Chapter 9 Section IX

Morning came quietly, and the crescendo of dawn light through the window wantonly devoured the shadows that no candlelight could dispel.On the other side of the room, Nicholas was still asleep. I lifted the quilt and bathed my whole body in the warm sunshine.It's the second sunny day in a row, I remind myself.Perhaps the inclement weather of the past few weeks is finally about to turn.During this period, how many times I woke up in the morning, shivering in the cold of March, and dressed quickly.But today it feels like summer is here. For a moment, I let myself wallow in memories of past summers.But a movement in the living room interrupted me and brought me back to reality.Mom is getting ready for the trip, she should need my help.

I got out of bed, stood in the faint sunlight and stretched until the muscles on my back and legs were tense, and then I relaxed, making my body flexible and flexible, ready for everything that is coming today get ready.I went to a dark corner of the room, and washed my body in the pool there, driving away the dead silence left by last night's sleep. Today, morning washing is also a favorite because it can be restored to dryness by the heat of the sun.Throughout the long winter, bathing was not a pleasant thing, and many times I had to knock the ice off the pool first, and I couldn't help shaking when I thought of that scene.

I turned my head and saw that Nicholas had woken up, lying quietly on the bed and looking at me.There was a carefree and innocent smile on his face. I put on a linen blouse and badly worn calfskin shoes.These shoes were my eleventh birthday present.My friends at school envied me back then, and I couldn't help but raise my lips when I recalled how they argued about trying them on. Such fond memories. But it's just a memory. Now, I'm twelve, and my outgrown feet stretch the calfskin of the shoes to their limits, and they're always uncomfortable to wear.But there's no point complaining because I only have this pair of shoes.

"Is it mother's voice?" Nikolay asked. I heard it too, my mother was humming a ditty while working.I grinned as I listened.It was a sign of cheerfulness, which, combined with the warm sunlight filling the room, lightened my heart at once. "Wake up, little one," I called. "Mom is packing and we have to help her. Today we're starting a new adventure!"