In late September, Ural Mountains, Pechora Coal Mine.
In the cold and sparse coniferous forest, a gray-furred hare pricked up its ears alertly, stood upright on its feet, held a blade of grass in its mouth, and its small red eyes reflected the shadow of a bush.
The air was silent, and the gray hare suddenly turned around and ran wildly. The bushes roared, and two hounds sprang out. They caught up with the hare like lightning and bit off its neck.
The hounds did not eat the carcass of the hare, but took the captured prey in their mouths, got into the bushes, and walked through the coniferous forest. After a while, they came to a huge coal mining area, and their cheeks were stained black by carbon ash. The workers, wearing iron hats and holding a piece of brass in their mouths with a lit candle at the end, went deep into the mine and carried pieces of coal to the ground. They stayed in the dark and narrow mine all year round. The internal labor made their bodies hunched over.
Two hunting dogs ran to the wooden house outside the mining area with the hare in their mouths, and placed the prey in front of a middle-aged man with gray hair and a pipe in his mouth. He sat on the ground, sticking out his tongue and panting.
"Caught another prey? It's amazing..."
The middle-aged man with a pale face and wrinkles took out two pieces of dried meat and threw them to the hounds. He bent down and picked up the hare on the ground. The sleeve of his left arm swayed in the wind, showing nothing.
The middle-aged man stared at the hare in his hand, puffing on his pipe, his eyes full of worry.
His name is Valery Gorbachev. He has worked in the Pechora coal mine for 40 years. He is 50 years old this year. His father and grandfather are both coal miners. Gorbachev means 'bend down'. "Hunchback", Valery, whose family has been a coal miner for three generations, has been nicknamed "Hunchback" since he was a child, and this has also become their surname.
Valery means strong. His father hoped that he would become strong and be able to carry more coal and be appreciated by the mine owner. This was indeed the case. Valery had been very strong since he was a child, eating more and doing more. There were many, and the mine owner admired him very much. However, a few years ago, he lost his left arm in a coal mine accident. From then on, Valery stopped working in the mines.
Perhaps out of pity for him, or perhaps out of the 'camaraderie' that his grandfather, father and son all worked in the mines, the owner of the mine did not drive him away, but instead arranged a night watch job for him.
In order to relieve loneliness and guard against wild beasts that may pop up in the forest at any time, Valery raised two hounds, one named Kafka and the other named Kafka. Together they are Kafka, which means good luck... .Similar to 'wangcai' and 'laifu'.
The hounds caught prey, and Valery, as the owner, should be happy. He was indeed very happy at first, but as the two hounds gradually evolved from one prey a day to three, four or even more a day. ...
Valery couldn't be happier.
The hounds' range of activities is limited, and they are catching more and more prey, which means that there are more and more living creatures around. The Pechora Coal Mine is located on the edge of the forest. Normally, you don't see many wild animals at all. The current strange situation only makes you It can show that some kind of 'change' has occurred deep in the forest.
This 'change' started after the big earthquake two months ago.
Valery didn't know what was happening in the forest, and he didn't dare to know. He could only warn the coal miners after work not to go to the forest to pick wild fruits. However, the workers said that he was unfounded and did not listen at all.
Gululu...
Gululu...
A carriage came from a distance, and Valery recognized it at a glance as the mine owner's carriage. He quickly opened the barrier. When the carriage passed by, a slightly chubby man wearing a golden coat poked out of the window. The palm holding the ring handed over a newspaper.
Valery quickly took the newspaper and watched the carriage go away. Since the Church of Truth defeated the Wisdom Cult in 'Change of Times', the mine owners would regularly inspect the mines. Every time they came to inspect, the mine owners would bring a copy to Valery. The latest newspaper, Valery has always been grateful, so when the church priests came to investigate what the mine owners were doing....
He tried his best to say nice things and praised the mine owner as warm as the sun in the sky.
However, many workers still complain about the fact that the mine owners are exploiting them. Since the mine owners are not aristocrats or old bureaucrats, when land reform is being carried out vigorously outside, the mining areas are calm. It may be that the flames have not yet burned here. .
In short, the mine owner seemed to have heard something. He initially wanted to sell the mine, but no one took over, so he began to regularly inspect the mining area and formed an inspection team to test the mine structure. Any unqualified mines with a risk of collapse would be Everything was renovated and reinforced. Even the working hours of the workers were reduced to 8 hours. They had one day off per week. The food was also better and they often tasted meat.
The workers were happy, the mine owner was happy, and Valery should be happy too, but he just couldn't be happy. There was a haze in his heart, and he spent the whole day watching the forest, fearing that a big black bear would run out of it.
Fortunately, it is daytime now and there is still some time before the sun goes down. The workers are all here and they are not afraid of the black bear.
Valery took the newspaper and sat on the tree stump in front of the wooden house that was used to cut firewood. He refilled his pipe with tobacco and started reading the newspaper. When he was a child, he attended free church Sunday school for a few days, although the teacher who taught them literacy was harsh and harsh. , I will punish them corporally if they are not careful, but at least I have taught them something.
Looking back now, Valery is still very grateful to that teacher. He can no longer remember the pain at that time, but he still has not forgotten the knowledge he learned.
Who can say whether it is good or bad?
The owner of the mine sent the latest issue of Pravda. Although Pravda is not the best-selling newspaper in the Romanov Kingdom, and its sales volume is not as good as the "Daily Interesting News" invested and founded by the former King Paul I, Pravda is currently in Romanov. It is the most authoritative newspaper in the Kingdom. Many things can be verified in it, but unlike other newspapers, it will not follow the wind and report some false news for the sake of sales.
"Huh?" Valery saw the list of herbs and extraordinary creatures in the newspaper. He frowned, thinking of the increasing number of animals on the outskirts of the forest these days, and suspected that some extraordinary creature might have awakened deep in the forest.
The newspaper also said that if traces of herbs and supernatural creatures are found, please report it immediately to the local church or monastery. Valery took a puff of cigarette and hesitated for a moment.
He wanted to report the situation to the church in the city, but he was afraid that there were no extraordinary creatures in the forest, which would make his trip in vain...
Smoking cigarettes, the sun gradually sets, and when dusk comes, the workers emerge from the mines, put down their tools, and prepare to return to the workhouse to rest.
The coal mine is outside the city, some distance from the nearest city. Except for necessary circumstances, workers rarely enter the city. They usually live in the mine field. When necessary, they will take a passing public carriage into the city.
Valery grabbed a worker who was about to go to the city and told what he had discovered, hoping that the worker would help tell it to the church...
"I know, I know, old Valery, you must be thinking too much. Winter is coming soon. Animals must be looking for food. It is normal for the number to increase!"
As the worker spoke, he left the coal mine field. Reporting the situation to the church was just a matter of raising a finger and it was not troublesome.
The night is getting darker, after dinner, except for a few workers who are still shoveling coal, the other workers are playing cards and drinking in the workhouse. The Pechora Coal Mine is at the northernmost tip of the Ural Mountains and has entered the far north region. There is freezing everywhere. The soil layer, if you are lucky, you can also see the Aurora.
In the wooden house at the gate of the mine, Valery drank the last mouthful of beet soup, ate the hard bread, wiped his mouth casually twice, picked up the shotgun leaning on the corner, checked the bullets, and after confirming that they were correct, shouted .
"Kafka, let's go!"
The two hounds squatting in front of the stove raised their heads, skillfully picked up the kerosene lamp on the table, and followed Valery out of the cabin. As a night watchman, Valery not only had to guard the door, but also patrolled the mine field regularly to avoid There was a coal thief in the middle of the night.
Kafu followed Valery with a kerosene lamp in his mouth, while Fuka walked in front, like a loyal guard, guarding his master every step of the way. The cold wind was blowing in the forest at night, and he could not see his fingers. Only Valery was like this. Workers who work in mines all year round can adapt to the darkness.
Walking on the edge of the mine, checking the condition of the fence, Valery was careful not to fall. Under his feet was the cliff of the mine. If he lost his footing, he would surely die.
After a round of inspection, the fence was intact and there was nothing going on around him. Valery whistled and was about to return to the cabin. Suddenly, Fuka, who was walking at the front, raised his head warily and faced the darkness outside the fence. barked.
