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Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 62
Lord, how I want to eat!Laszlo Molnar was terribly hungry. When did he last eat? Seems like the third day. Yes exactly. The good priest that day threw him a pfennig with the inscription "FÜR DIE ARMEN" [i] , and the happy Laszlo was able to buy rye bread and a bowl of porridge. But is this enough for a long time? The day before yesterday he had eaten the last crumbs, and since then he has never been lucky. Oh ho ho, what to do?Her legs, weakened by hunger, refused to obey. Laszlo made his way to a haystack in the meadow and fell down on it with relief. You need to rest a little, wait until this strange burning sensation in your chest ends, and then go to the village - suddenly you can beg for something. If today he does not eat, tomorrow he will not have the strength to rise. The old man knew this for sure, because he had been wandering for more than a year.Once upon a time, Laszlo had a wonderful wife, a house, a mill, thanks to which he received his surname [ii] . They did not li
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 63
Day after day, in clear weather and rain, they moved west and constantly gave performances. We stopped at inns for the night, choosing a cheaper room. In the autumn the old man bought a sheepskin coat and no longer looked like a tramp. He saved every pfennig, but did not spare the best bones for Barat: he wanted to somehow express his love and gratitude to his friend. Moreover, he took the dog to the barber, who washed and combed the brown wool. Barat began to look much prettier.Every night in a dream, Laszlo saw their future house. It remains to accumulate quite a bit, a few months - and the dream will come true. Maybe even next summer ... They will settle together with Barat somewhere on the outskirts of Pozsony, they will earn a living by performances, and Laszlo will devote the rest of the time to the garden, grow many flowers, vegetables, greenery, and maybe even start some kind of some livestock so that the dog always has meat. A wattle fence will be placed around the house, an
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 64
The walls of the hall, topped by a vaulted ceiling, were hung with halberds, muskets, and stuffed animals. From all sides, the heads of boars, foxes and wolves stared at Istvan with dead eyes. He shuddered and at that moment on the stairs leading to the second floor, he noticed the very maid whom he had seen through the window. The girl smiled and waved her hand towards the right wing of the house:- Ban Tomas is waiting for you in the library.“Thank you,” Isstvan nodded. "So my new father's name is Tomasz."The first door led to the library, and the newly minted young man resolutely stepped inside. There were several open bookcases, a large oak dining table, and half a dozen curule chairs. In one of them sat a pale, thin man of about fifty with a gray mustache and a goatee beard.“Ah, Pishta,” he smiled, and his face lit up with joy. - Come in, sit down.The young man settled down next to Tomas, handed him the potion, and looked at him expectantly.- Thank you. That's what I wanted
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 65
A little earlier, having taken the goblets into the hall, Istvan returned to the kitchen, but did not find Agnieszka. The girls who worked there could hardly contain their laughter and cast sly glances at him. He tried to look for her around the house, but then his father intercepted him. I had to meet the arriving guests with him and my uncle. And now he had been sitting at the table for almost an hour, numerous maids scurrying back and forth, bringing new dishes and taking away dirty dishes, but Agnieszka did not appear.Surprised at himself, the young man recalled how he was looking forward to this reception, how he wanted to get to know his neighbors and their beautiful daughters. Is it possible that a fleeting meeting with a maid can change everything so much? Is it enough for him, a hundred-year-old man, to be thrilled because of the radiant eyes of some girl? But a fact is a fact - he longed to see her, languishing with boredom surrounded by annoying neighbors.Finally Istvan n
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 66
- Write!Isstvan turned around impatiently. He was in a hurry for a date, and he did not want to waste time talking.- Yes, father?“Come, my dear, I need to talk to you.”The young man reluctantly entered the library and sat down.“My friend,” Tomas began, “your uncle Zoltan has become completely uncontrollable. I tried to talk to him, but he talks about some lights, about ghosts... And he claims that you saw them too.- This is true. One night I had to watch all this from his window.“And what do you think it could be?”- Uncle believes that an evil spirit has come to his soul. I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case, he deserved it.“Yes, yes, of course,” my father muttered, and suddenly looked straight at Istvan: “What is happening to you, my dear Pishta?He blinked in surprise.- I'm not blind, my friend, and I see that something is oppressing you. You had such a kind, such a beautiful smile, and now it is more like a grin. You have become impatient, categorical, irritable, I
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 67
Relations between Istvan and his father began to improve. The kind-hearted Tomasz could not hold a grudge in his heart for long; although he did not forget that his son had deceived him, he mentally justified him in every possible way.After the departure of Zoltan and the death of the dog, the young man became much calmer, and it seemed to his father that he again recognized the former dear Pishta. In reality, Istvan, in love, was happy, and therefore kind and indulgent to everyone.He continued to go to Çeite Castle every week. Agnieszka, as before, greeted him with a joyful smile. However, over time, it began to seem to the young man that she was becoming more and more nervous. Something was clearly troubling her. But when asked, she answered evasively:“Nothing happened, my dear. For some reason I'm just scared...“What frightens you, dear Agnieszka? Tell.- Don't know. But I feel in my heart that something is not right in this castle. He scares me.Once she said:“This disgusting
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 68
Two days later, István, dressed as a commoner, in a long shirt with a belt and narrow chaise, knocked at the gates of Ceyte Castle. The only weapon he could afford was a small knife hidden in the top of his boot.A chain rattled on the side, and a tiny window opened, from which a guard looked out. The young man explained that he wanted to get a job.They missed him. Standing in the yard, Istvan looked around curiously. And there was something to see. The castle of irregular triangular shape consisted of several towers and rooms connecting them. From the outside, there were attached covered galleries, along which it was possible to go down to the ground. Numerous outbuildings, a chapel, an armory, a kennel, a smithy, and stables crowded around. Firewood was stacked under the sheds, there were barrels of water, and a small warehouse was located nearby. The huge yard was full of people: servants in caps ran from the living rooms to the utility rooms and back, tall guys chopped wood, some
Eternal Life;Cursed Gift 69
“I can’t be with you today,” Dorka said. The hostess wants me to spend the night with her.Is she afraid of something?The woman was embarrassed and hurriedly answered:What is she afraid of?“I don’t know,” Isstvan shrugged his shoulders, “perhaps she is tormented by nightmares.“Perhaps,” said Dorothea grimly.The absences of his mistress seemed strange to him, and when she announced for the third time that the mistress demanded her presence, he decided to follow Dorka.As soon as it was dark, he stood under the canopy of the stable, from where the flickering light of a candle in its window was perfectly visible. About half an hour passed, a shadow flickered in the room, and at the same moment the light went out.Istvan ran up the stairs to the gallery, slipped into the corridor and, having reached the turn, carefully peered around the corner. At the far end of the narrow passage he saw the receding figure of Dorothea. Without thinking twice, he darted after him.It was cool in the c