Ayka's Dance of the Diamonds

She heard the screams as she entered the theatre. Her rehearsal had gone well and she was happy to be back home at last. She had just turned sixteen but her mother could not afford the journey from Moscow to her tiny village each time Ayka needed to perform. However, this time, a wealthy patron who admired her on stage had paid for their travel and ensured that they would all have a place to stay in his home while Ayka was here.

She was looking forward to seeing her mother, older brother and little sister again, but there were others she wanted to see too. There was Tolya, a young man of twenty-five with whom she was smitten. He had been sweet on her since childhood, but he was poor; his father worked hard on their small farm but they struggled to make ends meet. Still, he had always managed to get some money together and buy her gifts or take her out somewhere special. He never minded when she returned from Moscow and resumed her place in the local ballet school - he just waited patiently until next time and watched from the wings as she danced. When the Nazis came and occupied their village, however, she was forced to leave abruptly and return to Moscow. They wrote letters but it was not the same - there were far more important things than dancing now that war had arrived.

She knew Tolya's family would be safe; they lived far away from the front line but even so, nobody felt entirely safe during wartime. It made her heart ache for him though - he would be alone most of the time now that his father was gone working in the fields with his brothers. She wanted to do something for him before she left again tomorrow morning. He never seemed right without a smile on his face, so she decided that today - at least - she would give him one.

She walked into their house by the river, through the door that opened straight into their kitchen as it always did, cut some apples from their tree outside and put them in a pretty dish on the table along with slices of cheese and bread which she had bought with her own money when she first reached Moscow several months ago. It wouldn't be much of a feast but she hoped it would please Tolya nonetheless. She went upstairs quickly to change into something more suitable for dinner with her family and when she returned downstairs, Tolya was already waiting for her at the table eating what looked like half of everything!

"What are you doing here?" Ayka asked in surprise as he turned around guiltily and tried to hide what he had been eating behind his back while mumbling an apology. "It's wonderful!" She threw herself into his arms before he could hide anything further away or explain himself any further because - well - after nearly two years apart he was finally here again! She didn't mind about whatever grubby thing it may have been that he had stolen from their neighbours' garden behind her back - nothing mattered anymore except that he was here!

They sat down together at last and talked about what had happened since last time they saw each other. He told her about how hard life was now that almost all of the able men in town were gone fighting the Germans or working steadily on repairs around town under threat of execution if they did not comply with Nazi orders exactly as ordered. As for food supplies, well...there wasn't much even before war broke out but now...well...they were rationed bare bones lately although no empty bellies were visible in this village however hard one looked! But still...it hurt him deeply that there was so little food around because it meant that everyone around him was going hungry while he had eaten well tonight thanks to this feast!

"I'm so glad you're here," said Tolya with a smile as they finished eating at last and then cleaned up together afterwards while talking softly under a lamp by their window overlooking the river outside - too afraid of attracting attention by lighting candles or using too many lights indoors these days when they were so scarce anyway! "If I ever go hungry again I will think of tonight," he added thoughtfully as he finished washing up in silence by himself afterwards while Ayka dried up nearby trying not to look too sad about leaving him again tomorrow morning when all this happiness would disappear into thin air once more just like every other day in recent months since war began... "What's wrong?" He asked suddenly when he caught sight of Ayka's face across the room where she stood trying not to cry because quite frankly...she couldn't stop thinking about it either!

But somehow maybe tonight helped slightly because she smiled despite herself and said "Nothing is wrong." And then: "I miss you." And then: "I want us to be together." And then: "Do you want us to be together?" And finally: "Do you love me?"