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Chapter 5:
Victor, the Unfriendly Boy

Asya, grandfather Basil, Buddy, and Purr always came back very happy after their usual daily visit to the lake.

However, it should be noted that Purr usually preferred not to swim in the lake, but to sit contemplatively on the shore while the other three swam. In order not to think that he was muddy, he carefully licked and combed his fur, and, returning home, felt no less pure than if he had joyously swam a lot with his friends.

Summer was in full swing, and the weather was beautiful! The forest path, illuminated by the sun’s rays pouring through the leaves of the trees, seemed fabulously beautiful!

Buddy always ran ahead and sometimes came back to tell with a joyful bark: “The smells here are so delightful! What an amazing summer this is!”, or “A hare ran by here this morning!” or “Look how beautiful the flowers and butterflies are here!”

Purr walked slowly, at a distance: sometimes in front, sometimes behind. He purred occasionally with thoughts: “Why is this Buddy so noisy with his joy?! There is so much grace around! And, with such enthusiastic barking, one cannot notice this bliss! It would be better for him to listen to the silence more often!”

Asya was surprised to realize that she now understood both Buddy and Purr!

She told grandpa:

“I think that I, too, am sometimes able to understand the magical language! And that I can even see a little bit of the Magical World!

“Now, for example, I walk — and become like a solar ball with a smile inside and with hands! And I — like the sun — can shine and caress with the soul, which now is larger in size than my body! You had previously told me about that — and, back then, I just believed you. But now it turns out that it really is so! Does this mean that I am one of those who are already in the Magical World?”

“Of course! Whenever a person loves sincerely and unselfishly — he or she touches by the soul the Magical World! And then he or she develops the skill to see that world — better and better!

“By the way, I have an important question for you today. Some people would like to bring a boy to me so that I can treat him. And he will probably need to stay with us for a while. Without your help, it will be very difficult for me to cure him. Will you agree to help me?”

“Of course! But I do not know how to treat others…”

“The heart love — always heals, though not everyone knows about it. So, do you agree?”

“Yes!”

“That’s great!

“This boy can’t walk after a car accident. He’s in a wheelchair. So you and Buddy have a job to do before he arrives: to even out the paths around the house and on the way to the lake. Can you handle it?”

… Asya and Buddy worked on this task for two days. They smoothed out the lumps and filled up the pits. Everything went well! Buddy worked very diligently and quickly with his paws, and Asya — with a shovel. Purr showed the places that needed to be evened out, and then evaluated the work, saying: “Meow! Very-very good! Puuuurrr!”

Asya now was always happy when she was able to correctly understand what was said by Purr or Buddy!

The house was also prepared for the arrival of the boy, whose name was Victor.. They prepared both a room and many other things that grandfather Basil had thought of.

Asya’s grandpa often received guests so that they could be healed. He steamed some of them in his bathhouse, others were given healing herbal decoctions and honey, and he also spoke with them about what they needed to change in themselves, and how to live in order to be healthy. But none of these visitors stayed long. And Asya usually did not play a big role in this. She could lay the table, or bring honey and herbs from grandpa’s stocks, but not much more than this. And now Asya felt like a real assistant!

… But when Victor arrived with his tutor, everything… somehow did not turn out exactly as Asya had expected.

Asya did not like Victor…

He was sitting in a super-modern motor-powered wheelchair, playing some games on his expensive smartphone and didn’t pay attention to anyone. He only muttered “Hello” indifferently, and then didn’t even look up.

The tutor, accompanying him, told grandpa Basil that after the accident, Victor had long been in a coma, and that when he returned to self-awareness — he could not walk. No doctors, even abroad, have found a way to cure him. There are no visible injuries to the legs and spine, but no procedures helped.

The tutor handed grandfather Basil a thick file with Victor’s medical history.

He was going to stay to take care of the boy, but grandpa Basil said that they could manage without him.

And so, the man left Victor after he had carried his things and made sure that everything for the boy is well provided.

Asya thought that at a time when all of this was happening — the Magical World seemed to hide Itself from view for a while.

When the car with the tutor left, it was as if everything suddenly became better: the space of light and joy almost went back to how it was. Only around Victor — there was like a gray islet: as if a murky shadow surrounded him from all sides. In this “island”, the laws of the Magical World did not act, and the life obeyed the usual rules of everyday bleak life…

Purr, passing by, even tried not to cross the border of that “island” and only walked past its edge.

Asya called Purr back to introduce him to Victor. Purr reluctantly jumped onto Victor’s lap, but the boy shook the cat with disgust and continued to play his game on the phone.

Buddy happily wanted to rush to get acquainted. He wagged his tail with all his strength, jumped up, but Victor… asked to “remove this dog”…

Grandfather Basil seemed not to notice Victor’s unfriendly attitude towards everyone. He began to show and talk about what is located in the house and around, and what things Victor can use and how to use them. Victor hardly listened to him.

When they had finished showing the house to Victor, grandfather Basil suddenly asked:

“Do you, Victor, want to walk and run?”

“So what if I want to or don’t want to? Why do you care? Well, treat me, if you need to… My parents will pay you a lot of money if I suddenly can start stumbling around on crutches! But I’m sick of it all!”

“Victor, the fact is that you are healthy, only you somewhat forgot about this after that accident. I’ll help you to recall it, if you, of course, want this.”

“I’m healthy?! Are you out of your mind?”

Out of indignation, Victor even gave a nasty look to grandfather Basil.

“They left me here with a crazy old man! And what: should I now endure all this?!”

“The phone is in your hands. Call — but then everything will always be like it is now…”

… Victor thought about it a bit:

“Okay, try it! Heal me! Nothing has ever been as bad as ‘it is now’!”

… Later, Victor was brought to his room to rest, and Asya was left alone with grandfather Basil, he said:

“Victor is very upset right now… Sometimes, this can happen to people…

“When a person thinks only about his or her own sorrows and illnesses, then all these sorrows and illnesses intensify. Victor, in order to distract himself from reality and to not think about anything bad, is trying to play all kinds of different videogames… Or he spills his bad mood onto others… And he has accumulated a very-very bad mood!…

“You can help him — if you both become friends.

“Man is arranged in such a way that what he or she thinks about a lot, and to where he or she directs the attention of the soul to — there, his or her strength flows. But one needs to send one’s attention into only good things. But it will not be easy…”

… The next day, Asya began to try to establish some common ground with Victor. She asked:

“What game are you playing on your phone?”

“Can’t you see?”

“I see, but I do not know what it is called. My dad forbade me to play any of such videogames…”

“He completely banned you?”

“Completely…”

“And what? Do you actually obey this?”

“Yes…”

“Well… You… I don’t even know what to say!… You’re a dinosaur! It seems that this is the perfect place for you and your crazy grandfather!”

“Please don’t talk bad about grandpa! Otherwise, I will not even see your little sun in a puddle!”

“What did you just say? What sun can be in a puddle?”

“Just an ordinary one, which is reflected… I will explain it to you later…

“Do not think that I am completely unmodern! I can use a computer! And I’m not that bad at it either!”

“If there was a normal Internet here, then I would teach you to play many games. I have a cool iPad! It would not be so boring. But the connection here is very bad. If you want to, I’ll show you those games that I’ve downloaded, but I’m already tired of them…”

“But there are many other interesting things here!”

“It may be interesting here for people like you and your grandfather! But, for clever people?

“You live in a different time period! Now — with the Internet — a person can do anything, even in a wheelchair! Did you hear about Stephen Hawking?”

“I heard a little. Grandfather said that Stephen Hawking dreamed up a lot of things…”

“He was completely paralyzed. He even spoke only with the help of a computer… But he became famous all over the world!”

“Well, he is not so famous because he was sick. But because of the fact that he wanted to know everything about the universe…

“Victor, is it true that you really do not want to even try to recover?”

“Why falsely indulge oneself with hopes? During the last few years — after each treatment — it only got worse! I was treated in Germany. And in Israel — I also was treated. So what? Do you think that your grandfather — I will try not to express myself roughly — can do it better? What? Is he some kind of wizard?!…”

“I think he can! When I was in the hospital, I realized that I really wanted to recover…”

“You? In the hospital?”

“Yes, they thought that I might have had cancer, but the doctors did not tell me about it. And here — grandfather has changed a lot in me. He as if reconfigured everything inside of me. And I am healthy now!”

… Victor’s super-modern wheelchair allowed him very quickly ride to places by himself. And Victor could even very quickly ride to places with it by himself. Or — with the help of Asya or grandfather Basil.

Therefore, in the following days, it was possible to visit the lake and bathe there. Grandfather began to teach Victor how to swim.

He also invented many special procedures and special gymnastics for Victor.

But so far everything was not too successful… The gray cloud, isolating Victor from the Magical World, did not dissipate.