Mikhail Moon: Collective combing of the mind is a pleasant thing. Mikhail mun An excerpt characterizing Moon, Mikhail Valerievich
Mikhail Valerievich Moon(February 25, 1975, Gatchina) - radio presenter, known primarily as a player of “What? Where? When?".
Biography
Graduated from gymnasium No. 171 of the city of St. Petersburg, in 1996 - St. Petersburg State University, Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes.
Worked as a trader in joint stock company"Brokerage Firm Lenstroymaterialy" and CJSC IC "Energocapital"; currently heads the equity markets department at BFA CJSC.
Presents programs on Radio Zenit: “Football aggravation”, “Heading game”.
"What? Where? When?"
Since 1991, he has performed as part of various teams in the sports version intellectual game"What? Where? When?" (until 1993 - in the team of Leonid Klimovich, then - in the team of Sergei Vivatenko). In the Elite Club since 1997
In the fall of 2002 he received the Crystal Owl prize. From 2005 to 2009 he was a member of the board of MAK.
In 2005, he announced his departure from the television Club “What? Where? When?”, but did not stop participating in sports What? Where? When?. He began performing at the TV club again in 2006. On this moment(December 2016) has a club win-loss ratio of 60.53% (38 games, 23 wins).
Dedicated to Olechka.
© Mikhail Valerievich Zhukovin, 2015
© Daria Astasheva, cover design, 2015
Editor Olga Zhukovina
Corrector Yulia Milova
Created in the intellectual publishing system Ridero.ru
Chapter 1. The coachman’s remarkable reaction
High above the endless forest there was a village. It was located on a mountain ledge that was shaped like a piece of cake. This mountain had a strange property: no one could say exactly where it began and where it ended. Both in height and width. The summit was hidden behind a dense layer of gray fog. It hung over the entire forest, which is why many called it the “dome.” Someone, however, believed that these were ordinary clouds, but even the most formidable clouds someday disperse, and this gloomy flooring never dissipated, except in rare moments of the appearance of the sun. Therefore, in this village, in this small world, separated on one side by an endless mountain, on the other by an impenetrable forest, and above by a gray wavy blanket, it was always cloudy during the day and starless at night. It was very difficult to dream here.
The village houses were located along the edges of the ledge. Most of them had long since collapsed, the rest were warped due to rotten boards in the walls. Some houses were located closely and supported each other, others stood alone on the edge in front of the abyss. All the residents dreamed of only one thing: to leave or for something to change, and such dilapidation of the buildings seemed to tell the inhabitants that, fortunately, it would not be possible to live like this for a long time in any case.
In addition to the houses in the village, there was a chain carousel right in the center of the ledge, and next to it was a carriage. If the attraction stood here a long time ago, then the luxurious carriage arrived in the village this winter. She was dragged here without horses, in an incomprehensible way, by a lady of respectable size, hung with jewelry, and a coachman.
The woman's name was Madame Kilda. She once owned big amount cutting workshops precious stones and, in general, secured a comfortable old age for herself. But being sixty years old, she did not want to live quietly in her luxurious house in the kingdom of Elther the Fifth and watch from numerous windows how the lilacs bloomed and the fountain, built to special order, flowed. On the contrary, the passion for increasing wealth captured her headlong. She traveled to distant countries, founded new workshops, inspected old ones and, naturally, tried not to miss a single more or less pretentious meeting of rich people. She was also invited to royal weddings, and at parties, and at balls - everywhere she was a welcome guest, because she knew how to win over people. The benefit from all these events, which were not very interesting for her, was achieved simply. Appearing in exquisite jewelry created in her workshops, she invariably found herself the center of attention of all women, who immediately attacked with questions about where she bought such luxurious jewelry. Thus, Madame Kilda received many new rich clients. In a word, her wallet was getting heavier, but she had no intention of stopping.
On that ill-fated summer day, Madame Kilda received a special letter. Early in the morning, a messenger brought an invitation from the Emperor of the Canyon Lands in a gold-colored envelope. She was invited to the unveiling of a huge marble statue of the Canyon Lands Emperor. The event was supposed to begin in the evening of the same day and could easily last a week. In addition to the holiday itself, it brought a lot of benefits in the form of rich guests. Unfortunately, the Canyon Lands were not too close, at least two days of riding with good horses. Madame Kilda did not have time for the evening party. Among other things, the courier was, of course, to blame for being too late with the invitation. This happened because of a hurricane that overtook him on the way, but the lady did not care much about it. Having received enough curse words from her to create a small dictionary, he tried to rush away as quickly as possible. The lady immediately called her best coachman.
“How long do we need to get to the Canyonlands?” – she asked excitedly.
- At least two days, madam.
- Need to be there tonight!
- With the most fast horses We won’t get there until the day after tomorrow...
Madame Kilda cursed and began to wander up and down the luxurious living room with numerous paintings, which she secretly considered to be not very beautiful, but bought because the society said that they were amazing works of art.
- And if through northern forest.. – asked the lady, having calmed down a little.
The coachman was in no hurry to answer. He looked into her eyes for several seconds, but by all indications Madame Kilda was not joking.
- Sorry, madam, but it’s better to dig a tunnel right through hell...
The lady threw a heavy table lamp at the coachman. Thanks to his reaction and experience with his mistress, he dodged it.
– Do I look like I’m crazy?! - the lady shouted.
- No, what are you talking about! Are you just talking about... the Northern Forest... the Haunted Forest? To go there just like that, without an army... Yes, even with an army... This... This is not worth doing, you know?..
Madame Kilda scurried along with her short thick legs and very quickly reached the coachman.
“Do you think I’m so stupid?.. Haven’t you heard all these legends?..” she hissed.
“Of course, we heard...” whispered the coachman, looking down at the lady, afraid to move.
“I’ve heard about animals that instantly bite into your body and torment you for a long time, but you’re still alive... and about tall giant trees, behind which you can’t see the sky... and that it’s impossible to get out of there, since there’s no correct card forests…
The lady looked at the coachman and then burst out laughing.
- So healthy, but you’re afraid like a little girl! I know dozens of people who got out of this damned forest, and nothing happened to them! We will cross it in a straight line in a few hours and find ourselves in place. No animal can catch our horses...
The lady went to the closet and began to quickly get ready. The coachman sighed heavily. Tone last sentence He knew the lady well - it was an order. And yet, although there was no chance, the coachman tried to insist on his own.
– Those people, madam... Who, as you say, got out of the Forest... They hardly came and left from there on foot or in a carriage. Have you heard about the train to the Fair?
The lady continued to get ready.
“Come on, tell me what kind of trains and fair they are,” she said mockingly. “Maybe there will be something to amuse people at the evening.” The next stories are always welcome!
The coachman realized that they would not take him seriously, but it was impossible to retreat.
– There is a city in the Forest that is unlike any other... It’s called Fair. They say that if your life has reached a dead end, you don’t know who to be, what to do, you don’t feel joy and sadness, then you should go there. But the journey is very dangerous. There is only one train going to the Fair, and no one knows which station it departs from, what route it takes, and where one can buy a ticket for it. Only by chance do people become passengers on this strange train. There is no way to get into the Forest again... if you want to stay alive... Do you understand, madam?
The coachman again showed a remarkable reaction (the hanger missed the target) and went to the stable to harness the best horses. Just in case, I said goodbye to all the other horses. Then it was time to hug the horse breeders. They did not hide their surprise at this behavior of the usually calm, self-possessed coachman.
Soon the transport was ready. The lady, with the help of her maids, collected her luggage, then gave them instructions on how to run the household (“So that everything shines upon arrival!”) and got into the carriage. Having picked up the suitcases with dresses and jewelry, Madame Kilda gave a signal to the coachman, and the horses drove off at full speed. No one had an explanation for where the lady had rushed off in such a hurry, or why the coachman was so heartbroken. So it remained forever a mystery where the lady and the coachman disappeared when they rushed off one morning.
The future owner of the “Crystal Owl” was born in Gatchina, after which the boy and his family moved to Northern capital. Here he studied at the 171st gymnasium, and then became a student at St. Petersburg State University. In 1996, Moon received a diploma from this prestigious university.
Becoming a Connoisseur
As a schoolboy, Mikhail was a fan of the game “What? Where? When?". He followed every episode of this television program, and Vladimir Voroshilov was a real guru for Moon. After entering the university, he became a member of the Kolomna club, which participated in the sports “What? Where? When?". During games, Mikhail was always focused on achieving victory and was not distracted by what was happening in the hall. At this time he was a member of the teams of S. Vivatenko and L. Klimovich.
Moon made his debut on television in 1997. Viewers instantly fell in love with him. On screen, he seemed an erudite and tactful young man with an inquisitive mind. In 2002, Mikhail received the Crystal Owl. According to him, M. Potashev, R. Askerov and D. Konovalenko had owls not without his help.
Pause the game
In 2005, already as a well-known expert, he announced the end of his career in the television version of the intellectual club. Moon decided to focus on the sport of the game. In an interview, Mikhail admitted about the loss of excitement and the modified format of the program, which does not suit him. He noted that he prefers to leave “What? Where? When?" at the peak of his powers and does not want to act in the future as Koshchei the Immortal. He always liked beautiful game, but at that time Moon stopped feeling it.
According to Mikhail, many experts are engaged in self-realization with the help of a popular program, and Moon decided to concentrate on his business activity. Moreover, he did not rule out that after a certain time he would return to the intellectual casino again. And this happened in 2006.
A year earlier International Association clubs “What? Where? When?" invited Mikhail to its board, where he remained for four years.
Moon is the winner
According to Moon, for a successful game the team must become a single organism, and not just six experts gathered around one table. He is sure that a lot depends on the captain, who must put the team members into a collective trance to concentrate on the game.
Mikhail claims that people in Everyday life concentrated only 15%, and to answer the question correctly requires 100% dedication of all efforts.
Moon loves to win and compares the correct answer to a question with the joy of Mendeleev, who dreamed of the table. Mikhail likes that the television program, beloved by millions of viewers, is being modified without losing its main essence.
Besides “What? Where? When Moon successfully took part in the program “Own Game” in 1995.
Radio business and family
Intellectual casino is not the only hobby of the titled expert. At one time he was fascinated by radio. Mikhail acted as a presenter of programs for the Zenit radio station:
- "Playing with the head";
- "Football Review".
He also worked as a trader:
- Energocapital company.
- Brokerage firm Lenstroymaterialy.
Then he was invited to the position of director in the stock markets department large company"BFA".
At one time, Moon married Anastasia Gusarova, who bore him a son.
How do you feel about Mikhail Moon? We are waiting for your comments!
In Wikipedia about Mikhail Moon (and since there is an article about you in the free encyclopedia, it means you are a famous person) it is written funny: “radio host.” And only secondarily it is written that “first of all he is known as a player of “What? Where? When?". Winner of the Crystal Owl
And what is not written at all in the encyclopedia is that Mikhail Moon’s main job is “commercial director of a company that imports chemical raw materials.” But we still didn’t ask about that - but about what, where and when. Moreover, we recently watched the game of Andrei Kozlov’s team, which includes our interlocutor. Then, let us remind you, the experts won.
— Mikhail, how long have you been in the game?
— It is clear that I did not immediately start playing in the television club. I joined the sports “ChGK” in my first year, in 1991. And to the television club - at the end of 1997.
— For you, are the games “under Voroshilov” and the game with the current presenter, Boris Kryuk, fundamentally different?
— Of course, the program is very original. The presenter of "ChGK" is, with all due respect, not the presenter of, say, "Fields of Miracles", where there is a format. "What? Where? When?" First of all, it reflects the personality of the presenter and the personality of the experts. That’s why Voroshilov said: this game is not about answering questions, it’s a game about people.
Both Vladimir Yakovlevich and Boris are also participants in the game, but I would say that under Voroshilov it was more game against Voroshilov: he took on the role of an irritant, an element of pressure. Boris, it seems to me, is trying to be a mediator between experts and some other agents of pressure - spectators, questions, the tournament situation. He only directs this force, without taking on the role of the force itself.
— Teams have different personalities. What is your character?
— Andrei Kozlov has a rather original approach, which he even imposes on us, the team players.
As he says, when a question is asked, the answer already exists - with the leader, in the noosphere, in the collective unconscious of the team. And in a certain state command resonance, we are able to pull this response into the conscious. And in order to achieve this state, Andrey uses certain psychological methods— simply put, seeks to put the team into a state of severe stress.
- Yes? Who is on edge is captain Andrei Kozlov...
- Stress doesn't mean nervous tension, but in the sense of pressure. The game is probably 20% thinking and 80% concentration. This is proven by the fact that experts, when they are not sitting at the table, but either standing nearby or watching the game at home, take questions much more often. Responsibility gets in the way at the table... TV cameras - to a lesser extent, we are used to them.
A concentrated team would win with a score of 6:3 - 6:4, but usually we win with a score of 6:5 or lose 5:6. On the verge. I will take 80% of super blitzes at the TV screen, and 10% at the table, or even less.
— How do team members play together? You are from different cities...
— Well, everyone on the team has extensive playing experience. Another thing is that you need to get used to it.
We usually meet the day before the game, on Friday, and have a short team training session for about three games. This is more of an organizational moment: to tune in to each other - some shout a little louder, others do not formulate clearly enough. And we devote the day of the game to psychological adjustment and concentration training. We have a tradition, Andrey has voiced it more than once: we get together, have dinner and go watch some action movie. The stupider the better.
Before I started playing in Kozlov’s team, I practiced the opposite: until the last moment I sat in a hotel room, read some boring nonsense like a romance novel, completely unloading my senses so that, according to my hypothesis, they would become aggravated at the right moment. Andrey goes from the opposite: to load the senses, without straining the intellect. Serious scientific research These methods have not been carried out - which is a pity: it is interesting to find out what is more effective.
- How to take the question? Here's the technique itself...
— The question in “ChGK” is not a mystery of the universe. The Universe speaks to us in the language in which it pleases. And a person writes a question so that it can be taken. In this case, the “question-answer” pair should be small piece art. “Who wrote “Eugene Onegin”? “Pushkin” is not a match, because the reaction to this is: “So what then?” And if so, then probably the answer is not correct. Look for another one.
Or, for example, if a word in a question seems unnatural, it probably contains the key.
There are questions in which the train of thought is immediately clear: for example, you need to sort through operas or French kings. There are questions that make you feel dumbfounded at first. In our team's recent game there was children's question: “Antonina doesn’t know how to swim, Nikolai works at a logging site, and where does Evgenia work?” At the first second I panicked - I didn’t understand what to do. Thank God that Alena Alexandrova’s brain worked in the right direction: we need to turn Antonina into Tonya, Nikolai into Kolya - and then it becomes obvious: Tonya is drowning, Kolya is stabbing, and then Zhenya gets married, and she works in the registry office.
What’s funny is that the TV viewer, for example, immediately guessed and chuckles: it’s a simple question, what fools.
“ChGK” questions are actually a kind of metalanguage, having mastered which, you solve 70% of the problem of answering the question.
- We, the audience, also guess. But maybe the editors of the game deliberately throw out easier questions for the sake of our self-respect?
— Vladimir Voroshilov in his seminal work (he also published two books on “ChGK”) wrote that for a successful game of “What? Where? When?" enough knowledge high school. This game is not about knowledge at all.
— And they also say that sports “What? Where? When?" much more difficult than television. What is this, a sports “ChGK”?
- This is a slightly different game. Well, like in the automotive industry: a car was built on the same chassis for a different purpose. The purpose of the game show is to show the collision. This is art, because art is, first of all, “about a person.” The personality is placed in extremely uncomfortable conditions, so that under this pressure everything superficial goes away and the person becomes what he is. Live broadcast can't be fooled. If you focus on keeping your face and mask on (we all wear masks in everyday life), you will not be able to play, you will only broadcast the mask.
Sports "ChGK" is also interesting. Yes, any intellectual activity brings pleasure: in the process of evolution, we have formed a mind, and it itches all the time, and the game also provides such a service as collective scratching of the mind, which is much more pleasant.
But sports “ChGK” is not art, it is precisely sport. An attempt to identify which of the teams... I won’t say “smarter”, because good players not necessarily smarter bad players... Find out who plays this particular game better.
If Kozlov’s team plays sports “ChGK” at the World Championship, it will be very far from first place. About eight years ago we would have still fought, but in last years The sports game began to move more and more into abstractions, into a kind of “bead game.” A typical question today sports game: three X's are located on the game, they carry three alphas, what word is replaced in the question? At the same time, there is an unspoken agreement: nouns are called X's and Y's male, alpha - female...
- Oh, why such difficulties?
— Because the package of questions in the sports “ChGK” should rank, say, 60 teams. The issue of the television “ChGK” should not separate the teams, because only one is playing. Therefore, if in a sports “ChGK” you give the teams questions from television, then almost everyone will answer most of the questions, or, conversely, almost everyone will not answer - it will not be possible to qualitatively determine who won.
I periodically go to the sports “ChGK” to warm up, but here I am not as effective as in “human” matters. Although this is a matter of habit. Just a different language. You once learned French, but didn’t practice and forgot, but if you live in a language environment, you’ll start speaking again. If a team of strong players in the sports “ChGK” sits down to answer television questions, then Kozlov’s team will beat them. Because this is our language.
— How did you become a radio host? Because you love football?
— Six years ago, Radio Zenit started working, and one of the experts, Lesha Blinov, knowing that I was an active fan, suggested: let’s collaborate. A program appeared with my participation, “Head Game.” I ask questions, listeners answer via SMS, and the hosts in the studio don’t let you get bored.
At the same time, I came as a guest fan to Fedya Pogorelov’s “Football Exacerbation” program, then he went to America to study for a year, I replaced him and settled in. Fedya, having returned, came up with another program for himself, and I continue to host “Aggravation”.
- What's interestnig clever man finds in football?
— Look, play is an integral and, probably, basic human need. At the same time, an important property of the game is that a person always understands that it has nothing to do with reality. We sat down to play chess, and suddenly the house caught fire - it was clear that we would quit the game. But while the house is not on fire, we sit and play, although we have more important things to do, we could earn an extra penny. No, we sit and play. Because I like it. As in the famous experiment with a rat that had an electrode implanted into the pleasure center of the brain, and it constantly pressed a button to stimulate this center, did not drink or eat.
Football is just one of the games. What do smart people find in it? Well, after all, this is not tic-tac-toe, where there are two moves and a draw, if you don’t make stupid mistakes. In football there is room for personality to shine through. There is a place for aesthetic pleasure - football players can do things with the ball that they cannot do ordinary people. This is a game of the mind, a game of coaches who select players in such a way as to make them stand out strengths and level out the weak - there are no ideal football players... Maybe only Cristiano Ronaldo. This is also a game with an opponent, a clash of wills and strategies.
- Well, yes, it’s a game - and why are there such terrible fights among the fans?
— There is a whole subculture of football hooliganism, it has developed its own code of conduct. For example, they fight most often by agreement of the parties, in strict accordance with the dueling code. Such boxing fresh air. If I go, for example, to a match with Spartak in Moscow and even wear a Zenit rose... well, maybe some fool will shine a light in my eye, this is also in the rules of the game... But I should be seriously afraid in my life - no.
— Returning to the game: are there definitely unfavorite types of questions?
— Dislike for certain issues is individual. When we take a question, endorphins are released, and you get physiological pleasure. But a momentary feeling of panic, when you don’t understand how to reason, gives a surge of adrenaline or norepinephrine, and this is very unpleasant.
Personally, my worst questions are when they bring, excuse me, some kind of garbage to the table: guess how it is used. I am close to questions like “continue the quote from so and so,” because this is a “person-person” relationship, and when they bring up bullshit, there is no person here. Thank God we have Kapustin on our team: if we are given an incomprehensible object, Kapustin either knows how to use it, or twirls it in his hands and guesses.
— Boris Kryuk said about you: this is not a player of knowledge, but a phenomenal solver. But knowledge is still needed. Do you read an encyclopedia, say?
- No. You just have to keep it in context. I was sitting at work, downloaded a package of questions from the database and played. It’s hard for me to play alone, so I either take the question in the first second or immediately open the answer.
- And remind me of some legendary what-where-when question...
— “About the pit,” for example. The end of the seventies or the beginning of the eighties, the final of the year, the authors of the questions are in the studio. And one lady behaved unpleasantly - well, the only one was against the experts reading out the answer to some question, not even hers. (I'm not saying that the lady is on her own unpleasant person, - it could be by-effect live broadcast.) Finally, it was her turn to ask a question: “Leonardo asked: “What grows more the more you take away?” And on her own behalf she added: “The answer begins with the end, and ends with the beginning.”
The question is simple - but experts are stupid for a whole minute. A schizoid way of thinking, when you walk in a circle and are unable to get out of it: “Oh my God - I don’t know - what it could be - I don’t know.” Everyone around has already guessed... In fact, this is a separate format for watching “ChGK” - watching the game, knowing the answer: you evaluate how close the players are to the truth. So, the minute has passed and there is no answer. And Nurali Latypov, answering, suddenly at the last second: “Pit.” Then versions were born, supposedly experts knew the answer already in the first second, they were simply teasing the viewer - but this is not so.
— You once said a long time ago that there is no need to send small children to all sorts of developmental kindergartens. Do you still think so? By the way, what is your “composition of children”?
- A boy and a girl... I believe that children cannot be developed in a disharmonious manner. When you gently direct a child somewhere (there is no question of forcing), you need to understand whether you are doing it for him or for yourself. There are two poles where many parents fall: hypertrophied physical development or hypertrophied dry intellectual. Are you teaching a four-year-old child to take integrals - and why? A four-year-old child is not able to perceive abstractions, and you will dry up his emotional sphere and ability to empathize.
— Question from the female part of the editorial board: to “What? Where? When?" do pairs often form?
— I wouldn’t say that there are many or few couples. Yes, “CHGK” - I mean the movement in general - is a big get-together, people spend a lot of time together, sympathies arise that turn into relationships. Moreover, there are many couples from different cities: during the year people can meet six times at tournaments, play for three hours, have nothing else to do - they go for a walk. In general, the situation is conducive. But on the other hand, people are smart, but intelligence actually borders on selfishness, and couples often break up. Because... Yes, we are all difficult people.
, Leningrad region, RSFSR, USSR
K:Wikipedia:Articles without images (type: not specified)Biography
He graduated from gymnasium No. 171 of the city of St. Petersburg, in 1996 - St. Petersburg State University, Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Control Processes.
Worked as a trader in the joint-stock company "Broker Firm Lenstroymaterialy" and CJSC IC "Energocapital"; currently heads the equity markets department at BFA CJSC.
"What? Where? When?"
Since 1991, he has performed as part of various teams in the sports version of the intellectual game “What? Where? When? "(until 1993 - in the team of Leonid Klimovich, then - in the team of Sergei Vivatenko). In the elite club since 1997
In the fall of 2002 he received the Crystal Owl prize. From 2005 to 2009 he was a member of the board of MAK.
In 2005, he announced his departure from the television Club “What? Where? When?" , however, did not stop participating in sports What? Where? When? . He began performing at the TV club again in 2006. At the moment (November 2015) the club has a win-loss ratio of 61.11% (36 games, 22 wins).
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An excerpt characterizing Moon, Mikhail Valerievich
“Many people are pleased with your mercy, but we don’t have to take the master’s bread,” said a voice from behind.- Why not? - said the princess.
No one answered, and Princess Marya, looking around the crowd, noticed that now all the eyes she met immediately dropped.
- Why don’t you want to? – she asked again.
Nobody answered.
Princess Marya felt heavy from this silence; she tried to catch someone's gaze.
- Why don’t you talk? - the princess turned to the old man, who, leaning on a stick, stood in front of her. - Tell me if you think anything else is needed. “I’ll do everything,” she said, catching his gaze. But he, as if angry at this, lowered his head completely and said:
- Why agree, we don’t need bread.
- Well, should we give it all up? Do not agree. We don’t agree... We don’t agree. We feel sorry for you, but we do not agree. Go on your own, alone...” was heard in the crowd from different directions. And again the same expression appeared on all the faces of this crowd, and now it was probably no longer an expression of curiosity and gratitude, but an expression of embittered determination.
“You didn’t understand, right,” said Princess Marya with a sad smile. - Why don’t you want to go? I promise to house you and feed you. And here the enemy will ruin you...
But her voice was drowned out by the voices of the crowd.
“We don’t have our consent, let him ruin it!” We don’t take your bread, we don’t have our consent!
Princess Marya again tried to catch someone's gaze from the crowd, but not a single glance was directed at her; the eyes obviously avoided her. She felt strange and awkward.
- See, she taught me cleverly, follow her to the fortress! Destroy your home and go into bondage and go. Why! I'll give you the bread, they say! – voices were heard in the crowd.
Princess Marya, lowering her head, left the circle and went into the house. Having repeated the order to Drona that there should be horses for departure tomorrow, she went to her room and was left alone with her thoughts.
For a long time that night Princess Marya sat open window in her room, listening to the sounds of men talking coming from the village, but she did not think about them. She felt that no matter how much she thought about them, she could not understand them. She kept thinking about one thing - about her grief, which now, after the break caused by worries about the present, had already become past for her. She could now remember, she could cry and she could pray. As the sun set, the wind died down. The night was quiet and fresh. At twelve o'clock the voices began to fade, the rooster crowed, and people began to emerge from behind the linden trees. full moon, a fresh, white mist of dew rose, and silence reigned over the village and over the house.
One after another, pictures of the near past appeared to her - illness and last minutes father. And with sad joy she now dwelled on these images, driving away from herself with horror only one last image of his death, which - she felt - she was unable to contemplate even in her imagination at this quiet and mysterious hour of the night. And these pictures appeared to her with such clarity and with such detail that they seemed to her now like reality, now the past, now the future.
Then she vividly imagined that moment when he had a stroke and was dragged out of the garden in the Bald Mountains by the arms and he muttered something with an impotent tongue, twitched his gray eyebrows and looked at her restlessly and timidly.
“Even then he wanted to tell me what he told me on the day of his death,” she thought. “He always meant what he told me.” And so she remembered in all its details that night in Bald Mountains on the eve of the blow that happened to him, when Princess Marya, sensing trouble, remained with him against his will. She did not sleep and at night she tiptoed downstairs and, going up to the door to the flower shop where her father spent the night that night, listened to his voice. He said something to Tikhon in an exhausted, tired voice. He obviously wanted to talk. “And why didn’t he call me? Why didn’t he allow me to be here in Tikhon’s place? - Princess Marya thought then and now. “He will never tell anyone now everything that was in his soul.” This moment will never return for him and for me, when he would say everything he wanted to say, and I, and not Tikhon, would listen and understand him. Why didn’t I enter the room then? - she thought. “Maybe he would have told me then what he said on the day of his death.” Even then, in a conversation with Tikhon, he asked about me twice. He wanted to see me, but I stood here, outside the door. He was sad, it was hard to talk with Tikhon, who did not understand him. I remember how he spoke to him about Lisa, as if she were alive - he forgot that she died, and Tikhon reminded him that she was no longer there, and he shouted: “Fool.” It was hard for him. I heard from behind the door how he lay down on the bed, groaning, and shouted loudly: “My God! Why didn’t I get up then?” What would he do to me? What would I have to lose? And maybe then he would have been consoled, he would have said this word to me.” And Princess Marya said out loud the kind word that he said to her on the day of his death. “Darling! - Princess Marya repeated this word and began to sob with tears that relieved her soul. She now saw his face in front of her. And not the face that she had known since she could remember, and which she had always seen from afar; and that face is timid and weak, which on the last day, bending down to his mouth to hear what he said, she examined up close for the first time with all its wrinkles and details.
