Аннотация: The Christmas story about the rain before the New Year holiday
The Christmas story about the rain before the New Year holiday
The reader of cafe-library approached Maxim Gorky with a question:
- I read your "Tales of Italy", Alexei Maximovich! Under an impression of them I wrote down events of my today.
Gorky approvingly looked at the reader:
- Very interestingly!
The reader, encouraged by the positive Gorky's reaction, took the sheet of paper with the text and read:
"Today, on December 25, 2018, there was a rain. I went shopping. When the rain became very powerfull, I came into a some shop that to stand in the dry room a couple of minutes. The shop assistant, the young woman, asked what I want to buy. I told that I came on a one a second to stand in the dry room.
After that I came into grocery store and began to choose what to buy. On one of racks I saw red apples. They seemed to me similar to cheeks of recently seen the shop assistant - same ruddy.
I went through the store and saw a packs of tea on a shelf. On one of the packs of tea was visible an advertising picture - a people on a city street. I looked at these people more attentively, and it seemed to me that among a people on the picture I see myself and the saleswoman, of which recently I seen. Of course, there are a different associations, but I thought that soon - the New Year holiday. I bought a pack of tea with a picture, I returned to the store, where I waited out the rain, congratulated the saleswoman with the coming New Year and gave her a pack of tea".
Listening attentively the reading, Gorky silently laughed out.
The reader continued:
"After I made the necessary purchases, I came to the cafe-library, read the "Tales of Italy" and wrote down impressions of day".
The reader interrogatively looked at Gorky.
Gorky took advantage of his excellent memory:
"In the blue sky over the little square of Capri are a low floating clouds, a bright flashing patterns of stars, the blue Sirius flashes, and from doors of church important singing of pipe organ densely flows, and all this: a run of clouds, an awe of stars, a movement of shadows on walls of buildings and on a stones of the square - too like a gentle music.
Under her solemn rhythm the whole square, similar to an opera scenery, fluctuates, becoming a narrow and dark, or - like a spacious and ghostly light.
Over the Monte Solaro the magnificent constellation of Orion is located, the top of the mountain is luxuriantly crowned with a white cloud, and the mountain's precipice, a steep like a wall, cut by cracks, is similar to someone's dark, ancient face, tired because of great thoughts about the world and people."
"The Italian Tale about Christmas", - the reader said.
Gorky did not object. He gave his opinion on the reader's text:
- You may consider that you have written a short story.
Seizing a propitious moment, the reader specified:
- How to name this short story?
- On December 25 and on December 26 Catholics in Italy celebrate Christmas... Name it "The Christmas story"... "The Christmas story about the rain before the New Year holiday "!
The reader thanked Gorky, wrote the name above the text and went to type the story in the form of the text file.
"Give a gifts and write a stories more often," - the reader heard the joking advice of Gorky.
"Thank you," - the reader politely replied.
A little later, the reader posted the short story on the Internet.
December 26, 2018 19:58.
Translation from Russian into English: December 26, 2018 21:11.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Рождественский рассказ о дожде перед Новым Годом'.