The dead old woman

Comment

Recorded from Nikolaj Lixachev in 1986.

Translation

(31-1) A long time ago there was a certain Utaqan. (31-2) He had a house on the river Erchenej. (31-3) Seven people lived there. (31-4) Seven people died at once, and only one was left. (31-5) An old woman was left. (31-6) That old woman got ill. (31-7) Then the river started to freeze. When it had frozen, we were told: "Go to that old woman. (31-8) Ivan Shadrin, go with your friend. (31-9) Light the fire there and see if the old woman is ill. Maybe she died there, go and look," they said. (31-10) We took two fishes and went, the two of us. (31-11) We arrived. When we arrived, we saw that the fire had gone down, so we lit the fire again (31-12) The night came. It was in autumn. (31-13) A bed-curtain was there. (31-14) There was a bed-curtain and a plank bed. On the plank bed there was a board. (31-15) A person was lying on that wooden bed. (31-16) I said: "Friend, look. (31-17) Is that old woman breathing or not?" (31-18) He went there and said: "No, I can't hear, she is probably not breathing. (31-19) She probably died," he said. (31-20) Well, I said: "Eh, we shall sit here till tomorrow." (31-21) I didn't know. I had never seen any dead people before. (31-22) Since I hadn't seen them, I didn't know. (31-23) Well, my friend boiled the tea. There was no light, so we warmed up the fish fat on the frying pan to make a lamp. (31-24) With the light of the fat lamp he said: "Prepare the frozen fish." (31-25) I shaved one fish, took off its skin right on the table. (31-26) And suddenly, when I was doing that, that bed started squeaking. (31-27) When it started squeaking, my friend jumped up and ran out of the door. (31-28) He ran out and I shouted after him: "Friend, where did you go? (31-29) Come back." (31-30) I saw: the old woman had got up on her bed. (31-31) She was embracing something with her hands. Her hair became like this. (31-32) It was very frightening. (31-33) She had only four teeth or something, a very old woman. (31-34) What shall I do? (31-35) I was holding a knife and standing next to the table. (31-36) I was standing and looking at her. (31-37) I threw the knife. Standing there I thought: "Where shall I go? (31-38) Will she go out if I do that? (31-39) What shall I do with her? (31-40) If she touches me, she will eat me." (31-41) So it was. (31-42) I thought: "Eh, to hell with her, whether she is dead or not." (31-43) When she was standing like this, I pushed her straight to the wall. (31-44) I pushed her and, took my knife and went to the door. (31-45) I opened the door and went out backwards. I thought she would come after me after I stabbed her with my knife. (31-46) That's what happened. (31-47) There was a precipice there. I went down the precipice and shouted. (31-48) I said: "Friend, come, what's wrong with you?" (31-49) He was standing there. (31-50) "Did the old woman come back to life?" (31-51) I said: "Eh, she did. (31-52) Come, come." (31-53) He came. The old woman was lying on the bed. (31-54) After I pushed her, she was lying there. (31-55) So it was. (31-56) He said: "Let's arrange the old woman decently." (31-57) I said: "What did you escape for? (31-58) Why did you escape? (31-59) Haven't you seen dead people before? You are an old man, aren't you? (31-60) You are not young like me, are you? (31-61) Why did you escape?" (31-62) "Eh, I got very frightened." (31-63) I said: "If you are so afraid, how would you bury somebody if he dies?" (31-64) He said: "I don't know. We won't bury him, when somebody dies, we'll escape." (31-65) That's what happened. (31-66) So, if not, I stopped it. I put her hands and legs together. (31-67) I covered her with the blanket. (31-68) I covered her and looked at her: she was not alive at all, frozen wood. (31-69) She had died a long time ago. (31-70) That's how it was. We hardly survived till the morning. (31-71) The next day, as soon as the day broke we ran to the village. (31-72) We arrived and said: "The old woman died, but we won't go there any more. Let the other people bury her, but we won't go any more." (31-73) We refused and that's all. (31-74) Two expeditions came from Moscow. (31-75) The expeditions came, three or four people. They were going to dig the old woman out, that witch. (31-76) They were going to dig her out and looked for people to help them. (31-77) They said to me: "Do you know where that old woman is lying?" (31-78) I said: "No, I don't know." (31-79) "Who knows then?" (31-80) All the people said: "Andrej Turpanov knows." (31-81) "We have to take him with us. (31-82) We shall pay, we shall give him money, will he go or not?" (31-83) They went to Andrej Turpanov. (31-84) They went and said. "Grandfather, let's go, show us that witch. (31-85) We need to take her head. (31-86) We shall take it and carry it away." (31-87) Then he said: "Will you give me money?" (31-88) "Of course we will. (31-89) Why wouldn't we?" (31-90) So they went. (31-91) On the way Andrej said: "Here is where she is lying, dig her up." (31-92) They dug there with the shovel. (31-93) They dug there and she was lying there, two meters down. (31-94) They had trouble taking her out. (31-95) They put her on the ground. (31-96) They took her out of the hole, put her on the ground and said to Andrej: "Don't look, go from here. (31-97) Don't look. (31-98) Go away from here, from the hole. (31-99) Come later. (31-100) When we finish, we will call you, we will say: Andrej, come. Then come." (31-101) Well, the soon to be deceased Andrej didn't go far. He sat nearby in the bushes. (31-102) He sat and looked. (31-103) They lifted her and cut off her head with the knife. (31-104) They cut off her head, took it in their hands, and poured spirit over it. (31-105) Then they wrapped it in paper and put it in an iron box. (31-106.) That's what happened. (31-107) They wrapped it completely in paper. (31-108) They made something like a small parcel out of paper, broke it in two, put the scissors in the coffin, and took it out. (31-109) They took it out and threw it away. (31-110) That's what happened. (31-111) Then they said: "Andrej, come." (31-112) They buried the body in the earth, in the hole. (31-113) Then Andrej came and they went back to the village. (31-114) That very summer Andrej went to Old Nelemnoe to put out the nets and to fish. (31-115) On the way he got ill. (31-116) Two days after he got ill, he was brought here to the village. He spent three nights here and died. (31-117) That's the end.