A Day in the Country

Narrator:
Danilka: an eight year old boy and the brother Of Fyokla
Fyokla: a six-year old orphan
Terenty: a homeless cobbler

Narrator: Between 8 and 9 in the morning, a dark leaden colored mass is creeping
over the sky towards the sun. There is a sound of far-away rumbling. In a minute
there will be a spurts of May rain and a real storm will begin.
Fyokla a beggar girl of six,is running through the village, looking for Terenty the
cobbler. Her eyes are wide open and her lips are trembling. Asking every person
she meets but no one answers.
Narrator: Until the girl meets Silanty Stitch
Fyokla: Uncle, where is Terenty?
Silanty Stitch: At the kitchen gardens
The beggar –girl runs behind the huts to the kitchen garden and there finds
Terenty.
Fyokla: Uncle Terenty, Uncle dear!
Terenty: Ah! Servant of God. Fyokla where have you come from?
Fyokla: Danilka stuck his hands in a tree and he can’t get it out. Come along Uncle
, be kind and pull his hand.
Terenty: How was it he put his hand in? What for?
Fyokla: He wanted to get a cuckoo’s egg for me.
Terenty: The day has hardly began and already you are you’re in trouble. Come
little orphan
Narrator: Terenty comes out of the kitchen garden and begins striding down the
village street with Fyokla
Fyokla: Holy! Holy! Holy!
Narrator: The first rain drops,big and heavy lie dark dots on the dusty roads. A big
drop falls off Fyokla’s cheeks.
Terenty: The rain has began. That’s fine Fyokla. The grass and the trees are fed by
the rain, as we are by bread. As for thunder, don’t you be frightened little orphan
why should it kill a little thing like you?
Narrator: As soon as the rain begins, the wind drops. The only sound is the patter
of rain dropping like fine shot.
Terenty and Fyokla’s feet are covered with lumps of heavy ,wet clay. But at last
they got into the forest.
Terenty: Where is Danilka? Lead me to him
Fyokla leads him into a thicket and points to Danilka, her brother a little fella of
eight, with hair as red as ochre stands leaning against a tree.
Terenty: Where is your hand
Danilka: A terrible lot of thunder Terenty. I’ve never heard so much thunder in
my life. In the hole, pull it out Terenty. Please
Narrator: The wood had broken at the edge of the hole and jammed Danilka’s
hand. Terenty snaps off the broken piece, and the boy hand is released.
Danilka: It’s terrible how it’s thundering. What makes it thunder Terenty?
Terenty: One cloud run against the other
Narrator: Little Fyokla suddenly frown and robs her neck vigorously. Her brother
look at her neck, and seesa big swelling on it.
Terenty: Hey-hey! Do you know where you got that from? There are Spanish flies
on some trees in the wood. The rain has trickled them off and a drop has fallen on
your neck that’s what made a swelling.
Narrator: The sun appears from behind the clouds and floods the woods, the field
and the three friends The air is warm and fragnant .There is a scent of bird
cherry,meadows sweet and lilies of valley.
Terenty: Look! An ant heap burst open by the rain. You need not be. You won’t of
it! As soon as the sun, warms you, you won’t settle a low ground another time.
Danilka: And here are some bees.
Terenty: That’s a swarm of bees they were looking for a home when the rain
come down upon them. That herb is given when your nose bleeds. It does good.
Narrator: They hear a whistle and a rumble, the engine,panting and puffing black
smoke drags 20vans after it. The children are interested to know how the engine
works.
Terenty: It’s all the steam doing children, the steam does the work you see it
shoves under that thing near the wheels and if you see it works.
Narrator: Danilka looks at Terenty and greedily drinks in every word. Towards
midday all three sat down on the river bank. They begin to it Danilka’s break soak
into mash and afterwards sleep. But the little boy still has many questions in his
mind. At evening, they return to the village . The children to the deserted barn
and Terenty to a tavern.
The children hurdled together on the straw-dazing. The boy does not sleep
thinking of all the things he had seen in just a day it haunts him, he could not tell
it to Fyokla. She’s very young to understand.
Danilka: I’ll tell Terenty tomorrow.
The children fell asleep thinking of the homeless cobbler. At night Terenty comes
to them makes the sign sign of the cross over them and puts bread under their
heads. No one sees his love but the moon which floats in the sky and peeps
caressingly through the holes in the wall of deserted barn.