Trafika Europe 13 - Russian Ballet

THE LAST MAGOG (Novel Excerpt) By Val Votrin Translated from the Russian by Alexander Cigale Ch. 1. YOK The legends say we were once nomads. This, we were permitted for quite some time. But our herds were not as numerous as we’d have wished them to be. And the steppe we were allowed to roam was entirely surrounded by the Secluded Mountains. From these heights, the terrible Tengers observed us. The Tengers were numerous, and they were all terrible. From every vantage point we saw mountains – sometimes in the distance, covered with smoke, but always visible, on the horizon. Small, oh so small was Magog’s acre of ground. Yes, we were only given to roam this domain of the Secluded Mountains. And at all times, we felt the gazes of the Tengers on our backs. Then, once upon a time, the Great Spirits appeared to our shamans and declared that the Magogs must relinquish their nomadic existence, and migrate, this one last time, to permanent homes. For when the Trumpet sounds, we will be obliged to step outside as one, together as a people. Could herders scattered in all directions step forward thus when the Trumpet sounds? For this reason, we were settled in permanent, sharp- cornered, stone houses, painted black. For that was the desire of Heaven. 101