Unconquered Sun

by Philipp Bogachev

  He looked at me somehow strange, I would even tell, a little scaredly, but told nothing. And I to it:

  - You what, was frightened of me perhaps?

  - The N-no … - also began to tremble all over.

  - We slept so many years with you under one blanket, remember? You still told fairy tales to me for the night …

  - Yes, but now all differently …

  - And - and - and - and - hectare - and-and! After all you are afraid of me! - triumphantly I exclaimed - now I groped its weak place! Here where our clever and glavnenky Ozzie is vulnerable! And that goes, understand, with such important and clever look, and itself - the little coward!

  And I k-a-a-ak let's it tickle! And then I was already simple be not to stopped … And that night I felt absolutely differently, I as if was born anew, I became other. I for the first time felt as the mistress of the situation and it to me very much, very much was pleasant!

  I was the first fairy who had a stomach. From generation Primogenital nobody gave birth yet, nobody formed couple though the last couple of flowers from which new associates were born grew five years ago. We were exactly one hundred, one hundred Primogenital - 50 young men and 50 girls. First reasonable beings of Tselestiya …

  And therefore all were surprised and with the mixed feeling of admiration and fear of something unknown, of some secret looked at me. And when I began fights, Azail insisted that I gave birth at all Soobshestva, in the Hall of Meetings which is just grown up by boys on the pink hill that in the center of the Island.

  - Such is will of the Creator, Stella. He orders that it was seen by all that all Community became the witness of the birth of the first live-born that others followed our example. From now on, the Creator told me, our sort will grow and be multiplied only this way. Primogenital will not be any more.

  - Yes his will will be blessed from now on and till a century! - reverentially I put handles on a breast, and in myself exulted. I am the first! I to the first will become a mother as the first became a wife! The FIRST in the history of Community, Skies, Tselestiya!

  Childbirth was not heavy (they became heavy much later …). I did not feel pain, on the contrary, very much it was even pleasant to me to give birth. It is possible to tell, I felt pleasure and even laughed for pleasure and pleasure. Azail, on the contrary, was pale from concern - after all first labor of his beloved wife. It did not decide to accept them. Told that will encourage me. He and stayed near me, holding me by a hand. And for acceptance of childbirth he made of plush of small animals - a kitten and a puppy - and programmed them on all necessary actions. Except Azail Premudry none of Community knew how to deliver! All others observed sacrament of the birth, with bated breath …

  Twins - two girls twins identical as like as two peas were born. And all Community met their birth by joyful shouts and applause. When the Kitten and the Puppy washed and swaddled babies, Azail took them in hand, got up on a round eminence in the center of the Hall of Meetings and majestically looked round the stands filled with associates hardly on thousand part:

  - I, the power to me given by the Creator, by the right of the husband and the father, name these first two live-born associates names Astra and Esther and I rule that they had the same status, as Primogenital!

  Then with tears in the eyes he in turn kissed each of girls on a forehead, and the Kitten and the Puppy brought small kulonchik in the form of fairies with wings and accurately dressed them on krasnenky wrinkled infantile necks.

  After that, he also solemnly said:

  - Listen, the electee and beloved Sozdatelem the people! From now on all of you have to make married couples and execute its precept opened for me - to propagate and breed and to fill this blessed earth, to make of it the blossoming garden for the benefit everything having to inhabit it to beings! Especially, brothers and sisters, you saw - childbirth is safe, easy and is even pleasant, be not afraid!

  Its voice was muffled by a storm of an applause.

  Yes, that for blessed it there was time! It, probably, never, nevermore will be …

  Young men and girls formed couples, weddings which were carried out by us with Azail took place nearly daily, and then - reproduction began.

  If someone asks me how many I gave birth during this time to sons and daughters, I - the Second of Three - could not answer this question even now! Such impression that I was always pregnant, and not only I - but also all adult fairies of Community. Pregnancy lasted only three months, childbirth took place in ten minutes, any pain was not trace and - one strong pleasure, not less, and maybe stronger, than at conception. Babies grew much quicker us - primogenital: feeding by a breast stopped in a month, in half a year it already spoke, in a year - read and wrote, and in fourteen - married. In a year the number of associates reached several hundred. And then began to grow quicker and quicker …

  On the thirtieth baby I ceased to remember their names, and therefore we just called their "brother" or "sister" with the corresponding serial number. When the individual became adult - we called her in the place of Service which he took in Community. So, the brother No. 475 was engaged in cultivation of inhabited flowers, and therefore received the name Cultivator of Flowers No. 264 (because before there were 263 brothers of this profession). Sisters served only one - they married and gave birth new generations of brothers and sisters, and therefore called them still just on serial number.

  Soon Fey's Island for us became close. Azail was very anxious with it. But an exit was soon found. He with brothers went down, in the lower Tselestiya who then, by and large, also was not - there was one continuous primitive ocean without sushi and without inhabitants - and began to lift by means of spells pieces of sushi from an ocean floor. They lifted them to us - in Skies - and these pieces of sushi formed a set of islands which we nicknamed the Archipelago, then almost completely was killed in fire of civil war. There, on these islands, Azail with brothers planted new inhabited flowers - and these islands became the copy of the Island of Fey.

  I remember distinctly - I liked to give birth. It was pleasant to hold on handles of kids, to nurse them, to wash in a tray, to teach them to do the first short steps, holding them for handles … All this was not a burden on me. My dream came true - to me was whom to caress for whom to care whom to love - and I with might and main plunged into whirlpool of these of such duties, pleasant for me!

  And then Azail received new revelation. The creator told it that it is time to cease to broaden the Archipelago, it is time to equip all Tselestiya especially as on her there has to be something absolutely surprising, but that - Azail did not tell me. But then I did not even pay attention to it. I had on the way the next kid and to me had no time for that.

  Azail with brothers - and them there were already tens of thousands - beautiful, harmonous, blond, with brilliant wings, in multi-colored tunics - departed, sometimes for several months in a row, and even for half a year. What they were engaged there in, it was necessary to guess, but most likely for what us and the Creator - Tselestiya's arrangement created. They lifted continents and islands from a bottom of the primitive ocean, they sowed on them a grass and trees, they removed different types of animals …

  But I learned about all this already much later … Azail told nothing to me, as well as other brothers - to the wives. Usually it arrived all for couple of days, it is no more. And besides in the afternoon at me also did not appear. Together with brothers he retired for some meetings to the Pink Hall - closed for strangers, that is us, meetings. For this purpose he even invented a new word - "The Supreme Privy Council". We, fairies as associates, were included into General Council of Community, but the Privy Council for some reason included only brothers, and all important issues were discussed only there. Eventually, General Council of Community began to be brought together only to carry out wedding of the next couples …

  Besides the closed meetings Azail inspected School - there taught bratya-uchitelya-, appropriated ranks to graduates, carried out examinations, was present a
t graduation parties and - selected to himself the most talented in the chosen suite of the closest assistants.

  They surrounded it constantly. Only it was also heard: "Your Knowledge", "Wise Azail", "Teacher". What they had delighted persons, what servile views with what readiness they laughed at his jokes, without having listened to the end of them still up to the end, or assented to his thoughtful reasonings and plans as they implicitly carried out any his word, any desire as those from them who received a praise, or even just attention of "its Knowledge" exulted! Even when I saw it in the afternoon, walking on Gardens of Enlightenments or on the coast of the Pink Lake, I could not approach it - the crowd of these bootlickers and flatterers so densely stuck around it! And even if I also approached, he, probably, also did not notice me - where to him to me, the ordinary housewife with an eternal stomach or the baby on hands, he discusses with brought closer future destinies of the Universe!

  As a result to me it came only for the night, one couple of minutes prior to closing of a bud. At night we were together, and then it departed with brothers to the lower Tselestiya again, and I became pregnant the next kid or the baby again, and everything was started over again … Months developed in years, years a decades, decades - in centuries … How many they passed, I do not remember and I lost count of children …

  4.

  But once Azail with brothers departed and did not come back ten years in a row.

  At first nobody on it turned attention - well is present and is present! But when there passed year - I and all other sisters began to worry. Decided to send one of masters of School to contact him. It departed down, and returned in few weeks. He told that Azail with brothers is busy with Tselestiya's training for something very much and very important and to leave business for a minute cannot, and therefore ordered to wait and not to worry to all sisters. And we waited … Years …

  When I sent to School of the last - I it do not remember number any more - the kid I remained absolutely one. Azail is absent, there are no children too - according to the strict order of Azail, at School with them only teachers masters are engaged, and after School they become absolutely adult, everyone arrives to the place of the Service (too the strict order of Azail! - as always, with reference to will of the Creator) and I even see them plainly could not. And even if also could - as I can distinguish them after thirty years of separation because of study at School. And I, for the first time for these hundreds of years, was LEFT ONE, without some certain Service, as well as all other sisters (except unless wives of teachers of School, but them there was an absolute minority).

  These many centuries of continuous pregnancies, childbirth, feedings, education absolutely confused me. I almost forgot all spells, except the most necessary, household (washing, cleaning, a sink and so on), I almost read nothing, I even - it is terrible to present - almost did not think!

  Now, having remained absolutely one, I began to think, I re-read all books in Library of Community, I began to communicate with other same lonely sisters and after a while we became something big, than girlfriends by misfortune, we became … Single whole, really sisters. And is the closest - to my firstborns twins whose names I remembered, unlike the others - Astra and Esther, also left without husbands and without children.

  At first we just communicated with sisters - about that, about this, about men, about children, about hairdresses … Then began to speak on more serious subjects, then - to discuss books, and then - together to practice in magic - at first remembered half-forgotten lessons at School, and then I and my daughters began to lead lessons of new spells - we took books in Library - their Azail and his "chosen" one hundred confidants, glory to the Creator, wrote thousands by then.

  But once, when I was already going to sleep, and the bud just about had to be closed, IT was - as always, sweaty, dirty, in fragmentary clothes, with elf-lock, but siyayushche happy!

  He passionately embraced me - I nearly choked with sweat! - also kissed.

  - As I missed you, my dear Stellochka, an asterisk my beloved as I missed! - hot whisper he spoke and greedy kissed my hands. And then he began to take off from me clothes, but I was discharged of him. He with astonishment looked at me:

  - Stella, what is with you?

  - Darling, and you, a case, noticed nothing when you arrived from nowhere in my flower? - I told quietly, but it is strict and rigid.

  - And what I had to notice? - not knowingly making a helpless gesture, he asked.

  - Not only that you did not find time to be washed and make toilet - I took the offensive - you started undressing me, even without having greeted, even without having learned as you at me put that I think how I feel, and, the most important, - CHTO YA THOUGHT AND FELT ALL THESE YEARS of your absence! - I accepted "a fighting pose" again. Azail was obviously confused, but this time his confusion did not bring me joy as then, during our first marriage night.

  - Forgive, expensive, I wanted to tell, talk to you about it … Simply … I so missed you that I solved already then … later …

  - When it "then", when "later"?! When you zakhrapit on all night long, and from the dawn will depart on the secret meetings, to your bootlickers?! Or in School?! Or still the Creator knows where?! And then again, without any prevention, you will disappear for few years or on ten?! - my voice became louder and louder, it was heard already and other inhabitants of our meadow, but I did so intentionally - let hear, let! Let all other sisters know that they are revenged, my mad hubby stole from them their lawful spouses!

  Azail grew dark as a cloud, clenched fists and angrily breathed heavily.

  - What do you afford, the wife?! How you talk to me?! With me put by the Founder Premudrostyyu Soobshchestva!

  But I gave to it such slap in the face that I even scratched nails his cheek and blood scattered.

  - Look at yourself, "knowledge"! In whom you turned - into the pompous vainglorious egoist, it is perfect to them to spit on the wife, on children! - with all possible contempt of what it was only capable, I told. - You call yourself "the put Creator", and itself forgot his precept - to love me as yourself, not to evade from me! Ten years - only think! - ten long years the wife remain one, and it - "as you talk to me"! And how still to talk to you, and?!

  - We, by the way, for these ten years day had not a rest, worked! We removed more than two hundred thousand types of living beings, some of them besides - reasonable! We grew up billions of square miles of the wood, we … we … - Azail choked with anger. - We prepared everything that the Creator enjoined to us, we were ahead of schedule for 30 years earlier!

  - At the expense of whom exceeded?! - already at full blast I shouted at all meadow. - At the expense of us, the wives?! Who needs all this?! And why I just now - after so many years - learn, at last, than you are engaged there below why???!!! I am the same associate, as well as you, and with me spoke the Creator!

  Some time we stood against each other and furiously looked each other in the face, and then Azail suddenly was somehow softened and confusedly murmured:

  - You are right, expensive, you are right … But more it will not repeat any more. Tomorrow I will not depart anywhere. We finished work in Tselestiya and, I think, forever. The flora and fauna are created there, now it will develop under the laws, and even the person - a creation wreath - will independently live. We will not interfere with the course of things, we will not be …

  He sat down in the center of a bud. And I, having forgotten about anger, villages nearby - curiosity tore apart my soul:

  - And who such "person"? And why I did not hear about such strange being earlier? And why it is Tselestiya there will be one?

  - Darling is too much questions, and I was so tired! - with these words Azail lingeringly yawned and failed backwards on the bed, turned to me a back and right there - here, the impudent fellow! - zakhrapet!

  But I did not become puzzled. Dressed its Analyzer on the head and one movement of thought started scanning of his memory - I learned this secret according to Azail's
books just few weeks ago - and all night long, without getting a wink of sleep, I read the book of his memory and read in this book shook me up to the depth of my soul …

  At first Azail kept the word. More it did not depart any more as before. It seemed, former blessed times returned. I became pregnant again and all went the turn. But somewhere in few months I began to notice that Azail is obviously weighed upon stay on the Island. He even more often seeks to remain in private with "elects", avoiding even the secret councils and School. The benefit, assistants it had many thousands now - it gradually subcontracted them the daily affairs, and itself, with narrow group of "electees", departed from the Island somewhere. Soon it was not on day, on two, on a week again … When I asked it, than he is engaged, he only mysteriously smiled, and then, having embraced me, spoke: "The fact that I opened will glorify me and you forever, expensive. But slightly patience …" - and all this that from it it was possible to achieve …

  5.

  And then it was gone again, and not for ten years any more, and on many hundreds of years in a row, and this time none of the brothers who remained on islands of the Archipelago could tell where - even their Analyzers capable to mark the movement of a snail at the bottom of the Sea in the lower Tselestiya, could not find it anywhere.

  What did I need to do? To sit on the Island too bored me - books everything were read, spells everything are studied. And here I with my firstborns - Astra and Esther, and also with my closest friends, eventually, was going about to go there where long ago dreamed to get - to that mysterious new world which I saw then in memory of such strange, but such ingenious husband.

  As soon as the lowermost layer of clouds parted before us, to our looks the marvelous new world - the world created by our husbands on suggestion of the Creator opened. Green massifs of continents, gray, covered with fog, mountains, the blue rivers and lakes, a boundless blue-green smooth surface of the Sea stretched so as far as there were enough eyes. I even, remember, laughed from delight! I fell in love with this world at once and wanted it to investigate thoroughly. Up and down. Time I had a benefit as much as necessary now!