Page 22 - Revelation

Svetlana de Rohan-Levashova. Revelation

and chose the highest ice-hill. Well, the "punishment" did not keep me waiting...

I hardly remember where I got the boldness to push off and go down. What I do
remember perfectly was the real horror of the wildly whistling wind in my ears and
the picture of very quickly approaching trees on the border of the forest. I was lucky;
I did not run into a tree, but slap-bang bumped into an enormous stump. My poor new
skis were smashed into pieces and I had a lucky escape with a little injury which I,
burning with indignation, did not even feel; so much for my short, but very bright ski
"career". Much later I came to like skiing very much and could ski for hours with my
dad in the winter forest, but I never liked ice-hills.
After such a vexing fiasco with my "sport adventures", I had no wish whatsoever
to do any winter sports. Therefore, in order to fill the rest of my free time, I tried to
read as much as possible. And here something new and completely unexpected
happened again.

I was reading a lesson which I did not like and I was eager to finish it as soon as
possible. Suddenly I noticed that I read too quickly. It appeared that I did not read like
we all do it usually – horizontally, but vertically – from top to bottom. I was very
surprised at first. It was unusual and a little strange, but because I was already used to
my different oddities, I tried it again. It was true; the reading went much quicker.
From that day I almost always read "from top to bottom", however, for some reason
my eyes got tired much sooner doing this. But it was quicker and this method of "rapid
reading", as I called it, saved me a lot of time in future.
Other "wonders" constantly happened too, but I already became more careful
and did not hurry to share them even with my nearest people. At first I was a little sad
and bitter because of it, but then I got used to it and it seemed to me that life should
be exactly like this, at least mine. Loneliness is not created for a child, just as a child
is not created for it. Unfortunately, life sometimes can be quite a pitiless thing and
pays no attention whatsoever to whether we like something or not; or it may also
happen for reasons which will be hidden from us for the time being, and when their
sense becomes clear later, it may strongly surprise someone, or leave somebody sadly
guessing "what would have happened to us, if…"

The neighbours

My "sixth" winter reluctantly retreated, leaving behind lacerated furrows on the
once virgin and pure face of earth. Snow-drifts pitilessly "sank", losing their proud
whiteness and growing into dirty lumps of ice, and bashfully melting, giving life to
numerous merry brooks, which playfully whispering to one another, joyfully ran on
slopes and paths which already began to turn green here and there. The days were
clear, transparent and windless. The spring confidently exhaled its "green" scents in
the air, and almost genuine warmth spread all over, waking up the earth, still sleepy
from hibernation. The new life was born once again…

Like all children I adored spring. It seemed that we too, like sleepy little bears,
got out from our "lairs" after a long hibernation and gladly exposed our smiling faces
for a kiss from the first tender sunrays. The good sun, brightened with pleasure,
"painted" our cheeks and noses with freckles, making our mothers warmly smile. The

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