(flash story)

The sun was shining and the wind was blowing gently outside. Ilko, a young Hutsul artist, decided to go outdoors to mountains to find inspiration for his new masterpiece.

He took his canvas, brushes and acrylic paints with him and headed into the deep forest. When he found a nice clearing, he began to lay out his things and get ready to paint. As soon as he dipped his brush into the paint, he heard footsteps. They were quite light and slow. The artist looked around, but there was no one there. Ilko made the first stroke and he heard the footsteps again. This time they were heavy, as if an earthquake had started, because he could feel the vibration. The artist jumped up from his seat and looked around. There was no one there. It was empty. He calmed down and continued working. But the sounds returned. Heavy footsteps again, but the sound of a stick was still heard with each step. As if the person approaching the boy was carrying a cane. The artist panicked, but he did not take his eyes off his future painting. He continued to create, and when his eyes hurt, he looked at the tree near which he saw three people. An old man, Chugaister, and two young green haired women, mavkas, were staring at him intently. In an instant, they jumped up to him. The artist’s eyes got dark, he just fainted…