A few meters

1
Our yard. Small, shady. The walls of the house plastered wild grapes. Ropes with drying linen. Every summer we played here in the "war", like all boys of our country. And as elsewhere, no one wanted to be "fascist" ... And we Sanka reveled books about the war. And commanders paraded names, name of the operation. Naturally, after such a manifestation of intelligence we were commanders ...

2
Heavy ... That he's heavy, but when we arrived in Bagram, all his "prisoner of Buchenwald" teased, I was so skinny. Skin and bones. Lad Camp, of course, fed, and drove. It's not to gain weight.

3
Admission to the pioneers. Pride. We are now part of the common cause. Young Octobrists, staring with envy.

4
Grade 10. Port guitar. Sanka kissing a girl from next door, timidly at first, and then "like Belmondo." He looks at it for two years. I do not dare to approach. Then, as they saw her older brother. He only just came out of the army, and all whispered, looking at him and repeated the strange rustling the word "Afghanistan". He did not scold Sanka, just patted on the head, smiled at her and then what went on. Sanka And then he said - he has a look ... As if he was not from our world.

5
Summer lightning. With Sanka tore epaulettes, shouted, "You killed" and he jerked and said - I'm dead, and I will fight.

6
Support column. Ural armor turntables. Impressive power. We were not the first time, and the youngsters ... nervous one. He sits on the armor, his eyes on the sides zyrkaet. And someone razzyavil mouth and looking at all this. He is looking, not looking up. I can not believe that we were such.

7
"Well it is, but ... How could I so badly ..." Whispers. Alive, thank you Lord. Be patient, Sanya ... There is nothing at all left ...

8
Farewell. Posurovevshie fathers, mothers, ready is about to cry. That girl does not come off by Sanka. And her brother. He took us away, he paused. Then he took out a cigarette, kneaded it and said - you'll go to war. I feel I am. So, boys. Do not trust anyone. There we do not build the school. There's a war.

9
New Year. Oranges, olive, tree. Outside, a snowstorm, and you're home. Warm and cozy. This is home. And here. This year met at the outpost. Poorat "Cheers", to shoot into the sky tracers. That's the whole holiday.

10
The airfield was walking wind. We have just disembarked from the plane and take a look at this country. Afghanistan. Dry, incomprehensible, beautiful. We knew then the war, but had no idea how to fight in these mountains. After all, war is a chain of infantry, tanks, reaching into the breach, links stormtroopers utyuzhaschie enemy. After all, as we've seen it in the movies. In such a war, we were told grandfathers. And here? It is not clear ...

11
River. The wide, slow. We lie on the beach, squinting his eyes from the sun. Vacations ...

12
The first fight. On the wiring column ran into an ambush. I shot it is not clear where, not knowing what had happened. Methane to the left and right until the demobilization-sergeant pulled me to the ground. "Asshole, no worries! Break through. "He said it's so confident that it worked. And hell burning nalivnikov where fire and smoke rushed vague figure, became the battle. Just fight. One of the many.

13
Grandfather died. The mother reported the letter. I have so lost touch with the fact that people may not die from a bullet fragment or infections that do not understand how it is, my grandfather is no more. None of his hard hands. His shuffling and muffled voice. As he died, because there is no war ...

14
The order - to take a pass. The order should be carried out. But whether the "spirits" have appeared more bright, or passed us, but we were waiting for the pass. Sanka went on patrol and the first bullet was it. Spirits pressed fire, they pressed us. But he was lying. At a public place. On the palm of death. From boulder behind which I hid until his seven and a half meters. And as much back. Total fifteen.

15
All! Dropped! Both! Queue hit the stone, splashing us crumbs. Sanka looked at me, smiled, and died. So strange. All life fit into 15 meters.

© zoldner

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