Plot Potatoes: Chernobyl The Fire Extinguished
Tags: @shit-in-silk-stocking
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February 1988
Valery’s Apartment, Moscow
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It was a cold and dreary day. The sky was a light grey, and a flurry of snow fell over Moscow. Valery was sat on his sofa, wrapped in a thick wool blanket. Sasha, his cat, dozed peacefully in his lap while he slowly read through an old novel. A gentle knock on the door made Valery jump. Valery gently removed Sasha from his lap and placed his novel on the coffee table before making his way to the door. Upon opening the door, Valery felt his lips part and his eyes widen. His heart instantly began to ache as he laid his eyes upon Ulana. She looked rather sickly and thin. Her once well-fitting coat seemed to hang from her boney shoulders. Her skin appeared to be papery, and despite her paleness, her cheeks were flushed. She looked as though the life was being sucked out of her, Ulana looked up at him with tired and sunken in eyes.
“May I come in?” she said, her voice quiet and weak.
Valery nodded and stepped aside. He could see her trembling slightly as she walked into the apartment. Silently, Ulana removed her thick coat and her hat, revealing her frail body and her thin greying hair.
“Lana…” Valery whispers as he looks at her, tears coming to his eyes at the very sight of her.
“I-I have leukemia, Valery…” She says softly, her voice raspy and weak, tears streaming down her cheeks as she wraps her arms around him.
She did not need to explain, for he knew this meant she was dying. Valery presses his nose to the top of her head, taking a deep breath. The sweet scent of her silky hair brings tears to his eyes. He holds onto her tightly, feeling as though she would disappear as they part.
Ulana nuzzles her cheek against Valery’s chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. She is overwhelmed with emotions, but her tears are not tears of sadness. She is overwhelmed with joy at the very thought of being in his embrace. They stand there for what seems like hours before parting.
“Why have you come here?” Valery whispers, fearing for her safety.
“My final wish was to see you again…” Ulana mumbles, tears welling in her eyes.
She pauses and swallows the sob building within her.
“I have thought about you every day…” Ulana begins as she looks up at him.
She is silenced by the long and soft kiss that Valery places on her lips.
“How long do we have?” Valery whispers, his face only centimeters from hers.
“Not long enough” Ulana replies, her eyes watering.
Valery sniffles and bites his lip for a moment, choking back a sob as he wraps his arms around her once again. He can feel how frail she truly is, and it makes him feel as though his heart has shattered.
“I do not want to spend a second without you…” Valery whispers as he looks into her eyes.
Ulana’s lips curve slightly into a weak smile as she looks up at him. Her hand wanders up to his cheek, caressing it gently.
“Then I will not leave your side…” Ulana mumbled, lost in Valery’s eyes.
Slowly, they make their way over to the sofa. Valery sits back down in his usual place. Instead of sitting beside him, Ulana sits down across his lap. Her legs propped up on the sofa as she lays her head against his shoulder. She stifles a cough as she nuzzles her cheek against Valery’s chest. Valery cannot help but smile as he wraps the wool blanket around them. He holds her against him quietly, leaning his cheek against her head.
“I love you more than you could ever imagine” He whispers, tightening her hold on her.
Ulana smiles and looks up at him as she cuddles against him.
“And I love you a million times more than that” She mumbles, the traces of a smile crossing her lips.
Valery cannot help but sob, tears coming to his eyes as he presses his forehead to hers. He can hear her faint and raspy breathing as he looks into her eyes. Ulana reaches up and places her thin and dainty hand on his cheek. Valery closes his eyes, unable to keep the tears from streaming down his cheeks. The sight of him crying brings tears to Ulana’s eyes. She leans in and kisses him softly.
“Please don’t cry. It breaks my heart” Ulana whispers, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly.
She presses her nose into the crook of his neck as she feels his arms tighten around her.
“I-I always thought that I would be the first to go…” Valery admits, his voice shaking.
Ulana manages to calm him down after a while. They sit in silence, held tightly in each other’s arms. Valery’s cat, Sasha, climbs into Ulana’s lap, settling down on her stomach, bringing a smile to Ulana’s face. Ulana gently strokes the cat as she snuggles up to Valery, laying her head against his chest. They watch as heavy snow begins to fall, beginning to talk. They talked for hours about silly and irrelevant things. Valery held her close, never wanting to move from that spot. They watched, engulfed in trivial conversation, as the sky began to darken. Ulana readjusted in his lap and looked up at Valery.
She opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it.
“shall we go get ready for bed?” He says softly, his lips curling in a slight smile.
Ulana nods and gently evicts Sasha from her place on Ulana’s stomach. Ulana sits up and pauses for a moment before standing up. She stood and stretched her dainty arms up over her head as Valery got up beside her. In silence, Ulana gathers the small travel bag she had brought with her and follows Valery to his room. She placed her bag on his dresser and proceeded to pull out a slightly hideous nightgown. It was something one would picture their grandmother wearing. Valery chuckles a little at the sight of it.
“Oh, hush” Ulana says, kissing him softly before walking down the hall to the bathroom.
While she is in there, Valery silently changes into his own pajamas. Though he did not realize it, that day Valery had started believing in God. All day, he had been begging any higher power for her life. Though he could not admit it, he had started believing in heaven. He had never really believed in an afterlife, but the very thought of losing the woman he loves has changed that. Valery knows that he must see her again somehow. In another lifetime perhaps they could spend their lives together and have a family. Ulana’s footsteps made him jump a little as she entered the room. He had been lost in thought. Thinking about the life that could have been theirs. Ulana approaches him and sees the tears in his eyes. She quietly climbs into his lap, placing one of her hands on his cheek.
“Are you alright Valera?” She whispers, caressing his cheek gently.
“I am, now that you are here,” Valery says, pulling her into a rather tight hug.
A radiant smile crosses Ulana’s face as she looks into Valery’s eyes, and for a moment, everything seems fine, as though neither of them was sick. Her smile melts Valery’s heart, making him smile as well. A few moments pass as Ulana rests her head against his shoulder, and they sit in almost serene silence. Valery lays back on the small bed, leaving barely enough room for her. Ulana shakes her head and climbs onto the bed, laying on her stomach on top of Valery. Her head rests on his chest, just below and his collar bone. A faint smile crosses her lips as she listens to the faint sound of his heart beating. Valery wrapped his arms around her, adjusting the blankets as they got comfortable. He could not recall when he had last shared his bed with a woman, but he was glad to be sharing it with Ulana, especially now, for he had been growing exceptionally lonely.
A few weeks pass, Ulana’s condition deteriorates rather quickly. She has almost completely stopped eating, and she had slowly gotten a fever. It was late one night; light snow had fallen that evening and the house was rather cold. Valery was sitting on the sofa reading, Ulana was positioned in his lap. She had fallen asleep a few hours earlier, but it was obvious she did not have much life left in her. She had spent the day talking with Valery, cuddling him on the sofa. They had talked about their lives in great detail. Valery had greatly enjoyed hearing about her life, savoring every little detail. He would have roused her and taken her to bed, but he did not have the heart to rouse her. She was breathing weakly, each breath seemed shallower than the last, and Valery knew he would be unable to sleep, not with her in such a state. So, he held her in his arms, and Sasha had settled herself in Ulana’s lap. Ulana’s head rested gently on the left side of Valery's chest. She had fallen asleep listening to the pulsing of Valery’s heart. Tears welled in Valery’s eyes as her breathing became raspy, and in the early hours of the morning, she finally drew one last raspy breath before falling silent. Valery felt tears rolling down his cheeks as he let out a soft sob. He pressed his running nose to the top of her head and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Goodbye, my love… I will see you again, someday” He whispered.
He held her in his arms until the warmth began to leave her body, crying softly as he nuzzled his cheek against her head. His heart ached for her and only her. She was the one thing he had craved all of those lonely days, cooped up in his apartment. She had been the only light left in his life, and now, her fire had been extinguished, leaving Valery trapped in the dark.