Chapter 8 of the short novel of Holder Volcano "Falling leaves"
Moon over the cotton fields
For the tractor driver Sultan there is nothing more romantic than fall quiet hours of sunset, when the sun is setting over the cotton fields. He loved looking at a sad ball of fire the sun which is slowly sinking into the crimson cloud. Then it starts to get dark. Looking at this landscape, the tractor driver Sultan somehow wanted to cry with a swarm of mosquitoes who mourn forever gone forever day. Immersed and fields in the twilight, where workers still picking cotton, to complete the cotton harvest and to earn money for their daily bread. Most interesting is that cotton can assemble even in the dark, so as he white and it can be seen even in the dark. In the twilight fields Comptroller Abdelkasim shouts in the voice, something like:
- Hey bring the cotton! His voice is alarmed as the bird flies over fields in the evening silence. Sultan is a tractor driver with a trailer and carrying cotton on hirman, that is, to a point where the harvested cotton is sent to the dryer in the open air, under the sun. Stopping his tractor, he was with his beloved girlfriend Khurshida to carry harvested cotton to hirman. Together they folded the cotton into huge bales, barely tying the ends of the apron. When the tractor driver Sultan put the bale of cotton, Khurshida laughed.
- Why are You laughing, Madam Duchess Khurshidabanu Madame de La Marquise La tombala neige pace of sua e fusible manege? - asked the tractor driver Sultan.
Khurshida, barely suppressing his laughter, said:
- You are very similar to the white spider, which carries its larva she said, still laughing.
The tractor driver Sultan laughed too. Then they went to the side of the Maidan where the timekeeper in the light of a kerosene lamp, which lit up his face, weighed the bales of cotton. His assistant wrote down the digits in a worn notebook with a list of names of cotton growers. Khurshida and the tractor driver Sultan was in the queue at the last place. Weighing the cotton workers on the hanging weights attached to a self-made tripod, the timekeeper, shouting loudly for all to hear:
- Twenty-nine kilograms! Next!
With these words he removed the bale from the hook of the scales and throwing it to the side kick the knee. And there are two healthy guys missed a bale with two sides, and swinging at the expense of "one-two-three" and threw it into the tractor trailer. The trailer worked two porters who emptied apron, threw it down. Blank white aprons flying in the gloom in all directions shot as swans and as the night parachutes paratroopers. Sultan with Khurshida sat on the edge of Maidan, bales, stuffed with cotton, as other workers who were standing around, slapping hands, killing and driving away mosquitoes bloodsuckers. Meanwhile, the sky lit up a distant star and the horizon beyond the fields slowly began to raise, the moon softly lighting hirman.
- What a beauty! - Admiringly said Khurshida.
- Wow!What a beautiful moon! How brightly the stars twinkle! - confirmed her words to Sultan.
- You see, over the slope shines the big dipper! - Continued to admire Khurshida- one, two, three, four... seven bright stars! They are similar to bucket! An amazing sight, isn't it, and the moon? It is round-round, as if drawn by a compass, like a bowl of Chinese porcelain! -Khurshida said, waving away the pesky hungry mosquitoes.
- And the crickets? How loud and in unison they sing! Night rings from their streets! Or is it grasshoppers sing? Honestly, I don't know much about insects. But I love their monotone chorus, and you? - asked the tractor driver Sultan.
And who doesn't like singing crickets?! This is divine music cleanses the soul by the light of the moon, said Khurshida.
Yes. I had one friend poacher said the tractor driver Sultan. He engaged in fishing crickets, put them in matchboxes and sold in the city fishermen, who used crickets as bait, fishing, stringing them on hooks of their fishing lines. Many citizens bought crickets that my friend the poacher and let them free in their apartments, where the crickets sang enthusiastically in the silence of the night, as on the lawn when the moon peeks out the window. And I think the citizens were happy, lying in their bedroom and could not sleep until I stop cricket. Romance!
So talking, they approached the scales on a tripod, made from willow sticks where the timekeeper was weighed last bales of cotton. At this time, almost all the workers went home. It was only the timekeeper and his assistants there.
- Oh, Sultan, all gone. How will I now go home in the dark alone? - fearfully said Khurshida.
- Don't you worry Your Majesty Madam Duchess Khurshidabanu Madame de La Marquise La tombala neige a pa seue pasuble manege. I'll take you home to this fabulous carriage with the iron horse. Just today I go to the cotton dryer place, through Your Street. What do You fear, when You humble mechanic athlete, who have long studied such martial arts as Jiu-jitsu, street fight, kung fu, Taekwondo, Muaythai, Aikido, and so on - began to calm his beloved tractor driver Sultan.
- A joke is a joke, but I in any case will not sit beside you in the cab of your tractor. Just go in the trailer warned Khurshida.
- Good - agreed the tractor driver Sultan.
Before leaving, Khurshida climbed into the trailer and lay down on comfortable cotton. She lay like an angel who is resting on white clouds. The tractor driver Sultan wanted to have the tractor engine, but the motor for some reason would not start. Heard only the sound of the starter - chgi-gigi - gigi -gigi! Chgi -gigi -gigi -gigi!
- Come on, Satan! - Sultan got angry and slapped his hand on the steering wheel. Khurshida was still drowning in cotton, as in a white cloud, and looked at the shining moon and bright stars.
- Well, what have you, Sultan?! Won't start or what?! - asked the timekeeper who just were leaving.
Lifting up the lantern, he lit the cabin.
- Yes, with the carb, something happened. Or the plugs are wet. You need to check nervously said Sultan, and added:
- You are the timekeeper, leave me a kerosene lamp. I'll leave it in the field camp. And then, as luck would have it, I don't have even a flashlight - said Sultan.
- Okay - agreed to the timekeeper and leaving the lamp to the Sultan, went with his assistant home.
The tractor driver Sultan jumped out of the cab and turned to Khurshida:
- Excuse me, Madam Duchess Khurshidabanu Madame de La Marquise La tombala neige a pa seue pasuble manege! I never thought that fabulous coach breaks down! Go down, need your help! Hold this magical lamp of Aladdin, and I'm in its light I'll try to fix the motor! he said.
Oh my God, what is it, huh?! My mother must have given birth to another Khurshida worrying for me. Now I'm done. Dad's going to kill me! Well, what a fool I am, eh? Why could I not go home? -Khurshida said, getting off the trailer.
Frustrated, she went to the tractor driver Sultan; he took the kerosene lamp and began to cover the open hood of tractor, illuminating his face a red light.
- Don't you worry, Khurshidabanu, everything will be fine ' said the tractor driver Sultan, digging in the motor.
This time around the burning of the kerosene lamp started flying little bugs. In the lamplight their transparent wings were glowing orange-yellow, then fiery red. To Khurshida they seemed fiery. Moths hovered around the light. After a while Khurshida began to swell hands. But the tractor driver Sultan was still fiddling with the engine.
- Well, how long there'll still be digging?! And my hands are swollen! -Khurshida complained.
- Now, Madam Duchess Khurshidabanu Madame de La Marquise La tombala neige a pa seue pasuble manege, be patient and don't drop the lantern, you hear?- said the tractor driver Sultan.
- Well - said Khurshida complained, holding the lamp in the other hand. Finally, the tractor driver Sultan fixed the motor and raised his head, wiping cloth stained dirty hands.
- Well, that's all he said, smiling and jumping down. And you were very impatient majesty, Mrs. Madam Duchess Khurshidabanu Madame de La Marquise La tombala neige a pa seue pasuble manege.
Closing the hood, he climbed into the cab, and Khurshida climbed into the trailer. Convinced that Khurshida in the trailer, the tractor driver Sultan started the engine, and the tractor smoothly went to the side of the field mill. On reaching the field camp, the tractor driver Sultan stopped the tractor and got out of the cab, carefully holding a kerosene lamp, which shone like a large precious diamond. As he promised, put the lamp on a makeshift field in the table under the acacia and wanted to repay it, when his knees buckled.
- Wow!- he groaned, leaning on the table, and sat down exhausted. Seeing this, Khurshida scared.
- Oh, what's wrong with You, Sultan! You get sick or hurt? I now! - she shouted and quickly got off of the trailer. Then he ran to rescue his beloved.
- What happened, Sultan?! Are you sick?! Do not scare me, please. Or You are joking again? - she asked, approaching the tractor driver Sultan.
- Nothing, don't worry, it'll pass. Head something spun by me, ' said the tractor driver Sultan, trying to calm the frightened girl.
Khurshida sat down next to the tractor driver Sultan and inadvertently palms of the hands touched his forehead the tractor driver Sultan to know if he had temperature. The tractor driver Sultan thought that his forehead touched the hand, Khurshida, and heavenly angel.
- Excuse me, Khurshida for what You because I was late home. Here comes a little to himself, and we'll go. I will come to your home and explain everything to your parents. I think they will understand us correctly. If anything, I'm even prepared to die defending You and Your mother from Your father!.. Oh, something I want to lie down... Can I go lie down a bit?
- Yes, of course. You, it, Sultan, don't worry about me; I'll explain everything to my parents. They believe me. Let me help you. You lie so... I mean put your head on my lap and don't be shy - said Khurshida.
Thanks, Khurshida- thanked the tractor driver Sultan adhered on the bed and put my head on my knees Khurshida.
- Do you think the temperature... God, I don't even know how to help you. Unfortunately, there is no nearby phone so I could call an Ambulance - crying Khurshida. She sat up, fending off mosquitoes with a scarf from the tractor driver Sultan, and its dense and gentle curly hair shone over the face of the Sultan as black silk half-mast the flag of love, with her eyes rolling tears.
'Don't cry, Khurshida. Even when I'm gone, don't cry. Because I'm not worthy of your diamond tears. You're not meant to grief and tears, and to smiles and happiness. Come on, smile. Oh, how I love your smile! It's like the sun illuminates my life and my inner world, my soul with joy begins to sing like a lark over the morning field said the tractor driver Sultan.
- You know, Sultan -Khurshida smiled through her tears.
- How you are beautiful, Khurshida! You have a lovely smile! That smile will heal even the most hopeless incurable disease! Here you smile, and I begin to feel healing. Yes, I feel better already, believe me, Khurshida. This is a new method of treatment in the medical world and its called smilingtherapy! Help me please; I want to raise -said Sultan.
The tractor driver Sultan sat down. Khurshida involuntarily hugged the tractor driver Sultan and laid her head against his shoulder. On a makeshift field Desk all burned kerosene lamp, gazing at its red light face couple. Around the glow of the lantern happily flew a small light-brown beetle. Over the fields the moon is shining bright and dreamy stars glittered.