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On the stone road
Venia Mishin
© Venia Mishin, 2019
ISBN 978-5-4496-8790-6
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
Chapter 1
Without hurrying, but looking at watches – Eric Lanter was coming back home, slowly walking along an empty street under the dim light of lanterns. In the town he was known as a guy with unnaturally pale gray color of hair.
Rising up the hill, Eric felt coming chill of autumn, which was blown by wind. Looking around, Eric observed the sad trees: the leaves were trembling, its fear was disseminating over the hill. Probably, it felt the death, which was coming. Diluting rustling sounds by steps, Eric thought about the last weekend of outgoing summer and about the school routine, that happens after the summer.
It was going to be the last year in school. Eric couldn’t believe that he never had to come back there, that this stage of life is going to come to the end. He thought that that this stage of life is going to long eternally and the moment, when he reach the age of 16 is never to come.
Everything would be fine, but it left almost a year before this memorable moment. During this time it was necessary to get prepared for the exams, for graduation, and certainly, to make a choice with the college. Eric had problem with the choice, even the problem was serious. He didn’t have any particular aim in life, he also didn’t know, what he is going to do in future and he had no idea, which sphere he wanted to devote his life. He didn’t want to regret in future about his choice and experience the desire to turn the time back. At the moment he had an only option – to study in college, that choses his best friend Konstantin Balington. Most likely, it’s was going to be an economical or juridical college.
Konstantin’s parents had owned a sawmill. In the childhood Eric and his best friend spent there almost all their free time. In unused space they were playing hide-and-seek, catch up, and sometimes they observed the magical process of conversion of huge logs into flat boards. When the guys grew up they visited the sawmill not for playing, but for working in order to earn some money for their daily needs. At least, one of them. Usually Konstantin was a company to his friend. Basically they did auxiliary work, and sometimes they helped Mrs. Balington with parsing documents in accounting.
Sometimes Eric thought that his friend is not excited about the future inheritance. It were not the best time for the sawmill because of bust of their town.
Silent Valley was an old town with forgotten history, which was slowly dissolving in nature. Some local entrepreneurs, who owned the chocolate manufacture or the ceramic plant after numerous crises stopped their activity. As the result, the work in mines has become the only occupation, which gave people a good income. The young people, who lived in the Silent Valley were intended to move to the big city because of the daily routine and the lack of opportunities. Those people, who had managed to do that, never come back to the Silent Valley any more.
Nevertheless, there lived some people, who didn’t want to move anywhere from this sinking into dormancy town. Eric didn’t like bustling metropolis, he also didn’t like places, where there are lots of people around. Lots of people everywhere. He was convinced, that it’s impossible to stay alone with himself, even in his head, when there are always millions of people around you.
Opposite to Eric, Konstantin dreamed about leaving this panting from boredom province. Once Konstantin confessed to Eric, that he doesn’t want to take the reins in his hands. He didn’t want to run a sawmill in future. In reply Eric suggested with a smirk to replace Konstantin in this post, if he doesn’t mind of course.
Sometimes Eric got angry to his friend, course he had so much, but he didn’t appreciate it. Wonderful parents, who work all the time, trying to give their son all the best. In the childhood Konstantin had the best toys, the best clothes, and their house considered to be the most beautiful in the Silent Valley. The situation hadn’t changed nowadays, but toys were changed by modern gadgets and by cool black and red motorbike. Eric, at the opposite, was brought up by his caring mother, whose troubles he all the time was trying to reduce and make her difficult life a little bit easier.