Mikhail Samolyuk

Having received yet another chemotherapy treatment, Kirill, for the first time in his life, was unable to join the tradition once started by his uncle - gathering in an abandoned village. How will warm memories of family and home help him cope with his illness?

A girl and a man lead each other by the nose without saying a word.

Today the weather was warm. I dressed warmly. At three o’clock, I made a candle at Anya’s—and then drowned it. I’ll chat with you, and then I’ll have some nuts. You were right about Anton wanting to kiss me. He and Natasha had a fight, but they made up. We didn’t have any porridge, so we ate cottage cheese with jam instead. If you were here, you’d cook, remember? Yura’s back is sore because he’s always hunched over. There was fog today. At the street near the Circle. The foggy dew. For lunch, we had pasta and cheese. I helped Oksana cut it. She called me clumsy after I ran to the barn in a dress, slipped, and—bang!—landed in the mud. The moment I pick up Dasha in my arms, Masha wants to be held too. No bingo tomorrow; we’re taking a break. Time to rest. Goodnight. Talk to you sometime; not today.

The protagonist arrives in a provincial town to meet his father for the first time in years. Gradually, he realizes that his father lives in a world between sleep and reality, taking on other people's nightmares, and now the protagonist must inherit his burden.