"Aunt Vera, she's awake", said the same shrill voice, not of a child, but of a girl of about fifteen.
Then aunt Vera appeared in the dark, huge as a cook.
"Go, Lubava, warm up the water", commanded aunt Vera. Then, turning to the bound woman, she continued, "and you, to eat more quickly, you will probably give birth soon, you will need your strength".
She held out a soft slice of rye bread. She poured water into a Cup.
"Thank you", the woman said hesitantly, and pointed at the knot on her wrists.
"What's your name?" Aunt Vera asked, unwinding her hands.
"Marina", she said, chewing her bread greedily.
"I had to tie you up, don't forget. You won't be able to catch up and lose your head", aunt Vera said defensively.
At that moment, everything began to spin in Marina's head: she staggered, and a sharp pain shot through her stomach.
"Well, my dear, your hour has come. Did you give birth already or it’s your firstborn?" Aunt Vera bustled around, and the girl who came with warm water ran to get clean sheets.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I carried my four and took six in my arms. Take a deep breath, we'll manage…"
On that frosty Christmas night, Perun was born. Mother saw your baby and smiled: "Let him be strong, Perushko-o". After these words vital forces forever have left its body, and soul has carried away there, where there is no envy and flattery, lust and enmity, and rules only eternal Kindness.
And the baby remained to live under the protection of a huge aunt Vera and young Lyubava.
When Perushko began to walk and understand words, to distinguish the squares of the energy-saving lamp and the bright light above, where Lubava went every day, when he first climbed the escalator steps and saw the street behind the glass, the first prohibitions fell on him from the strict but fair aunt Vera. "Don't come out", "don't breathe in here", "don't show yourself". At first, they were worth taking on faith, but then, through questioning and mistakes, came the understanding of the significance of what was said. The air above had a sweet-sour taste, sometimes strong, sometimes barely perceptible. And just such an almost indistinguishable aroma acted on the subconscious of all citizens, whether at the level of chemical compounds, or by the action of pheromones, causing negative deviations in the soul. Wealthy citizens got tranquilizers and wore masks. Ordinary people also used simpler masks, and their effectiveness was not always expected. Fights, harassment, and quarrels broke out here and there. Only injection of a dose of a tranquilizing substance stopped them, caused complete apathy and callousness. They themselves were inoculated with such an impenetrable antivirus, and became completely inhuman, unemotional creatures with mechanical movements and lack of any compassion for people.