"THE GIRL AND THE OAK" "This is my homeland." "Stone and cracked ground." "In the summer, when supplies of collected rain dry out, women are walking for hours to the distant well in the cliff." "In our village they call it the Hard road." "That morning, the sun has catch Smilja's mother and slowed her down." "Tired and hungry, she taggered behind the row of women from the village." "Smilja is five years old." "Every time her mother goes to get water, she's patiently waiting at the end of village." "But on that day, sun was high, and the mother is not here." "Rockery is empty and glowing as far as you can see." "I was first to hear child's crying." "Under the oak that was arose by miracle in the wasteland, the kid felt first defiance of destiny." "Hey, people!" "In the next few days, the girl wandered around village houses." "Everyone watched her involuntarily because everyone had many children and little food." "She had no one, but the unwritten law ordered us to take care of her." "We agreed to give her to Roko, the richest man in the village." "Do you have someone else to give me too?" "I already have someone else bastard here." "You'll just take care of one that's not yours." "Smilja." "Oh yeah?" "And Josip?" " Josip is your child." "Josip!" "Leave my brother alone!" "What should I do with her?" "Poor me..." "Move!" "People, I'm robbed!" "That's how you are!" "You're all the same." "You don't break your bones for water, it pours directly in your mouth." "I'll catch that thief, and when I do..." "Kid, come inside, drink some water." "You'll drink if you can find the pitcher." "I caught him stealing!" "Damn thief!" "He did it, I saw him!" "Damn thief!" " I overpaid you for that job, but that's not enough for you, so you steal!" "Uncle!" " Who's stealing?" " Uncle!" "Who knows how many times, Smilja in her game around the tree, stole the water." "Everything was thirsty." "The stone, the plant, and the animal." "When I tied her veins above her hand, I hear how people gathered there predict her future misfortunes." "Time was passing by in the rockery, and little oak became big." "It seemed that he adopted fate of a patient man who arose by himself." "Smilja stop, don't move." "It's important, don't move." "And I thought that they are little pears." "I'm telling you, I did." "Should I weave a basket for you?" "Listen Smilja, how about I fix that house of yours?" "What do you think?" "I don't have my own, and my hands are itchy for some work there." "Josip!" "Snake!" "And I thought it's snake." "I'm telling you, I did." "You're so wicked." " That's free Smilja." "You know, I'd fix that house fast!" "I'm telling you, I would." "Then in it, we could... weawe baskets together." "What do you think Josip?" "It's best for her to marry me, isn't it?" "You see?" "He thinks that too." "He'll be best man." "Go one Smilja, get some water." "Get it, and the we'll pick some little pears." "She'd be better with me huh Josip?" "I keep telling her that..." " Get lost!" "Keep him calm Smilja, he'll bite." "I'll pick a dogwood whip for you, that will calm him down." "You don't know me?" "Remember when Roko beat me?" "You're saint?" "My village is here, nearby." "Do you want me to teach you how to read and write?" "You can't write with your left hand." "What did you do with that water?" "I saw you." "Why didn't you said?" " Well..." "I liked you..." "What did you do with water?" "I was playing around my tree." "Smilja, come on!" " They're calling you." "And you?" " I'll stay, it's colder here." "You want some bread?" " Sure." "Will you come to the feast in my village?" "If Roko allows me." "Smilja!" "Child!" "Oh my God, one misfortune after another." "Get me the saw, quickly!" "Smilja, fast!" "Bees!" "They fell on your oak!" "Josip, get the saw!" "Don't cut my tree, please!" " I had enough trouble with you." "Josip, hurry up!" "Smilja, Josip, hurry up!" "Run for God's sake!" "No!" " Let it go!" " Josip, don't!" "No." "No, not my tree!" " Let go the saw!" "Don't cut it, don't cut it please!" " Let it go!" "Well girl..." "I don't talk too much," "But you know what I want!" " Let me go!" "Don't!" " Josip, hurry." "What are you waiting for?" "This swarm..." "Come on Josip, they'll go away." "Don't cut my tree please!" " I don't care about that!" "Josip, hurry!" "Come on already!" "Climb!" "There they go..." "Misfortune, my God..." "Is there more misfortune man than me?" " This is all your fault!" "If you didn't begged and cried..." "Because of two swarms..." "You're bad luck, so you're bringing me bad luck too." "That's it." "You see how much trouble you're making me my child?" "And I'm feeding you and clothing you." "You could make some of that up." "You know it's hard to earn money, But you could do it." "You could..." " How uncle" "You can do it... you can..." "You'll go with me to the feast in the lower village on sunday." "You're begging!" "Loosing honor!" "Throw that away!" "What do you want..." "Saint?" "Josip..." "There!" "I thought that you won't want to learn." "No one wants to be with me." " Why?" "I'm coughing out from lungs." " What?" "What's in lungs?" "Air?" " There's blood too." "I'll die before I can teach you." " Poor man." "Is it cooling?" "Will you come with me so I can show you something?" " where?" "Up in the mountain." " It's too far." "Everything it's nice, it's far away." "Do you want?" "We're here." " Where?" "This is colder then your wet hand." "My forehead is hotter than yours." "Why do you need me like this?" " I'll show you little suns." "Look at me in heaven." "I like you!" "I like you." "Smilja!" "Hey you." "Where is Smilja?" " She asked about you, she's crying without you." "What are you doing here?" "I'm watching at sky." " At sky?" " I'm waiting for a plane." "A plane?" "Why?" "Maybe it'll drop something." "Hoping is for fools." " Like your hopes for Smilja." "Your hopes are fulfilled." "Plane is dropping packages." "What are you doing?" "What are you doing for God's sake?" "You're crazy!" " I told you not to come here!" "Hey my girl!" "Don't Bojan." " Don't be afraid." "I know." "If I'd only kissed you..." "I waited for pears to become mature, but other man came, faster." "Some girl will fall for the basket." "When will be wedding?" " I won't have wedding." "I'll leave the village in secret." "You can come to my house, like it's yours." "I'll come by, when I go old..." "I'm going Smilja." "Josip!" "Josip!" "Hey Josip!" "Come on Josip, hurry up!" "Where are you?" "Smilja." "Smilja!" "Smilja, open the door!" " Josip, can't you hear?" "The cows are thirsty." "Let them wait." " Will you listen what I say?" " Take her to the well when it's your turn, or get out of the house!" "God damn you!" "Hey young man!" "Where to?" "You wouldn't say hello?" "You can't be late." "I know where are you going." "But she doesn't want it." "What do you know?" "She who?" "Wait!" "You have the time to come back where you came from." "Stop saint!" " Let me go!" " You won't go!" "I know everything!" "She doesn't wait for you!" "She doesn't want sick saint, she wants a real man, she said!" "And the she laid with me." "You're lying!" "You're lying!" "Smilja!" "Where were you?" "I was looking for you everywhere since yesterday." "You wanted to leave with him." "Let me go!" " You wanted to leave with him!" " Let me go!" "You're stiring my blood whole summer!" "Don't!" " He won't come!" "He won't!" "I killed him!" "I killed him because of you!" " No!" "You see, his leg is weak here." " They say he was putting leaches on himself." "I rarely saw that villager was tired of life." "And how did he get that bruise on his eye Pavle?" "Ivan, my son!" "Smilja!" "Hey Smilja, stop!" "Stop!" "Smilja!" "Smilja!" "What's with you kid?" "Your hiding, you're running away..." "You should still give someone your smile." "Give it to Bojan, your basket maker." "We're both sad." "It's easier to be sad with someone." " Leave me alone Bojan." "You don't know about my sadness." " I do." "Everything that lives must die." "Shame doesn't die." "If it's... pregnancy... that's no shame." "You loved each other, if there wasn't that accident..." " It's not his!" "It's not his!" "Why doesn't that live on marry you?" " No, not him!" "He committed a crime!" "Smilja, who ruined you?" "It's no use, Bojan... dear... don't." "It'll be even worse for me." "Don't, Bojan don't." "Don't." "Don't say anyone." "Let me go..." "Let me go." "I beg you!" "Here's that guy from lower villages again." "Will he take Smilja?" " He came to see her this winter, he wants something from her." "Will he adopt the child?" "It's his brothers." "Misery when will you leave me?" " Turn the other side Roko." " It ruined Smilja and me." "Is that justice, that that poor girl in my house, growing shame, alongside his living brothers." "Poor girl is ashamed to leave the house." "She's rotting inside, she's collapsing." "And I have to pay all that." " Poor man, I'm so sorry for you." "Smilja, that man of yours is waiting for you again." "She doesn't want to come out." "She says that she doesn't know anything." "What did I do to deserve this..." "My god..." "You betrayed me." "Snake!" "I'll kill you!" "Josip!" "Josip!" "Josip!" "Don't leave house Josip." "Josip don't go!" "It's all because of you!" "I've had enough with bastards in my house!" "Go away!" "You stole enough!" "Get out of here!" "Who's that?" " Harlot." "Roko's Smilja." "So what?" " God won't hear our prayers." "You almost got stuck old man." "My dear sonny, I lived what was mine, you just left your egg." "Don't worry about me." "Move!" "I guess that's your destiny..." "And tell them you saw me!" "I was thinking about him." "Even the beast can't survive the summer in our mountain because heat dries out every drop of water." "I'm again in my little house." "It's alright my child." "It's best to be with your family." "I'm sorry for my youth." " You'll have new youth when you hear your baby." "We'll fix the house and take care for both of you." "Village is hear for help and for trouble." "Be careful, I don't have another drop!" "There won't be another summer like that." "Don't talk." "Go to sleep." "Don't dry your tongue until I come back." "Josip is that you?" " It's me, Marko." "Why did you kicked her out?" "She drove my son mad, poor me..." "Now you're saying he's your son before his death." "You coward!" "Tomorrow at dawn, put back the plates, tree and cloth." "Did you hear me?" "Water..." "Water..." "Look!" "Let me in!" "Move away!" "Wait." "Let him drink." "Since then, we call the lonely tree, Smilja's oak." "He could tell that women in my homeland bloom fast, and die fast." "If they live to have a moment of happiness, they become bliss and hide their tears." "THE END" "Translated by Inglourious @KG"