Yegor Nikitich moved to the city after retirement. He buried his wife recently, and he did not want to stay alone in a large house on the edge of the village. It was hard to physically work in the garden.
Why would he need a garden alone? God didn’t give children. In lonely old age, it is better to move to the city, closer to the clinic and the district hospital.
The old man was about 80 years old. He left his apartment on the 2nd floor not often, only for the most necessary things: a store and a pharmacy.
Among the neighbors on the site were mainly young people, so to communicate with my grandfather almost no one. He helped the old man to sit on the balcony, on which he went to sit – “walk”, breathe fresh air, see what is happening in the yard.
On the balcony, Nikitich built a decent bench, an old homemade wardrobe from former residents served as a storage for various cans and pans of food — it was instead of a refrigerator. Egor Nikitich carried his simple soup there during the cold season. In the winter, his refrigerator was in the kitchen. So the old man saved on electricity, which he was happy about.
“Walking” on the balcony, the old man already knew exactly when the neighborhood children from school are coming, when a neighbor from the first floor is in a hurry for lunch, at what hours the car comes to pick up garbage containers.
He went to the balcony as his observation post and in his heart felt almost like the commandant of the court. Many residents waved their hand to the old man as a sign of greeting, he answered them with the same smile. In those moments, he didn’t feel alone.
Once Nikitich forgot to cover the door of his balcony “fridge”, where he put a cup of pasta. Going out to the balcony for food, he found the cup almost empty. The old man, realizing his mistake, began to scold himself on what the light is worth. But most importantly, who ate his dinner?
I watched and I understood. On the tree opposite the balcony often sat a large crow. She gawked at the whole courtyard, gazing with her brilliant intelligent eyes at the balcony of Nikitich.
So Egor’s grandfather had a friend. The good old man, in order to avoid robbery, began to leave the bird bread crusts on a stool. And then he built a special place on the locker, covering it with glue — a feeder.
From behind the curtain in the room, he watched a crow fly in for a treat. At first, with fear, the bird sat for a long time on the railings of the balcony, peering out the window — is there no trick? Then she quickly grabbed a piece and flew to her tree. She must have had a nest there.
Nikitich called the crow Doch. Daughter quickly got used to handouts and when the old man was delayed with the issuance of treats, she gawked at him about it. It’s been months. One day, the old man got sick. There was no strength to go to the store or to the pharmacy — the neighbors helped.
Nikitich didn’t go out on the balcony. The street was damp and windy in autumn. Food in the days of illness, he did not cook himself, drank kefir with a bun, there was no urine standing at the stove. It’s been a week.
Finally, Yegor Nikitich began to get up, the temperature subsided, on trembling legs he went to the kitchen, broke off a piece of bun to carry his Daughter.
With apologies (the old man talked to himself for a long time), Egor Nikitich, putting on a coat, went out to the balcony.
— Forgive me, Daughter. I wasn’t joking. What can I do?
The crow was nowhere to be seen. “Probably no longer counting on me. I left the old man. Oh, Daughter, Daughter.
Grandfather put a piece in the trough, but his palm felt something there. The surprised old man poked around in the feeder and took out the ring.
— What is it? Where does it come from? Daughter? Are you?
Nikitich entered the room, put on glasses, turned on the table lamp and began to consider the «gift» of the crow. He had heard before that these intelligent birds would drag whatever glittered into their nests.
What a surprise he was when he realized the ring was silver! And all over the rim of the ring was an engraved inscription «Save and preserve.»
The old man was so amazed that he held the ring in his hands for a long time and cried. “Is my soul Natalia so visited me,” he thought of his wife, “Is my Daughter so savvy?” Who knows. But that’s — that’s right.
Finally, Yegor Nikitich wiped away tears, put the ring to the icons, prayed and went to the kitchen to cook his favorite soup.
History writer Elena Shalamonova
The Holy Land Charitable Foundation
Soul investment!
Orthodox stories from life
