Alish stood looking down at his feet, looking at his dusty sandals. Noticing a small stone, the size of a pea, he began to carefully roll it with the toe of his shoe. The pebble was not smooth, and when rolling, through the sandal, Alish felt the sharp protrusions of a small piece. The boy's fantasy played out, and he imagined a small pebble breaking off from a huge rocky cliff and ... his flight of thought was interrupted by the voice of Aunt Fazilat:
— No, Alish. I can't, you know. I don't want anything to happen to you. I'm sorry, honey. I need to finish my business.
After saying that, Fazilat slowly closed the iron gate. The sliding lock clicked. And Alish was left alone on the street. He squinted at the midday sun, feeling the summer heat, and abruptly lowered his head. Multicolored circles and dots began to jump in his eyes, and the pain began. He rubbed his eyes with his fists. They got wet, and he suddenly felt very offended. It was the second time since Sher had disappeared that he had come to a friend's house. Aunt Fazilat, Shara's mother, opened the gate this time. Looking at Fazilat's roughened hands and sharply aged face in just a couple of months, Alish said quietly:
— Hello, Aunt Fazilat. Can I go on a swing?
As he spoke, Alish looked down at the stone at his feet.
After receiving another refusal and standing at the gate, he trudged back to his house. After the disappearance of Shar and his grandfather, Aunt Fazilat and Uncle Anwar changed. Previously, the cheerful Fazilat often came to visit them to confide in her mother. Sometimes they cooked something delicious together, sharing recipes. And Uncle Anwar came up with something interesting almost every weekend. Sometimes he took a cheerful trio of friends fishing, and sometimes on other days he even took them to the zoo and to the cinema. And he always asked, smiling:
— Well, how are you, hero? What's it like at school? Come to our place, your friend is going crazy without you.
What good days those were, what a best friend Sher was. But it all disappeared as soon as he disappeared. His bosom friend is Sher. They had known each other since childhood, neighbors on the street, neighbors at school. Shar liked knights in armor, and he, like Alisha, had his own fantasies and preferences in the game. Having once made a real knight's shield out of plywood and a similar plywood sword, he challenged Alish to a duel in order to win the love of Suraya from a parallel class, with whom Alish exchanged notes. Sher was sick of the Middle Ages. And he read Mark Twain through and through with his "Yankees at Arthur's court". And Alish liked elves and dragons, which he often painted wherever possible. He watched the Lord of the Rings movie several times. And the boys often found topics for conversation and games. Alish suddenly felt sad, and before he reached home a couple of steps, he sat down on a bench under a sprawling piggy tree, which had long ago been planted by Share's grandfather, Nazir. Grandpa used to say that when he planted this piggy bank, Uncle Anwar was like us, about ten years old. Now that's how it's grown. In autumn, the harvest of fruits was enough for almost the entire mahalla. And Nazir's old friend, Grandfather Mahmoud, said everything every time.:
— Nazir did a good deed then, planting this piggy bank. You see how everything works, a man planted a tree for others to enjoy. So you plant a tree now and you will be good for the future generation. You will be remembered with kind words.
After all, Grandfather Nazir was an interesting man. I've always loved planting and growing things. In the courtyard they had a beautiful garden with a variety of fruit-bearing trees. Grandfather Nazir planted a lot himself. Even in the center of the garden there was a real palm tree. And there were so many grape varieties that Alish couldn't remember their names, they were so abstruse. I remember only the sweet taste and the large burgundy, amber berries. There was a huge plane tree at the back of the garden. The plane tree's trunk was so wide that Alish and Shar tried to wrap their arms around it, but even so they couldn't. Even when they were joined by a third bosom friend from their company, Yusuf, the length of the joined arms was still not enough. Grandfather Nazir told me that his grandfather planted this plane tree. It turned out that the tree was more than a hundred years old. Some thick roots bulged out, tearing up the soil and giving the impression that this dragon's body had come out of the ground. The plane tree was tall and huge, which made its branches spread their shadow like a huge tent over three neighboring yards at once. It was with this plane tree that the last sad events in this house were connected.
One spring evening, Alish and Yusuf stopped by a friend's house to take him outside to kick a ball. The gate was open, as it always was. Entering the courtyard, the boys heard knocking and talking in the depths of the garden. When they reached the plane tree, they saw Grandfather Nazir, who was tinkering with a large pine board. Nearby there was a hammer, a hacksaw, a jar with some pieces of iron and all sorts of food. Sher was squatting there, playing with nails. The guys who came up had their eyes lit up at the sight of iron parts and business junk. For guys their age, it was the purest treasure. The guys greeted each other modestly and without taking their envious glances off Shar, they came closer. And Yusuf pointed with his finger to the top of one of the thick branches from which the four ends of the linen rope were already hanging. Alish anxiously asked Grandfather Nazir, already guessing the purpose of these ropes:
— What is it, grandfather?
Grandfather Nazir smiled and put the chisel on an improvised workbench, which consisted of an old and peeling table. Picking up the board he was conjuring on, he wiped it with the back of his hand, shaking out the shavings and debris. And only then did he answer:
— I decided to make a swing for you guys. What do you think? — and raising the board higher, showing a complete view. The board was up to a meter long and an elbow wide with four round holes in the corners. Sher ran up to his grandfather and, jumping for joy, began to shout:
— Swing! Swing!
The cheers of Alish and Yusuf were added to this infectious cry. The guys were overjoyed. A little later, everyone rushed to help Grandfather Nazir in any way they could. There was no sense from the fuss and unnecessary fuss of the children. But Grandfather Nazir was not strict, laughing with them, he finished the swing, securing all the ends of the rope tightly. The knots were strong, and the boys took turns checking the strength of the fastenings by standing on the board with their feet, and Sher even managed to jump on it. Soon Grandfather Nazir completed the fastenings, leveled the height and trimmed the extra ends. He measured the distance to the clay fence and only then, after making sure that the calculations were correct, calmed down. Grandfather Nazir himself stood on the board and checked everything definitively. Everyone looked attentively at the grandfather's works. The ropes were long, about five or six meters high. When sitting on the seat, the three of them could fit, although it was a little cramped. Finally, the aerial tests began, which delighted everyone. Until late at night, they enjoyed swinging on the swing in turn or together. Only once did Aunt Fazilat approach with suspicion and disbelief, looking at the children screaming with joy, and said something to grandpa about safety. Grandpa just smiled and calmly asked her not to worry. So the days went by. Football and other games were abandoned. All the children were in the courtyard of the Share, enjoying flying on the swing, even classmates came at least once, and tried this wonderful attraction for strength. School time soon ended, giving way to summer holidays. Yusuf and his parents left for some kind of sanatorium, so Alish and Sher enjoyed skating and playing together in the courtyard under the plane tree. Soon something happened that no one expected, Grandfather Nazir disappeared. No one knew where he had gone or what had happened to him. Law enforcement officers were called, Uncle Uchkun, the district police officer, came and took the photo of Grandfather Nazir. District Uchkun himself grew up in this mahalla and knew everyone well, just as all the residents knew him. The next day, a photo of my grandfather was shown on TV and they told me about his signs. Alish only found out about Nazir's grandfather's bullet wound. It turns out that there was a bullet scar on Grandpa's shoulder. The search turned up nothing useful. Alish found out in a conversation with Shar, who whispered to him that Grandfather Nazir could not leave the door because the gate was locked from the inside. And then Alish found out that Grandfather Nazir had once fought in a war in a distant country. And he even shot a man, which he regretted. That's where the bullet wound came from. Sher also added that his grandfather did not like to remember this war, saying that this war was a big mistake, and he regrets that he participated in it. Sher missed his grandfather and was worried. They rarely saw each other in those days. And then a month later, Sher also disappeared. Investigators arrived from Tashkent and interrogated Aunt Fazilat and Uncle Anwar for a long time. They completely examined the house and garden. We went to the neighbors, talked to almost everyone. A gray-haired investigator with a wrinkled face came to the house and to Alish. He asked various questions about Shara and Grandfather Nazir. How did they get along, whether there were scandals at home, whether Sher could run away from home. During the conversation, his parents were next to Alish. My mother was wiping her wet eyes with a handkerchief, and my father sat with his arms crossed, staring at one point. Only occasionally would he answer a question in short sentences without changing his position. Alisha's father was friends with Uncle Anvar, and they, like their children, grew up and studied together in the same mahalla. Alish couldn't understand what had happened to Shar. When he met Yusuf, he found out that the investigator had been at their house and asked the same questions. Alish and Yusuf were sitting on a bench, inventing different versions of the disappearance of their grandfather and grandson. But in any version, the ending wasn't very good. Almost the entire summer was spent in such disturbing events. Alish and Yusuf were now playing just the two of them. Having agreed on the next morning, they decided to go to Shar's, try their luck and go on a swing. Alish and Yusuf, standing at the gate, did not dare to knock on the door for a long time. Finally Yusuf decided and modestly knocked on the gate. Thuds echoed loudly inside the courtyard. Alish peered through the gap between the gate and the gate for a long time, hoping that someone would come up. No one opened it for a long time. Finally, footsteps were heard, and Aunt Fazilat opened the door with flushed eyes. Uncle Anwar stood behind her, slouching and emaciated. When Fazilat wanted to refuse the boys' request again, Anwar stopped her and said softly,
"Don't, Fazilat. Let them come in and play. At least let them.
Fazilat said nothing and walked away, letting the boys into the courtyard.
The garden was in disrepair and the absence of Grandfather Nazir was clearly felt. The trees and flower garden began to wither in the absence of water. Many of the fruits were overripe and shriveled right on the branches. And what fell was rotting on the ground. Anwar and Fazilat did not need a garden without their beloved loved ones. Both spouses had a distant look. The only person in the house who was far from these problems was Shara's little sister, a three-year-old girl who was sitting in the yard under a canopy on an old rug. She didn't understand what was going on, and sitting in the center, surrounded by dolls and toys, she was quietly nursing a teddy bear. When she saw Alish and Yusuf, she was so happy that she ran up to the guys and handed Yusuf a bear, pulled him by grabbing his free hand and dragged him to her playground. Leaving Yusuf with Shirin, Alish asked Uncle Anwar for permission to connect a water hose to water the garden. Anwar somehow perked up and his condition changed in an instant because he connected the water to the hose himself, and the two of them began to clean up the garden and the vegetable garden. Yusuf soon joined them, saying that Shirin had fallen asleep. Things went faster. After seeing this picture, Fazilat also decided to contribute. She tidied up the kitchen and began to cook something. In the evening, tired men sat at a table in the courtyard and ate the delicious mastava with gusto, without hesitation, munched and asked for more. The boys never made it to the swing that day.
The next morning, after getting up and having breakfast, Alish began to get ready to go to Shar. Alisha's mom put freshly baked buns in a plate and covered them with a napkin, gave them to her son, instructing him to give them to Fazilat. When he reached Shar's house, Alish found the gate open and went into the yard. Aunt Fazilat was busy in the kitchen. Shirin was sitting at the table next to him, spreading porridge on a plate and muttering to herself. When Fazilat saw Alish, she softly asked if he was tired yesterday. And after receiving a plate of buns from Alisha's hands, she asked to thank her friend. And realizing the boy's intentions, she said:
"You can go and ride the swing, but please be careful."
Hearing this, Alish ran deep into the garden to the plane tree to sit on the swing. When he reached the swing, he brushed the leaves and dust off the board. No one had been here for a long time, it was felt. Alish sat on the board and began to swing slowly. Gripping the ropes tightly, he half-reclined and looked up at the top, seeing the thick branch swinging, and closed his eyes. He began to feel a growing sense of bliss. Gradually, he began to pick up the pace, rocking the board. The arc of flight began to increase. Alish carefully held onto the ropes, stood up on the board to his full height and increased the pressure, swinging harder. He felt a tickle inside and a rush of adrenaline when he closed his eyes in flight. The morning sun through the foliage tried to break through to the boy, blinding his eyes with bright glare. Looking down at some point, he saw the figure of Yusuf, who calmly sat on the edge of the table and watched his friend's flight, chewing on a bun. Alish closed his eyelids again and increased his pace with diligence. Opening his eyes for a moment, he noticed that when he reached the peak of the swing, he could almost touch the upper branches. Alish decided to touch these branches and diligently began to squat and swing the board all the way..
And then something inexplicable happened. Instead of the branches, which could already be touched, there was emptiness, or rather an unusually blue sky, because in this daytime sky there were also bright stars slightly covered with pieces of bizarre clouds. On the next pass, Alish swung harder and saw the branches disappear again, changing the view to a fabulous picture. And then the board abruptly stopped dead at the very peak of the flight. If Alish hadn't held on tight to the ropes, he could have flown into that starry-bright sky. He was hanging from the ropes at an unprecedented angle, the board was sticking out edge-on, and there was no way to stand on it. But the boy managed to stand on the edge with both feet and hold the rope. Now he could look around in peace. A board with a piece of rope protruded from the clouds. And on this board, Alish was squatting, he was shocked by what had happened and looked around with wide eyes. Clouds could be seen all the way to the horizon, fluffy, tangible and solid in places. In the distance, beautiful buildings of domed and spire-shaped palaces and castles could be seen against the backdrop of huge and beautiful mountains, sometimes covered with green velvet forests, and sometimes with snowy plains. Holding onto the rope tightly with one hand, he tried to take a closer look at everything around him. It was probably a dream, it couldn't be real. Looking at the tallest building in the distance, he saw a dragon soaring above the towers of this building. A real dragon. His golden chain mail cast bright sunlight and sparkled in the sky like a cluster of stars. It was a fabulous land that stretched to the horizon as far as the eye could see. Alisha started to feel sick and dizzy. Fear of the unknown and incomprehensible gripped him. It was necessary to do something. Grasping the ropes with both hands, Alish made an attempt to swing and he succeeded. In an instant, he was under the branches of a plane tree and saw Yusuf with his bun. Yusuf never noticed his friend's disappearance, even though Alish spent fifteen minutes in another space. For Yusuf, those minutes passed like a second. Alish stopped rocking, and the nausea did not go away. Soon the board stopped, and Yusuf ran up to her, still with a half-eaten bun and with his mouth full mumbled:
— Now it's my turn! — pushing Alish away, I sat down in his place.
Alish did not resist and walked away to the table with a pale look. A moment later, he threw up.
Aunt Fazilat applied another wet gauze to Alisha's forehead, saying with a sad look:
—Well, I told you, I didn't want that damn swing. And here's the result.
— Aunt Fazilat, the swing has nothing to do with it, I've been sick since morning. — and imperceptibly showed his fist to Yusuf, who had another bun in his hands. Yusuf could be understood, being afraid of Alish's condition, even before he had time to enjoy the flight, he naturally ran to the house to call Fazilat. And so Alish is on the couch in Shar's living room with a wet cloth on her forehead.
— Aunt Fazilat, please don't tell Mom, I'm fine now. And the swing has nothing to do with it. I would like to come to you tomorrow, if possible.