Prologue
1674 year from the birth of Christ. The times of the wars of independence, the revolt of slaves and the brutal annihilation of all those who disagree with accepted principles. War was everywhere, one king overthrew another, and a third stood in his place. Time of Troubles for European nations.
In one of the provinces there lived a young guy who was called up for military service. It should be said that he was a peaceful and good-natured man, he rejected the war with all his nature, but did not dare to oppose the order of the king - for disobedience there was treason and public execution. Having collected all his savings and saying goodbye to his family, he went to the front, conquering new lands for his king. In one of the battles, his regiment was completely defeated by superior enemy forces. Of the survivors, there are only a few people who were taken away in an unknown direction. He was not noticed, while examining the battlefield, he was lying under a pile of the dead, wounded in the shoulder, bleeding, but alive. After several hours, which seemed like an eternity, he, trying not to touch his wounded arm, crawled out from under the dead bodies of his comrades. His face distorted a grimace of pain, with a healthy hand he pressed a bleeding wound and hobbled away from this terrible place. It still remains a mystery why he did not die, how he could survive, but then he did not care. He is alive and this is the main thing. The wounded soldier found something like a cane and, resting on it to somehow lighten his weight, headed for the only place that he knew - mountains in the east. He was there with his father as a child, though they didn’t climb beyond the first ridge, but this was the only chance of salvation.
Pushing through the thicket, he tirelessly walked to the mountains of salvation. The body got used to the pain and did not feel it anymore, so it became much easier to walk. Having somehow got out into an empty clearing, the tramp now took a deep breath. To the treasured mountains there was very little. Having settled down for the night on a tall tree in order to protect himself from wild animals and casual pursuers, the young soldier did not notice how the dream covered him with his blanket. He dreamed of a battle, bloodied comrades, wheezing and groans of the dying. Shivering every time the dream was especially vivid, the fugitive had been sleeping for many hours, restoring strength. By the evening of the next day he had to wake up from loud noises. A thunderstorm rolled from the north and an icy wind pierced to the bones. A bright flash of light announced the imminent explosion of thunder and subsequently heavy rain, which did not take long to wait. The hand began to hurt again and to get off the tree turned into a whole adventure, which he courageously overcame by overcoming the pain.Having thrown the remains of his uniform on his head in order to somehow protect himself from the rain, the guy went into the depths of the forest hoping that he would come across people. Behind the first ridge there was already another state, neutral to the war in which he participated. However, there was only a forest ahead and no mention of people living here somewhere. So, wandering through the forest farther into the mountains, several weeks passed. I had to eat berries and fruits of fruit trees accidentally met. After another month of such pedestrian crossings, he already looked like an old man, his hair was just not gray, but his appearance left much to be desired. Disheveled hair, knocked down by a shapeless shock, dark bags under the eyes, torn clothes, knocked down legs in blood, because the shoes had long been torn. Rough calluses on the hands. The wound has long since healed and ceased to bother at night. And so, after a long time he met the first signs of human habitation. In some places, trees were cut down, and a quite distinct path led into the depths of the forest. Inspired by the speedy salvation, the wanderer set foot on the path and with a confident step set off to meet new life. The only thing he knew how to do was work with wood, still there, far from these mountains, at home he made musical instruments that he successfully sold. His violins were popular among noble musicians. Thus earned a living. Here, in these parts, he can try to do the same. The next day, a settlement appeared before his eyes. People went about their business, worked in the fields, grazed cattle, sawed trees. With a nod of satisfaction, the wanderer went down from the top of the hill to the first house.
There are legends about this young master in those places. Some claim that he always lived there, others say that he came from nowhere, made several violins and disappeared in an unknown direction. But everyone is sure of one thing - day and night he worked on the violin, which the world had not yet seen, and when she finished, when she tried to play it, she made no sound. Someone claims that this tool is cursed and should not be taken, while others said that they have not yet seen a finer instrument. Only one thing is known for certain about this man - after the violin did not play, he disappeared with her in an unknown direction. There were rumors that he settled high in the mountains, and threw the violin from the top of the mountain, but these are only rumors and legends about an unknown violinist, from whom not even a name remains.
1759 year. In one of the estates on this day everything was as always. The head of the family sat at the table and studied important documents signed personally by the king. The owner of the house had a small talk with her guest and friend, and their young son took music lessons. A melody was heard all over the house, which the young musician diligently played on the violin. His mentor, a middle-aged man with already beginning to turn gray hair, was a strict person and did not give indulgences despite the fact that he was training a representative of a noble family. It should be added that the student was diligent, took his studies very seriously and strove to complete the tasks as best as possible, which, however, did not prevent him from being an energetic and active person. Not a week passed before he went far from home in order to explore something new. His curiosity, it would seem, knew no bounds. The boy wanted to see and learn everything that surrounded him and his teachers helped him with all his might. A history teacher told about his country, customs and wars. In the evenings, they talked for a long time near the fireplace about various myths and legends that surrounded this patch of land. A geography teacher talked about what is on the other side of the mountains, talked about the vast ocean and vast forests in the east. He absorbed every word, every story eagerly, absorbing every detail. A math teacher told him about the magic of numbers and how they can affect a person’s life, but mathematics was the only subject that he studied only because he needed to. Figures were given with difficulty, but persistence still achieved certain successes. After classes with numbers, his head was spinning and I wanted to quickly get rid of the memories of hated numbers and their additions. In those days when he had to sit and count, right after the lesson he went into the courtyard of the estate and looked far into the distance, dreaming of being on the other side of the mountains.After three years, a long time ago not a boy, but a young man still sat in his room and played a sad melody on the violin. His heart was filled with feelings, a few days ago a family of friends of his parents came to visit them, and their daughter was with them, who immediately captured his heart. They talked for many hours in a row, but now it's time to say goodbye and in the end he gave her a melody of his own composition. The girl was so moved by this that she even burst into tears, and then gently kissed his lips and promised to come as soon as possible. He played a melody about his love over and over again and did not notice how evening had come outside the window, and then night.
In early August of that year, she came again, only this time herself, and he hastened to offer her to stay with them longer, to which he received consent in the form of a passionate kiss after separation. In honor of the arrival, they decided to go for a walk in the vicinity, he showed her his possessions, since his father partially handed over his affairs to him and now the young man managed the estate with his father. They took the horses, the best that were on their stables and headed into the depths of the forest, keeping close to each other. Their cheerful voices spread throughout the forest. The day was gradually approaching sunset, it was noticeably colder on the street and the couple in love decided to stay for the night in a small clearing in the thicket of the forest. They made a fire, tied the horses, took out supplies from the bag and began to chew with appetite, not forgetting to look at each other and have a fun wink. At dusk everything seemed romantic and not as simple as in the light of day. Their idyll was broken only by the rare cries of birds and the periodic snorting of horses. At the moment when their lips merged in a kiss in the moonlight, the horse wildly neighing and jerked breaking a branch to which it was tied. The girl immediately jumped to her, but she reared up and hit her with a hoof. From surprise and pain, she immediately lost consciousness, her head did not naturally lean back. The guy, in horror, but full of determination, tried to keep the horse furious, but it did not give in and twitched in different directions until it finally broke off the branch and rushed to run, and after it the second one, before that standing relatively calmly, started to tear aside. The young man bent over the girl trying to understand whether she was alive, but did not manage to determine this. A heavy blow to the head instantly turned it off. How much he had been unconscious, he himself did not know, woke up already well after midnight, his body hurt terribly, and his eyes were dark. His body at the ready of the horse swayed measuredly to the beat of her steps. Pulling himself together, he stopped the horse and jumped to the ground. The head immediately gave in to pain. How did he end up on horseback, where is he, where did his lover go? All these questions haunted him. Deciding that he would find his way back at all costs, he tried to determine his location, but he was not familiar with anything surrounding him before. Hills, a narrow road and in the distance a temple or monastery behind which mountains stood an impenetrable wall. This is all that could be seen in the weak light of the moon. The guy decides that he will go to the monastery and find out where he was brought and how to get out of here. With difficulty riding a horse, he headed toward the monastery. After a couple of hours, the horse brought him to the gate and neighing defiantly. Footsteps were heard to that sound and a sleepy voice asked:
“Who came at such a late hour?”
- I'm sorry, I, the guy looked at me appraisingly, torn clothes, on the face of abrasions that ached from every touch, they would hardly believe him if he gave his name, and what would be considered worse for a liar and then it would be much more difficult to return. - I just got lost and do not know where I am. You can tell me how I can get into ... - with these words the gates opened and a priest appeared before him, looking very old, his gray beard was almost to his knees, monastic clothes hung freely from the old body. Next to the monk was a novice who first spoke to him.
- You come in, not a guest like that, especially such a noble one, to keep yourself waiting.
- Do you know who I am? - the guy asked in surprise.
“Of course I know who you are.” The influence of your family extends to our lands. Far away you got from home. Come in, tell us how it was, take a rest, and in the morning we will equip you on the way back.
The monk pointed his bony hand towards the cells and briskly strode in front of the night visitor. From the immense cassock, he pulled out a key and opened the door to one of them. Judging by the difficulty with which the castle succumbed, it was obvious that this room had not been used for many years. The monk pointed to the room, gave the guy the key and hastened to retire along the way, wishing him good dreams. The young man did not understand what was happening, his thoughts were occupied by his beloved, who had been hit by a horse before his eyes, and he did not even know if she had survived. Instead of rushing to look for her, he sits here in an ancient monastery. For a moment he was seized with rage, but he immediately crushed her, not allowing her to supplant common sense. Without finding out where he is, without help and food, he would never be able to return and continue searching. Judging by how much he wanted to eat, he woke up on a horse not on the same night, maybe not on the next. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
“May I come in, young lord?”
-Of course. Please tell me where I am and how far from home?
“You don't remember anything at all?” You are on the other side of the mountains, west of your home. Riding for four days, if the horse does not spare.
The guy's eyes widened.
- How is this possible? I remember that we were with M ... with my beloved in the forest, suddenly the horse went wild, hit her on the head, I tried to help her, but then I got a blow to the back of my head and woke up a couple of hours away from here. What happened to me? - He looked hopefully at the old man, but he only looked somewhere into the void, not paying attention to the ardent speech. - hey, can you hear me? - the monk just shook his head and silently left the cell, closing the door behind him. The young man was beside himself with rage, but then his eyes fell on something familiar and dear.In the corner of the room stood a case with his favorite instrument. Violin. His outlet. Gradually calming down, he carefully picked it up and opened it. The violin was made very skillfully, the carved wood covered with varnish, its beauty did not fade even in spite of the time, and it was clear from it that it had been for several decades, although it looked new. The bow is also in good condition. He enthusiastically took the violin and stood at the window, deciding to play about his love, running his bow along the strings, he heard a beautiful melody and a wild cry of pain, and outside the window there was a bright flash of light. The body of one of the novices, who was walking from the temple in the cell, became limp and fell right in the yard. The guy threw the tool away in fright, and at that moment he heard a noise behind him. A man in bright clothes stood in front of him, his eyes radiated light, his face literally shone, gradually acquiring a human appearance, and now, when it was no longer possible to distinguish him from a man, he spoke.
- Hi. We have been waiting for you for a long time, but as soon as you played, we heard your melody.
- Who are you? What is going on? - in the guy's voice was heard anger and curiosity.
- I am an angel of God. You see, for many millennia, none of us have heard music in heaven since Lucifer was banished from paradise. In the old days, he created music, and after his fall silence reigned in the sky. And so, after so many years you appeared. One who can replace him.
The young man listened with curiosity and distrust, but something told him that this man, or rather, this creature, was telling the truth.
“You mean that I will take the place of the devil and play the violin in heaven?”
“That's right, but before you ascend to heaven you have a long life on earth.” Millions of people will hear your music.
“And in the same way, falling dead like that unfortunate one after I just held my bow?”
- His soul was black, he did not want to repent, although he had been in the temple of God for a long time. I will teach you how to burn blackness out of people's hearts, you will save a lot of people, through your music they will feel the salvation and grace of God.
- Tell me what's wrong with my darling?
The angel's face did not express anything, but the violinist was ready to swear that he had caught a note of surprise.
- Everything is fine with her, she just returned to your home, everything that happened to you in the forest was erased from her memory. She only knows that you have left for urgent business in a neighboring city and must return by night. You will live with her for many years, you will have heirs, and when the time comes you will continue to play in heaven. Now go to bed, in the morning you wake up in your bed, next to your sweetheart.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw that the door to the cell was open and that same ancient monk was standing on the threshold. He heard their conversation, but hesitated to intervene. The image of the angel melted and twilight reigned in the room. The monk sat heavily in a chair and spoke:
- Very many years ago, when I was still very young, but full of strength, at that time I was a novice in this monastery. So, I went outside the monastery and went to the nearest village for food, returning back I saw a man standing on the top with something in his hands, he shouted something while looking up at the sky, and after a moment broke. His body, like a stone fell off and rolled down, hitting the ledges of stones. The object that he was clutching in his hands was precisely this violin, which is not clear why it did not suffer during the fall. I removed the man from the road deep into the mountains, praying for the salvation of his soul, and took the violin because I heard stories that no one could play on it. The instrument was silent in every able hand. I thought that here, in the monastery, they could solve this mystery, but nothing came of it. Over time, everyone forgot about her, I kept her here in my old cell until today. I am glad that I lived to see the answer to this mystery. The secrets of my whole life.
Epilogue
The violinist had just finished his concert, after his performances everything changed in people, they forgave past grievances, their hearts were filled with love for others. Everyone was clean, like babies. He burned blackness from their souls, turning into a pure stream of innocence. The blackest souls resisted for a long time, but over the years he learned to play so that even the blackest soul could be cleansed. Each time after the concert, he saw among the audience all the same angel who watched him, but never intervening. Only a few days later he taught the young violinist how to play this instrument. The guy studied quickly and soon the first fruits were not long in coming. Now the violinist was already well past eighty and he knew very well that his time was at hand. One day an angel came to him, for the first time in so many years.
- It is time. You have done enough on this earth.
The old man looked understandingly at the unchanged angel.
- I understand.
- Go, say goodbye to your wife, hug your children and grandchildren, in the morning you will already be with me in paradise. You will take the place of Lucifer and the music will finally play in heaven.