For two days, six-year-old Anouchka was left alone in a frigid home. She was not allowed to go outside when her mother departed one afternoon. The house was already cold in the morning, even though the stove continued to provide some warmth during the first night.
Anouchka, feeling hungry, located two potatoes that had been cooked the previous day, peeled them, sprinkled them with a little salt, and consumed them while sipping water from a bucket that was almost full. She was pushed back beneath her blanket by a chilly draft that came from the basement. In the hopes that she would light the stove and make hot food, she waited for her mother to return.
However, night fell without her mother returning. Anouchka nestled up under the cover, shivering, wrapped in an old sweatshirt that had belonged to her mother. There was nothing left to eat, and the house was even colder the following morning.
She was determined to fire the stove, so she went to fetch some logs, got on a stool to open the hatch, and attempted to do so just like her mother had done. She was able to start the fire after multiple tries. She cleaned some raw potatoes, added water, and set the cast-iron pot next to the stove to cook them.
When her mother began to disappear more frequently, Anouchka recalled that her father had moved to the city. The young child was left alone with her unstable mother after her grandmother, who had previously looked after her, passed away.
Neighbors later stopped by to see how they were doing after becoming aware of the mother’s extended absence. Near the woodpile, they found the mother’s frozen body. Anouchka was taken in by Grandmother Masha, who also provided her with clean clothes, food, and washing.
After learning of the circumstances, Anouchka’s father arrived to take her away. He brought her to live with him and Valentina, his new girlfriend, who took care of Anouchka’s food and cleanliness although never displaying affection.
Growing up, Anouchka helped out around the house and became skilled at sewing. She made the decision to go back to her hometown when she was eighteen. She found a job at the post office, started sewing again, and repaired the old house with the help of her neighbors. She was expecting their first child with Grandmother Masha’s grandson, Zakhar, whom she had married.
Anouchka had discovered her calling, turning an abandoned childhood into a resilient and peaceful life.
