Vilkacis English Version

Chapter 1 Aurora Borealis

Chapter 1 Aurora Borealis

That spring morning the sea breeze blew carrying with it the sweet and salty aromas from the bay water. Goddess Soule announced that terrible times would come when she painted the firmament on the polar horizon with iridescent tones. A marvelous spectacle hypnotized those who had come from the nearby villages to the fishing hamlet by the Riga Bay. The villagers, summoned by the display of polychrome and movement of light in the night skies, watched the colorful luminaries that brought with them bygone memories and stories of ghosts and terrible creatures, an omen of pests, disease, famish, death and war. According to the legends, if the deity's empyreal luminescent threads of hair showed over the regions in a time other than winter, it meant that an awful fate would befall upon the inhabitants of the northern lands.

The solar star rose and the lights in the sky gradually vanished. Little by little, the villagers filed back to their houses after after gathering for hours by the rustic platform built on stone and wood in Riga's fishing hamlet. It was the time for the fishermen to begin their work, in hopes of the colorful beams predicted a bountiful catch instead. The high tides always brought numerous herring shoals that kept trapped in the banks when the tides lowered back, so while women and children retreated, men headed to the shores of the gulf to embark into the cold waters.

"Be careful Miloslav. The lights foretell disgrace." The woman spoke to her husband while he pushed his rustic boat into the still dark waters leaving a narrow ditch on the sand.

"Do not fret woman, nothing bad will happen. You will see that today's catch will be bountiful. The roe begins and everything will be fine. Please have some faith on the lights this time. I'm sure the message is of good days to come." He replied as he loaded the boat with the nets and the buckets filled with the smelly bait. Both husband and wife looked to the sky and watched the birds shrieking and flying in circles. "Do you see that Dalibora? Fish overflow, bubbling in the gulf. Look how the birds fly in circle watching over the banks."

"Well, if you say so. I am not going to be the one to brings bad luck. Only promise me you'll be careful."

"Careful? Ha! You are the one who must be careful... with your daughter. I don't like the libertine and malicious way in which that Jaromir puts his eyes on her. Go and stand between them before I throw Jaromir this harpoon. This afternoon I will have a talk with both Mila and him."

"Right, I will keep an eye on those two and will try to keep Mila busy, away from Jaromir."

"Good. We'll see us later, in the afternoon. I love you both." And the man kissed his wife's forehead.

The woman left rolling her skirts up, water was up to her knees already. Dalibora reached her daughter. "Where's Jaromir?"

"He left with his father to build rods and hooks."

"Better! Jaromir entertains you too much." The mother glared a suspicious look at the teenager first and then smiled and both walked towards the village.