Long time ago there lived a boy Elijah in a small farmstead hidden in the wild wood. From his early childhood he was notable for his kindness and tenderness streaming out of his sky blue adultly serious eyes. There lived not many people in the farmstead and everyone treated each other with such care and love that they seemed to be one good family. Quarrels and gossip were alien to them. They knew the value of the word and never wasted their breath. Quite often they managed to communicate without words. If someone needed help, the one next to him came to his assistance without hesitation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Growing up among kindred spirits, Elijah absorbed the moral purity of the small farmstead like a rose that was the heart of the garden\u2019s beauty. Fellow villagers turned to him in moments of adversity, and everybody found comfort in his huge heart. It became a tradition of rare holidays to get together in a big chamber of the house, that Elijah\u2019s great-grandfather had built, and to hold leisurely conversations and to sing folk songs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
...Years flew by. Elijah grew up, matured. He had broad shoulders and blond-brown beard. Once an old solitary wanderer dropped at their place. He sat down on mound of ground to relax. Elijah got interested in that man as felt there was some great power in him. The old man glanced over Elijah and chuckled into his grey beard:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ve already grown up, my boy, it\u2019s time for you to start on a journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s more than enough to sit on the stove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He kept silent for a while and then added:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Earth, our mother, is sick for love and warmth of your heart. Go, my son, the Great Russia is waiting for you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- He said that, bowed to Elijah and disappeared as if he had not been there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elijah got absorbed into his thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apparently, the time came to bring grains, that had been sown in our farmstead, to other people. It\u2019s time to pay the debt to the Earth, that had fed me and grown me up. Well, Let God\u2019s Will be!\nIn the morning the youth started his way. Nobody knew how many versts he had gone, how many roads he had walked all over, how many shoes he had worn out, how many people he had warmed with the fire of his heart. Once he got tired, sat down near the big oak in the forest edge and fell asleep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elijah woke up from the touch of something sharp to his breast. A dirty disheveled man with the long curved knife in his hand stood before Elijah. Elijah looked into the mad sparkling eyes for a minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sit down next to me, brother. - He said gently. - Share my modest meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The knife started trembling in the brigand\u2019s hand, and then fell down with the hollow stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brother? Have you said \u00abbrother\u00bb? Have you said...?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There were tears on his face. He was unable to control himself, he was spreading his tears all over the face with his fist. There were dirty traces of tears left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Calm down, - Elijah made that wretched man sit down next to him. - What is your name?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They call me Salomey. - The answer was. - Salomey - the brigand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was still sobbing, when he began the story of his difficult childhood. The master had flogged his parents to death. Hungry, dirty, ragged Salomey had kept going either by casual earnings or by theft. He had knocked about the world in solitude, everyone had driven him away. He had been green with envy towards his peers, who had their parents, brothers, sisters or just friends. Then he had got in despair and grown angry with people, so he had gone to the forest and busied himself with robbery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elijah seemed to listen to the sad confession of the brigand with all his heart. The warm wave was covering Salomey and his ice-cold soul softened by that wave started melting. The first sprouts of kindness began to shoot in his heart. They were timid, but full of iron will, which helped young growth break the stony surface of roads. And our hero knew that those sprouts would turn into strong stems and would become a great support not only for Salomey\u2019s strengthened soul, but also for those, who would live next to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s settle on the following, Salomey, - Elijah said. - It\u2019s no good for you to rob. Go to my native farmstead. Say that Elijah has sent you. They will welcome you. Live there, work with others and then we might meet again. Now take some bread, salt, spring water - refresh yourself before trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The eyes of the former brigand were shining with joy and gratitude when they said goodbye to each other. There wasn\u2019t that mad fire, sparkling in the eyes of the predator waiting for his victim. Salomey hugged his savior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who are you, brother? Why do I want to fall to my knees and pray to God asking to prolong the minutes of our meeting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am the same as you are, - there was some unearthly light in Elijah\u2019s eyes. - And our meeting will stay with you forever, as your heart has been woken up and there is no way back for you into the darkness of robbery and solitude. Go and bow to my relatives, become an equal member of their big friendly family. Work together with them for the common good. Their care and love will never leave you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We do not know how much time Elijah was walking to meet his fortune. Though, let\u2019s leave him for a moment as it\u2019s time for new heroes to appear in our tale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A fire was burning on the secluded forest glade, moving aside the soft blanket of the warm summer night. The space was filled with the silence. Only dry boughs were crackling cheerfully and leaves were whispering about something with the passionate wind and a stream was cooing nearby. Nothing broke the great harmony of the nature relaxing after the uneasy day. A man was sitting next to the fire motionless like an integral part of that harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was not a shadow of any emotions on the face that was not young any more. It was breathing with calmness and confidence. Gleams of the flame, dancing in the bottomless pitch-black eyes, added a touch of mystery to those eyes. Light shadows of recollection sometimes swept over his face and at those moments it seemed that his eyes became even deeper and darker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When a solitary traveller appeared on the glade, the sitting man did not utter a word. He only nodded and moved a log closer to the stranger giving him a sign to sit down. They were keeping silent for some time. An invisible thread stretched between them immediately tying their hearts. Words were not necessary to make that relationship closer. Those people saw each other for the first time in their life, but they met so easily and naturally as if the long-term friendship united them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am waiting for you a lot of time, Dobrinya. - The black-eyed broke silence at last. - It\u2019s time to meet my Soul Brothers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who are you? How do you know my name? - Dobrinya expected something unusual, but anyway he got surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People know me as Alesha, the son of the old village Priest. A little bit later I\u2019ll tell you how I\u2019ve got to know your name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m sorry, friend. - Embarrassed Dobrinya dropped his eyes, he did not want to hurt that man by anything. - I feel that you are a very good man, though an unusual one. My way had been such that I had always brought pain and suffering to my friends. I am a healer and I often have to hurt people for their better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I appreciate your warning. - Alesha burst out laughing. - Though i have to say that your way is also known to me. Don\u2019t worry this time, for your power is like the dispassionate mirror. The one, who comes up to it with the open heart, will see only the beauty. If a man has given shelter to a dark spider of vice in his soul, this hairy monster will greet him. But I hear steps of our third brother. Listen to his mighty tread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dobrinya stood still listening attentively to the silence of the forest. And it seemed that the nature itself stood still in the joyful expectation. It became peculiarly calm, leaves on the trees stopped rustling, an owl quieted down in the forest thicket, new modulations were heard in the purl of the stream. And here it seemed that the forest parted to let a tall stately bearded man in the peasant shirt, he had happy sparkles in his shining eyes. A wave of the cordial warmth, calm and tenderness covered his friends, that they automatically stood up and bowed their heads in respect before the power of the Great Love, that was streaming out of those bright eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hello, my dear friends! - Elijah said. - Why have you stood up? Do you meet a boyar?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
...The night was spent in heart-to-heart talks. The brothers had so much to tell each other, to share so many things. The flame was flickering cheerfully, lighting up the happy calm faces. The stars were winking at each other, blending with the sparkles in the single, fiery symphony. And there were not people closer to each other on the Earth, than those three strange men, who had not known each other the day before. But they had no doubt that it was impossible to divide those three hearts no matter what their fate would will. At the first streak of dawn when tops of mighty trees turned pink, Elijah stood up the first one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, my friends, the new day is breaking. The sun has risen, so it\u2019s time for us to get down to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All brothers stood up and first sunbeams lit the faces of Love, Power and Knowledge incarnate, that blent into the single Divine Wisdom. They were ready to be on the alert for spiritual borders of their Great Motherland.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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