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Chapter 55: News of Future Past
Part 55: News of Future Past
Passage from Erikas Aimanavičius's 2015 novel "1776", published in Vilnius (English translation)
By the time that the two guards dragged their leader back to his tent, Martynas was already screaming and clutching onto his wound, and at first, the people in their vicinity thought that the soldiers brought in a demon. The Hetman was leaving a trail of blood across the camp, and even though the sounds of guns blazing and sabres clashing was as loud as ever, even it was overshadowed by the terrifying, agonizing screams.
"Doctor, doctor! Someone get here a doctor, now!" Katerina exclaimed after lighting a candle to illuminate the tent, then helped the soldiers place her husband on a bed. Martynas was gasping for air, and his clutch on his wound looked less like a grip and more like him trying to rip off his flesh. A doctor was what everyone waited for, and a doctor was what they soon got. A bald, middle-aged swirling man, looking half like he's drunk and half like he's asphyxiated, and carrying a bag of tools for the necessary operation.
"Please, miss, make him remove his hand from the wound, I want to look at it," the doctor spoke, and Katerina, with the help of a nearby maid, moved the hand back. And after glancing at the wound, she instantly placed her hand on her mouth to make sure she doesn't vomit - flesh ripped apart, blood flowing in all directions, bone visible and shattered. It was hard to even see where the bullet was - but it was definitely inside, there was no outside hole.
"Let me go... back to the battlefield..." Martynas muttered, trying to speak to his wife and to the maids holding him down. "I need... to beat Schwarzburg..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Grand Hetman! Half of your body looks like chopped pork." a nearby general, who returned to the camp after hearing the news of Pacas's fall, spoke.
"Don't interrupt me, I have work to do." the doctor cut off the conversation, then pulled out a scalpel from his bag and moved closer to the wound. "Don't worry, your Majesty, his tool has served me for 15 years - it may be a bit rusty and dirty, but it'll get the job done." The doctor began to delve deeper into the large hole, pushing back loose strands of muscle with the side of his knife in search for the bullet, but in the search, it seemed to have accidentally opened a blood vessel, because even more of the red liquid spilled across the body. Martynas couldn't hold it - he began to outright scream, shaking his head from side to side and trying to take deeper and deeper breaths. Blood flow to the brain was weakening. The maids and even he soldiers rushed to hold the Hetman down, but while he was roaring in agony, his eyes suddenly opened...
"I... I had a dream..."
"About what, my dear?" Katerina raised her eyebrow.
"It was... it was..."
Before the man could put a finger on what it was, the doctor, who was still examining the wound, suddenly said:
"I found it! It's right behind the collarbone," obviously referring to the location of the bullet. Out of this excitement, not even noticing the constant blood flow seeping through his hands, he held tight onto the scalpel and dug deeper, cutting through a bunch of muscle and arteries in the process. Once again, liquid shot forward, and the Hetman again screamed in agony.
"Martynas! Martynas! Stay with me! The scout arrived, he said that Schwarzburg's been captured!" Katerina spo-
"What's happening to you, sir?" the soldier asked. "You've been screaming and suddenly stopping for ten minutes now. Does Saint Peter keep denying you the gates of Heaven?"
"I... I don't know..." the Hetman replied. "Are... are we winning?"
"We already won, sir. Schwarzburg is captured, the Germans are fleeing and-"
"I've got it!" the doctor suddenly cut the guard off, putting his greasy fingers deep into the wound. "I'm pulling it out!"
With every pull, however, Martynas screamed more and more, and the loss of oxygen in his brain was turning more and more apparent.
"Sir, calm down! It's almost done!" the soldier exclaimed, standing up and holding onto his dying superior's shoulders. Martynas promptly coughed up blood on the man's uniform and continued shaking his hea-
"Right, let me get ready..." Butvydas replied, moving up to the injured general, but before he could even do anything, Martynas suddenly ripped the cross from his hand and firmly placed it upon his chest, muttering word after word. Katerina quickly ran up to him and screamed out:
"MARTYNAS! What are you doing?!"
"Manamelkudi... Where the hell is... Manamelkudi... What is the... Prelude for a New Empire... Sonata... For Lithuania... Blue flags..."
"My dear, my dear... What happened to you?" the woman muttered, crying, holding onto his upper arm. She held and held, hoping for her husband to recover, until his grip over the cross finally loosened and the eyes closed.
The guards and the doctor slowly removed their hats and placed them at their chest. Butvydas formed the shape of a Cross in front of his chest.
"We'll need to inform the Emperor. The Grand Hetman is dead..." a guard muttered.
Part 55: News of Future Past
Passage from Erikas Aimanavičius's 2015 novel "1776", published in Vilnius (English translation)
"Doctor, doctor! Someone get here a doctor, now!" Katerina exclaimed after lighting a candle to illuminate the tent, then helped the soldiers place her husband on a bed. Martynas was gasping for air, and his clutch on his wound looked less like a grip and more like him trying to rip off his flesh. A doctor was what everyone waited for, and a doctor was what they soon got. A bald, middle-aged swirling man, looking half like he's drunk and half like he's asphyxiated, and carrying a bag of tools for the necessary operation.
"Please, miss, make him remove his hand from the wound, I want to look at it," the doctor spoke, and Katerina, with the help of a nearby maid, moved the hand back. And after glancing at the wound, she instantly placed her hand on her mouth to make sure she doesn't vomit - flesh ripped apart, blood flowing in all directions, bone visible and shattered. It was hard to even see where the bullet was - but it was definitely inside, there was no outside hole.
"Let me go... back to the battlefield..." Martynas muttered, trying to speak to his wife and to the maids holding him down. "I need... to beat Schwarzburg..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Grand Hetman! Half of your body looks like chopped pork." a nearby general, who returned to the camp after hearing the news of Pacas's fall, spoke.
"Don't interrupt me, I have work to do." the doctor cut off the conversation, then pulled out a scalpel from his bag and moved closer to the wound. "Don't worry, your Majesty, his tool has served me for 15 years - it may be a bit rusty and dirty, but it'll get the job done." The doctor began to delve deeper into the large hole, pushing back loose strands of muscle with the side of his knife in search for the bullet, but in the search, it seemed to have accidentally opened a blood vessel, because even more of the red liquid spilled across the body. Martynas couldn't hold it - he began to outright scream, shaking his head from side to side and trying to take deeper and deeper breaths. Blood flow to the brain was weakening. The maids and even he soldiers rushed to hold the Hetman down, but while he was roaring in agony, his eyes suddenly opened...
The bell of the Cathedral of the Theotokos roared loudly, and I suddenly woke up in a city - somewhat familiar, yet somewhat not. The rays of the morning sun illuminated my right cheek. At first sight, it appeared as if I was transported into... into a city square. Thousands of people were walking past and didn't even look at me.
Is this a dream? Is this reality? Katerina? Anyone? Where are you?
I began to take a walk across the square. One of the first things I noticed was the... composition of the population. Almost no able-bodied men. Lots of women, children and the elderly, and dozens of others sitting at the sides of the street, lined up, with hands and legs covered in papers, holding up their palms and asking strangers for money.
The ground was neither stone nor dirt. It was... something weird. It looked like a dark stone, but it was completely bland, and smooth. Perhaps-
Wait, who are those people? Hundreds were marching throughout the square, saying chant after chant. They were all armed, and they were waving blue flags. One of them aimed and shot down the cross above the Cathedral...
"Martynas! Martynas! Say something!" Katerina exclaimed, her eyes watering and her hands holding onto her husband's bloodied hand. The Hetman was looking straight up, unblinking, but he suddenly woke up from the trance, let out a scream, inhaled and turned towards his wife, saying:Is this a dream? Is this reality? Katerina? Anyone? Where are you?
I began to take a walk across the square. One of the first things I noticed was the... composition of the population. Almost no able-bodied men. Lots of women, children and the elderly, and dozens of others sitting at the sides of the street, lined up, with hands and legs covered in papers, holding up their palms and asking strangers for money.
The ground was neither stone nor dirt. It was... something weird. It looked like a dark stone, but it was completely bland, and smooth. Perhaps-
Wait, who are those people? Hundreds were marching throughout the square, saying chant after chant. They were all armed, and they were waving blue flags. One of them aimed and shot down the cross above the Cathedral...
"I... I had a dream..."
"About what, my dear?" Katerina raised her eyebrow.
"It was... it was..."
Before the man could put a finger on what it was, the doctor, who was still examining the wound, suddenly said:
"I found it! It's right behind the collarbone," obviously referring to the location of the bullet. Out of this excitement, not even noticing the constant blood flow seeping through his hands, he held tight onto the scalpel and dug deeper, cutting through a bunch of muscle and arteries in the process. Once again, liquid shot forward, and the Hetman again screamed in agony.
"Martynas! Martynas! Stay with me! The scout arrived, he said that Schwarzburg's been captured!" Katerina spo-
Kiev. At least, that's what I thought it was.
The sun was no longer shining, and quite the opposite - rain was now plowing through the streets. But I had an umbrella, and a coat, for some reason, and I stood in a back street, near what I presumed to be homes of the lower classes. There no longer were thousands of people moving past me - only one or two ever appeared while I was walking. With worn out faces, distressed, saddened by something.
My arm had... a strange device on the wrist. It looked like a clock, it showed that it is a quarter past six, but how could it be so small? That's impossible. I am definitely dreaming. But before I could continue pondering about the craziness of it all, someone pulled my coat from the back.
And as I turned around, I saw it to be just a tiny girl, with a strange device in her hands. Something weird, resembling a box. And she looked shocked.
"What's the matter, little girl?" I spoke in Ruthenian. It took her a while to understand what I said, but she soon replied - not by voice, but by pressing her finger on the device. It suddenly created a sound, and not just any sound - music. Weird music.
"Did you... not hear the music?" she then spoke. It was as hard for me to understand her speech as it likely was for her. It was Ruthenian, but a much different version. "It's called 'Prelude for a New Empire'. And do you know who created this sonata? It was-"
"Priest! Someone call a priest! We need the Holy Unction, before it is too late!" Katerina exclaimed, rushing out of the tent in search for anyone capable. Martynas once again suddenly woke up from his trance, looking to the sides. His wife was not only there, and instead, he was safeguarded by one of his guards.The sun was no longer shining, and quite the opposite - rain was now plowing through the streets. But I had an umbrella, and a coat, for some reason, and I stood in a back street, near what I presumed to be homes of the lower classes. There no longer were thousands of people moving past me - only one or two ever appeared while I was walking. With worn out faces, distressed, saddened by something.
My arm had... a strange device on the wrist. It looked like a clock, it showed that it is a quarter past six, but how could it be so small? That's impossible. I am definitely dreaming. But before I could continue pondering about the craziness of it all, someone pulled my coat from the back.
And as I turned around, I saw it to be just a tiny girl, with a strange device in her hands. Something weird, resembling a box. And she looked shocked.
"What's the matter, little girl?" I spoke in Ruthenian. It took her a while to understand what I said, but she soon replied - not by voice, but by pressing her finger on the device. It suddenly created a sound, and not just any sound - music. Weird music.
"Did you... not hear the music?" she then spoke. It was as hard for me to understand her speech as it likely was for her. It was Ruthenian, but a much different version. "It's called 'Prelude for a New Empire'. And do you know who created this sonata? It was-"
"What's happening to you, sir?" the soldier asked. "You've been screaming and suddenly stopping for ten minutes now. Does Saint Peter keep denying you the gates of Heaven?"
"I... I don't know..." the Hetman replied. "Are... are we winning?"
"We already won, sir. Schwarzburg is captured, the Germans are fleeing and-"
"I've got it!" the doctor suddenly cut the guard off, putting his greasy fingers deep into the wound. "I'm pulling it out!"
With every pull, however, Martynas screamed more and more, and the loss of oxygen in his brain was turning more and more apparent.
"Sir, calm down! It's almost done!" the soldier exclaimed, standing up and holding onto his dying superior's shoulders. Martynas promptly coughed up blood on the man's uniform and continued shaking his hea-
The splashes of the waves were the first to inform me that I have once again been transported. With a helmet and a uniform, I was standing alongside hundreds of fellow soldiers in this ship, placing my eyes towards the shore in the distance. This vessel was unique, though, and it once again confused me - it was made of steel! Steel! How can it even float? How are we not dead?
All the soldiers were standing straight and tall, with discipline that I wished I could see in my own soldiers. One was using what seemed to be two green glass bottles tied together to look towards the shore, but he soon lowered the device, turned around and spoke to the back of the ship in weird, almost unintelligible Lithuanian:
"Enemy defenses have been weakened by constant bombardment. 1st Air Assault Regiment has landed. Clear to engage."
"For Lithuania, men!" one of the soldiers suddenly exclaimed, and the rest followed in a united chant.
"Save up your excitement for later, boys." the bottle-seeing man, probably a scout, commented back. "We'll land near Manamelkudi in a few hours time. Ready your weapons and..."
"Mr. Butvydas, the Hetman needs the Holy Unction." Katerina spoke, bringing in an aged priest into the tent. He was carrying a cross in one hand and a number of scented oils in the other. The doctor had already moved back, hoping to let the wound heal itself after the bullet has been pulled out.All the soldiers were standing straight and tall, with discipline that I wished I could see in my own soldiers. One was using what seemed to be two green glass bottles tied together to look towards the shore, but he soon lowered the device, turned around and spoke to the back of the ship in weird, almost unintelligible Lithuanian:
"Enemy defenses have been weakened by constant bombardment. 1st Air Assault Regiment has landed. Clear to engage."
"For Lithuania, men!" one of the soldiers suddenly exclaimed, and the rest followed in a united chant.
"Save up your excitement for later, boys." the bottle-seeing man, probably a scout, commented back. "We'll land near Manamelkudi in a few hours time. Ready your weapons and..."
"Right, let me get ready..." Butvydas replied, moving up to the injured general, but before he could even do anything, Martynas suddenly ripped the cross from his hand and firmly placed it upon his chest, muttering word after word. Katerina quickly ran up to him and screamed out:
"MARTYNAS! What are you doing?!"
"Manamelkudi... Where the hell is... Manamelkudi... What is the... Prelude for a New Empire... Sonata... For Lithuania... Blue flags..."
"My dear, my dear... What happened to you?" the woman muttered, crying, holding onto his upper arm. She held and held, hoping for her husband to recover, until his grip over the cross finally loosened and the eyes closed.
The guards and the doctor slowly removed their hats and placed them at their chest. Butvydas formed the shape of a Cross in front of his chest.
"We'll need to inform the Emperor. The Grand Hetman is dead..." a guard muttered.
- Augenis
- Word Count: 1.7k