“… Isn’t evil called evil
even there – in our good future?”
“The Ballad of Time” by Vladimir Visotsky.
Once upon a time on the railway platform of one densely populated city a crowd of the evil with suitcases was waiting for a train.
A luxuriant coach approached. The doors broke open. Here fluttered out the envy. “Where is your handbag?” the outgoing passengers asked it.
“I live here well! I’m not going anywhere,” the envy answered. Faces of the others were drawn with amazement, “How did you manage?”
The envy turned to the coach, took out a white coat and covered its shoulders. It clapped on a white hat, put on sun glasses in a white frame, waved with its hand in a white glove to evil friends, and disappeared in the coach.
Deadly silence set in on the platform. Everybody was petrified for a while. The rest of the evil couldn’t regain consciousness until the coach was out of sight.
Then, they lined up all together, without concerting, by the nearest railway station stand. Everyone bought one and the same set of things: a white coat, white hat, sun glasses in a white frame and white gloves.
While standing in a line, the laziness was speculating, “If people didn’t send the white envy away from the city, then they would let the white laziness stay as well. I’m not that kind of decomposing evil laziness!
No, I’m white now! So innocent! For example, in the morning someone wants to slug a little in the bed or to have a rest out during working hours.
People do like working! They can’t do without it?! But why not go to the beach during lunch time and not spend one more working hour there!
Students, who like studying, of course, can relax and miss classes!
It’s not advisable to get overstressed at young age. It’s so honorable and pleasant to be lazy with white laziness!” The laziness gave a gasp of joy being satisfied with its idea of goodness.
The hatred clapped on a white hat. Trying on sun glasses it invented a legend for itself: “I’m a noble white hatred! I’ll settle unnoticeable in the human Heart under the pretense of hatred to enemies.
Then, I’ll start decomposing the man from inside! At first, hatred to enemies, then to friends and relatives! And so on and so forth! But I’m a noble white hatred! People can’t live without me! Where are heroism and courage originated from?! From me!”
In its dreams the hatred saw medals and awards jingling on its chest. Putting on white gloves bulging at the seams, all big sizes had been taken already, the jealousy was dreaming: “In a white coat I’ll enter the jealous man’s Heart, and make him think that I’m warm and fuzzy.
I’m not that horrible insane passion, which is hanging over the man’s Freedom like shackles. I’m an innocent white jealousy – a sign of love! That’s who I am! Love can’t exist without white jealousy!”
Soon the railway platform got empty.
Having taken its huge suitcases and dressed in white, the evil as a grey cloud was looming up far away.
Once upon a time on the railway platform of one densely populated city a noisy crowd was boarding the train.
The city was seeing off the evil. Duty attendants as volunteers surrounded the platform with a dense ring not to let one of the evil varieties slip back.
The last one that hustled into the carriage was the white envy with its large luggage. Its white coat had already worn out.
Through the coat its true black self could be observed. The hat on the envy shifted down and everybody saw two more hidden faces: greed and jealousy.
The train was out of sight. Street cleaners were taken away waste bins with shabby white coats, hats, gloves and broken sun glasses from the empty platform.
A rainbow hung over the populated city.
Translated by Tatiana Maslennikova.
Àâòîð ôîòî Ñàøà.