1 1984

James Korniy was born on earth, nothing special happened that day. Bertha looked at the tiny baby in her hands, she had just helped Katty give birth to a healthy child. There was no crying, instead the newborn just looked at him, as if he was thinking, watching the expression on Bertha's face as long as Bertha cleaned him. Bertha wrapped the newborn neatly with an old cloth distributed by the government last year, Katty did not come with anything to wrap the newborn up with.

"Look at how cute and handsome he is," Bertha smiled at the newborn as she finished bathing him. Bertha moved to put the newborn beside his mother. "Take him away, I don't want to see him, I have to go to work immediately help wash all the blood off my body, I have an appointment this afternoon, I'll pay you later," Katty rudely from the bed she was laying in. Without saying a word Bertha placed the newborn on a table near the sink where she had washed him earlier, and immediately started to clean up the blood and placenta that was still all over the bed.

Bertha couldn't stop thinking about Katty, how could she immediately make a living right after giving birth to her baby, all the residents in this village know Katty well. Katty straddles males to make her living, even when she was pregnant. "Where are you going Katty, you will bleed heavily for the next few days, you won't be able to go straight to work," said Bertha, as she watched Katty slowly sliding down the bed. "It's none of your business Bertha, you just need to take care of that baby, and I'll give you coin afterward." Katty slowly got out of the bed, and immediately hurried to clean her face in a sink and looked in the mirror just above the wastafel. "I have to go home for a while to change, these clothes are already covered in blood and I don't have enough time, I'm in a hurry," she replied.

Bertha immediately handed her a glass full of a strong, smelling herbal concoction. "Drink this first, this will give you some energy since you just gave birth… Katty you also need to pay attention to your condition," said Bertha before Katty stepped further towards the door of the house. Reluctantly, Katty drank the herbal drink, and immediately walked away without saying thank you.

Bertha watched her leave, she had helped Katty give birth twice, and Bertha was used to her neighbor's rude behavior, five years ago she helped Katty give birth to a beautiful daughter whom she named Miriam. "James, I will give you the name James, because you are very handsome," said Bertha, inviting the little baby to talk, and as if he understood the little baby nodded and wriggled in the cloth. "Five years ago, I also named your sister, Miriam. You will soon meet her, she is a beautiful little girl." Bertha smiled briefly at the newborn, and immediately brewed diluted milk, the daily ration she had this morning. after waiting for four hours.

At the age of fifty Bertha had to live alone, she did whatever she could, since her husband and only son died due to the tragic events twenty years ago.

She watched the newborn drink the milk quickly, and Bertha immediately added water to the bottle before the milk was completely gone. The situation was so difficult now, they had to queue for a simple bottle of milk and a piece of bread. There were times when she had to go home. empty-handed when the day's ration ran out, no matter how long she spent in the queue.

The world is getting darker, the war never ends, there is not much to do especially in winter like this, and the night slowly greets. The screams of the octobrists, the little communists sounded loudly from afar. "The proletariat of all nations, unite! All power to the Soviets. Peace to the people. Land for the peasants."

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(*) Little octobrists: Little Octobrists is a Soviet term that first appeared in 1923–1924, and was then used to refer to children born in 1917, the year of the October revolution. Later, the term was used as the name of a youth organization for children between the ages of 7 and 9. After the age of nine, in 3rd grade, Little Octobrist will usually join the Young Pioneer Organization. Each Little Octobrist wears a ruby ​​five-pointed star badge with a portrait of Vladimir Lenin in his childhood. The coat of arms of the group is a small red flag.