Vera soaked all the dirty clothes in powder. Soon Ira joined them. She was also in panties and a white T-shirt. They sat on a bench and combed their hair.
-Vera, I found a forest tick on Deniska. I think we should examine ourselves thoroughly. Several times, in fact. I think three times will be enough. We'll do a check-up now, in the evening, and again tomorrow morning.
-Really? Where? Is it dangerous? Where did you find it?
-Behind my ear. It's stuck fast." If we remove it from the body, there's no danger. But if the tick bites, then it's dangerous.
-Let's do it right away. To be honest, I'm afraid of them. I probably won't even be able to pick it up with my hands.
-Let's dry our hair and go inside. Deniska, sweetie, please close all the curtains tightly." We'll have to get completely undressed. Vera, you and I will do the following: we'll get a glass and pour sunflower oil into it, about a tablespoon. We'll need white thread and scissors. We'll also need white cloth. An old sheet will do. And cologne or moonshine as alcohol.
They went into the house. Already fully prepared, they gathered in the room behind the stove. There was a wide bench there. They pulled it out into the middle and covered it with white cloth.
-Well, everything is ready. Deniska, you are the smallest in body size. Let's look at you first. And then you will help with the search. Can you remove the tick from your body? Are you afraid to pick it up with your hands?
-No, I'm not afraid. A bug is a bug, even if it's called a tick.
-Good boy. Take off your pants and lie down.
Deniska undressed and lay down on his back. Ira took a comb and began to comb his hair back and down onto the fabric.
-Vera, look. If you see a black dot on the fabric, tell me right away. While combing his hair, Ira saw a tick on the fabric.
-Look, Vera. See, there it is.
-It's so small. It hasn't bitten him yet, has it?
-No. When they bite, they get drunk and become fat.
-Ugh, disgusting. What should we do with it?
Ira threw it into the bottom of a glass of sunflower oil. They examined his hair with their hands. They examined his neck. They didn't find anything else.
-Okay, honey, raise your arms. Let's look under your armpits.
-Here's another one. See?
Ira pointed to the place where she saw the tick.
-No. How can you see them? Take it off, please.
Ira examined it and saw that the tick was clinging to the skin and had not yet bitten through it. She removed it and threw the jar away. After examining Denis several times from head to toe, they found two more ticks. One was in his groin, the other in the upper part of his buttocks. They wiped these areas with cologne.
-Honey, we're going to comb our hair now, and you watch. If you see a black dot fall, pick it up and put it in the glass right away.
Ira and Vera leaned over the white cloth and began combing their hair. Deniska looked at the cloth.
-I see one.
He dropped it into the glass. Then another. There were five in total.
-Ira, how and where did they attack us?
-Remember. We rolled down into the lake, fern leaves whipping us from all sides. It's damp and humid there. They hide from the sun on these leaves. Later, when we came out of the lake wet, took off our wet clothes, and climbed out of the lowlands, also through the fern thickets, they could have clung to us. Now their activity period is decreasing, so there are few of them on us.
-Few? Brr. I think there are too many of them.
-Well, now one of us can lie down. I hope they won't fall out of our hair anymore.
Ira looked at Vera, mentally asking, you or me? From the expression on Vera's face, she understood that she was first.
-Deniska, can you wait? Are we going to lie here naked? Will you help Mom examine you?
-Yes, of course. It will be difficult for Mom to do it herself. She's not very friendly with bugs.
Ira turned away from Deniska, took off her shirt and panties, covered her breasts and mound with her hands, and lay down on the bench on her back. They began the examination. Vera was the first to see a black spot on Ira's shoulder.
-Son, is it him?
-Yes, Mom. Well done.
He picked up the tick and threw it into a glass. Vera didn't find anything else. During the examination, Ira removed her hands and exposed all parts of her body. Deniska was busy throwing ticks into the glass. He saw one in the folds under her chest and wanted to take it, but he couldn't get a hold of it. He dripped some cologne on it and removed it. His mate was pressing against his side in his shorts and distracting him. Vera noticed how he was trying to fix it. He couldn't do it.
-Son, let me fix it for you. Should I lift it up?
-Mom, yes. My hands are full. Please.
Vera pulled back the elastic of his underwear, took his buddy in her hand, and straightened him up.
«He's big, as big as my palm." Deniska reached the groin area. There was hair there, so he tried to look carefully. He saw one, it was in the hair.
-Ira, it's in the hair. I can't get a hold of it.
-Try. If it doesn't work, keep looking. If you need to lift your legs, let us know.
Deniska still couldn't remove it. The hair was in the way, so he started looking further.
-I couldn't remove it. Ira, lift your legs. Deniska and I will look at the very bottom.
Ira bent her knees and spread her legs wider. Deniska and Vera bent down and looked further. They were serious and focused, so despite the very spicy sight for Deniska, he was completely absorbed. The feeling of danger did not leave them. After examining everything down to the bottom of her buttocks, they moved on to her legs. Deniska also found several on her legs. He easily removed them and threw them into a glass of oil. Ira turned onto her stomach. Upon examination, they also found several of these "small ones." On the folds of the shoulder muscles of the arms, almost on the back, in the folds of the buttocks, and one on the legs at the bend below the knee. Deniska found them all.
-Ira, we're done. You're a good son. I only found one.
-Thank you. Vera, you go ahead.
-What about the one that's left? He'll get drunk now and we won't be able to get him at all.
-We need to remove the hair. Otherwise, we won't be able to get him. If we hurry, he won't have time.
-Shave it off? I don't even have a razor.
-Let's examine you, and then we'll examine you again together at our place. First, we'll remove everything and do it without hair.
Vera still didn't fully understand Ira. How does she want to do it? At first, she thought about asking Deniska to leave, but after he found so many ticks on Ira, she undressed, lay down silently on the bench, and closed her eyes. Ira and Deniska got to work. They realized that the main place where they hide is in the folds of the skin. Sure enough, Deniska found a tick in the folds of his mother's belly button. It was difficult to pull it out.
-Hang in there, Vera.
They moistened it with cologne and then detached it from the skin with tweezers. Then they moved on to the groin area. Here, Deniska saw that his mother had much more hair, and he couldn't see anything at all. He tried to part the thick hair with both hands, but his mother covered her mound with her hand.
-Son, Ira will look herself.
-Honey, look under the hair on her neck for now.
Vera spread her legs, and Ira examined her groin area.
-I can't see anything, so I'll just look at the edge. There's one at the very bottom.
She found another one on the inside of her thigh.
-Okay, now turn over onto your stomach. Good, just put your arms forward.
Vera lay down as instructed, and Ira and Deniska began their examination. There were two on her neck, under her hair. They were removed immediately.
-They had already been examined here, and it seemed they were gone, but now they were found again. Where do they come from?
There was nothing on her back. They reached the area below the waist. Here, Deniska immediately determined that his mother's butt was a little bigger. "In panties, when you're wearing a T-shirt on top, it's not noticeable, but now you can see it. It's beautiful, but Ira's is beautiful too." These thoughts distracted him a little from the task at hand. They spread her butt cheeks apart. Ira was about to move on, but Deniska noticed a small spot.
-Wait. Look here.
-Yes, I see it. I'll spread the cheeks, and you try to get it out.
Ira spread the cheeks with both hands, and Deniska picked it up with his fingernail and moved it aside. Here he already took it with two fingers and put it in the oil.
-Well done. I didn't notice it.
-Ira, why do they crawl over the body, bite into the skin, and the person doesn't feel anything?
-They numb the bite site. It's a kind of anesthesia. When the bite site turns into a button-sized wound, the person only then begins to feel sharp pain.
-Have they bitten you?
-Yes. Several times. At university, when we went to a collective farm to harvest vegetables.
Vera raised her head.
-Irisha, tell us about it.
Nothing interesting. I woke up in the morning and couldn't get up. I had a sharp pain in my back under my shoulder blade. I pulled it out of my body. It was the size of a penny. At the medical center, they washed the wound. They checked to see if there were any remains left in my body. We all got vaccinated. All the students were immune.
They finished examining Vera.
-Verchik, we still need to finish the examination. Since we have hair there, we can't feel safe. We need to clean everything up and examine it. Deniska, get dressed and go for a walk outside. We'll call you through the window. Now your mom and I will get ready.
Deniska was about to leave.
-Son, take my sunscreen and put some on your shoulders. Sit there on the bench and sunbathe.
-Yes, Mom.
Deniska took the cream and left. Ira went to her nightstand and brought a tube of some kind of cream.
-Here, look. My classmates gave it to me. They were on a tour in Poland.
-What kind of cream is it? Everything here is in Polish. I don't know Polish. I can only guess that it says "apply and leave on for 10 minutes."
-Yes, that's right. It's a cream for women's intimate areas. It's used in the summer for open swimsuits. That's how it was explained to me. They gave it to me with a hint, since I'm not married and I'm all overgrown down there.
-What fools. How could they do that?
-Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with them. Okay. Look, Verchik, we'll carefully apply it to the entire hairy area, making sure it doesn't get on your legs or body. Leave it on for 10 minutes. Then wash it off in the shower. Got it?
-Yes, I'm ready.
They went to take a shower. Ira took two mirrors, a watch, and two teaspoons. They settled down on the bench in the shower. After completing all the procedures, fifteen minutes later they were already drying themselves with towels. Looking at their renewed bodies, they smiled.
-Yes, there's something to it.
-What is it, Ira?
-Something magical. Just like many years ago.
-Yes, you're right. I even like it.
-Me too.
They got out of the shower.
-Ira, let's try to find it ourselves. Otherwise, I'll be embarrassed in front of Deniska. I'll feel awkward around him.
-Let's try. Look at me. Deniska saw a tick there. It needs to be removed, otherwise it will bite me and later it will be difficult to pull out.
-Of course. Lie down.
Ira lay down. She spread her legs. Vera leaned over and began to look for a black dot. She looked around several times.
-I can't find anything. I don't see it. It seemed to be here somewhere. What should we do?
-We need to call Deniska.
Vera went to the window. Deniska was nowhere to be seen. She left the room and opened the door to the street.
-Deniska! Where are you?
-I'm here, near the cherry tree.
-We need your help. Come here.
Deniska immediately ran after his mother into the house. His mother walked ahead. She was still undressed. Of course, he looked at her butt. They approached Ira. Ira was sitting on a bench and covering her breasts with her hand.
-Son. I tried to find the tick myself, in the place where you saw it, but I didn't find anything. I don't know where it went. Please look for it.
-Hey, honey, can you help me out? Even though I got the tick-borne encephalitis vaccine, I'm still scared of them. Can you check me and then your mom? There are just some spots that are hard for us to see.
-Sure, I'll check everything. I'll go wash my hands with soap, and you lie down, Ira.
Deniska went to the sink, lathered his hands thoroughly, and washed off the sunscreen. He looked down at his shorts. "What if my mate makes `everyone raise their hands again`. No big deal. We have to save them from these bastards." When he entered the room, Ira was lying down and her mother was standing next to her with her back to him. He approached Ira and immediately noticed that there was no hair there. There was white skin and a fold of skin. It became clear to him that they had removed the hair there, and now Ira and his mother were the same as the girls he had seen on the beach, playing in the sand. He looked at his mother's mound. Yes, there was no hair there either. He blushed and didn't know how to start. Ira was lying in front of him with her knees raised. His mother came closer.
-Son, it was here somewhere back then. But now, you see, it's clean.
-Yes. Let's look.
Deniska looked at the place his mother was pointing to. The skin there was clean and smooth. He stood to the side and could only see half of it. Further down, his view was blocked. There wasn't enough light, and his legs were in the way.
-Can I have a flashlight? It's very hard to see. I need to look here and here.
He pointed from his knees to the mound. Vera looked at Ira. She nodded.
-Yes, take the flashlight, son, and stand so that you can examine all areas of the skin.
Deniska brought the flashlight and approached Ira. He stepped over the bench with one foot. It was wide, so he couldn't resist and immediately sat down on it. He moved closer to Ira and shone the light.
-Ira, lift your legs up so I can check underneath.
Ira put her hands under her knees and pulled them toward her. Ira's smooth mound rose up and opened. Deniska shone the light and saw for the first time in his life how a woman was built in that place. It wasn't in the anatomy textbooks. Everything in the exposed crotch was unknown to him. He really liked the two petals that looked like earlobes. They also had smooth, semicircular shapes. He felt his soldier getting cramped. He pressed against her side again and tried to show her the time. "Don't get distracted, look carefully." But it didn't help the mate. "Okay, hang in there. You can fix it later and free him."
-There, I see one.
-Where's my son?
Deniska shone his light and pointed. Vera leaned over and looked at the spot, trying to understand where he saw this villain.
-I don't see him. Are you sure?
-Well, Mom. Look at this angle.
-Yes, I see him.
She raised her head to look at Ira.
-His right lip, at the very bottom.
-Can you get him?
Ira pulled her knees toward her even harder. Deniska laid his head almost on the bench and tried to remove the tick.
-It won't come off.
Ira let go of her hands again. It was hard for her to hold her legs. Vera went to the bedroom and came back with a blanket. She folded it several times.
-Ira, let me put it under your back, and you try to lie down on it.
Ira lifted her hips, and Vera put the blanket under her. Ira lowered herself onto the blanket. Now her mound was pointing upward at a 30-degree angle. Deniska sat down opposite her.
-Mom, hold the flashlight like this.
Vera leaned over, took the flashlight, and pointed it. He moistened the tick with cologne and began to pull it out with tweezers.
-Honey, how's it going?
-I'm pulling it, but I'm trying not to tear it off. I want it to come off on its own. It's hooked on top and holding on. That's all, it seems. There's nothing left on the skin.
The cologne went in again, and Deniska smeared cotton wool on the spot where the tick had been.
-Thanks, honey. Verchik, I forgot to ask you. Bring me some cream. I want to smear it on there. It will protect it. The skin is slippery. It won't catch on it.
Deniska blushed and continued the examination. He could see everything very clearly. Vera brought the cream.
-Let me apply it. Lie down. It's comfortable for me and I can see everything.
Vera squeezed some honey cream onto her finger and began to apply it to the edges of her lips. Deniska had already finished the examination by this time.
-Ira, I've checked everything. There aren't any more in this part. We just need to check the bottom and that's it.
-Honey, thank you again. You've saved me once more. I owe you.
-No, you owe me. If I hadn't fallen into the lake, everyone would have been sunbathing and swimming. But now they've been hurt. On the contrary, I am to blame for you.
-Son, you understand everything and think correctly.
-Mom, can I have some cream for my hand too? I want to help Ira too.
-Ira, can Deniska have some?
-Yes.
Deniska held out his finger, and Vera squeezed some cream out of the tube. Deniska began to apply a layer of cream with great care. He stroked it in and derived aesthetic pleasure that was not related to his physicality.
-That's it, you can turn over now.
Vera applied the last rub of cream. Deniska, hearing that it was already done, managed to rub his fingers lower, closer to the buttocks, and removed his hand. Vera removed the blanket, and Ira turned onto her stomach. Deniska examined everything with a flashlight.
-Everything is clean here. You can apply the cream.
-Rub it on my son. I want to ask Ira something.
Ira handed him the tube of cream. Deniska set about his pleasant task. His hand plunged into her bottom and applied the cream from her back to her crotch deep inside. Ira asked as quietly as possible, in a half-whisper.
-Ira, will Deniska examine me too?
-Yes, Verchik, definitely. He has sharp eyesight. We can't give the tick any chance to bite. I've been vaccinated and I'm still afraid. And you two haven't been vaccinated. We need to examine you again. Let's start with you, with your perineal area. There was a lot of hair there and the risk is very high.
-Honey, that's it. Thank you. Let's check your mom. Lie down on your back, Vera.
-Verchik, we'll examine you again. Honey, you do your part, and I'll do mine.
Ira didn't get dressed. She was completely naked. Deniska wanted to look at her longer, but his mother was already waiting, lying on the bench. They examined Vera again. Deniska lifted his mother's chest and examined the folds underneath. After carefully examining her above the waist, they found nothing. Reaching the groin area, Deniska stepped over the bench and sat down opposite his mother's mound. He turned on his flashlight.
-Mom, can you spread your legs a little wider?
Vera spread her legs. Shining the light, he immediately noticed that his mother looked a little different here than Ira did. At the very top of the folds, there was a small bump. "I must have stroked it."
-Here, there's one. I'll take it off. Ira, shine the light.
Deniska handed her the flashlight. Ira leaned over and shone the light on the spot where Deniska had found the tick.
-It won't come off.
-Is it stuck in me?
There was a note of alarm in Vera's question.
-Mom, can you lift yourself up like Ira? It will be easier for me to get to it.
-Yes, I can. Give me the blanket.
Ira placed a folded blanket underneath, and Vera got up and lay down on it. Deniska treated the area where the tick had attached itself with cologne. It wouldn't come out.
-Honey, take some thread, make a loop, and tighten it. Together, I'll drip cologne on it, and you gently pull it out. Spread your legs wider.
Vera spread her legs as wide as possible. Ira knelt on the floor, leaned over Vera's crotch, and with one hand shone a light for Deniska, while with the other she squeezed a cotton ball and dripped it onto the tick. They were very careful to remove it without tearing it apart.
-Honey, let me take a closer look.
Deniska stood up, and Ira took his place. She moved closer and shone the light on the tick.
-No, it's just holding on with its legs. Its stinger is stuck in the skin. It's moving because of the cologne.
-Iriska, don't scare me, or I'll wet myself.
-Just a second.
Ira removed it with her fingers and looked at Deniska.
-Mom's joking. It's all Vera. We got it off.
Ira continued her examination all the way down. Deniska stood nearby. Ira found nothing.
-I didn't find anything. Honey, now you look. Just to be sure.
They switched places again. Deniska shone the light over all areas. He also noticed that his mother's earlobes were slightly larger and more scarlet in color. He saw a depression beneath them. "I'll ask Ira about the structure of this part of the body when I get the chance."
-They're not there. Everything's clean. Shall we apply the cream?
-Yes, definitely. It will protect you.
Ira took the cream and squeezed some onto Deniska's finger.
-Can you handle it?
Deniska divided it into two portions and smeared the entire area with the fingers of both hands. He did not touch the inside. When he reached the buttocks, he smeared it in a circle with two fingers of both hands.
-That's it. You can turn over onto your stomach.
Ira helped Vera turn over and lie on her stomach. She and Deniska examined her again. It was clean. When they reached her buttocks, they spread them apart and looked. Again, Deniska saw it first.
-Ira, look. It's in the folds of skin.
-Irisha, where is it?
-It's hidden in the folds of skin. Not quite reaching the tip of the buttocks, on the back side, there are folds. That's where it is.
-Take it out quickly and smack it on the head.
Ira spread Vera's buttocks apart with both hands. Deniska began the removal procedure. They got in each other's way. It was difficult without a flashlight.
-Vera, you'll have to lift yourself up.
She took the blanket and placed it under Vera's lower abdomen. Vera lay down on it. Her buttocks began to rise. She spread her legs as far as the width of the bench allowed. Ira took the flashlight and used her other hand to pull one buttock aside. There were no more obstacles for Deniska, and he calmly reached the bloodsucker. He moistened the area, removed it, and threw it into a glass.
-That's it.
They examined her legs. They even looked between her toes.
-I think that's it, Verchik. Now I'll be calm until morning. We'll check again in the morning. I'll go to the stove and burn them. I'll pour the oil on a newspaper and then put it on the burning straw.
Ira put on a T-shirt and panties, took the glass of oil, and was about to go to the stove.
-What about the cream?
-Honey, can you rub some cream on all the folds of your mom's skin?
-Yes, I can. Mom, I'll be right there.
Deniska put some cream on his fingers and started rubbing it on his mom, starting where the tick had been. Vera was lying in the same position, which was really convenient for him. He rubbed the top first. He could see the folds of her mound below. They had already rubbed there. He really wanted to rub there too. He turned his hand down and slowly began to approach those folds. Now he had reached them. Mom was lying with her head down on her hands and was silent. "I'll try. If Mom objects, I'll take my hands away and stop. There's nothing wrong with that." He moved on to the folds of the mound and began to apply cream there. Mom didn't object.
-Oh, son.
Deniska stopped. Now his mother would stop him and maybe even scold him. Vera said almost inaudibly, almost to herself.
-So good. How much does a woman need to be happy? A gentle hand and care. How affectionate he is."
Deniska continued his actions. His fingers plunged inside her mound. He found a bump and began to massage it. Her butt began to rise with each of his movements. Ira could be heard near the stove, preparing to light the straw.
-Son, finish up." Mom might lose her mind. Thank you, dear. Help me up.
Deniska removed his hand and pulled off the blanket. Vera stood up and sat down on the bench. Deniska sat down next to her. She hugged him around the shoulders. He leaned toward her. Her breasts were right in front of his eyes.
-Mom, can I put some cream under my breasts? There's a fold of skin there too, and it's covered by fabric. They can get in there.
-Oh, don't go on. I'm afraid of them. Put some cream on, of course.
-Turn towards me. Yes, that's it, that's enough.
Deniska squeezed some cream onto his palm and touched her breast. He used one hand and applied the cream along the entire lower line of her breast. He began to rub it in. With his other hand, he lifted her breast. His palm covered her nipple. His other hand massaged and rubbed. He remembered how he had kissed her nipple the night before, before leaving. He leaned down even lower. The nipple was right in front of his eyes. He touched it with his lips and kissed it. "That's it. Now Mom will push him away and scold him," but Mom did nothing. It seemed to him that she turned even more toward him.
"I shouldn't let him. He doesn't understand. Vera, you can't." When Deniska kissed her, her mind became confused again. Her thoughts switched chaotically from one topic to another. She remembered that Ira had said that the second stage of human sexual development occurs before marriage. "Am I exceeding these norms of initiation? How languid and good it feels. After your father left, I didn't date anyone. It came easily to me. But now everything inside me is burning. What did Ira say? I need to tighten my perineal muscles." Vera tightened her perineal muscles and held them tight.
She felt her self-control returning. She found Deniska's buddy with her hand. Through his underwear, he was hard and pressing against something again. She took him in her hand and stood him up like a soldier. Then she gently pushed his head away and pulled him away from her nipple. She understood and felt that she would always be there for him, helping him become a smart young man who would never lose control of himself again.
-You're all mine, my dear. Thank you. I love you. Your buddy is so strong. He stands at attention. Don't forget to control it. Don't give away your most precious thing. Spend it on yourself. You need to be smart, strong, and healthy.
-Mom, I love you too, very, very much. Yes, I try to control it. I touched you for your own good. There's no other way to fight ticks.
-I think you're right. For the sake of the cause, it's certainly very important.
Mom kissed him.
-Let me get dressed. Thank you. You removed so many ticks from me.
Vera put on a T-shirt and panties. Deniska also put on a T-shirt. They went into the room. Ira was sitting by the stove.
-Irisha, did you burn them?
-Yes, I hope they burned. They're tough. I'll throw in another batch of straw now. Let it burn. And then I'll go outside. We need to wash all our clothes, dry them, and iron them. Then tomorrow we can go to the lake in them.
-I'll go with you. Son, get a large bowl from the utility room. Take it outside and put it on the bench near the well. Pour two buckets of water into it.
-Yes, Mom. I will.
Deniska went to do what his mother asked. He lowered the bucket into the well and easily lifted it out. He did the same with the second bucket. "It's not heavy at all," he thought. Vera approached her friend and put her hand on her shoulder.
-Irish, forgive me for being so tactless. Are you a girl? When I examined you, I saw your hymen.
-Yes. You're right. I haven't been with anyone.
Vera was silent. If Ira wanted to, she would tell her herself. And indeed, after a few minutes of silence, she said that her mother had taught her how to control her sexual energy when she was a teenager. Therefore, while many of her peers, driven by hormones, could have lost their virginity at any convenient opportunity, her hormonal balance was always normal, and she graduated from school with honors without any problems. She had a friendly relationship with boys. They lived in a village not far from Blagoveshchensk. She enrolled in the BPU and lived in a university dormitory. In her second year, she was almost raped.
-Irisha, if it's unpleasant, don't remember it, don't talk about it.
-I fought back then.
Deniska came in.
-Mom, I did everything.
Ira and her mother were silent. "Maybe I got in the way." At that moment, Ira continued.
They called me a "nun." Our girls would go to dances or various parties at other universities. I always stayed in my room. Then they would spend the whole day discussing who said what, or whether she should let him lift her skirt. I wasn't interested in that. In my second year, they persuaded me, and I went with them. A drunken bunch of guys had gathered in front of the dance floor. They were discussing something and laughing loudly. My friends pulled me by the hand to get past this group quickly. As I later found out, this was a group led by the son of a local restaurant owner. They had gathered to choose a victim to entertain themselves for the evening. Before I could get past them, one of them rushed towards us, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into their circle. They immediately surrounded me and shielded me from my friends. "She'll be here soon, go away." They left because they were afraid of them. They had a bad reputation. The police were powerless. I was left alone. Their leader approached me. He was taller than me. He immediately reached into his pocket. He took out a wad of 25-ruble bills. Ira fell silent.
-Vera, can I talk to Deniska?
-I think so. You won't say anything unnecessary, and he needs to know. It's the cruel reality of life.
Deniska approached Ira. He understood that Ira was recounting some unpleasant event from her life. He hugged her from behind and pressed his head against her back.
-Ira, speak. I will understand. Sometimes at technical college, I also have to listen to the boys' heroic tales, and they tell such stories that my ears hurt.
Vera pulled Denis closer to her, hugged him, and they prepared to listen.
-They wanted to buy me for the evening and have fun with me as a group. They had done this many times before. None of the girls reported them. They paid right away. For many, it was a lot of money. They got away with everything. The police were bought off by the ringleader's father. I said I wasn't afraid of them and sent them away. Then this one came up to me and started threatening that we'll pass you around and do everything...
Ira fell silent. Vera and Deniska kept their eyes on Ira. They waited for her to continue.
-We'll take everything. You'll be begging us." I said I would start screaming. Then he swung his right arm and was about to hit me in the face. Once again, my mother's upbringing saved me. She taught me the theory of how to defend myself. I practiced this exercise with my shadow, imagining the blow in the air. Then my exercises came in handy. I fought off the blows of two of them and knocked them to the ground.
Deniska understood that fighting off drunk jerks is a skill that needs to be learned.
-Ira, can you give us more details? How did you knock them down?
-Yes, honey. When his fist was already coming towards my head, I took a step to the side and slightly forward with my right foot. I caught it with my right palm, covered his fist, and pulled it down. My palm with his fist went down, and with my right elbow I immediately struck him with all my strength in the chin, from bottom to top. His head fell back. My right palm moved away from his fist from below and struck him in the right carotid artery with its edge. He collapsed backward. It happened very quickly. No one understood what had happened. The one who was most sober jumped off the railing where he was sitting and rushed towards me. I didn't wait and struck him in the Adam's apple with my knuckles. He also collapsed to the ground. They all sobered up. I, the shortest of them, had somehow knocked out the tallest ones, and the strongest ones at that. I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I was afraid for both of them, thinking I might have killed them. But when their driver started to move, I realized that they were both alive. I don't remember exactly what I said to them. Something like, "If they want to be impotent, I'll make it happen. I'm a 'nun' and I know the pressure points on the body. If you cross my path again, you'll be guaranteed to become disabled from impotence." They took their friends by the arms and quietly disappeared into the darkness. I returned to the dormitory. I didn't go to dances anymore. These scoundrels, who gang-raped more than one girl from our BPU, then inquired about me. They confirmed that there was such a "nun."
I never saw them again. My friends later told me rumors from our university that I had made some rapist impotent. The guys were afraid of me and avoided me. And they studied with us, "first, second, calculation complete." That's how, Verchik, my trips to the dances ended. When I started working, I was unlucky in meeting someone.
-Irish, you're good and beautiful. Everything will work out.
-Mom, what will work out?
-Nothing, son. We're talking about ourselves. Please put a full kettle on the stove. We'll boil some water for washing, because the water from the well is too cold for our hands.
Deniska, everything is ready. Soon the kettle boiled, and they all went out to the well together. Outside, they poured all the water from the kettle into a bowl, added powder, and soaked all the dirty clothes. Then they split up. Deniska went to the garden for greens, Vera started cooking lunch, and Ira started washing clothes. Deniska helped his mother peel potatoes and then helped Ira wring out and hang up the clothes. After lunch, his mother and Ira went to visit Yevdokia Anisimovna and to the store. Deniska decided to make two sticks for tomorrow's trip to the lake. When his mother and Ira returned, he had just finished them.
-These are yours. If you're going to the lake tomorrow, they're ready.
Vera frowned.
-What if we get ticks again?
-Vera, what happens if you step on an anthill?
-They'll bite me.
-Yes, that's right. You entered their home without permission. They are forest dwellers, just like ticks. Tomorrow we won't go to the ants' house or the ticks' house. We'll go to the lake and leave everyone alone. Thank you, little one, for the handy sticks. They make it much easier to get around in the forest.
-Yes, Irisha, you're right. I guess I chickened out today.
-Deniska, did you put the flashlight on charge?
-Yes, Ira.
-We'll need it. Before bed, everyone needs to check themselves again. This time, look carefully at your head. They can hide in your hair and then crawl out.
While it was still light out, they ironed their dry clothes. In the evening, after showering again, Mom checked Deniska. She didn't find any "villains." Deniska's relatively short haircut and thin, boyish figure made it easy to perform a thorough examination. Denis hoped that they would ask him to help with the examination. But his mother and Ira said they would do it themselves.
-Son, we've already put a lot on you today. Two women were lying in front of you. It's harmful to your fragile psyche. I'm telling you this as a teacher.
-Mom, you know better. But I feel like it was very beneficial for my mental health.
-You're one to say that.
They went into the room behind the stove with Ira. They weren't there long. Deniska didn't even have time to read one chapter and decided to ask Ira, since his mother got upset when ticks were mentioned.
-Ira, well? Did you find anything?
-No. We looked everywhere carefully. It's clean.
-Ira, if we go to the lake tomorrow and on other days, should we check ourselves in the evening?
-Yes, son. Good question.
Ira thought for a moment.
-There's a saying, "God protects those who protect themselves." I think we should. It won't take long. The health of our loved ones and peace of mind are very important.
-I agree with you, Irisha. I'll feel better knowing that no one will bite Deniska or you.
They were getting ready for bed. Mom and Ira rubbed cream on their hands. They watched the news on TV. Deniska read. His thoughts returned to Ira's story. "How cool she was when she blocked that blow. I'll have to ask her to show me how." Before going to bed, he went outside to pee. "Judging by the stars, tomorrow will be a nice day." When he returned, only the lamp above his bed was on. He turned it off and went to bed.
-Mom, are you asleep yet?
-Not yet.
-Ira, how does your mom know these techniques? I mean, how does she know how to block a blow?
-A nun, a refugee from Tibet, showed her.
The one who showed her techniques for preserving sexual energy.
-Yes. Preserving and sublimating.
-And to sublimate, is that to concentrate?
-No, honey, the synonym is to transform. She showed a lot of techniques for sublimating sexual energy that I've never read about anywhere.
-Can you tell me about her?
-I can't do it in two sentences.
-I'd love to hear it. And you, son?
-Me too. I love listening to Ira. Mom, can I lie down closer to you? Ira's bed is next to yours. I'll be able to hear better. If I'm not in the way?
-Sure, come over here.
Deniska turned on his flashlight and pointed it upward. He approached his mother's bed. Vera was lying on her side. She moved to the edge, making room for Deniska. He also lay down on his side. They turned toward Ira and prepared to listen. Deniska turned off the flashlight and placed it on the nightstand.
-It was 1951. They lived in Blagoveshchensk with my mother, my grandmother. My grandmother worked as a teacher at a school. According to my mother, on Sunday evening, the mother of one of her students called her. After the call, my grandmother returned home looking worried. She sat down on the bed and said that she was on the list. Tomorrow she would be taken away as an enemy of the people. The woman who called had a husband who worked for the authorities, and she respected my grandmother very much as her daughter's teacher and as a person, so she warned her. This meant that, at best, my grandmother would be sent to a camp and my mother to an orphanage. My grandmother packed her things in a suitcase, dressed my mother, and they went to the train station. My grandmother told the residents of the communal apartment that she was leaving with her daughter to stay with relatives in Vladivostok for ten days. In reality, they had nowhere to go. She decided to hide in an Old Believer settlement, in some village on the Zeya River. They lived there in isolation, and the repression that had plunged the country into black chaos was hardly noticeable there.
Vera and Deniska listened without interrupting. Deniska felt his mother hug him and pull him gently toward her. Her knees pressed lightly against his legs. It was very dark. Ira's bed was a step and a half away from them, but it was not visible. Hearing an unfamiliar word, Deniska asked:
-And Zeya, what is that?
-A river. It flows into the Amur, on the banks of which Blagoveshchensk is located. They boarded the last suburban train at the railway station, traveled two stops, and got off. Mom was scared and didn't understand where they were going. After leaving the platform, they didn't go to the village, but to the forest. I don't know how, but Grandma knew that they would definitely come across Old Believer villages where they could hide. Mom said they didn't find it right away. She doesn't know how long they wandered, but the first snow had already fallen, and they still hadn't met anyone. They were already wandering aimlessly, emaciated and starving.
Deniska turned onto his back. He was interested in listening and tried not to make any noise. Turning his head toward his mother, he bumped into her T-shirt. "So she's lying higher up." He touched the spot where his hand had touched her. It turned out that his head was somewhere in the center. He touched lower, where he could feel her breast, which lay freely under her T-shirt. He moved even lower. Now, turning his head toward his mother, his nose touched her breast and nipple. He didn't make such movements often so as not to disturb his mother's listening.
He would turn, rub himself, and lie quietly again.
One morning, Mom woke up to someone pulling on her clothes. They were sleeping leaning against each other, covered with all the things they had. Grandma was lying next to her, not moving. When she opened her eyes, she didn't see anyone. Thinking it was her imagination, she closed her eyes again and tried to go back to sleep. Someone started pulling on the bottom of her coat again. Opening her eyes, she saw a large gray dog. The dog pulled her, then ran back and sat down.
Deniska rubbed against his mother's nipple again. This time, his mother pulled her T-shirt up and bared her breast. She leaned over slightly, and her nipple pressed against his face. He opened his mouth and took it between his lips. Vera leaned toward his ear and whispered:
-Son, be quiet, dear.
-Ira, was it a wolf?
-Yes, Vera. Mom thought it was a dog. She said she wasn't afraid of the dog. It ran away and sat down again, waiting for Mom. So Mom approached a large pile of leaves under a tree. The dog sat nearby and didn't run away anymore. Grandma woke up at that moment, but Mom was nowhere to be found. She began to call her quietly. She came out of the bushes and saw Mom standing nearby, a gray wolf sitting next to her, and someone moving in the pile of leaves. Grandma started saying to the wolf, "Go away, go away, go away." The wolf got up and started running away. Grandma approached her mother. But the wolf sat down to the side and did not leave. Seeing that the wolf was not aggressive, Grandma began to approach her mother.
When she approached, she saw that her mother was unharmed, and in the pile of leaves she saw a person. From the height, it was a child. He was in rags. His facial features suggested that he was not Russian and resembled a Buryat. When her grandmother pulled him out of the leaves, the she-wolf got up and started to walk away into the forest. Three wolves came out to meet her. They sniffed each other and ran after her into the depths of the forest.
Even though Deniska was sucking on his mother's nipple, he listened with interest. His mother also lay very quietly and listened to Ira. Vera moved her hand into Deniska's underpants, uncovered the head of his buddy, and removed her hand. Deniska felt a bad feeling inside. It was as if he was deceiving someone. "We're deceiving Ira." Deniska pushed himself up from the mattress with his foot and moved up towards his mother's head. He lifted his head and tried to find her ear and whispered.
-Mom, we're cheating on Ira. She didn't see me kissing you. Is that bad? Can you ask her if I can lie down with her? I want to kiss her.
-No, son, we're not cheating on her. And you're not bad. I'll try now. Lie still and listen.
-Grandma and Mom started raking the leaves and pulling the child out. He was shorter than my mom and very dirty. It was difficult to tell how old he was. Once they pulled him out, he reached out his hand to us, then to his mouth, and did this several times. Grandma took out a bottle of water and a bread crust.They themselves were running out of food. Having given away everything they had, they wanted to move on. The grandmother indicated that they were leaving and waved her hand, signaling, "Come with us." The teenager got up and tried to walk with them. He was staggering. It was clear that he was simply exhausted from hunger and had no strength left. The grandmother lit a fire. She told the mother to sit there and not go anywhere. She went to get water. Are you tired of the story?
-No.
Vera and Deniska said almost simultaneously.
-Ira, Deniska wants to come with you. Will you let him?" If he bothers you, then rest. He'll lie down with me.
-Let him come. There's enough room.
-Come on, son, get up. Ira doesn't mind.
She whispered in his ear.
-Control yourself.
-Yes, Mom.
-Wait...
She took off his T-shirt and underpants. Deniska didn't understand why his mother did that, but he didn't say anything. She pulled his head toward her and kissed him. They didn't turn on the flashlight, and Deniska approached Ira's bed and reached out, touching her shoulder. There was a rustling sound from the sheet Ira was covered with.
-Lie down here.
He felt for a free spot with his hand and sat down. In the same way, he felt for a free spot with his hand and lay down carefully. Ira covered him with a sheet. He snuggled up to her. He felt that Ira was in her nightgown. "Is she wearing panties or not?" Ira continued.
When the grandmother returned with water, the first thing she did was wash the child. When it became possible to make out the first features of the face, it became clear that this was not a child. Despite the very short haircut, it was clear that this was a woman of indeterminate age. The grandmother tried to talk to her. It didn't work the first time. In the end, they understood each other with the help of Chinese. Chinese was not this woman's native language either. She later told my grandmother that she was a nun, had served in a monastery in Tibet,
that her name was Dulma, and that she was a refugee who had fled the war. Her fate was full of tragedy.
Deniska lay there and listened. He lay with his back to Ira. He wanted to turn around and touch Ira everywhere. He couldn't bring himself to do it. He thought it would be rude and that he would hurt Ira.
-How did she end up on the Zee? Where is Tibet? It's probably a thousand kilometers or more away.
-Yes, Vera. I don't even know how many kilometers she traveled to get to these forests.
Deniska couldn't think of anything else to say, so, since he was lying on his left side, he put his right hand behind his back, slipped it under her nightgown, and stroked Ira's chest with his open palm. Ira moved away a little, and his hand was no longer so cramped.
-According to her story, she first ended up in Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar, then crossed the border in the Ulan-Ude area.
-But was it possible to cross the border? There are border guards, document checks, visas with stamps, right?
Deniska became a little bolder. While his mother was asking questions, he turned to face Ira. His head was level with Ira's chest. He slipped both hands under her nightgown and began to gently caress her breasts with his palms. Ira allowed him to do so and did not resist his movements.
"You're right, Vera. She was short and was hiding under the train in some kind of box. She told us herself. She wanted to take the train to Nepal, where she hoped to get to one of the Bon monasteries. She made a mistake and got on the wrong train. That's how she crossed the border, that's how she almost made it to Blagoveshchensk. Hunger forced her to get off and look for food in the forest.
-What happened to her?" Why was she forced to flee?
-Ira, was Dulma beautiful?
-Her beauty blossomed in the Old Believers' village, when she had fully recovered and gained a little weight, and her body once again resembled that of a woman. There she sewed herself the traditional clothing of her people and wore only that.
Dulma, a refugee from a Tibetan monastery: youtube.com/shorts/hLnG7gTQuIs
Deniska became very excited. Since he was naked, his penis pressed against Ira's thighs. His hands were on her soft breasts. Ira sensed something was wrong. She leaned her head over him and whispered.
-Honey, how are you? Are you in control? Do you need help?
-Yes, I need a little help.
Ira put her hand behind him, spread his buttocks, found the spot, and gently pressed on it. He relaxed. Deniska relaxed.
-Vera, can you pass me the cream? It's for Deniska. I want to lubricate his head, otherwise he'll get overexcited.
-Yes, I can.
Vera turned on the flashlight. It provided good visibility and didn't hurt the eyes. She took out the cream.
-Let me help. My hands are free. Open the sheet a little.
-Go ahead.
Vera opened the sheet. Deniska pressed himself against Ira. His naked buddy was pressing against the lower part of her thighs. Ira's nightgown was crumpled and pulled up. Her breasts were visible under the nightgown. Ira covered his butt with her hand. Her fingers were deep inside, holding the spot and pressing on it. Ira removed her hand.
-Son, turn toward me. I'll put some cream on it. It will make you feel better.
Deniska turned onto his back.
-Mom, it's okay. I just need a little bit.
He himself did not understand what he meant by "a little bit." Vera sat down on the edge of the bed so that she had access to Deniska's buddy. She rubbed cream on his head. Deniska's left hand initially hung down toward the floor. When his mother finished, he raised it to turn back toward Ira. His hand landed between his mother's legs, right on her mound. It gave her a jolt. Vera almost dropped the tube in surprise.
-Oh, Mom. I didn't mean to...
But his hand remained there. He began to smooth the folds of the mound toward himself with his fingers. Vera didn't answer. She put the cream on top of the nightstand.
-Irish, do you want me to help you take off your nightgown? It's all wrinkled.
Irina's nightgown was pressed flat and tucked under her chin.
-Yes, please help me. It's useless now, it's just getting in the way.
Ira tried to pull it over her head herself, but she couldn't manage it.
-Push yourself up on your elbow and I'll pull it out.
Vera leaned over and helped Ira pull it up and take it off.
-Thank you. Now nothing is pressing on my back.
Deniska was in some kind of sweet half-sleep. First, he caressed Irina's breasts, then, turning to her, he began to try to kiss them. He touched his lips to his target. His mate pressed against Ira's thighs. With his movements, he pushed forward. Arousal came quickly, and Ira, sensing this, helped him take control. At that moment, her mother leaned over him and rubbed cream on the most sensitive part of his body. And then his hand fell on her mother's mound from below. He began to stroke the unevenness inside with his fingers.
After freeing Ira from her nightgown and lubricating Deniska's buddy, Vera got up from the bed and wanted to move to her own bed, but at that moment, Deniska's hand was not yet free and reached up for her mother's mound.
-Mom, don't go. Stay, lie down with me.
-Son, I'm big. We won't fit. It's already cramped for you.
-Verchik, I'll move over. Little one, move closer to me. That's it. Look, there's room for you here.
Ira and Deniska moved over, Ira lying on her left side and Deniska right next to her. His hand remained inside his mother's mound. Vera didn't know what to do for a second.
-Well, let's try it. It's cramped, but no offense.
She turned off the flashlight, took off her nightgown, freed herself from Deniska's hand, and carefully lay down on her right side in the space made for her. Deniska lay between them, his head still at the level of Ira's chest. Vera lay down level with Ira, her chest resting on Deniska's face.
-Son, are you comfortable?
-Yes, Mom. Very comfortable.
He joined his mother's and Ira's breasts with both hands and directed their nipples to his lips. And he succeeded. He rocked his head from side to side and squeezed them with his lips. Sometimes he plunged them to the maximum depth to the base of his tongue. He held them himself for a while, but in the dark he lost them and found them again and lost them again. Vera and Ira came to his aid. They replaced his hands with theirs. It became easier for Deniska. Now the nipples were close by, and he simply kissed them and caressed them with his tongue. He lowered his hands. He touched his buddy. It was doing well. He made five lower locks in a row, just in case. His hands found something to do on their own. It wasn't very comfortable, but he got used to it and began to stroke the two mounds. He felt that both his mother and Ira had lifted the knees of one leg up, bending it, opening up access for him.
-Son, how are you doing, dear?
Deniska couldn't answer. His mouth was busy.
-Vera, I'll check him there. I'm afraid there might be a sudden surge of energy.
Ira released her breast and moved her hand to Deniska's mate. She closed and opened the head. The honey was fine. At this time, Vera held her and Irina's breasts with her hand, making them accessible to Deniska's lips.
-Everything's fine. He's gradually getting stronger. That's how it should be. The main thing is not to cross the line of arousal.
Deniska, meanwhile, was stroking the inside of the wet mounds with his fingers, and he liked it. He felt a response to his every movement. The two mounds moved toward his hand more and more with each stroke.
-I don't know if I can continue today. Deniska's lips and his hand are preventing me from concentrating. My head is completely foggy.
-Yes, Irisha. I'm not myself either. Can you press the spot for me? I'm on the verge.
-Yes, I can. Please press mine too.
-Okay.
They placed their hands on top of Deniska's hand. Finding the point, they pressed it. Deniska felt palms on both sides of his hand. "Now they'll take my hands away." But that didn't happen. He felt his hands slide further and stop there. "They pressed on the point. That means Ira and Mom needed help too." After lying in silence for a while, Vera kissed Deniska.
-Son, let's go to bed. We'll get up and go to our room.
-Yes, Mom, just a minute. It's so nice here. I don't want to get up.
-Kiss Ira goodbye and let's go. Everyone needs to rest.
Vera put her hand between her legs, took Ira's hand, and squeezed it. She carefully got out of bed. Deniska hugged Ira once more, kissed her chest, and reached for her lips. They kissed.
-Good night, honey.
-Good night.
Vera was already settling into her bed when Deniska shuffled past her barefoot.
-Are you going to kiss Mom good night?
-Yes, Mom. Good night.
He sat down on her bed and leaned toward her. Vera hugged him and kissed him. Deniska found his mother's lips and kissed her too. "My mom is so good. I love her so much," and then he added, "I love Ira too." With these thoughts, he climbed into his own bed.
To be continued