Dnipro. Edelweiss
On January 22, 2024, in the Edelweiss funeral hall in Dnipro city there was a funeral ceremony for the soldier died on the frontline . We arrived in the evening of the previous day, stopped on Kholodnoyarska street. I went for a walk in the city, drank coffee in a small cafe and then walked for a long time through the streets of the city... it was a part not far from the center, but not particularly beautiful.. nevertheless, it was nice to walk for the first time in a long time. I called an acquaintance from the crypto world, who supports me and cares about me. From the crypto to the crypt... still, it was so nice to talk, it was as if I was free as before, and it was calm in the Dnipro city. The coffee shop that I did find closed at 20, and I went to the Okko gas station to charge my phone.
I decided to return by taxi, raised the fare and a Toyota Land Cruiser came for me. You don't often find such a car in a taxi. The driver says, "You have to do something," and the business he will resume when Ukraine returns territories. Unfortunately, in Mariupol, he lost not only his business, but also his son, who was a soldier... once again I meet with the mention of death...
The funeral is as late as 2 p.m., so we arrive in no hurry and there is still time for coffee. We enter the nearest coffee shop on the same StarokozatskŠ° Street - and immediately upon entering I meet an old acquaintance of mine. We talk about military technology. When we were departing, he checks my phone number - it turns out that he still has it. But how long have we not seen each other - 5 years or more... and in general, I have few acquaintances from Dnipro. An interesting coincidence, as well as the fact that the past has been haunting me lately. It appears in unexpected moments and forms... and I know that when I will be in Dnipro under different circumstances, I will find this cozy cafe on Starokozatska Street.
There are already a lot of people in the farewell hall, and an honor guard of the National Guard. We take the flags that we placed in advance and stand with them, facing the coffin and the people. The priest comes and performs the service. He is alone, his voice is powerful, and at the moment "and create an eternal memory for him..." I again catch myself thinking that I would like to record this fragment on a recorder. And then, like the track "Eternal memory" sounds in my head. Then: "The kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of heaven, eternal peace... the kingdom of heaven, life is endless... the kingdom of heaven, eternal peace" echoes in my head. These words are not so often used in services in my experience, but this is something that has already been remembered. And it is like a truly musical track (and the first time I heard it was in a cemetery with polyphonic vocals) periodically pops up in my memory, and not only at funerals, but sometimes when I think about something on a similar topic, or just drive in the car.
Three soldiers came - familiar faces. Then one of them will say to me that they are thinking of submitting a fallen brother to "Hero of Ukraine" award. I will then forward the information, I will do everything I can. They also ask about books, because I brought them books at the frontline. And I will say that of course I will help. This conversation will inspire me to think further about the wider book supply system. Perhaps the time has come to restore the Knygarium, but under a different name and with a different emphasis - the primary direction is the provision of books to personnel, and maybe not only Azov, but the entire army. The challenge is whether it can be done remotely and without spending a lot of time. I don't know yet, but books have a lot to do with Death. The vast majority of books are written by those who have already died. But it is in the texts that these authors continue to live. And I, too, will continue to live in the texts, it is at this moment that I seem to continue my life.
Oberig gives a speech very similar to the day before and a couple of days before that. That tears should not fall on the ground, but should burn out the brains of those who call for russian world in Ukraine. Today he did not mention his daughter who died in Azovstal... but the speech made an impression anyway. I read the "Prayer of the Ukrainian Nationalist", this time since the hall is relatively small, filled with people I don't shout it like I do at the cemeteries.
The hero's girlfriend is all the time near the coffin, stroking the flag of Ukraine, where I can see the runic text and it seems that the image of this hero is drawn there. This flag is important without a doubt. There is also a pretty blonde nearby. Who is she? A friend or a relative, or at first I thought, maybe she is his girlfriend. At funerals, it is sometimes difficult to understand who is who... and even today, a National Guard man handed a flag to a girlfriend and called her wife. And a colleague from Azov - to a grandmother, thinking that it was the hero's mother, he said "in memory of your son"... to which the woman answered, "Will you return my grandson?"
Farewell in the hall did not take much time, we smoke on the street and go further - to another city. To the city where I will probably have to stay. And probably, at least for a certain time, and maybe not at all, I will not deal with funerals. Therefore, this text may be the last chronologically for the book "In the Brigade of Death", but it is one of the first in terms of conceptual understanding. I cannot convey to you the part of those emotions, especially those emotions felt by relatives - but I invite you to somehow share these Deaths. And remember. Remember all the heroes...everyone you can...It's not for nothing that we say "Remember - Will Revenge!". Do not forget about the revenge either...
Maybe my time in the Death Brigade is coming to an end. Having found myself in a new place, I realize with joy - No, I haven't lost the strength to write yet...