The Barn

2

The travelers reached Mosses when it got completely dark. The Bumblebee did not run out to the meeting, he grew old, he was useless as watchdog. Only oxen snorted in the barn.

Yazep arranged the workers under a shed, gave them a jug of beer and bread, and he went into the house and lay down next to his wife. He fell asleep almost instantly, but at midnight he jumped up in an empty bed.

Rita stood by the window, the reflections of the flame dancing on her face, and her hands stroking her bulging belly. Yazep was next to me in one jump, hugged him by the shoulders.

- What? What happened?

And then he saw for himself.

The barn was on fire again. But the flame did not emit smoke, devouring the tree - the walls that had burned down the previous night rose again. Both workers and stood next to the conflagration. Martin, like a sword swallower, took a pipe with a long mouthpiece from his throat. He inhaled, released a cloud of black smoke, and the fire sucked the smoke into itself. In the distance, the old wolfhound Bumblebee sat staring at the flames. Both oxen were also nearby and watched, who knows how they left the barn.

Rita sank to the floor, but Yazep did not even try to pick her up, from what he saw he was completely numb. He only watched her fall. When he looked up, Clement was standing right outside the window.

“We’ll manage until morning, master,” he said respectfully.

- Remind me about the payment, - added Martin, who also suddenly appeared in front of the window.

- Yes, about payment!

Clement licked his lips, making Jazep want to run away and never return. But the right hand was sewn to the windowsill.

- The contract is sealed with saliva and there is no going back, master. We agreed on a regular fee, right?

- Oh sure. Copper a day.

- All right, but we take souls for night work. You will be ours anyway, we will come for your daughter when she is born.

Yazep jerked so hard that he chose a piece of wood from the windowsill that would remain in his palm as a reminder.

The workers looked at each other and returned to the barn.