Dancing Bears, Painted Wings
Little red berry,
Little red berry of mine!
In the garden is a little raspberry,
My little raspberry!
Under the green pine tree
Lay me down to sleep
Oh, lyuli, lyuli, oh, lyuli, lyuli,
Lay me down to sleep.
Beautiful woman, soul-maiden,
Fall in love with me!
Oh, lyuli, lyuli, oh, lyuli, lyuli,
Fall in love with me!
— “Kalinka” by Ivan Larionov
Yasha heard the floorboards creak as the pitter-patter of little footsteps drew closer.
“Shh!” A childish voice ordered.
Yasha’s lip quirked. He tried to keep his face still.
In a heart's beat, four small bodies launched themselves on top of him.
“Daddy!” Olga, the littlest, squealed.
Yasha grinned at his sunny little girl.
Lada and Lida, the twins, screamed, “Daddy, get up, get up!”
“Whatever for?” Yasha asked.
Natya, the oldest, rolled her eyes. “It’s Christmas, Daddy!”
Yasha could feel their small bodies buzz with energy.
“Please, Daddy!” Olga begged.
Yasha sighed dramatically. “Well, what time is it?”
The girls paused.
Natya, Lada, and Lida whispered among themselves while Olga lay on his chest.
Yasha’s arms wrapped around her.
“It’s 7:00,” Natya said.
Lada and Lida nodded.
Yasha glanced at the clock that read 5:30 a.m. He sighed. “Well, I suppose it's time for coffee then.”
The girls groaned.
“Coffee before presents,” Yasha insisted. He picked up Olga and walked into their cozy kitchen.
“Look, look!” Lida squealed. “Santa ate our cookies!”
“Of course, he did,” Yasha said.
Natya narrowed her eyes. Out of all the girls, she was the hardest nut to crack.
Olga sighed. “So, there’s no more cookies?”
Yasha kissed her fuzzy head. “I’ll make you some more.”
“Are you done yet?” Lada asked.
Yasha quirked his eyebrow at her. “Have I had my cup of joe?”
Olga’s head tilted adorably. “Who is Joe?”
“He means coffee.” Natya sighed.
Yasha poured his cup full.
The girls tugged his shirt impatiently.
“Alright, alright,” Yasha said. He allowed himself to be dragged into the living room.
The girls gasped in awe.
He had spent months working on Olga’s dollhouse.
Its twinkling lights welcomed his littlest girl home.
Lada and Lida’s gift did not require so much time. They had begged him for baby dolls with bottles and cribs.
Natya’s gift had been the hardest. Whenever he asked her what she wanted, she shrugged.
He’d almost given up, but then they’d watched Oliver and Company. He’d caught Natya humming You and Me to herself.
It’d been so simple then.
Natya held the black kitten with the utmost care.
Yasha’s heart had rarely felt so warm. He’d wanted nothing more than to give them a magical Christmas, to give them a happy childhood, to love them as if they were his own flesh and blood.
Natya remembered more clearly than the others.
Lada and Lida woke screaming from nightmares.
Olga could not bear to be alone.
Yasha struggled with his own demons, but he always put the girls before himself.
They were the only thing that kept him going.
He had risked everything to give them this life, and he’d do anything to secure it.
***
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