There are two socks under the the tree left by Roozahna and Ahshaut. The sock from Ahshaut contains three walnuts wrapped in silver paper while he himself sleeps in his cot.
The other sock is crammed with the black belt for Roozahna to find it in the morning when she comes back from the Underground.
It's ten past ten pm. An artillery blast banged in the upper part of the town.
Merry Christmas to all.
December 25
No electricity. One article rendered. While at it, I had a theosophical talk with Wagrum and Lenic.
(…the Master I've lately subscribed to should be pleased with me duly following His instructions – discuss such things whenever and whoever with it's possible…)
It sounded more like a sermon though than a trilateral talk. All they did was just listening to my palaver and making no comment because such subjects had been completely absent from the ideas-inoculation-kit used throughout our mutually vast SOVIET HOMELAND. In the end something started to dawn upon them and Lenic asked cautiously if I was a God believer.
'No fear,' said I, 'my believing faculty is gone for good like the chopped off appendix.'
At home Valyo was awaiting for me to start drinking the X-mass in. Then, he left taking home his family's share of bread baked by our mutual mother-in-law.
Soon after Valyo's departure, Slavic, a Muscovite compo, knocked on the door and the alcoholiday flowed on under the yarn of his front-line stories.
(A jobless ex-sportsman without what you call 'immaculate records' he joined a phedayee group as a sharpshooter).
After a while my mother-in-law and Roozahna left for the Underground giving the opportunity for Sahtik and me to have it. However, we were still at the table when a massive missile round hit the town. The moment the last bangs' echo died away, Ahshaut woke up crying.
(…I had a strong suspicion though that Sahtik did the trick to shun an unremitting sex with the drunken pig of me…)
Under the circumstances I only had to take crying Ahshaut and taciturn Sahtik over to the Underground.
Then, I returned and saw Slavic off. He was quite tight.
At a quarter-past-ten pm, the electricity came on in. I'm alone.
Good night.
December 26
In the morning I decided to give up spirits for good, be it even the consumption of beer…
One missile attack in the morning didn't shoo the electricity out. The Renderers' was warm and teeming with guests and visitors, even Boss among the others.
