Nikitichna changed into her work uniform and headed to the hall. She had been working in the crematorium for several months. Initially, it seemed impossible to get used to such work, but over time she found something soothing in the silence.
She had nearly fifteen years of experience as a cleaner, and she couldn’t sit idle in retirement—the family needed her help.
«Someone has to keep this house up,» she muttered to herself as she wrung out a rag.
She was most concerned about her son’s family. Everything had started well: her son got married, worked, and they had a beautiful granddaughter, Liza. This child seemed like a true angel. But over time, everything changed.
Her son lost his job, and his wife, taking on all the household duties, began to reproach him for his inactivity. Sergey initially endured it, but then couldn’t take it anymore and started drinking. Gradually, their relationship completely deteriorated.
One day, the daughter-in-law couldn’t take it anymore, packed her things, and left, leaving ten-year-old Liza in the care of Sergey and Nikitichna.
Since then, hard times began in the house. Sergey sometimes tried to improve, then relapsed into drinking. He had no steady income, and the granddaughter continued to grow.
«Liza, you must study! Nowadays, you can’t get anywhere without an education,» the grandmother insisted.
«Grandma, I can start working and then definitely finish my studies,» Liza defended herself.
«No later! If you start working now, there won’t be time for studying. And I want to see you educated. It’s also my fault that you have such a father.»
A month ago, everything got even worse. Sergey became seriously ill. The doctor immediately said it was due to alcohol abuse. His health could still be saved, but it required giving up alcohol and starting expensive treatment. Sergey seemed to realize the severity of the situation, but the medication required money they didn’t have.
Working in the crematorium turned out to be easier than her previous job at the store. The store was closer to home, and they paid more, but the work was unbearable. The owner, a young woman named Anna, whom everyone behind her back called a viper, oppressed the staff.
Nikitichna often noticed how the owner disdainfully treated the workers.
«She should be made to scrub the floors herself,» she thought irritably but kept silent.
The store owner, Georgiy Mikhalych, was a kind man. He married young Anna, although everyone understood what kind of person she was. The staff whispered that it was Anna who made her husband sign the documents that transferred control of the business to her.
When Georgiy Mikhalych fell ill, all the powers went to his wife. Anna quickly began to wear down the employees, and eventually, Nikitichna was simply fired.
«Well, nothing,» she told herself. «I have my arms and legs, I can always find a job, I won’t perish.»
The crematorium became her salvation. Here, no one scolded her, no one rushed, and no one demanded the impossible.
«Nikitichna, be extra careful today. We are expecting important guests,» a voice came from the door.
Nikitichna turned around and saw Anatoliy Petrovich, who worked at the funeral bureau. He was about to leave, but stopped, looking at her with a slight smile.
Nikitichna, please don’t think anything bad. Everything you do is always perfect, but today the visitors are quite important, so we need to be extremely careful,» he said, slightly embarrassed.
«I understand, Petrovich. Don’t worry,» she replied, watching him as he left.
She went back to her rag when a young man entered the hall. He appeared to be about forty but looked imposing in an expensive suit and with a manner of authority.
«They say the funeral business is profitable,» she muttered to herself as she watched him arrange folders on a table.
As she continued her work, Nikitichna thought about her life. It was hard, but for her granddaughter, she was ready to overcome anything.
Nikitichna sighed deeply and resumed her work with the rag. Thoughts of how to gather enough money for Liza’s new boots weighed on her. The granddaughter claimed her old ones were still fine, but Nikitichna knew better—the boots were well worn out. Good boots aren’t cheap, and buying them now would mean running out of money until the next paycheck.
She glanced at the office door behind which her bosses were.
«What if I ask for an advance?» Nikitichna thought. This idea slightly cheered her up, and she began to clean more vigorously.
Less than an hour later, everything in the hall was sparkling. The items were polished to perfection. She meticulously cleaned every detail daily, but there was one place Nikitichna always avoided—the entrance to the crematorium. That was where people said their final goodbyes and from where beautiful urns with ashes were carried out.
«Good thing I don’t clean there,» she thought. «I definitely couldn’t handle that part.»
However, she did talk to Tanya, the woman responsible for that area. In their rare moments of rest, they often sat together in the yard and shared their stories.
After finishing cleaning, she was about to check if Tanya was outside. Their work usually only began after all the visitors had left.
«Nikitichna, are you done?» she heard Petrovich’s voice.
«Yes, everything’s ready. You can check,» she replied, straightening up.
«There’s nothing to check. I can see from here that everything’s excellent. Thank you,» he said, looking around the hall.
Nikitichna was flustered but then decided it was the right moment and cautiously addressed him:
«Anatoly Petrovich, sorry to ask, but could I possibly get an advance? My shoes are completely worn out, and Liza needs new boots.»
«Come see me after everything, remind me. I’ll try to think of something,» the boss replied.
«Thank you so much!» Nikitichna said happily and went out to the yard.
Tanya, a friend and colleague, was already there.
«Hello, friend! You took a long time today,» she said, noticing Nikitichna.
«Hello, Tanya. Yeah, we had a funeral for some big shot. Had to make sure I didn’t miss anything.»
«And us too… they say they’re burying a young one,» Tanya replied, shaking her head.
«Was there some disaster?» asked Nikitichna.
«I don’t know for sure, but I heard he brought some disease from abroad. There’s plenty of nastiness out there. Came back and died quickly,» Tanya answered.
«Why travel there? Isn’t it worse at home? His parents must be so devastated now,» Nikitichna noted sympathetically.
«Of course, it’s a tragedy. But listen, Nikitichna, stay away from it. And wear gloves when you clean. The funeral’s in a sealed casket. They’re worried about something. We don’t need any more infections here,» Tanya warned.
«Thanks, Tanya. I’ll keep that in mind,» Nikitichna thanked her.
Suddenly, they both noticed cars approaching the hall. They quickly said goodbye and went to their respective places.
Nikitichna cautiously peeked around the corner, watching the events unfold. There were very few people at the funeral. She thought many were probably afraid of getting infected. Among those gathered were a woman in black clothes, a constantly crying man, and a few others.
When the woman turned around, Nikitichna gasped. It was Anna, the former shop owner where she used to work.
«Could this be her tragedy?» she thought, but said nothing, continuing her work.
Nikitichna was now certain: Anna, the young wife, was directly to blame for this man losing his son. She saw him, barely able to stand, slump into a chair, overwhelmed with grief. Anna was bustling about him, trying to give him medication, but the man just waved her off, refusing to listen.
The coffin slowly moved along the rails, toward the heavy curtains. In a couple of minutes, they would remove it from another hall. Nikitichna, not knowing why, suddenly stepped forward. Tanya had warned her to keep her distance, but something felt off. She stopped by the coffin and just froze, looking down.
Suddenly, she heard a faint rustling sound. She became alert.
«Was that something? Am I hearing things?» she whispered, looking around attentively.
The hall was empty, only the heavy air and the coffin in front of her. Nikitichna turned her attention back to the sound. The rustling was clear, audible. She slowly bent closer, trying not to breathe.
«This can’t be…» she whispered.
Thoughts raced through her head. Could there be a cat inside? Or something else alive that had accidentally been trapped?
Without waiting for someone else to speak, she ran to the staff.
«Stop the ceremony! There’s something moving in the coffin!» she shouted.
Anna, who was nearby, immediately turned around. Her face twisted in anger.
«What is this circus? Remove this madwoman!» she yelled. «We thought this was a respectable establishment, and here we have this!»
But Nikitichna wouldn’t back down.
«Even if you fire me, I’m telling the truth!» she declared firmly, breaking free from Petrovich’s grip. «I heard it! Something is moving there!»
Anatoly Petrovich tried to stop her, but a man sitting nearby suddenly stood up.
«Open the coffin!» he commanded, his voice booming.
«But it’s dangerous!» Anna intervened. «You know, unknown diseases can behave unpredictably!»
«I said, open it! It’s my son, and I want to see him!» the man cut her off, leaving no room for argument.
The staff silently began to follow his command. The coffin lid was lifted, and the room filled with shocked exclamations.
Inside, a young man lay with eyes wide open in terror. His mouth was taped shut, his arms and legs tied.
«Son!» the man cried out, rushing to the coffin.
The crowd, which had been stunned until now, immediately sprang into action. Some tore off the tape, others untied the ropes. The young man struggled to breathe out his first word:
«Water…»
Nikitichna was pushed back. The area became a whirl of activity—some called the police, others the ambulance. Cries, questions, and weeping filled the air. Taking advantage of the commotion, she slipped outside.
Sitting on a bench, Nikitichna stared at the ground for a long time.
«Now I really won’t get that advance,» she muttered to herself. «And that viper Anna, ruining everyone’s lives.» Tanya approached and sat beside her.
«Well, you, Nikitichna, really stirred up a storm! Now everyone’s on edge—ours and theirs,» she said with a smile.
«I didn’t mean to.»
«And you know, Anna tried to run away. But they’ve already caught her.»
«He won’t do anything to her,» she replied. «She’s never satisfied. What a snake. To lock a living person in a coffin. And for what?»
The friends sat in silence for a while, watching the yard empty out. The young man’s frightened face haunted Nikitichna’s mind. Everything felt like a terrible dream.
Tanya exhaled and turned to Nikitichna.
«Honestly, you’re like from another world. Why would she do that? For money, of course! He was the heir. First get rid of him, then send her husband off too. People like her aren’t afraid of anything,» Tanya shook her head. «It’s just unclear how such a snake still walks the earth as if nothing happened.»
Nikitichna listened silently, only occasionally nodding. The events of the day replayed in her mind over and over. It was all too unexpected, too heavy to settle quickly. She saw how tirelessly the police questioned Petrovich, how the young man’s father paced the hall from corner to corner, clenching his fists, trying to make sense of what had happened.
«Maybe I’ll talk to Petrovich tomorrow. And maybe I’ll ask about the advance then.»
When everyone had left and the interrogations had finally ended, Nikitichna was about to head home. But she was stopped by the father of the saved boy, the same man who had insisted on opening the coffin.
«Thank you… I don’t even know what to say,» he said quietly, looking down. His eyes were dull, his voice lifeless. «I just can’t believe it could have ended like this. It’s like a nightmare.»
«You should see a doctor too,» she softly suggested. «You need to save your strength, help your son.»
The man nodded, but said nothing more. Nikitichna, wishing him health, headed for the exit. Her son awaited her at home, and soon Liza would be there too. Dinner needed to be prepared.
When she returned, her son sat on the couch, pretending to be busy. It was clear that shame was troubling him.
«Alright, son, everything will be okay,» Nikitichna quietly told him.
The next day, Liza came home from school earlier than usual. Nikitichna immediately noticed that her granddaughter was upset.
«Is something wrong, Lizonka?» she asked, looking at the girl attentively.
«It’s okay, grandma. Don’t worry,» Liza answered, trying not to look her in the eye.
«Trying to fool your grandma?» Nikitichna said with light reproach. «It won’t work. Come on, tell me what happened.»
Liza sighed heavily, went to the hallway, and soon returned holding a boot. The boot looked as though it was begging for mercy. The sole had come off.
«Oh, Liza,» Nikitichna shook her head, sitting down. «And it’s still a long way to pension…»
«Maybe they can be glued? Just a little?» Liza asked hopefully.
«Why bother gluing them? We’ve glued them a hundred times already,» the grandmother sighed.
Their conversation was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. Liza jumped up.
«I’ll get it! It’s probably Sonya for the notes,» she said and ran off.
But she soon returned, looking puzzled.
«Grandma, it’s for you.»
Viktor stood at the doorstep with his son.
«Good evening. May we come in?» he asked politely.
Nikitichna was flustered, but quickly composed herself.
«Of course, come in. Maybe some tea?»
Viktor sat down and began to explain. He revealed that his wife indeed decided to get rid of their son to claim the inheritance. She had borrowed money to bribe the necessary people, and everything was planned down to the last detail.
«If it weren’t for you…» he said, looking at Nikitichna. «I shudder to think what could have happened.»
He paused for a moment, as if gathering courage, then added:
«Please tell me, how can I repay you?»
Nikitichna was embarrassed. She was unaccustomed to receiving thanks or gifts. But then her gaze fell on Liza’s boot, which still lay on the floor.
«I’m embarrassed to ask,» she began quietly, gathering her courage. «But if you could help us with money for Liza’s boots… We’ll definitely repay you. It’s just that right now… times are tough.»
Viktor looked at the boot, then at his son, and suddenly laughed.
«I thought people like you no longer existed,» he said. «What boots? I’d give you a shoe factory!»
Nikitichna smiled shyly, but said nothing.
From that day, Nikitichna’s and her family’s life changed. Viktor insisted that she no longer work. They soon moved to a new apartment—spacious, bright, cozy. Nikitichna’s son was sent to a good clinic, where doctors assured that he would come out a completely different person.
Now the family could afford everything they needed. Their account held an amount Nikitichna could never have dreamed of. Liza bought herself new boots and joyfully walked them with Viktor’s son. But that’s a story for another time.
