Short Fiction · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Short Fiction by Leonid Andreyev.

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Chapter 1
Short Fiction
A collection of short stories exploring themes of madness, suffering, and human cruelty through various characters and their struggles.
Chapter 2
Bargamot and Garaska
On Easter Eve, the massive, stolid policeman Bargamot stands guard on Gunner Street, feeling hungry and resentful that he must work while others celebrate. His peaceful anticipation of the holiday is shattered when the drunken, ragged Garaska appears. Despite his usual role as enforcer, Bargamot inexplicably invites Garaska to his home to break the fast. Garaska, overwhelmed by this unexpected kindness and being addressed by his patronymic for the first time, breaks down in tears at the table, moved by the dignity and humanity shown to him.
Chapter 3
The Little Angel
A young boy named Sashka, expelled from school and biting his mother in defiance, attends a Christmas party where he is given a small wax angel ornament. The angel captivates him, offering a fleeting moment of beauty and hope, but it melts in the heat, leaving him in despair.
Chapter 4
I
The chapter introduces Yura, a six-year-old boy who perceives the world as enormous, alive, and mysterious. He navigates his relationships with his parents, whom he sees as extraordinary beings, and grapples with the unsettling discovery that they sometimes hide their unhappiness. He witnesses his father sobbing alone and overhears a late-night argument, yet he pretends everything is normal, carrying the burden of this secret.
Chapter 5
II
Yura experiences his mother's birthday celebration, a day of festive chaos and emotional highs and lows. He observes the preparations, interacts with guests including the officer Mitenka and another Yura Mikhailovich, and feels a mix of joy, sadness, and alienation as the festivities unfold around him.

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Short Fiction

Bargamot and Garaska

The Little Angel

I

II