New Jeanland

Anatoliy walked with a purpose towards his destination.  The girl and the dog followed him — the dog willingly and the girl somewhat so — but regardless of her feelings, it was time to discharge this duty.

He had quickly come to the conclusion that he could not keep a child in his care.  He had made sure that she had stayed in the house through the day and kept himself carefully guarded from sunlight in another room, but one night and day of a houseguest was completely different from hosting a ward on a long-term basis. She had basic needs that he was not equipped to meet nor was he willing to provide.  However, he couldn’t abandon her to the streets, no more than he could abandon the dog at this point.

He arrived at the large house a little past seven o’clock in the evening and, noting the flurry of activity at the main entrance, went to the servant’s entrance at the back of the house.  There was no sense in dragging the girl and the dog to the front door when he wasn’t sure of the welcome that he would receive.

At his knock at the door, one of the kitchen maids came to answer it. She looked at Anatoliy in his second-best outfit and sniffed.  “Yes?”

“I would like to see the lady of the house,” Anatoliy said, shooing the girl and the dog off to play in the kitchen garden. This time of year, there could hardly be anything that either of those two could cause too much damage to in just a few minutes.

“This is highly irregular.  There is a party going on tonight. All of the guests should be coming to the front entrance. And you do not appear to have an invitation,” she answered, moving to shut the door in his face.

“Please tell the lady that her father-in-law is here to see her.”

The maid looked a little confused. “Why would her father-in-law be at the back of the house? You are just here to cause trouble.”

Anatoliy lightly nudged her with his will.  “Find your mistress. Bring her to me,” he said. “Do so swiftly, and I will go away. You can go back to your work after that.”

The maid seemed to relax at his words and nodded.  “I will do so.”

Anatoliy thought idly that he should have told her to invite him in but decided that it was of little consequence.  Tanya started playing with the dog in the garden — some game of fetch with a stick — and he allowed himself a small smile.

Larisa came bustling out of doors, a polite expression on her face.  “Father Anatoliy, are you well?”

“I am well,” he said calmly.  “I did not come to join the festivities but to prevail upon your goodwill and piety.”

Larisa’s forehead wrinkled.  “What do you mean? The night before Christmas is a strange time for you to be in my kitchen garden.”

Anatoliy gestured at Tanya and the dog.  “I seem to have acquired a ward and a pet over the last couple of days.  As you know, I am not exactly the best choice for parenting someone younger than my grandchildren. And I pity any animal that would find me to be a sort of comfort.”  He skirted about the main issue — the fact that he wasn’t and hadn’t been much of a parent to his own son. 

“What is she wearing?” Larisa murmured, staring at the blanket skirt and the man’s shirt turned into a blouse.

Anatoliy raised an eyebrow.  “It is better than what she came to me in. I am sure that you or a neighbor have some sort of clothing for the child. She doesn’t talk much. Feed her and put her to bed in a few hours.”

From the softening of her expression, Anatoliy could tell that the words touched Larisa’s heart.  Despite her overcrowded social calendar and her obsession with cleanliness and piety, Larisa was a kind person. She would not turn the child away.

“Is that a dog?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“You … are expecting us to keep the dog as well?”

Anatoliy managed to keep a straight face.  “They seem to be bonded to each other.”

“You do know that we are having a ball this evening.  Alexei will be speaking with some very important people.”

“I know,” he said quietly.  “I do not expect an invitation, nor do you have to tell him that I was here tonight.”

She seemed a little relieved, and Anatoliy felt a twinge of jealousy.  She could see his son and his grandchildren at any time.  He was relegated to the status of an unexpected guest who might leave behind a mess to clean. “How are Yevgeny, Grigoriy, and Nikolai?”

“Well,” she said.  “They have grown up so quickly that I hardly recognize them.”

“Please give all of them my love.”  He changed the subject abruptly.  “I must go.  I will not likely be back for quite some time.”

“Then you ought to see…”

“No, Larisa.”  He said it gently but in a tone that brooked no argument.  “I cannot see them this evening.  I must leave immediately.”

She looked at him questioningly.  “Father Anatoliy, it is Christmas.  Lyosha…”

“I know my son would see me and ask me to bless the house and the inhabitants.  That is enough for me.  Here,” Anatoliy made the sign of the Orthodox cross and continued, “you, he, my grandsons, and the house have my blessings, what few I have to give.  Take the child.  Her name is Tanya.  Take the dog. I have called him Liaven.  Your blessings for these two exceed any that I could possibly ask for.”  He turned away, not willing for her to see how deeply this parting would affect him.

“We will do so, Father Anatoliy.”

“Thank you, my daughter.”

Larisa raised her voice. “Come, Tanya. Come, Liaven. There is a merry fire inside and food for you both.”

As the girl and the dog walked toward the light of the kitchen, Anatoliy left quickly in the opposite direction. The girl would be safe with Alexei and his family.  That would be, in and of itself, a Christmas miracle for her.

And as for him?  Well, who was to say that the dog had not saved him as well.

– Fin –