VASSILY P. AKSYNOV
63
When we woke up, a new, cool and bright day had arrived.
Thousands of light, clean creatures were sitting on the Hill of Glory
and didn't remember anything . A quiet and unfamiliar landscape
stretched all around us . We were all looking at each other-author of
"Repercussions," tamed tigers, cats, dogs, painters, film people,
musicians, Arabella, Georgians, Svetka the hairdresser, the chief
hairdresser, the retired colonel, the colonel of the secret police, the
young naturalist, the secretary of the City Council, Karandashkin,
Ananaskin, the Pro-Consul, the lesbians, Historic Titan, and all of
yesterday's troglodytes of materialism. We were all looking at one
another, not recognizing anybody, but loving everyone. Thousands
of eyes were looking around with the hope of grasping the purpose of
our awakening.
Finally, we saw a small tongue of fire at the top of the Hill and
next to it there was a hot loaf of bread, a wheel of cheese, and a
pitcher of water. That was our breakfast. Then we saw a narrow
path that ducked in between the cliffs and rose towards a pass in the
mountains. That was our way. A second later and on the steep spur
of the volcano appeared a snow-white, long-haired goat. She was
our guide.
That's what happened in Pompeii that year at the beginning of
spring. Later on during the excavations, scientists were surprised
that no traces of human bodies were found in the destroyed build–
ings. In only one building, something resembling a school , they
found a slithering emptiness in the lava, which pointed to the fact
that, probably, some time ago it was filled with the body of a small
harmless snake . This allowed archaeologists to make the suggestion
that the inhabitants of Pompeii kept in their houses tame herbivo–
rous snakes called yellow-bellies .
VI-VII. 79
Written in the notebook
which was Bella's gift
in the spring of the Metropol
year.
