Chapter 3 – The Shtetl of Moldanava 

        A month has passed since Iryna first made her contract with the mysterious Kyubey, and over that time she has taken to her new life as a Magical Girl with determination and pride. She’s fought and defeated a fair number of Witches since, as well as their hideous familiars, and grown much stronger with her magic. For all purposes, Iryna has been loving life more than ever before, and likewise so-to has her family, now more united than Iryna could have possibly dreamed. 

        The young girl smiles happily as she sits atop the roof of the village bar, leaning against its tall stone chimney out of view of anyone on the ground. Soft beams of yellow light pierce gaps in the wooden roof and a dull heat warms Irynas back from the fire burning inside. According to Iryna’s elders; the bar itself is one of the newer buildings in the town, built on the site of an original tavern put up by soldiers during the civil war. After the original one burnt down, the local Ashkenazi Jews reconstructed the ruined watering hole from the ground up. 

        The air is filled with the sound of merriment, partying, drinking and singing. Inside the small building a band plays away on their flutes and violins giving some structure to the boisterous vodka fuelled celebration. Iryna can clearly make out the booming voice of her father Yosyp even through the crowd, as loud as ever but now full of joy and friendship, rather than anger and venom. Earlier in the day; one of the town's fishermen had proposed to a young seamstress and thankfully for the two lovers; their fathers blessed the union. It seems a wedding will soon be in order in this tiny rural hamlet. 

        Turning to look towards the town square; Iryna can see a group of local women gathered together around the well enjoying themselves just as much as their men-folk however much more restrained and calmly so. Illuminated by several oil lanterns which had been brought outside; Iryna can spot her mother among the gaggle of ladies, laughing shyly and adjusting her immaculate sheitel modestly. Like all women in the town; Diana has always covered her hair according to tradition, however recently she’s been putting much more care into her own appearance. 

        Iryna leans back in total satisfaction. It's not only fantastic seeing her family getting along with each other, but seeing them be accepted by the wider community is something the young girl hadn’t even considered when she first made her wish. For the longest time she swears certain parts of the town were avoiding the Solomiya family. Of course their constant disruptive fighting must have been the main reason behind this animosity; however Iryna can’t help but feel that there was always something more souring the village to her parents. At one point some shops refused to serve them and even the Rabbi seemed dismissive and distant of them. Iryna never really knew why, but that all seems to be in the past now. 

        Ever since her victory against her first Witch; Iryna has been dedicating herself back to her faith. She still finds the dogma, the rules and traditions incredibly, spirit crushingly boring, however the more she reads the stories of her people the more inspired she finds herself becoming. Over the past month Iryna has spent days ensnared in the pages of the Bible, studying the texts in the Torah and having them read to her by her grandmother, at least when she isn’t out patrolling as a Magical Girl. After all; if she, as a small-little-mortal girl, must fight such demonic beings as Witches is she not just like David fighting Goliath?  For someone whose family is named after King Solomon it almost feels like this was her destiny. 

        Iryna has memorised numerous prayers and blessings from her studies and has found through rigorous experimentation by her riverside ruins exactly what words create what magical effects. Alongside the angelic shields and weapons she already discovered; she has since found that she has the power to “bless” areas preventing evil from entering her sphere of influence. Doing the same to water can burn away at Witches like some holy-acid. Yes, truly Iryna must be an agent of the Lord. Kyubey has returned to her several times to check in over the past month, and he’s made strange comments that her abilities are quite unexpected. Perhaps even angels aren’t always informed of God's plans? Right now however God's plans can wait, Iryna can sense no Witches for miles around and the only sounds she wants to listen to are those of her family enjoying themselves deep into the night.  

        The next day Iryna sits alone in her room, sitting on her bed in solemn contemplation and prayer. Outside she can hear her sisters chattering away as they wash the family’s laundry in the river. Beyond them, somewhere outside of town her father is tending to the fields, drawing along his plow with Ivan, his trusty heavy work horse. It's hard labour, no doubt made even harder by his painful hangover and the mechanical clattering of next-door-farmer Volodymyrs modern tractor making a mockery of how out of date the Solomiyas methods are nowadays. 

         “I give thanks unto You, Lord, that in mercy; You have restored my soul within me.” Iryna says softly as she opens her eyes and breathes a calmed sigh, her soul gem seeming to pulse with light as she does so. The young girl stands up and makes her way to the wash-room where she cleans herself thoroughly, ready for the day ahead. She can’t help but give a small smile as she looks at herself in the smudged and slightly cracked mirror. 

         “Oh thank you God, thank you Kyubey. I could never have hoped for something so perfect as this.” She says to herself as she looks at the silver ring on her finger with gratitude. 

         “Are you talking to yourself again?” Diana says jokingly from outside the door, startling her daughter who almost drops the damp towel she was holding.

         “It’s rude to eavesdrop mother!” Iryna smiles back happily.

         “Sorry. Anyway when you’re done come see me in the kitchen deer; I have something to tell you.” Irynas mother replies, stirring an unexpected curiosity in the girl. Whatever could she want? Iryna quickly wraps up her morning wash, drying her hands before bounding away to meet with her mother who stands at a countertop preparing a satchel of some kind. 

         “What’s that you have there?” Iryna asks inquisitively. 

         “Why I thought it would be nice if we all spent some time together outside today.” Diana says softly, turning to face her daughter who leans against the wall nonchalantly. “I persuaded Angelina to tell me where your hiding spot is, sorry I couldn’t resist.” She continues with a grin. Iryna has to admit she’s a little upset that her elder sister gave away her secret, but seeing as the family has undergone such a dramatic change, what harm could there be in them knowing? 

         “Ha, that’s fine. So we’re all going to the river today then?” Iryna asks. 

         “That’s right. I borrowed one of those nice hamper-baskets from Miss Lyubov, the thatcher’s wife, and I’m putting together a little picnic for all of us. It's… not much I’m afraid but we’ll make do.” Diana smiles. Indeed there is a rather expensive looking hamper sitting on the table, a beautiful white and red cloth draped atop its closed lid and a shining bottle of wine reflecting the morning's sunlight, catching specks of dust in its radiant glow. All of a sudden a wonderfully warm feeling of joy comes over Iryna as she looks back at her mother with a pleasant grin.

         “We make do with what the Lord provides, mother.” Iryna concludes, moving to assist Diana in packing and preparing the food; a nice loaf of bread, some heads of corn, a handful of berries, a tub of hummus and a sweet looking jar of blackberry jam all adorn the counters. As Iryna neatly wraps a stack of old chipped plates into a sheet to place them softly into the hamper her mother inspects the corn, which Yosyp had run back to the home earlier today, for any signs of pests or infection.  

          “I never thought your hiding spot would be those old ruins you know? I used to go there when I was a child myself, when I was much younger than you.” Irynas mother laughs happily. This comes as something of a surprise to Iryna, she’d never heard anyone else mention the ruins, nor seen anyone else go there beyond the odd boat which sometimes passed by. 

         “You look surprised Iryna? What, you didn’t think I was once young like you?” Diana quips. “I had a lot to get away from myself; it was a different time back then, a different world almost.” She continues, trailing off as her tone quietens down and her gaze becomes distracted and unfocused. “It's strange… that time, the war, the famine, so many people died, so many… yet the more I try and remember it I should be sad. It was horrifying but… How strange, I should hate that world but… you know for some reason I just can’t seem to do it.” Diana smiles back at her daughter with shaking, quivering lips, as if trying to change the subject. There’s no reason for her smile to feel so forced. Irynas knows of those dark times and understands if her mother wanted to tell the truth about them she would, so why is she holding back so much all of a sudden? 

        “Watch out for bees now Nina.” Diana advises her youngest as the family sets up their splendid picnic at the base of the tallest ruined tower by the crystal banks of the Dnieper. The whole Solomiya clan has assembled for a wonderful evening out. It’s a large family but quite surprisingly not the largest in the town. Diana and Yosyp sit side by side lovingly as parents should while conversing with grandmother Yalda, their children scattered about the secret natural garden exploring the ancient stonework and splashing about in the river playfully. 

        Iryna shows off interesting pieces of the ruins to her brothers Mykola, Eithan and Noam while the fourth; Uri looks after Nina whose become fascinated by a patch of fresh flowers. Angelina and Ganna meanwhile rest their feet in the water, tossing pebbles and watching out for dragonflies which dart about in the reeds every here and there. The whole scene becomes filled with the smell of berries emanating from the jar of sweet conserve which Yosyp opens with a satisfying pop. 

         “C’mon children it's time to eat!” he calls out loudly with fatherly authority. Instantly the mass of children descend upon the patchwork cloth on which the picnic is neatly arranged. “Now we all washed our hands before coming out here, yes?” he asks as the group takes their places, receiving a unanimous yes in confirmation. “Wonderful, then, dig in!” he commands with a smile.

        There’s only barely enough food in the hamper to feed the huge gathering, however with Diana’s careful approach to portioning none of the family will go hungry this evening, at least not overly so. Naturally the younger children, such as Nina and Eithan go right for the jam, quickly smothering it onto strips of bread. It’s wonderfully sweet and not something they get to taste all that often. Luxuries such as this are normally quite expensive and most of the time any extra produce from the local farms can’t be enjoyed by the farmers themselves. Iryna wonders where this bounty must have come from and figures in all likelihood it had been buried somewhere, hiding for at least a few days.

     Iryna was far too young to remember exactly how it started, but as she bites down into her juicy cob of corn her thoughts drift back to the days when her life in the village was very much different. Back then she and all of her family toiled away on the fields for hours on end, day in, day out. The whole town in fact had become part of some great collective; known as a kolkhoz, in which almost every scrap of produce, mainly their grain and wheat, was farmed for the benefit of a wider plan. Every few days local industry workers would arrive and seize their families produce, and everyone else’s, carting it away and leaving them with nothing. They were paid very little for their work and made promises of new equipment, such as tools and tractors, however these never came. Their neighbour did get a tractor last year but rumour has it he’s the only one for miles around and only because of some shady city connections.

     At the time she remembers everyone being afraid of something called a “Kulak”. Iryna still doesn’t really understand what that is; her best idea is that it’s a rich farmer, something she’s never experienced and something that sounds quite strange in all honesty. After all, how can a farmer, who doesn’t even own his own land even, get rich in the first place? Nonetheless her father was dead terrified back then of being labelled as one such Kulak. Compared to some of the outlying houses in the village the Solomiyas cottage is admittedly very nice, and back then they owned a good number of pigs and at least two more work horses. Iryna can clearly remember the day her father killed those animals, it seemed like such a waste but in the end the men who came to collect them were denied their spoils. One of the farmers in the town over, even burnt his whole field and Iryna could see the column of smoke all the way from her bedroom window. 

     Like her father, he must have done it for a reason as Iryna has heard stories from people passing through the town of what happens to anyone branded a Kulak. Heavy fines at best, sometimes five times over what the kolkhoz quota demanded, execution at worst. She’s seen this first hand several years ago when in the middle of the famine a local farmer was discovered by authorities in the process of burying a bag of grain. They shot him against the wall of the synagogue. There’s still a bullet hole there today. She’s also heard of deportations to some place out east called “Siberia”. Iryna has no idea where this is but she figures it must be very far away indeed, and very cold. A train stopped in their town once carrying prisoners destined for this far away land where it’s said they would be put to work in camps, growing food for the people of the Union. What a terrible fate Iryna sighs.

     The overall effect of her family and community losing their individual ownership of their land was drastic to say the least. Despite Pravda; the national newspaper declaring the farmers involved with collectivisation to be “dizzy with success”, the only dizziness Iryna can remember were hunger pains. She lost several friends and even some brothers to starvation. People were so weak at the time they couldn’t work, hardly move, some even dropped dead in the street. She’s heard rumours of hundreds of bodies being buried unceremoniously near Kiev, that the cemetery workers who did the burying were then shot for knowing where the mass grave was located. Word had come through that in spite of the terrible drought slowly bleeding Ukraine to death, the agricultural quotas would remain the same, even as the town’s crops withered into dust. It was an impossible situation, a true nightmare.

     Every day was a struggle for survival and she’s sure the only reason so many members of her family got through the resulting famine alive, especially her ageing grandmother, was down to her father’s skill at hiding extra food away from the shock brigades who came to collect. If anyone in authority ever finds out what Yosyp had done, what he still does, Irynas sure he’ll be arrested, or worse. It’s an incredibly dangerous thing to do, but now, as Iryna contemplates her father’s actions she wonders if perhaps, even when he was arguing daily with his wife, if he was actually keeping the whole family alive with his illegal actions. A sudden feeling of immense sadness and guilt overcomes the young girl as she realises the incredible stress of not knowing what the next day might bring, whether he might live or die, must have been such a heavy burden on Yosyps aching shoulders. There’s no wonder his family was ripping itself apart. Not only did they have to contend with an impossible law, but with an increasingly idol and rebellious daughter such as herself.

     Iryna snaps back to reality, back to the pleasant smell of flowers and jam, the sound of rushing water, of birdsong and her sisters singing a quiet tune atop the tower she normally rests upon. Her brothers have begun looking for fish and frogs along the river, playing in mud like happy children with big, beaming smiles of joy. Iryna herself sits alone with her parents and grandmother who’s fallen asleep against a boulder. The food has long been finished off and the bottle of wine is half empty already.           

     “Mother… father. Thank you, for everything.” Iryna says gently, looking at the couple in front of her with respect and new found appreciation.

     “Where’s this coming from all of a sudden Iryna?” Diana giggles.

     “I realise I was being very difficult for the both of you.”

     “Oh you certainly were.” Yosyp blurts out with a smile, his words piercing while looking so friendly and caring. “You could have helped out around the farm, you know, taken some of the work from your sisters. And I swear the way you were avoiding the Lord, not attending Shabbat; the whole village was on our back because of that! It caused quite some problems, let me tell you.” The man laughs. His words should sound angry, yet he grins through everything.

    “Wait, the village was angry at you because of me?” Iryna asks with confusion.

     “Why of course. I thought the Rabbi was going to throw us out of town. I don’t know what sort of game you were playing rebelling against tradition like that however your mother and I both agree it’s been wonderful to see you return to us and to God. I’ve seen you reading the Bible more and more, saying prayers with complete devotion. The Almighty brought you back to use Iryna, truly that was a miracle.” Yosyp says lovingly with such fatherly affection as he looks at his wife by his side.

     “I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble. Please forgive me.” Iryna whispers.

     “We forgive you Iryna. Such a silly girl you are. Maybe we’ll have to find you a husband to keep you in check sometime soon.” Diana laughs, drawing a rush of embarrassment from her blushing daughter. It’s far too early for Iryna to consider marriage. After all there’s no one that interests her in town and she has new duties as a Magical Girl to focus on, even though no one knows that. Maybe that wouldn’t be an issue however. Iryna knows from overhearing one of her parent’s pre-wish arguments that they never even met one another before they were married. The union was arranged via the town Shadchan, or matchmaker, a woman who still roams the village today however she’s been rather under-worked recently. The tradition of arranged marriages is one which has been slowly vanishing from the community, much to the Rabbis dismay.

        “I’m really happy to have you all here today, Iryna. I don’t know what it is but this past month it’s like everything in the world has been… well just fantastic. That said; Yosyp, I think it's time we told them all.” Diana says cautiously before calling all her offspring back to the picnic area. At once all the scattered children return, the boys covered in a sheen of mud while Angelina has fashioned a cute flower crown for little Nina. Together everyone meets back up as a family unit ready to listen to whatever it is their parents have to say.

         “Ok we're all here. Now, there is a reason we wanted to throw this little party. I haven’t told any of you yet but last week I travelled into the city to find a new job. I got permission to leave the collective and; just last night a letter came through from Kiev. Well; I got it.” Yosyp reveals with a happy smile causing his gathered family to cheer in celebration, happy for their father’s achievement. “Thank you children. Yes, from now on I’ll be working at one of the Brodsky sugar factories in the city. Now; this does mean that we will unfortunately be leaving Moldanava soon. I know this has been the Solomiya family home for decades, however times are changing and we must change with them. There is a large community of Jews in Kiev and tomorrow I will be going to find us some new accommodation. It may seem scary for some of you, but we will all get through this together.” He continues, taking his wife’s hand in his own as a display of solidarity. 

        The news comes as something of a shock to Iryna. She never realised what her father was planning and in all honesty, as boring as her childhood town is, she must admit she feels quite sad at the prospect of leaving it all behind. Then again she’s never been to Kiev before and surely there’s much more to see and experience in the city compared to the countryside. A feeling of excitement pushes Irynas sadness down as she wonders what that modern metropolis must be like. With a population of thousands she can probably save many more people as a Magical Girl as well, there has to be Witches in Kiev after all. Coming to terms with this sudden dramatic change in her life; Iryna smiles back at her father lovingly. Meanwhile, unseen by the young Magical Girl, Kyubey watches silently from the bushes nearby. 

        The whole Solomiya family walks back into town together down a well trodden dirt path, flanked on both sides by an endless sea of wheat fields. While Diana still carries the empty hamper they decided to bury any evidence of their picnic back at the ruins. If they were caught with such leftovers it could spell a big problem. As it turns out that would soon prove to be a very sensible decision indeed. 

        From ahead of the family in the direction of home; two horses come riding towards them, stopping with a skid as they approach. Iryna feels uneasy as she realises who is mounted upon these gigantic beasts. Three men, all dressed in dishevelled, ill-kept Red Army uniforms sit atop their rides, two sharing one saddle. While they don’t appear drunk there is a strong smell of whiskey about them and each cheer and laugh with careless enjoyment. It’s impossible for the family to squeeze past the cavalrymen at the side of the road so the Solomiyas stop to allow the riders to pass by. Unfortunately the soldiers do no such thing.  

         “What are you lot doing roaming around out here like this Jews?” one of the soldiers says in a thick Russian accent. Taking charge, Yosyp approaches the men to explain themselves. 

         “Good evening officers. Our family was just out for a stroll this fine evening. I do hope you men are having a grand day.” Yosyp says with neighbourly friendship. It is however quite misplaced as the soldiers look at one another with confusion and mild disgust. 

         “Ah, did you hear that Dimitri? These Christ-Killers were out for a stroll in the fields! Look at them, like rats scurrying in the weeds. I pity you people… Actually; no I don’t!” the lead soldier says before he and his men break out into a hearty fit of laughter. For whatever reason Mykola; Irynas eldest brother, approaches the officer with a smile. 

         “I’m sorry if we insulted you good sir, my father meant no offence.” The young boy says happily. Despite Mykolas overly friendly attitude the rider clearly feels nothing for the lad far below him and without a warning kicks the teen square in the face with his boot. There’s a sickening cracking sound as Mykolas nose breaks against his aggressor’s foot and he falls to the muddy ground in a daze. Iryna recoils in shock at this unprovoked attack and barges through her siblings to go to Mykolas aid. She finds her brother's face covered in dirt, badly bruised as blood flows from his nose without end. With a building rage inside her Iryna looks up at the Russian soldier metres above her on his stallion. 

         “What was that for!? He didn’t do anything to you!” Iryna cries. Surprisingly the men seem rather amused by her outburst. 

         “Ha! A Jew who can stand up for herself, and a woman too! Imagine that!” one of the men laughs as he adjusts his thick leather gloves. 

         “I’ll do more than that. You have no right!” Iryna yells furiously, her soul gem buzzing on her finger. She can’t transform in front of others. It’s not exactly a rule that no one else learns she is a Magical Girl however it would be a massive issue if anyone else found out. She’d rather not use her magic here; but if she can drive the soldiers off some other way and protect her family then that’s just as good. Unfortunately for her bravado she feels Mykola grab her hand from the ground to pull himself up, stopping her in her tracks.

        As he dismounts his horse to get ready for a fight; the soldier whom Iryna had threatened notices something strange about this group of people. At the exact same moment so does Iryna notice that despite the dramatic situation unfolding before them; no one else is making a noise. You’d think her parents would try to protect their daughter, to hold her back, or that the children should be panicking, or at least making some kind of sound, yet there is nothing. A bizarre, overtly ominous aura creeps over both the Russians and Iryna as they see the entire Solomiya family smiling. 

        “W-What are you doing? Did you not see what they did to Mykola?” Iryna stammers in disbelief. 

         “Oh yes, a terrible accident surely. We must get the boy cleaned up when we get him home.” Diana replies with a chirpy tone, as if her son wasn’t just assaulted in front of her. “I do hope we aren’t in your way officers.” She motions back at the soldiers who stare at the assembled family with nervous caution. 

        The sky above grows horrid and grey, the wind rushing through the fields of wheat blasting everyone with an icy chill. The horses neigh and move about with fear as if sensing something unnatural about this whole scene. Its deadly tense as the silence becomes impossible to ignore. Iryna looks back at her brother's trampled-in face still gushing crimson, staining his handmade vest. Even with his injury the boy looks at her with affectionate, happy eyes and a wide toothy grin, minus one tooth now that is. Iryna is in complete disbelief. Why is her family acting so strange all of a sudden? It’s freaking her out and likewise it’s unnerving the hardened soldiers as well.

         “This isn’t right. There’s something very wrong with you people.” The man in charge says cautiously, motioning his friend to get back up on his horse. He does so quickly and tosses a worried glance at the group of ten people standing perfectly still, quiet and all smiling in unison. Only Iryna appears the odd one out and she likewise looks back at the Russians as if asking them for answers. She wont find any however as the soldiers bolt off on their steeds, impatient to get away from the grinning, overwhelmingly friendly family. The Solomiyas are left alone once again and soon Yosyp starts leading the clan back on their journey into town. When they return they will find that those soldiers had caused quite the disturbance, stealing whiskey from the bar and setting a local shed on fire. Iryna can’t bring herself to care about the Russian violence however; she’s disturbed by something much more confusing.