Agash

The sharp voice of a Rubythroat pierces the morning silence. I open my eyes and look out of the yurt. The sun hasn't risen yet. It is still late summer, but the birds are already preparing to fly to their winter homes. I try to walk out quietly, but the birds notice me and flutter away to a safer branch. I look back at my father. He is exhausted. Temene gave birth last night, and my father had to guide the soul of the child to his new body. When the boy is older, my father will make a sacrifice to Yerlik for the child to live through the winter, but all of that will come later. For now, he just wants to get some rest.

I go into the forest to collect some Sea Buckthorn . Now is a good time to collect more for the winter. I keep searching for the small orange berries until I can no longer see the yurts, until the bright red circle of the sun begins its slow ascent, until I hear the Rubythroat call again. I stop moving. I can hear slow footsteps, heavy on the delicate grass. I stand still, frozen, like a rabbit waiting to be eaten.

A man walks out from behind a tree and started walking towards me. He is unlike anyone I have ever seen. His face is square and stern, with dark, heavy brows, skin pale as snow, and eyes blue as ice. No human could have such eyes, and neither can a god. I start whispering, praying for Oyrot-Khan to defend me from this demon. The man says something in a language I don't understand. I peer over his shoulder and see two other people approaching. They are carrying a young man. His eyes are closed, and he looks feverish. I wonder, who are they? My father will know. Warily, I guide them to my village.

When we reach our yurt, I call for my father. When he sees the arrivals, his eyes widen. The blue-eyed man points at the yurt, asking to enter. My father nods. Inside the yurt, my dad asks for the Sea Buckthorn I collected and puts it in hot water. Carefully, I try to help the young man drink the medicine.

They were just humans in need of help. But how can it be? It's just us in the Big Forest, among the animals, spirits, demons, and gods. We are the only people there are. Right? If these people are humans like us, that means there might be others. I need to know the truth.

I point at myself and say my name. "Agash." The blue-eyed man points at himself and says "Pyotr." Then he points at the other two men and says "Kurbat" and then "Taras." I point at the forest and say "Jaan Kaba." The man smirks and says "Taiga." On my fingers, I show how many people there are in our village. Next, I point at the men, then at the forest, and ask "Taiga?" They laugh at me and then start writing down little sticks on the dirt floor. I expect them to stop at four, but they keep going. Eventually, the whole floor is covered in little marks, each one a person, a soul like me. I stand up, turn around and walk out towards my yurt. I need to think.

The sun sets and the cold breath of autumn blows through the leaves.