TarasovAt night, Oleg kept watch on the perimeter.
He was tired.
His body felt empty and ordinary.
Thrice the men had gone
to the mountain pass, all for nothing.
They couldn't get through.
Some came back, others didn't.
Fifty-fifty, like the old man says.
PEREVAL
(MOUNTAIN PASS)
Once on a cold winter day,
I wandered through the woods.
It was mighty cold.
Suddenly I saw a horse,
climbing up the hill...
Hitched... wagon...
What's a horse?
A horse is a four-legged animal.
Used for riding and transporting cargo...
Oleg had seen the photo a thousand times:
Father and Mother, young and radiant.
Father is wearing his uniform,
and Mother is wearing a sleeveless dress.
They call it... a "sarafan."
Oleg didn't exist then.
Twenty years ago, Oleg didn't exist.
But fifteen years ago, he did.
Too bad you came so quickly.
I could have handled it myself.
Are you alright?
You're crying! Are you hurt?
No, I dropped the mushrooms.
This is where the avalanche trapped us.
But no, Nikita died higher up the canyon.
It was Autumn.
The temperature
dropped down to 40 at night.
Radiation was one of the
reasons we had to leave so quickly.
Many were sick or wounded, but now...
I am relying on you in particular.
On your knowledge.
Ha, look at our Atlas.
They're still children.
They're all we have.
They're our last hope.
They can save us.
Save us?
You're still talking about that!
The men went to the pass three times,
and how many came back?
We were inexperienced then.
We didn't understand
the laws of this place.
Now we have a
fortunate set of circumstances.
The summer is unseasonably warm.
And the children have grown.
They have ten times the endurance we have.
It's now or never.
If the others hadn't died,
we would have more able-bodied men now.
That's true.
But we would still be
subject to the laws of degradation.
Either we are part of mankind,
preserving its knowledge, striving for it,
or we are savages with no prospects.
You're an idealist, Boris.
A slice of bread today is
more important than abstract pineapples.
But you remember the taste of a pineapple.
What a funny word.
A pineapple is a
tropical fruit with a peculiar taste...
Enough.
What is that?
Why?
It's a radiation counter.
It may be radioactive there.
Thomas, if you find some tobacco,
don't forget to bring it!
And the ray gun!
I won't forget!
The main thing is to find the ray gun!
I won't forget...
Why go?
You won't make it.
You won't come back alive.
You won't make it.
You won't come back alive.
Moments of beauty are rare in life
But there's plenty of unbelief and toil
Thoughts of the past
line our pale faces with creases
Thoughts of the future
are full of leaden worry
The present doesn't exist
So between the two shores,
We battle without light,
without happiness, hopes or gods
So sometimes,
to remember that we are still alive,
We divert our hearts
with another man's game
There's a sea of ugly grey faces
at the boundary
But the wings of blue birds
sparkle in their eyes
The blue canvas of the skies
unfurls once more
Oh, how we missed that blue light
And we missed the words of triumph
Gestures brave and free, impossible dreams
All we have, all we have are walls
A home frightful and dark
Ceaselessly we must recite...
The same old words
But it's not easy to extinguish
the spark in our hearts
How can we live with open eyes
but no faith or hope?
And continue this absurd play,
like mindless sheep,
With no fire, no inspiration,
no beginning, no end?
So sometimes,
to remember that we are still alive,
We divert our hearts
with another man's game
- Is the cave near?
- Very near.
It'll be dark soon.
Night creatures will come.
The cave!
Don't!
Can't you see? It's my goat!
Three years ago,
Mariana found a