Para Jessica.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Snow was falling, his house was so cold and adding his loneliness, he was shaking and clattering his teeth. It was winter, his sisters were gone, dealing with their problems, he wished at least someone could be at home with him. He had forgotten how warmth felt.
He walked through the huge house now alone. The flowers hadn´t grown, he thought it was because no sun would warm them, nether him.
She liked those flowers; she was so young when he met her. She was good at gardening, he remembered the huge yard filled with sunflowers, laughing and at some moment he felt as in a family.
Elizabetha, the mother, was cooking outside while Alexander, the father was cutting some logs. Both sisters were playing with Lev, their dog; he looked so gracious and simple chasing the ball while Lenor and Kate chased him laughing. Anastasia was near the sunflowers, which were as tall as him, she was drawing, singing, laying in the ground. When she saw him coming her face lit up, she started running and as soon as he knew she was hugging him. He enjoyed it, he felt warm, his cheeks were red but he enjoyed it. They heard Elizabetha calling, it was time to eat, all arrived to the huge table, filled with good looking food. He went to leave his things, he left the gun and his helmet, it had been a tough day at the front of the enemy lines.
He got into de table, every one watched him, and asked him how the day has been. He enjoyed every minute of it because the following day he would be back at the front lines. The germans were moving forward but it was under copntrol as far as he knwe. He stood up, already full with food and helped with the dishes.
When they all finished, Anastasia aproached him and brought with her a drawing, it was full of sunflowers, she was there with a big smile, by her side he saw himself smiling too and with the little Levby their sides. He felt his cheeks red again. He was happy; he hugged her and hurried upstairs.
He had met this family before war; they were looking for a secure place. He had been alone, he was a soldier of the USSR, to protect mother Russia. Hel let them stay at the house because he felt aloneand beeing with them helped to close that vaccumn in his chest.
Morning came, he woke up when the sun hadn´t risen yet. He went and washed himself, he put on the uniform, cleaned his mudcovered boots, and too his bag. He was reaching the door when he heard someone. He turned and there was little Anastasia with tears at her eyes.
_ “I don´t want you to go”.
_ “But you know I have to ...”-
_”But I don´t know if you´ll come back!” and she started crying harder.
He hated seeing her crying, he felt bad but it was his duty to serve the nation. He bent down and put his hands on Anastasia´s shoulders
_ “I promise I will come back”.
And he hugged her; she was still crying but murmured something like “ok”
_”When you come back I will show you my drawings”.
_”I´ll bring you a bunch of sunflowers”.
And with that he stood up, took his gun and his helmet and left.
The Russian came back with a bunch of sunflowers on his hands, a big smile on his face and good news. Germany was weakened and planning to retreat so he wasn´t going back to war, not in a few months.
But something wasn´t right, the front door was opened and some of the windows were shattered, he feared the worst.
He entered and saw a horrible scene, the house was all empty, there were some blood spots on the walls and he found a bunch of drawings al spattered on the floor.
He recognized himself in most of them but not with an army uniform, just something normal and with the family. There was the other drawing, he and little Anastasia surrounded by sunflowers...
He was really sad and angry.
The war had ended a while ago, the Russian was at his coach, huge house and it was snowing. Everything was cold now, since they left. There were no more sunflowers, no dog....
The Russian looked so calm and peaceful while sleeping, not showing his pain and sorrow, he was dreaming about that nice day when they ate peacefully outside, with sunflowers all around them.
He was hugging something; it was a picture frame where a little girl was standing around sunflowers, smiling.
It was cold and no sunflowers were growing.
