Prologue
Slowly, tired down by the passing years, half bent, he climbed the path he had climbed so many times before.Panting slightly, he now reached that treacherous intersection. He crossed his arms and took a deep breath, as if he needed to gather all his strength for the next step.
In front of him he saw a collapsed, sod-covered old fence, his father’s work. And on the right side of the road, a young walnut tree in his best years, only twenty years old, covered a ruined half-collapsed yellow house. To her left, he saw a pile of dust that once upon a time had been home to so many children. Next to it, a rotten cut pear.And in the shade, closer to the north side, another pile of rotting wood, where the old warehouse used to be.
He passed between the houses and continued up the hill through the bushes until he came to a rusty green gate. He stepped a little closer,closed his eyes for a moment, took a breath and opened them again. A large neglected yard appeared in front of him. The last time he saw it, he knew. He was cut off by the feeling that he had nothing to regret for a long time.And yet, with every part of his aged being, he felt that they were all watching him,all those pale ghosts who once walked there. Some were familiar to him. He saw the soft smile of his mother, his father mowing the grass, uncle sitting in the shade, his dear black kdog. However, there were many shadows he did not recognize, but they surrounded him from all sides.Those were the shadows of ancestors, passers-by, all those who were born, fought and died on this now desolate land...He could almost hear the voices calling him,calling him to join them in eternal silence.
On the way back, as he walked away on the same road at a faster pace,he felt that presence more and more strongly. When he was at the intersection again,he stopped, turned a little, and nodded slightly. It was the last greeting to the known and unknown residents of this gray place.A greeting honoring restless spirits.
With a light step, going down the path he had gone down so many times,he left behind him that once unbreakable, but now silent life. He never turned around, slowly disappearing from the sight, until he was completely gone.
Nevertheless, they all watched him from their corners of the yard until the last moment.Calm,frozen, those eternal spirits knew a truth he could not know.
When he was completely out of sight,they briefly revived and took a breath of air.They swayed to the rhythm of hearts they no longer had, without happiness,without sorrow. Alone in the endless world of knowledge and silence. As if they became one picture, one story, one life again. And then, suddenly,they calmed down again, fell silent. As if they were dying again, they began to fade, sinking into infinity. They returned to eternal sleep ,and took with them the story of an origin.
