight at him. The laughter died down. He couldn’t tell the color or expression of her eyes from this distance, but she was surprised, that’s for sure.

      So they stared at each other in utter silence for several minutes.

      The beauty was the first to come to her senses.

      «Oh! Greetings, traveler! I didn’t expect to see anyone on my property today.»

      The guy twitched, mumbling uncertainly, turning away so he wouldn’t see her nakedness.

      «My sincere apologies, lady. I didn’t know… I didn’t know anyone was here, or I wouldn’t have disturbed… I’m sorry!»

      From the corner of his eye, he noticed that she dismissed his apology as unimportant, as if his impertinent appearance were not worth the words.

      «What brings you here, traveler? You don’t meet many people here,» she smiled as she spread her hands over the water, which reached almost to her chest.

      «I… hmm… I’m…» Lendun was never one for eloquence, but now he was embarrassed. «I just… wanted to cool off. It’s hot today, don’t you think?» he lowered his eyes again.

      «Yeah, I guess so,» she shrugged. «So, what are you waiting for? Go for a swim.»

      «I’m pretty much already,» the guy shook his head toward the boulders, «over there».

      «Oh, I see. Are you coming from Kahnitz?»

      «No, on the contrary, that way. Voivode…»

      His words were interrupted by a loud splash somewhere in the middle of the lake. He looked up and saw the glint of scales on the back of a large fish.

      «Wow! Wow! Did you see that?! A carp, I think, and an enormous one at that. It’s delicious… Mm…»

      «Do you like fish, too?» the woman he was talking to asked him a little bit surprised. «Then wait, now…»

      He will never forget the spectacle that followed.

      Three long whip-like blue-green tentacles rose above the blue-reflecting waves, curved in the air, dived into the water, and after a moment rose back up, pulling out a silvery, scaly carcass.

      There was soft laughter again, like the ringing of porcelain bells.

      «Look,» the girl exclaimed cheerfully, «from the very first time…»

      The tentacles reached out toward the shore. For a brief moment, the mermaid’s entire body appeared above the surface of the lake: wriggly, serpentine.

      An

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