A Long Time Ago

 by Yulia Shynkarenko.

PART 1  Do you have a skeleton in your cupboard? I do.
Everybody has some stories, which he or she never tells anyone.
But sometimes you just understand that there is no reason anymore to keep that secret, because a lot of time passed and that isn’t a secret anymore, or you feel that it’s high time right now to confess the thing you saw or did. So do I. My name is Bianca, I’m 90, and I’m gonna tell you the story, which was probably the most adventuring in my whole life and which happened to me when I was 15 years old,
I had been walking down the street as every day before. Lessons were over and I was pretty tired. I was an unsociable teenager, that’s why I preferred going home alone than with my classmates, who whenever didn’t like my company much. Suddenly I heard some noise and some voices, which seemed to be humans’. It was winters’ evening, and it was cold and dark outdoors, but, nevertheless, I decided to find out what was happening over there. I passed the nearest corner and came to the side of the building a tiptoe, where that noise was coming from. I saw a dramatic scene which could be a shot from some thriller, I bet: a boy of my age was surrounded by five young men of the same age. I bravely decided to come closer so that I could see what had been going on. I carefully stepped to the nearest tree and saw that that boy was a gypsy, with tanned smooth skin and dark short curly hair, which was so contrasting comparing to white snow. The boys started beating him on my eyes, and I was so shocked that I couldn’t even understand what I should do. My defensive reaction was to shout – that was, actually, what I always did in emergency situations and what I did. One and all turned their head and looked at the small creature behind the tree – me, I mean. At that moment I understood that I was in great difficulties, and the only way out was to run. I glimpsed at the gypsy and saw, that not only I thought of the idea of escaping, because the boy stood up (while none of other wasn’t looking at him and was showing me with his hands that I have to run down the street. I turned round and ran as fast as I could, though the road was slippery. I was running and running , but all the time I could definitely hear voices somewhere behind me. I was tired and exhausted, and it seemed that I overcame more than ten kilometers. When I finally felt that I’m not able to do a step, I stopped and looked around, and saw that there wasn’t anybody on the street.
Pleased with my physical state, I walked slowly in the direction of my house. Suddenly I heard a voice behind my neck so close that I even jumped because of the suddenness. I turned my head and saw……the gypsy-boy. He was smiling, and only now I noticed that he had blood on his right cheek.
- Thank you, - he said with the most pleasant voice ever. -  You saved me. That’s so extraordinary, you know, if a girl saves a boy; it must have been vice a versa. You are so brave! And the thing you did means a lot to me, that’s why I want to do something pleasant for you too. Don’t you mind if I take you home?
- No, I don’t. It would be nice.
And we went to my house. I don’t even remember what we were talking about! I guess that he was telling me some jokes, because I definitely remember that I was laughing, and he was smiling with his striking beautiful smile, with the best smile of the best boy I ever met in my life.
- That’s my house, - with a little sadness in my voice, I said. – Thanks for leading.
- You are welcome. And thank you for rescuing once more. Bye!
- Good bye.
He turned around and walked away.
- Wait, I almost forgot! – he shouted.
He ran to me and gave some small piece of paper.
- Don’t open it till you aren’t in bed. Good night!
And he disappeared from my eyes, swallowed rapidly by the darkness of the night. I opened the door, being full of controversial and unknown feelings, and holding strongly a piece of paper in my right hand. I took off my overcoat, cleaned my teeth and quickly lay in the bed. The paper was still in my right hand…
PART  2  Fantasy story
…I couldn’t fell asleep for quite a long time, because I was thinking about everything that happened in the evening. But when I finally dropped off a sleep, I saw quite a strange dream.
An amazingly beautiful bird was flying in the enormously blue sky. The bird was as big as a 10-stored house, may be even bigger, and it had alluring noble wings which were waving with intense force, causing strong streams of wind. The creature was completely covered with bright silky feather, dark green on the head and yellow, almost golden on the tail. While the bird was flying above my head, and I could see its magnificent silhouette in the sky, one feather fell right near my feet. I took it and saw that it looked as if it was made of gold, such a luxury and unordinary thing that might have been presented me by God. It was so big, soft and pleasant to touch, that I was fascinated with that odd godsend for a moment. And when I raised my head, I saw that suddenly the bird began to fall down as if something hit it; I even thought that losing the feather caused that. The creature was screaming with inhuman and shrilling voice, and I couldn’t stand stopping up my ears.  When the bird reached the earth, it fell on the ground with such power and noise, that the dust covered everything around and I couldn’t even see something. The scream of bird was still ringing in my head, and the dust filled my lungs and I started to cough. I felt that I was choking, everything went dark before my eyes, there wasn’t air enough to breathe and I felt that I’m going to lose my consciousness.
At that moment I woke up, being wet from head to foot…
(To be continued)

PART 3   Fortune-teller story.
… It was 7 a.m, and I felt a terrible headache. Such a stupid nightmare, but in the corner of my mind I thought that that dream must have been meant something; it looked like a prophetic dream, but I didn’t know how to read it.
The piece of paper was still in my right hand, and the thought that appeared in my head at that moment was “Oh my God, I’m having my first dating today!”. I got up and wanted to eat my breakfast, but I was so excited that I couldn’t even eat something, because my hands were trembling, heart was beating too fast and my stomach seemed to be full with millions of butterflies. That’s why as soon as I took my favorite blue cup from the table, it fell on the Dutch tile and shattered into small pieces. “For good luck”, Mom said while washing up.
The whole day I felt some anxiety and nervousness because of many reasons. You know, I had no idea how I should behave myself on the dating, what one should wear or what I should talk about, and that fact was troubling me a lot. The probability of talking with my Mom was impossible, because then I should had told her about the gipsy-boy. I knew for sure, that she wouldn’t had allowed me to meet with him, especially considering her attitude to Gipsy. Nevertheless, I decided to say her that I was going to the cinema with my classmates, so that she would answer all of my questions I was interested in. That was what she actually did.
The dating was at 7 p.m, that’s why I went out from my house at 6.30 in case of not being late. I was on the edge, and when a black cat crossed the road right in front of my feet, I felt that I was going to weep bitterly and come back to my home. I was quite a superstitious person, and I believed in all those dribs and drabs. But then I imagined how the gipsy-boy would have been waiting for me, walking back and forth, and I courageously decided to go to my place of destination despite of any troubles.
As soon as I arrived to the building near which we were going to meet each other, I understood that the cat and broken cup meant the bad luck and I mustn’t had been coming on the dating: I saw something that made me felt frightened a lot…
(To be continued)  

PART 4   Story about haunted house.
I saw that the gypsy-boy was standing with a lovely huge bunch of daises, which were so suitable for that handsome and natural boy. Though it was very cold outdoors, his overcoat was unfasten, so I could see his muscular tanned neck. His mouth was slightly opened and the exhalation was coming out of his mouth because of the frost. He wasn’t dressed in any gloves or cap and he wasn’t wearing a scarf, and that was the thing that made him so courage and simple, fearless and close to nature.
As soon as he saw me, his face brightened up and he stepped up to me.
- Hello. You’re right in time. This is for you, - he said while giving me the bouquet.
- Oh, thanks. You know, nobody has ever presented me flowers. They are so beautiful.
- I can’t believe that you’ve never received any flowers! I’m glad that I’m the first-one. Oh, by the way, I’m Emilian, and you are…
- My name is Bianca. I’m glad to meet you.
- Me too. It’s a good luck that we finally got to know each other. Don’t you mind walking?
- No, I don’t.
And we went down the street covered with deep snow and evenings’ haze. He was joking and telling me funny stories that happened to him, and I was silent, saying just “Yes” or “No” and laughing from time to time. It was snowing heavily, and out of the corner of my eye I could see how snowflakes were falling on his long dark lashes and sparkling black hair.
- I want to show you one thing. Let’s go, - he said, and we turned left to some alley.
Because of snow and wind which was blowing in my face I couldn’t see something, until Emilian stopped, and I saw a huge ancient house, which I’ve never seen in the city.
- Have you ever heard the legend of this house?
- No, I haven’t, - I said. – I have never even seen it!
- Oh, than listen to me. Old people say that more than hundred years ago in this house a very rich family lived: Mr. Paul Henderson, Mrs. Judie Henderson and their 10-years-old daughter Lilly. The head of the family was an owner of the coal mine, so the family was lacking in nothing. One winters’ evening when it was raining heavily an old woman came to the house and knocked the door. She asked for a shelter and a cup of hot tea because she was wet and cold, but Mr. Henderson refused to do that and said that his house would never had been an asylum for baggers. There are some gossips that that old woman was a witch, and after living that house with nothing she cursed the family. In a week all members of the family died: Mrs. Henderson sank in the bath, little Lilly fell from the stairs and Mr. Henderson hanged himself in his own room. People say that souls of members of the family aren’t rested, that’s why they are still living in the house and waiting for that old woman to give her a shelter.
- Oh, come on! I don’t believe in ghosts.
- But I do. Once my father saw some silhouette in that window, - said Emilian showing with his finger on the window of the third floor.
- Ok. But I don’t believe that. Let’s go to that house and check if there is something…. Or somebody.
- Courage you are! Let’s go, if you want. But bags, you don’t cry if you’ll see a ghost of little Lilly, - he replied.
- Ha-ha. It’s not funny. We’ll go there and you’ll see that ghosts aren’t existed at all.
And we went to the mysterious house, trying to prove each other how brave we are…
(To be continued)