Trilogy of Dhana and the Earth. Book one. End of the world

Chapter 4. 29—28 years uew
Raa’s life in the land of demons

Raegle’s newborn soul, torn between the two planets of the Earth, where her father is, and Dhana, where she herself and her mother, Siegle.

Notes by Rose (Raegle) about her childhood

Love and separation. Now I know these words. And then I learned the essence of these words. That which has always been whole has broken up. Two luminous points – my two favorite creatures suddenly began to move away – and between them formed me, like a thin cobweb, stretched to unimaginable limits. And this web is me, me, me!

That’s how I was born into this world – the world of separation. So for many long days I saved my strength in the dark, resisting the rupture of my web-body, stretched between two worlds, in which, according to my fate, there were two of my dearest creatures – father and mother. Finally, I was born into the world. But this event did not give me more pain than the one that I experienced constantly.

I grew up next to my mother, but due to my constant efforts my relationship with my father only strengthened. By the year I already learned to speak, this connection ceased to cause pain in me, and I began to see pictures. Mysterious pictures about the life of my father in the land of demons. At first I thought that my mother knew everything about my father, but once, having contacted her thoughts, I suddenly realized that she was mourning him as a deceased.

“Mom,” I said, “he will be back in eight years.”

“Yes,” my mother said, “if evil is multiplied by good, 2 by 4 will really be 8, but he will not return. If he were alive, then he would have returned long ago, because he loved me so much.”

“Mom, he is captured in the land of demons, he cannot return. A huge scary demoness keeps him in her cave. But you, mother, do not be afraid, the demoness does not offend him, and even bore him a son – my brother. Over these eight years, he must teach his son the basics of all wisdom, so that he can become a real person, and then the gods will allow him to return home.”

Mom believed me and for a long time asked me to indicate where the country of demons was. She wanted to run there right now to see her Raa. I tried to help her, but I couldn’t. The direction to the country of demons changed all the time – I heard it in the East, then in the West, and sometimes even above in the sky or below underground.

“Mom,” I said, “the country of demons is bewitched, and there is no easy way there.” If this path existed, then your beloved would have found it long ago and would have been at home.

Mom believed. Now, when I got pictures of Raa’s life in the country of demons, I passed them to my mother. Mom was amazed – believed, and did not believe at the same time! Soon my other abilities began to appear. It turns out I could predict when it will rain and when it will be sunny. When I warned the tribe about the invasion of bog monsters feeding on ants, then everyone recognized my gift.

Raa’s notes about life in the land of demons

So I perceived the world of demons! And I gained strength of mind and determination… And here I was in the room where my poor body lies in the corner. There was no demoness. The body was breathing quietly and was apparently content with its plant life. What should I do with it? How to make a demoness hold a funeral rite over it?! I waited and waited – and a demoness entered the room and began to take care of my body: washed it, fed it, gave it water. For the first time after the terrible events of my death, I decided to look into her thoughts. Surprisingly, she wanted me to come to life, and she had no sinister plans to turn my body into a living dead.

I looked at her, and my fear of this mysterious creature gradually disappeared. Yes, she possessed great magic if she could keep my dead body alive for half a year. But, on the other hand, she, it turns out, was not at all aware of her magical power. She was wild and untrained. She looked at me and did not see that I was back, that I was here. It only remained to merge into my own body, which I did. Oh, how numb became all its sides, how weak it was.

Involuntarily I groaned and opened my eyes:

“Hello,” I whispered, “I’m back.”

The demoness uttered such a cry of joy that I deafened, then hugged me – what next – I do not remember, I immediately lost consciousness.

So I came back to life and was happy. The demoness brought me food and was happy if I liked, saddened if not. She was pregnant with my son. She was happy. I told her about my country, and she searched, looked for her it in paper pictures for some reason. My beloved Dhana was not there, there were only colored spots.

I did not know why the name of the demoness coincided with the name of the demon Alexander, whom I knew, but she was not his daughter and did not even know him… So, Alexandra – I will call her by her name – taught me how to use the magic objects in her house, the magic table for a small fire to perform fire rites over food, a magic brook in a white room for water rites. And a cupboard for ice rites over food… I noticed that the demons’ favorite pastime is conjuring with food… But the wisdom of this witchcraft, alas, I never understood, but Alexandra began to teach me reading and writing. She gave me “demonic” clothes so that I would not differ from other demons. And when I was able to walk, one night I took out from my home for a walk. From her thoughts, I realized that she feels a danger to my life, and therefore secretly walked with me in the dark.

I knew that Radogast considered me dead and that’s why he forgot about me. If he found out that I’m alive, he would interrupt my life again. The future showed that I was right.

The birth date of the son was approaching. Everything happened unexpectedly. At night I woke up from the groans of Alexandra. She held onto her huge belly and obviously wanted something from me. I realized that she was going to give birth, but did not understand where and why she wanted to go. Again unknown demon rites, about which I know nothing! She did not want to give birth at home and demanded to take her to the place where everyone gives birth. Alexandra hardly reached the garage, opened it and with a groan sat in the back seat of her car. I realized that I had to take her to the birthplace myself. It’s good that I already knew how to drive. But where to go? She moaned and closed her eyes. I have to guess for myself. And suddenly I understood everything – well, of course, we must go to the place where the conception of my son took place. After all, only there he will be under the protection of all the spirits of earth and heaven. Being a spirit, I perfectly studied the surrounding places and knew where the river and our clearing are located. A little farther along the river, there was a road along which it was quite possible to pass.

It was winter, moonlight flooded the white track in front of me. In winter, the water in the country of demons because of the cold turns into white flakes called snow. A car roared through the white glowing snow dust, neither a man nor a car on a deserted road. Turn, gully… I’ll pass! Alexandra woke up and groaned again. “We’re arrive in a moment,” I reassured her. She closed her eyes and fell silent… Arrived!

And then I was struck by the mystery and unpredictability of the customs of the country of demons. In accordance with the demonic ritual, my Alexandra began to scold me, as I understand it, the most terrible demonic curses. I was afraid that the spell of Radogast defeated her again and she would kill me. He looked into her thoughts – no, she was not going to kill me; her thoughts were very confused and contradictory! I tried to reassure her, saying that I had reached almost the place of our first meeting, and apparently succeeded, because she stopped cursing, got out of the car and ordered her to lay a cloak from the back seat on the snow. Then she lay on her and began to prepare for childbirth.

Her first birth was not quick, but Alexander scolded me in every respite. And finally, I realized – how stupid I am! – It was she who drove away evil spirits from me and from her future child.

Alexandra, the birth of Radek in the forest in the snow.

Finally, a son was born!!! I bit through the umbilical cord and took it in my hands! My little one, the son of Ra and the demoness, is Radem. I was happy. And she smiled. I wiped my son with soft white snow, he cried, then smiled. And then I felt him in my thoughts. He claimed his rights. Without a word he said:

“You are mine!”

“You are mine too! – I also mentally answered.”

Alexandra slowly returned to the car. I gave her a son, rolled a cloak in the trunk, and we drove home.

The snow stopped and the road sparkled with a pink dawn. Alexandra was dozing, and on her breast, smacking, our little miracle slept. Maybe a future demon, but rather a real Dhana man, because he looks so much like me!

From an Alexandra’s letter to her sister Masha

Mashutka!

You can jump from happiness, but better in the garden, and not in the room! I had a son – you became an aunt!

I decided to name him as my husband calls him – Radek. You think probably, it’s a strange name. It’s nothing, I think so too. But still I have to respect him, although at first I wanted to kill him.

I will describeeverything in detail. I was going to give birth in March and therefore in the last days of February I did not think about anything. And suddenly, in the morning of February 29, I feel – it begins. I went to the phone, and it was silent. Raisa from special services one day explained me that all our conversations were tapped, so that it was possible to turn on the interference in time if the conversation turned to something wrong. This work is difficult and responsible, and at night the attendants want to sleep, so they turn off the phones of their wards in order to rest an hour or two until the authorities see. I do not blame them – I would do the same.

But what should I do?! With difficulty I explained to him that I should be taken to the hospital. I also had to explain what a maternity hospital was, but he seemed to understand. But how, I think, will he cope with my car, what if there are no cars in his Marazia, but only camels? No, he did well!

Then it rolled over me – I lost consciouness. I woke up when the car was waddling along some gully. But he reassured me, he says, we’ll come now.

And so he brought me to the place. Do you think in the hospital? No! To the place of our first meeting with him! Into the dense forest!!!

According to some of his stupid Marazian customs, giving birth, you see, is supposed to be at the place of conception! They can do it there – it’s warm there. And how it could be done in our country? Snow and five degrees below zero.

And so I gave birth on a cloak from a seat, and on top a sheet for cleanliness. However, I was not cold. This work is so hard! In the intervals between contractions, I reviled him for nothing. But he didn’t pay attention, even helped me a bit, adopted a child, tied an umbilical cord, wiped it with snow. And immediately gave him that stupid name. It sounded somehow differently in his gibberish language, but it seemed to me like Radek.

Morning after childbirth. Sunrise over the road.

Then he drove us back in the car. I warmed up, calmed down, and thought that my Rashka was not too guilty. How could he know about our customs? He did as was customary for their tribe. And the fact that I trusted him was completely my own fault. Anyway, it all ended well. The baby is healthy, and so am I. Maybe in the hospital there are all kinds of harmful microbes, and even more of them than in the snow in the forest.

So everything is fine with us now. I rested a couple of weeks – and again to work. In the morning I feed, decant the remainder, and while I am not at home, he feeds the child once. At lunch I come to feed and decant again, and there it’s not far from the end of the working day!

But here is what I dream about! For a long time I, Masha, was not at home. I think now with a child I will definitely be given a great vacation in the summer, and I will come. And I’ll bring all my dear ones to meet you.

See you! Your happy little sister, Alexandra.

Raa’s Notes on Life in the Land of Demons

Mysterious are customs in the land of demons. Everyone, except children and the elderly, are obliged to go to some kind of “work” every day. I tried to understand why this “work” was so attractive, that for the sake of it you should leave a hungry crying baby, but I did understand – neither from my Alexandra’s explanations, nor from her thoughts. Maybe she herself did not understand this.

Without her, my son cried, but I knew what to do, because I saw how our women do it. It was necessary to introduce the baby to the four truths of the nutrition of a real person. My demoness was not a real person, and I had to do it myself. Kissing my son, every time I passed him a drop of my saliva. Of course, this was not a complete reproduction of the rite of transmitting the four TRUTHS to the child, since I was not a nursing mother, but in the end, I managed, and the boy stopped crying. After becoming acquainted with the four TRUTHS, a child can eat everything that is eatable.

Indeed, symbiotic bacteria that digest any food have been discovered in the organisms of the inhabitants of Dhana. These bacteria are close to those that live in the stomachs of our termites. Studies have shown that the transfer of bacteria should be carried out in childhood, otherwise the state of symbiosis of bacteria with humans does not occur.

So I was able to feed my son with the same that I ate, though I had to chew it beforehand, since he had no teeth.

I didn’t say anything about this to Alexandra – I was afraid that ignorantly I violated certain demonic laws. And I was right! Once I caught her thought that up to a year a baby should not be given any food other than mother’s milk or some special demonic foods.

But the main thing!!! My son and I were always mentally together. His thoughts, his dreams were mine, my thoughts and dreams were his. By the age of three months, he already knew some words of our native language of Dhana! And by five we already spoke – and not just mentally.

Alexandra came tired and was surprised that the child was quiet and joyful, never crying. And he had no time to cry, because he was constantly conducting a “quiet” conversation with his dad…

The heat has come. Alexandra changed her mind, stopped going to “work”, and we went by car to her sister. The sister lived in another place, far from our home. Alexandra sat in front – at the wheel, and behind – me with our son. It occurred then that the road demon caught us: I heard a whistle, the car stopped, and Alexandra said in fear:

“What shall we do now?”

“Nothing,” I say, “I’ll hide!”

One moment – and I turned into a cube. Alexandra went up to the road demon, so angry. I wandered how she will cope with him? He talked to her, then looked into the car and barked:

“Why your child is not attached, and even lies on a chair?!”

I immediately hugged my son and depicted rope with my hands. The demon looked again:

“Sorry, attached, but not by the rules! Kindly remove the child from the chair! Put him on the seat lower, then tie him already!”

Alexandra does not look at me.

“Now,” he says, “I will do everything.”

She laid her son on the seat, grabbed the ribbon, turned away from me. I saw that was hard for her to perceive me as a chair, no matter how I pretended, she restored my image from memory.

So our dangerous meeting with the road demon ended safely, and we drove on. And we arrived at the place where her sister Masha lived, but this sister was not her sister, but was herself. I looked outside —it was her, looked into her thoughts —everything was also similar, the same melody, the same color (apparently, there are no identical twins on Dhana). I asked who did this to them. Masha answered that their mother. I realized that their mother was a great sorceress, she wanted to have two daughters instead of one, so with witchcraft she divided her child into two, not knowing that she had done an involuntary evil by number two. Since then, no man could become the husband of any of her daughters. And only thanks to my commitment to the four truths I managed to remove the curse from one of them – from Alexandra, and to give her a son. And Masha remained childless.

I’m used to the fact that demons don’t know how to speak mentally, and then Masha’s neighbor, Valya, came with her five-year-old daughter and immediately began to mentally speak to my son right from the doorway, and he answered her. But when she realized that I could do it too, she was so surprised! I even mentally reassured her, apparently, mentally speaking rarely happen between demons! But not for long she stayed with us and left for her demonic affairs. But her daughter stayed. So we lived… We sawed and chopped wood for a demon hearth called a stove; everyone went to the forest for mushrooms, but non-volatile, and small and edible, and for berries.

I told Lyubochka about our country, as well as about our huge ants, and when she did not believe, I turned into an ant for a short while before her eyes. I thought she was scared, but she liked it. She knew about the transformations! Her mother told tales of people who know how to do it! And she dreamed of turning into a bird so that to fly in the sky and see everything. I did not know how to turn into a bird, but I showed her how I turn into a dog. My son was lying next to us in the grass, looked at us, smiled and, it seemed, even understood something. Now Lyubochka didn’t leave me and kept asking to teach her. I began to teach her the wisdom of the four TRUTHS, but I did not succeed – yet she was a child of demons, and therefore did not want to know about the four TRUTHS, but only wanted to transform…

“Okay, just don’t tell anyone about this,” I warned.

“Even mom? She asked.”

I thought it would be better if she told everything to her mother than she would be tormented by mystery.

“You can tell mom, but not anyone else!”

She read my mind and saw how I was transforming, now she herself tried to do the same. What was I supposed to do? I began to teach her transformations. After all, having turned in a wrong way, she could become a cripple, for example, a man with wings instead of arms. As a result, a month later Lyubochka walked with us through the forest in the form of a huge hen – the only bird she knew well enough to turn into. Lyubochka behaved in the forest like a real hen, as a result she dabbered a lot and had trouble with a stomach. I had to introduce her, as I did for my son, to the four truths of nutrition. It’s good that my Alexandra and her sister were so busy with each other that they didn’t notice anything: neither what do we do when we walk in the forest, nor what do we eat. For the sake of sight, I took for a walk a bottle of diluted goat milk for a little one and a piece of bread for me and Lyubochka. In the forest, we ate everything that caught our eye, however, Lyubochka forbade us to eat some mushrooms and berries. I once ate a beautiful red mushroom, and I felt bad. Since then, he has not violated the advice of our little fellow traveler.

So thirty happy days of complete freedom passed – and here we are again in the city. Again my demoness goes to “work.”

Chapter 5. 28 – 26years uew
Radek, the son of Raa

From the notes of Radek Reksovich about his childhood

Today I received a passport; I had to come up with a middle name. I couldn’t say the true name of my father! I told them to write Reksovich, because really the dog Rex was in my childhood instead of my father… This can be said to everyone. But the fact that it was my father – no one is supposed to know.

I decided to write down everything that happened to me in those years, especially since the fabulous events of my childhood are more and more covered with a veil of unreality, so soon I myself will stop believing in them… And one more thing: Valya’s mother gave me a present for my maturity – a crumpled student’s notebook where my father’s story is written in the clumsy handwriting. For many years this notebook was kept secretly from everyone… So, it’s time to put these notes in order!

Readers have already read Raa’s notes in previous chapters of the novel. Next are the diary entries of his son.

Our life in the city went according in the usual track: my mother left for work in the morning, my father was concerned with me. He told me about his homeland Dhana, and not with words, but directly with pictures through the mental channel. In addition, he read me fairy tales, which my mother bought for us. But he did not like to do this, because he did not understand how the plot of fairy tales is connected with his system of four TRUTHS. And we were happy, but our mother wasn’t…

Father thought that she would be pleased with his zeal in studying all, as he said, demonic secrets. He even found the technology for making pencils and paper in the encyclopedia, but he did not please my mom with it. Often she scolded him, as it seemed to me, for no reason. Father began to go on night walks so that mom could get enough sleep and rest from abuse.

Ra fell in love with the city at night, its deserted dark streets, bridges over a dirty black river, mysterious dead ends and stone stairs, still keeping the warmth of the day… He got acquainted with vagabonds, spending the night in the street, beggars – so he knew the life of the city.

Mom cried at night, hugged me tightly and it disturbed my sleep. The reasons for my mother’s insults were different, but, in my opinion, they were not worth her worries. One such case remained in my memory, as it led to tragic consequences.

Once, my mother reproached my father that he did not make money, like other husbands do. She said that he could have gotten the documents and some job, and that I could already be sent to the nursery. My father was very afraid that they would give me to a day nursery and make me a real demon there, so he decided to get money in the evenings when my mother came home from work. Once he even brought the money, and his mother was very pleased, kissed him and slept calmly that night. She would not be so calm if she knew how he got this money. The next night, my father returned home wounded…

For many days he laid sick, his mother looked after him and felt sorry for him. Then he told me what happened to him:

“I already knew what money looked like and why demons use it; from beggars and vagabonds I knew where to find it.” It was not difficult to get it with my abilities to transform my body! The source of the money was not far away, in a public building called a “store.” It is enough to stand on the side of the house where the young demoness was sitting and where the money was stored in a wooden box, and then, imperceptibly extending the hand, put it into the slot… and… you can safely take money when the demoness turns away to talk with the demons who approached her. I was sure that I did not offend the young demoness with my act, since I noticed that she did not need the money at all, she gave them to other demons before leaving her “work”. I was proud and hurried home to once again demonstrate to Alexandra my money, – my father told me.”

Bandits chase Ra.

And suddenly I noticed three demons who were following me. I involuntarily became interested in their thoughts. They talked about me:

“Dexterously stole!”

“He does not work on his territory!”

“Will we cut him in?”

“Too deft and too stupid. So dangerous!”

“So we’ll waste him?!”

“Yes, now he will turn to a wasteland. We’ll bury him there.”

I did not understand anything from their conversation. What kind of wastewere they talking about and why bury me? One thing I realized was that I had violated some demonic laws on hiring, unknown to me, but no one had explained them to me. Apparently, if I had been correctly hired, they would have determined the right territory for me, but I violated some territorial rights. By analogy, I remembered the battle of ants from different anthills for the territory, and I was scared. I ran.

Three of them rushed to catch me, but they have no chance. I was able to overtake even the ant! Then one of them took out a small object and, with it, made a small hole in the center of my body. At first I didn’t even understand why he did this, but then suddenly I felt that I could no longer run at the same speed. The hole in the body required me to concentrate on changing the blood flow through the vessels: some I had to squeeze, others, on the contrary, to expand. And when he made a second hole in me, I was no longer able to stay on my feet – this concentration required me to work on transforming my body. They came very close, began to inspect my clothes and took all the money I had earned. I held my breath.

“Well, dead?”

“Does not breathe.”

“Put him here – to the pit.”

Some rubbish was thrown over me. This, as I understand it, was a burial rite adopted for those who work in the foreign territory.

Only in the morning I got out of the pit and hardly stumbled to the house. Alexandra met me with a curse. I explained to her that I went to earn money, but unsuccessfully, and showed two holes in the middle of my body. She gasped and started processing these holes. Then I felt that I was dying – and died. So the malediction of Radogast happened for the third time.

I was again a spirit and soared over my dead body. But now I was not afraid to stay dead, because I knew the power of the magic of my demoness and believed that she would definitely bring me back to life. In addition, it was only the third attempt to kill me, and I knew that it would be truly deadly – the fourth.

This time I was not a spirit for long. The very next day, I noticed that my body relaxed unacceptably and that a thin stream of blood flows over the bandages with which Alexandra wrapped me. What will happen when all the blood flows out? Despite the pain, I had to crawl back into my body and put it in order. So, flying out of the body, and then coming back, I laid for about a month.

A month later, I got up. But then a new attack fell upon me. Alexandra brought a paper in which a face similar to mine was painted. She said that she could no longer protect me, since everyone was looking for me, and if they found her at home, she and her son would appearin a very bad situation. I realized that I needed to go somewhere, but I did not know where.

“It would be better if I had not a husband, but a dog! – she said in warm blood.”

This was the way out. I silently left the house and turned into a dog. That was great. I walked along the street and was not afraid that the so-called “law enforcement officers” recognize me, who, as Alexandra said, hunt me. But everything turned out to be not so simple: on one of the streets I felt a close danger and rushed with all my legs into the nearest gateway, thunder came from behind – they wanted to make a hole in me again. I heard disappointed thoughts of my pursuers behind the fence.

“What a huge and roving.”

“This can be very dangerous, we must trap it.”

The life of dogs in the city, as it turned out, also was regulated by the laws unknown to me, without knowing which I again found myself on the verge of death. My hope was again only on Alexandra – the only being who was kind to me. Having slipped out on the other side of the gateway, I set off back and laid down by the familiar door on the landing. I was not mistaken in my hopes. Alexandra let me into the apartment, fed and treated me very kindly.

Since then, a calm, happy life began. Alexandra loved me and often made me sleep with her in bed. My son immediately recognized me in the shape of the dog. When he was one year old, he already possessed a double, and perhaps, a triple vision, inherent in real people. Seeing how I love the child and take care of him, Alexandra calmly went to work, trusting my son to me. In order to prevent foreign demons from attacking me on the street, Alexandra bought me dog amulets (a collar and a leash) and explained that while my son is holding me on a leash, other demons have no right to offend me. I didn’t mind. And they gave me a dog name – Rex.

When my son grew up, I began to teach him everything that I knew myself. He turned out to be a wonderful student and soon knew about the four TRUTHS no worse than me.

Every summer we went to the village to see sister Masha. Sometimes we were taken by Alexandra herself, and sometimes by Aunt Valya. Valya and her daughter Lyubochka perfectly understood that I was not a real dog, but they did not tell anyone about it. Walking in the forest, we trained in transformations. My son learned to turn into a cat, similar to the one that lived with Aunt Masha. And Lyubochka could not turn into anyone but a chicken.

From an Alexandra’s letter to her sister Masha

Hello, Masha. I haven’t written to you for almost a year. A lot has happened here. In many ways, of course, it’s my own fault. As we returned from the village, my Rashka began to annoy me greatly. A healthy man, but he does nothing. Moreover, he began to walk at night somewhere. In general, I decided that it was time for him to get a job. Moreover, he has not only learnt to speak well, but also to read and to write. So one miserable morning I sent him to look for work. I wish I didn’t do that!!! He returned the next day, shot in two places.

As I later realized from the conversations of the neighbors about the robbery of the store, he “got a job” with the bandits. They used him and then shot him.

Now he is sought by both law enforcement officers and bandits. If they find him, it will be very bad for us. I went the entirestaircase in search of blood traces on Rashka’s way home, but found nothing. For a whole month I nursed him. And then I seriously talked to him. He understood everything and left.

Sometimes I really miss him, I think, how is he there? Where is he? For some reason, it seems to me that he is alive and well – then I am happy. And sometimes again despair flashes over me. I would probably be completely crazy, but here we got Rex. Imagine a beautiful adult intelligent dog that loves me and my son. I loved him just madly! Sometimes I feel ashamed that I love the dog more than my poortroubled Rashka. Nevertheless, this is so.