«Take him outside and play with him,» said mother, pointing to my brother.
I took him in my arms and stepped into the yard. Grandfather silently looked at us both and then took up where he had left off.
«Not a golden eagle, not a golden eagle! As if he himself is a lion!» I mentally scolded grandfather.
Then we heard loud voices, a woman’s weeping and several people entered our yard.
«What are we to do? We are lost! We are all lost!» wailed our neighbour, Grandmother Bokey.
«They say, this bomb possesses a barbaric strength, it is able to wipe all of Genghiztau off the face of the earth,» old Kabish echoed her.
«This bomb is worse than the American one which annihilated two Japanese cities. That one was atomic, and this one is hydrogen,» said the physics teacher.
«Oh, Moldabergen, what should we do?» walled Grandmother Bokey.
«Prepare for the journey,» snapped grandfather sternly.
«But where’s your son?» Bokey suddenly inquired.
«Where should he be? He’s at work. They’re folding a meeting with army officers at the District Committee,» explained Kabish.
«The authorities will decide what we are to do. A boss’s command is law unto his subordinates,» said the physics teacher.
He had a reputation for being an honest and sober person. And he was «ever a coward – he had left for the front a private and returned from the war a lieutenant…
„What are we going to do with the livestock?“ said Kabish in confusion.
„Why, don’t you know?“ said grandfather, looking at him sneeringly. „We’ll take them to the hills. Or perhaps you want to take your Sheep into town? In that case, the townsfolk will call you a mutton-head.“
„Yes, of course, we can’t take them into town,“ agreed Kabish promptly.
„And anyway, what are you hanging about for? We’re leaving today or tomorrow, you know, and you’re all standing about chattering idly.“ Grandfather suddenly became irritated again.
„Yes, you’re right on all accounts,“ said the old lady, Bokey, blushing and hastily leaving the yard.
Just then the loudspeaker, which was suspended from a pole in the middle of the village, suddenly came to life – a metallic woman’s voice announced:
„Comrades, please assemble in the square in thirty minutes for a meeting with the evacuation organizing committee.“
Soon the whole square was filled with the villagers. Amongst the anxious crowd were my grandfather and I.
On the platform among the military and the leaders of the district, I saw my father. He looked exhausted, his eyes were red with lack of sleep, but he spoke calmly and confidently. I will not attempt to reproduce the exact sense of his speech as I do not recall what was said by him or by the other speaker – a middle-aged officer with two large stars on his shoulders. He was the same lieutenant-colonel who had sent us home. That evening, father brought him and two other officers to our place. During dinner, from their brief remarks, I gathered that the inhabitants would be evacuated to the town of Ayaguz and those who so wished to Semipalatinsk, the regional centre. The old men had been given permission to go to the Genghiz Hills with the livestock. That is why had large military vehicles arrived at our village!
