Page 126 - Revelation

Svetlana de Rohan-Levashova. Revelation

despair all around.

– O, dear! How scary it is here. – Stella whispered shivering. – I could not get
used to it and probably never will, no matter how many times I come here. How can
the poor fellows live here?!
– Well, probably, these "poor fellows" did something really wrong, if they got
here. In fact nobody sent them here – they got what they deserved, right? – I still did
not give up.

– Just wait and you’ll see. – Stella whispered enigmatically.
Suddenly we saw a cave covered with greyish greenery. A tall stately man who
was absolutely out of place in this wretched soul-freezing landscape came out of it,
squinting...
– Hello, Sad One! – Stella affectionately welcomed the stranger. – Here, I
brought my friend. She does not believe that it is possible find good people here and
I wanted to show you to her... I hope you don’t mind, do you?

– Hello, dear. – The man answered sadly. – I don’t think I am good enough to
show to anyone. You should not do that, really.
Strangely enough, I liked this sad man. He emanated strength and warmth and it
was very pleasant to be next to him. Anyway, he was not like the overwhelming
majority of people who dwelt on this "floor" – weak-willed and broken-hearted,
surrendered at the discretion of fate.

– Tell us your story, Sad Man... – Stella asked, lightly smiling.
– Well, there is nothing to tell, actually, and there is nothing to be proud of. –
The stranger shook his head. – What do you need this for?
For some reason I felt deep pity for him. I knew absolutely nothing about him,
and still I was almost sure that this man could not do anything truly bad. Well, he just
could not! Stella, smiling, observed my thoughts which she obviously liked very
much.
- All right! I agree. You’re right! – At last I honestly confessed, on seeing
her satisfied little face.

– But you know nothing about him and the matter is not so simple with
him.
– Stella complacently pronounced, slyly smiling. – Please, tell her, Sad
One...

The man cheerlessly smiled at us and quietly pronounced:
– I am here, because I killed... I killed many people – not for pleasure, but of
necessity.

I was terribly disappointed – he killed! How could I be so foolish as to believe
in him! But for some reason the slightest sense of rejection or hostility persistently
failed to appear in me. I obviously liked the man and I could not do anything with it,
no matter how hard I tried.
– Is it an identical guilt – to kill for pleasure or from necessity? – I asked. –
Sometimes people don’t have a choice, do they? For example: when they have to
defend themselves or others. I always admired heroes – warriors and knights. The

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