I managed to survive for two years. I could make enough money by selling the valuables and gold that Mama Olga had. I even sold the gold comb that Olga used to comb my hair.
But after the last two pickpockets left the old shack, we were left with nothing.
Following Mama Olga's advice, it was very difficult not to covet other people's things, especially after skipping several meals.
When I was seventeen, many men approached me with bad intentions. I didn't know what they wanted, but I never gave in to their demands.
Mama Olga often said that the bodies of pure virgins were imbued with magic.
And when a man pierces her body, a hole is created and all the pure magic that was in the virgin's body disappears.
I believed everything Mama Olga said, but there was one thing I thought was not true.
If you poke the inside of an apple pie to check if it's done, the skewer will come out covered in fragrant apple jam. But that doesn't ruin the taste of the pie at all.
A woman is like a big, beautiful pie. Her essence will not be damaged or changed by poking her with a small stick, no matter how wicked the poking may be.
But I didn't want to make Mama Olga sad, so I swallowed those words and got a job washing dishes at an inn.
Washing dishes for six hours at the inn cost three silver coins, which was barely enough to cover Mama Olga's daily medicine bill.
At that time, Mama Olga was in a state of confusion and slept for a very long time.
At some point, I gave up on trying to get Mama Olga back to her former clear mind.
One day, when I came home earlier than usual, Mama Olga had been very ill since early in the morning.
I was gripped by the fear of losing Olga. I cared for her all night, rubbing her arms and legs, and changing her wet towels.
Perhaps my sincerity had worked. At first light, Mama Olga opened her eyes.
She didn't look like the person who had been groaning just a moment ago. A strange firepower had returned to her eyes, which resembled the black night.
Mama Olga grabbed my hand with her swollen fingers.
“Sasha, I have something to tell you. About your identity and your secret.”
That was the first time I brought up the story of the time before Mama Olga picked me up before I appeared in the back alley.
She told me to take a small box from under the bed. It was a sturdy wooden box with a lock. There were iron fasteners at each of the eight corners.
In all the thirteen years I lived in Mama Olga's house, I never once saw this box.
“Give it to me.”
I did as Olga said. Mama Olga felt along her fleshy neck and found a thin leather strap.
I recognized it at once. It was a flat, small key that she never let go of.
After a few failed attempts, she finally got the key into the lock. The click of the lock being released had never been so loud.
Mama Olga looked at the open box for a long time, then handed it back to me.
I held the candle close to the box to get a closer look at what was inside. It was a necklace. Not just any necklace, but a very, very nice jewel necklace.
Dozens of large diamonds were densely packed around a ruby as large as four thumbnails put together.
“This is.”
Mama Olga said so with a sore throat.
“It’s yours, Sasha. It was yours from the start. You were wearing this necklace when I picked you up.”
It was the first time I heard that. Mama Olga only said that I was very picky and that I was very skinny from not eating.
I also found a very small dress under the box containing the necklace. It was small and worn, probably fit for a child of about five years old, but the fabric and lace on the sleeves were as beautiful and soft as I had ever seen.
Mama Olga spoke in a timid voice.
“Sasha. You have to forgive me. I cared for you so much. No matter what anyone says, you are my daughter. I couldn’t lose my daughter again.”
Mama Olga began to cry. In all the thirteen years I had lived in her house, I had never once seen her shed tears.
I instinctively felt that she would die soon. Death had weakened her.
I wasn't a good or understanding child, but at that moment I forgave Olga.
At least until the last moment, I had no intention of blaming Mama Olga, even though she had taken my wealthy family away from me.
I held Olga's black hand tightly.
“I understand, Olga. That’s enough. Stop talking and take a break.”
I laid her back down on the old bed. Then I grabbed the necklace and stood up straight away.
Mama Olga followed my movements with anxious eyes. She seemed to think that I might leave her behind and go away at any moment.
“I’ll get a doctor. This should be enough to get a doctor. And I’ll buy some sugar, too, which is your favorite.”
"But..."
“I’ll be back with a doctor. I promise, Olga.”
Mama Olga seemed to realize that she couldn't stop me. She nodded slightly.
“Take care on your way, my daughter.”
Although she didn't seem to believe everything I said, Mama Olga closed her eyes again with a somewhat relieved expression.
I pulled on my hat and coat as best I could and ran through the cold winter morning streets.
It was actually safer because the local pickpockets knew better than anyone that we didn't have a single coin left in our house.
But my heart was beating very fast as if I was doing something bad. I ran without stopping until I reached a shabby pawn shop.
“Hey, is it there?”
I knocked on the door repeatedly, panting. I had my body pressed against the door, so as soon as the lock was unlocked from the inside, I rolled into the store.
In the narrow room, a lamp that looked like it had just been lit was on, and an old man, Archie, greeted me. He grumbled and said,
“It’s still before dawn. It’s still very early in the morning. What the hell is going on?”
“I’m trying to sell this.”
I handed Archie the necklace I had been carefully carrying.
The sleepiness disappeared from his half-closed eyes. He looked at the necklace and me alternately with surprised eyes, and then turned the lamp's light up a little more.
“Where did you get this? Huh? Where did you steal it?”
“I didn’t steal it. It was mine to begin with.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m not lying. Mama Olga was keeping it for me, and I just found it now.”
Archie looked at me with strange eyes. I quickly became anxious.
“So are you going to buy it or not? If not, give it back!”
“I’ll buy. I’ll buy it, but...”
He looked at my desperate face and smirked, his few yellow teeth chattering unpleasantly.
“It’s hard to give you more than 30 riram in gold. Your lies may sound plausible, but it’s obvious that this is stolen goods.”
I was furious. I knew all along that the people in the back alleys were black snakes inside, but I didn't know that old Archie was like that.
Even at this very moment, Olga was dying. If Mama Olga died, I would be left alone in the world.
I was so scared I almost fainted. I stomped my feet and screamed. I didn't want to show that I was crying, but a few tears inevitably fell down my cheeks.
“I’m not asking you to give me all the money or anything like that. If you can’t give me the money, call a doctor. Mama Olga is dying. Mama Olga is dying!”
I don't know what it was about what I said that drew Archie's sympathy.
Until a few years ago, Mama Olga was a very influential figure in the back alleys. Ask anyone in the back alleys and they will tell you that she is someone worth seeing a doctor about.
He chuckled and handed me a handful of gold coins in a leather pouch.
“Go home. I’ll send a doctor right away.”
“Right now.”
“Yes, yes. You may not believe me, but I will at least maintain my credibility.”
Archie chased me out into the street.
I don't remember exactly how I got back from there to Mama Olga's shabby two-story house.
I even kept my promise to buy sugar. It was a time when the cost of medicine alone was difficult, so Olga had not been able to even see sugar for several months.
But now we had money to buy over a hundred sacks of sugar.
When I crossed the gate with the bag of sugar in my arms, I could feel with my whole body that Olga was dead.
I knew it without looking. As she took her last breath, she took the life of everything in the house with her.
The space that had been bustling with the warmth of her and me until the evening now looked like a gloomy ruin.
I waited in a corner of the first floor, shivering until the doctor Archie had sent arrived because I didn't dare to face the cold Olga alone.
The doctor arrived shortly after. Archie kept his promise.
The doctor went upstairs alone and told me that Mama Olga was dead. To me, it was nothing less than a confirmation of the truth.
But after the last two pickpockets left the old shack, we were left with nothing.
Following Mama Olga's advice, it was very difficult not to covet other people's things, especially after skipping several meals.
When I was seventeen, many men approached me with bad intentions. I didn't know what they wanted, but I never gave in to their demands.
Mama Olga often said that the bodies of pure virgins were imbued with magic.
And when a man pierces her body, a hole is created and all the pure magic that was in the virgin's body disappears.
I believed everything Mama Olga said, but there was one thing I thought was not true.
If you poke the inside of an apple pie to check if it's done, the skewer will come out covered in fragrant apple jam. But that doesn't ruin the taste of the pie at all.
A woman is like a big, beautiful pie. Her essence will not be damaged or changed by poking her with a small stick, no matter how wicked the poking may be.
But I didn't want to make Mama Olga sad, so I swallowed those words and got a job washing dishes at an inn.
Washing dishes for six hours at the inn cost three silver coins, which was barely enough to cover Mama Olga's daily medicine bill.
At that time, Mama Olga was in a state of confusion and slept for a very long time.
At some point, I gave up on trying to get Mama Olga back to her former clear mind.
One day, when I came home earlier than usual, Mama Olga had been very ill since early in the morning.
I was gripped by the fear of losing Olga. I cared for her all night, rubbing her arms and legs, and changing her wet towels.
Perhaps my sincerity had worked. At first light, Mama Olga opened her eyes.
She didn't look like the person who had been groaning just a moment ago. A strange firepower had returned to her eyes, which resembled the black night.
Mama Olga grabbed my hand with her swollen fingers.
“Sasha, I have something to tell you. About your identity and your secret.”
That was the first time I brought up the story of the time before Mama Olga picked me up before I appeared in the back alley.
She told me to take a small box from under the bed. It was a sturdy wooden box with a lock. There were iron fasteners at each of the eight corners.
In all the thirteen years I lived in Mama Olga's house, I never once saw this box.
“Give it to me.”
I did as Olga said. Mama Olga felt along her fleshy neck and found a thin leather strap.
I recognized it at once. It was a flat, small key that she never let go of.
After a few failed attempts, she finally got the key into the lock. The click of the lock being released had never been so loud.
Mama Olga looked at the open box for a long time, then handed it back to me.
I held the candle close to the box to get a closer look at what was inside. It was a necklace. Not just any necklace, but a very, very nice jewel necklace.
Dozens of large diamonds were densely packed around a ruby as large as four thumbnails put together.
“This is.”
Mama Olga said so with a sore throat.
“It’s yours, Sasha. It was yours from the start. You were wearing this necklace when I picked you up.”
It was the first time I heard that. Mama Olga only said that I was very picky and that I was very skinny from not eating.
I also found a very small dress under the box containing the necklace. It was small and worn, probably fit for a child of about five years old, but the fabric and lace on the sleeves were as beautiful and soft as I had ever seen.
Mama Olga spoke in a timid voice.
“Sasha. You have to forgive me. I cared for you so much. No matter what anyone says, you are my daughter. I couldn’t lose my daughter again.”
Mama Olga began to cry. In all the thirteen years I had lived in her house, I had never once seen her shed tears.
I instinctively felt that she would die soon. Death had weakened her.
I wasn't a good or understanding child, but at that moment I forgave Olga.
At least until the last moment, I had no intention of blaming Mama Olga, even though she had taken my wealthy family away from me.
I held Olga's black hand tightly.
“I understand, Olga. That’s enough. Stop talking and take a break.”
I laid her back down on the old bed. Then I grabbed the necklace and stood up straight away.
Mama Olga followed my movements with anxious eyes. She seemed to think that I might leave her behind and go away at any moment.
“I’ll get a doctor. This should be enough to get a doctor. And I’ll buy some sugar, too, which is your favorite.”
"But..."
“I’ll be back with a doctor. I promise, Olga.”
Mama Olga seemed to realize that she couldn't stop me. She nodded slightly.
“Take care on your way, my daughter.”
Although she didn't seem to believe everything I said, Mama Olga closed her eyes again with a somewhat relieved expression.
I pulled on my hat and coat as best I could and ran through the cold winter morning streets.
It was actually safer because the local pickpockets knew better than anyone that we didn't have a single coin left in our house.
But my heart was beating very fast as if I was doing something bad. I ran without stopping until I reached a shabby pawn shop.
“Hey, is it there?”
I knocked on the door repeatedly, panting. I had my body pressed against the door, so as soon as the lock was unlocked from the inside, I rolled into the store.
In the narrow room, a lamp that looked like it had just been lit was on, and an old man, Archie, greeted me. He grumbled and said,
“It’s still before dawn. It’s still very early in the morning. What the hell is going on?”
“I’m trying to sell this.”
I handed Archie the necklace I had been carefully carrying.
The sleepiness disappeared from his half-closed eyes. He looked at the necklace and me alternately with surprised eyes, and then turned the lamp's light up a little more.
“Where did you get this? Huh? Where did you steal it?”
“I didn’t steal it. It was mine to begin with.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I’m not lying. Mama Olga was keeping it for me, and I just found it now.”
Archie looked at me with strange eyes. I quickly became anxious.
“So are you going to buy it or not? If not, give it back!”
“I’ll buy. I’ll buy it, but...”
He looked at my desperate face and smirked, his few yellow teeth chattering unpleasantly.
“It’s hard to give you more than 30 riram in gold. Your lies may sound plausible, but it’s obvious that this is stolen goods.”
I was furious. I knew all along that the people in the back alleys were black snakes inside, but I didn't know that old Archie was like that.
Even at this very moment, Olga was dying. If Mama Olga died, I would be left alone in the world.
I was so scared I almost fainted. I stomped my feet and screamed. I didn't want to show that I was crying, but a few tears inevitably fell down my cheeks.
“I’m not asking you to give me all the money or anything like that. If you can’t give me the money, call a doctor. Mama Olga is dying. Mama Olga is dying!”
I don't know what it was about what I said that drew Archie's sympathy.
Until a few years ago, Mama Olga was a very influential figure in the back alleys. Ask anyone in the back alleys and they will tell you that she is someone worth seeing a doctor about.
Archie knew it too, but I believe old Archie was swayed by the prospect of not having to pay for the necklace generously.
“Go home. I’ll send a doctor right away.”
“Right now.”
“Yes, yes. You may not believe me, but I will at least maintain my credibility.”
Archie chased me out into the street.
I don't remember exactly how I got back from there to Mama Olga's shabby two-story house.
I even kept my promise to buy sugar. It was a time when the cost of medicine alone was difficult, so Olga had not been able to even see sugar for several months.
But now we had money to buy over a hundred sacks of sugar.
When I crossed the gate with the bag of sugar in my arms, I could feel with my whole body that Olga was dead.
I knew it without looking. As she took her last breath, she took the life of everything in the house with her.
The space that had been bustling with the warmth of her and me until the evening now looked like a gloomy ruin.
I waited in a corner of the first floor, shivering until the doctor Archie had sent arrived because I didn't dare to face the cold Olga alone.
The doctor arrived shortly after. Archie kept his promise.
The doctor went upstairs alone and told me that Mama Olga was dead. To me, it was nothing less than a confirmation of the truth.
I took all the money I had earned from selling the necklace and called an undertaker. Mama Olga was placed in a white birch coffin and buried at the foot of her beloved mountain.
I didn't shed a single tear during the funeral.
I just thought about Olga's end. Did Olga, facing death, believe that I would keep my promise, or did she think that I had betrayed her and run away?
Thinking about it still makes me very sad.
I didn't shed a single tear during the funeral.
I just thought about Olga's end. Did Olga, facing death, believe that I would keep my promise, or did she think that I had betrayed her and run away?
Thinking about it still makes me very sad.
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