Trafika Europe 7 - Ukrainian Prayer

Yuri Vynnychuk

but also through the singing – the four men are singing something really quietly. And then the hand of one of them stretches to the pile of grenades.... 1 Whenwe are young, we all are nobody, not even the greatest geniuses, whose careers and recognition await them in the future, come into this world not overly fit for it, that’s why it’s not unusual that after we getmarried, we find ourselves in certain ordeals that rarely end happily, and rather more often in the parting of ways. This was exactly the trap that Myrko Yarosh fell right into after he got married to the sweet and warm Roma after graduating from the university. Heused to read the poetry of great poets aloud to her, and she pretended

The fourth one takes a violin into his hands, stands next to them and listens closely. The sound of the dogs barking is already above their heads; the fire in the hideout is burning out, and tiny sparks jump across the burnt documents and disappear in the air. Upstairs, the command demanding surrender can already be heard. The men don’t react; their eyes are riveted to the grenades. They shudder just as they hear despairing women’s voices appealing to them, cursing them, imploring. Their voices squeeze out tears from their eyes, but they refuse to give in; they know all too well what awaits them. A hand with the bow touches a violin, and the melody of a tango resounds. Now the barking of dogs and human voices are forced to burst through that melody, and not only through the melody,

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