Sang Na, the fisherman's wife, was sitting by the fire mending a broken sail. The cold wind roared outside, and the rough waves beat against the coast and splashed. There is a storm at sea. It's dark and cold outside, but it's warm and comfortable in this fisherman's hut. The fire in the stove didn't go out, and the utensils on the shelf were glowing. On the bed with white curtains, five children fell asleep quietly in the roar of the sea breeze.
The old clock struck ten or eleven hoarsely ... but her husband never came back. Sang Na mused: regardless of health, her husband braved the cold and storm to go fishing. She also works from morning till night, but she can barely fill her stomach. Children have no shoes to wear, running around barefoot in winter and summer, eating brown bread and only fish. However, thank God, the children are still healthy and have nothing to complain about. God, bless him, save him and have mercy. "She said to herself, drew a cross.
It's still early to go to bed. Sang Na stood up, wrapped in a thick scarf, lit a lantern and went out. She wanted to see if the light on the lighthouse was on and if she could see her husband's boat, but she could see nothing on the sea. The wind lifted her scarf, rolled up the scraped things and knocked on the door of the neighbor's cabin. Sang Na remembered the sick female neighbor she was going to visit in the evening. "Nobody cares about her." Sang Na.
"Widows have a hard time." Sang Na stood at the door and thought, "Although there are not many children-only two, she was the only one who raised her, and now she is ill. Alas, the widow's life is really sad. Go in and have a look. "
Sang Na knocked on the door again and again, but no one answered.
"Hello, Simon," Sang Na shouted, thinking that unless something happened, she would slam the door open.
There is no stove in the room, it is wet and cold. Sang Na raised his lantern to see where the patient was. The first thing that caught her eye was a bed facing the door. Her female neighbor is lying on her back. She didn't move, only the dead man looked like this. Sang Na held the lantern closer. Yes, it is Simon. Her head leaned back, her cold and blue face showed the peace of death, and her hands were pale and stiff, as if she were going to die. Next to the dead mother, two very small children were asleep, both with curly hair, chubby faces, covered with old clothes, curled up, and their small heads with light yellow hair were tightly close together. Obviously, when mother died, she covered them with her own clothes and wrapped their feet with an old headscarf. The children breathe evenly and calmly, and they sleep soundly.
Sang Na wrapped the sleeping child in a headscarf and carried it home. Her heart was beating so violently that she didn't know why, but she felt it was necessary.
When she got home, she put two sleeping children on the bed, let them sleep with their own children, and quickly closed the curtains. Pale and emotional, she thought nervously, "What will he say? Is this a joke? His five children are enough for him ... will he come? ... no, not yet ... Why did you bring them here? ..... he will hit me, and that's what he deserves. I deserve it ... Well, hit me. "
The door creaked as if someone had come in. Sang Na was surprised and stood up from his chair.
"No, no one, God, why should I do this? ..... What should I tell him now? ..... "Sang Na thoughtfully, sitting in front of the bed for a long time.
Suddenly the door opened and a fresh sea breeze rushed into the room. A big, black fisherman came in dragging a wet and broken fishing net and said, "Hey, Sang Na, I'm back."
"Oh, it's you." Sang Na stood up, afraid to lift his eyes to see him.
"You see, this night is terrible."
"Yes, yes, the weather is terrible. Oh, how about fishing? "
"Too bad, too bad, nothing hit, the net was torn. Bad luck, bad luck, the weather is terrible. I can't remember when there was such a night, let alone fishing. Thank God, I finally came back alive ... What were you doing at home while I was away? "
The fisherman said, dragging the net into the house and sitting by the fire.
"Me?" Sang Na turned pale and said, "I ... sewed ... and the wind roared so fiercely that it was really scary. I am worried about you. "
"Yes, yes," murmured the husband. "Damn the weather, but what can you do?"
The two men were silent for a while.
"Do you know?" Sang Na said, "Our neighbor Simon is dead."
"Oh, when?"
"I don't know when she died. It was about yesterday. Alas, she died a terrible death. Both children fell asleep beside her. They are too small ... One can't talk yet, and the other can only crawl ... "Sang Na was silent.
The fisherman frowned and his face became serious and worried. "Well, that's a problem." He scratched his head and said, "Well, what do you think? We have to bring them here. How can we be with the dead? Oh, we, we can always get through this. Go ahead, don't wait for them to wake up. "
But Sang Na sat still.
"What's the matter with you, don't want to? Sang Na, what's the matter with you? "
"Look, they are here." Sang Na opened the curtains.