Wave of Terror by Theodore Odrach Page A

behind him, that he slipped down. All eyes were on him and he saw everyone laughing.
    “Well, Corny.” Leyzarov walked up to him and patted him on the back. “You’re very good at jumping fences and scrambling up trees. I must hand it to you, you put on quite a show for us today, yes, you really outdid yourself. Now go on home and rest up.”
    Cornelius, his head lowered and his pride bitterly wounded, made for the village road. He had been so humiliated that he felt no better than a dirty old dishrag. Hurrying to get out of sight, he was soon lost behind a dense stand of trees.
    Leyzarov returned to his list. He called out at last:
    “Paraska Braskovia!”
    When Paraska heard her name, her eyes lit up. Finally it was her turn and she would get what she had come for. She squeezed through the crowd, her eyes fixed on the barn door, when to her dismay, something entirely unexpected happened. Instead of a milking cow, a wretched little goat with a short tail and stunted horns was being led toward her. As it walked it swayed from side to side, kicking feebly.
    Leyzarov turned to Paraska with great ceremony. “Take this goat, Paraska, she’s yours. Don’t worry that she’s a little on the thin side. Soon she’ll be bearing young ones and before you know it, you’ll have yourself a whole family.” Then, frowning, he asked, “What’s wrong, Paraska, why are you upset?”
    Paraska stood dumbstruck for a moment. Then she sank to the ground and wept in despair. Is this why she had come? Is this why she had gone to the trouble of dragging the headmaster with her? To take home a useless goat? Raising her tear-stained face and wiping her eyes with her hands, she stared first at Kulik, then at Leyzarov.
    “I never thought I’d live to see the day,” she began. “I’m being given a goat, a pitiful goat and on its last legs. Just look at it!” Grasping Kulik’s arm, she became almost hysterical. “Director, tell Comrade Leyzarov how destitute I am! Tell him about my children! Tell him, please!”
    Kulik shifted awkwardly as the eyes of the crowd fell upon him. He didn’t know how to react. Everyone stood waiting for something to happen. Suddenly an uncontrollable rage broke inside him, and looking at the crowd, he wanted to shout, “Help Paraska? Why should I help her, why should I help any of you? You all stand there knocking into one another and bobbing your heads, hoping for the new regime to grant you a small piece of the Olivinski estate. Can’t you see the hypocrisy of it all? They invade your land, and then act like your benefactors. Beg them for a fraction of what rightfully belongs to you, and then be grateful! You’re better off bashing your heads against the wall!”
    But he knew he couldn’t say this; he could barely even dare to think it. It could cost him his life. Everything that was happening was entirely new and sudden; he found it strange and awful. He wanted nothing more than to return to his quarters, bury his head in his pillow and forget about everything.
    Paraska tugged frantically at his sleeve, beside herself . “Director, Director! Tell the Party Representative how poor I am. Tell him how much I need a milking cow! Tell him about my children!”
    Kulik turned to Leyzarov and spoke carefully. “Paraska Braskovia, our new cleaning woman, feels she has been slighted and thinks she ought to get a milking cow. A milking cow will help feed her children, who are terribly undernourished. This goat that you want to give her looks rather mangy and I can’t see how she can benefit from it. It will only consume hay and that will be veryexpensive, something Paraska cannot afford. You must understand, Paraska has five small children at home, yes, five, and she needs to feed them.”
    Leyzarov stepped back and looked Paraska over. Stroking his chin as if considering Kulik’s every word, he seemed to agree. “Hmm … five children you say? Yes, and from what I can see, she’s still quite a young