Alyosha and me - photo-picture story by Tosh. 12.8.2006

Alyosha and Me

A Dream Of Tosh

We are together on the big meadow in front of my home. We look to the North, where you may see two of the all six hills in my city. There have been seven hills in the city before, but one of them has been totally destroyed - for stones for paving some of the streets...

The left one is "Dzhendem tepe", named also the Hill of young people... :-) It's the highest one.

Small without zoom, on the right, is the "Bunardzhik", or just "Alyosha"... In the name of the big gray stone monument of a soldier from the Soviet Union, holding a machine gun...

Oh... I remember... I think I have seen Alyosha in my dreams with you before...

He was smaller than the real Alyosha, but he was shining in golden pride...

We turn a little to the right and you see part of the big stronghold, where I live. Yes, you see the forest in front of it, also. ;-)
- Hmmm, it looks like a modern castle, too? - you say with a bit of doubt in your voice.
- I don't know... Actually we call it just a Block... ;-) - I answer with a wink.

We turn more... Now the terrace and the windows of my home may be seen... You just have to be able to see behind the dark tree in the middle... ;-)

Then we decide to go for a walk to the hills and see them from closer distance. We're walking about 13-15 minutes to the North... We're talking... As it seems, we don't notice the things that pass around us, until that moment. We stop talking for a moment, when we see that we have arrived at the bus station, from where the buses to the Rhodope Mountains leave.

- Somewhen in the future we may take a bus to the Mountains - the Rhodopes are very near and they are very beautiful. - I propose.

We're walking and talking more, but we're not taking pictures meanwhile, until we arrive in a crossroad somewhere on the "Russki" boulevard. This is the route we use to go to Alyosha.

Ah! I have had a dream of this place also! - I exclaim. - Or... At least it was very similar... There were "islands" with trees and seats between two roads, like here... That's for sure.
And you were there, too...
You start to laugh, when I tell that to you...
I smile...
You make a funny face:
- You called that thing between the two roads an "island", aren't you?
- Yep...
- Then why don't we sail to the other waterside? Aren't there some boats here? ;-)
- Of course there are...
We take a boat and we're sailing closer to the next island...

And there we are on the other waterside! ;-) Wow, after getting down of the boat, I even notice, that this island looks like a ship...

We almost went to Alyosha - sailing on the boat and on the ship, - but after a long hesitation of ourselves, we throw a coin. The coin must decide us to go to Alyosha, or us to to go to another place.
The coin decides that we go to the yard of my high school, where I gonna show you a view, that couldn't be seen from anywhere else...

- We may play some basketball there, also. - I say, because I remember there were baskets. - Do you play? - I ask, and in the same time I remember that it's a vacation time now, and we have not a ball with us.
- He-he...
- We'll find a store.
- But it's Sunday evening... - you add.
- Oh, I forgot...

- Come on! - a big smile shines on your face. - We can play basketball whenever...
- Of course... By the way, I'm not studying there anymore...
- I know.
- However, I still love the view from the stairs in front of the high-school cafe.

- Do you like it? - I ask.
- I like it better without those gray stairs...

You say, and you take a picture with your camera. I take a similar shot with mine.
- Yeah... Only blue and green... So nice for the eyes...
- And you can't see the clouds in the sky, can you?... - you smile, and you wink... ;-)
However, I realize that you are right. I didn't see the clouds...

We're watching at the beautiful view for a while... Enjoying the beauty... When you unexpectedly say...
- We must go now...
- Why so fast? - I oppose. - It's so cool here... In that point of view...
In that point of... everything...

- We must leave it, anyway... - you tell me again. - It's beautiful point of view, but there are so many points of view, that aren't so nice...
- Imagine this point of view in the autumn, when the leaves gonna be falling... Everything around would be red... And yellow... And orange... And brown...
- And black... - you add.
- And so white in the winter, when the trees and the hill will be covered and frozen in deep snow...

We start going back, however. We have to see many other points of view...

Soon, we are back to a place, where I've been thousands of times before.

- I used to catch a bus for home after school here. - I tell you, when we arrive.
- Nice... - you say bored, while you're watching at my eyes. They are looking away.
They look at something, that makes me to make a strange face. You think I'm joking and you start making really funny faces to me. Instantly I begin to laugh... You're laughing too... Until I see that bad thing again:
- Look to Alyosha!... I think he is staying with his back to us, isn't he?

While you're still laughing with your wonderful smile on your face, you say:
- Oh, yes, he is with his back to us... And what's the point about that? Ha-ha-ha...
I can't stay with a stone face - in contrast to Alyosha... - when I see you laughing, and I begin to laugh again...
- It's not funny! He-he-he... It seems Alyosha is angry about us, because we didn't visit him today...
- Ha-ha-ha... - you answer to me rightaway. - It's so sad, isn't it? His stone face probably is grumped to us now! He-he-he...
- Maybe... - I say. - Or he is sad and he doesn't want we to see his face right now...
- Ha-ha-ha... Sure...
I hear your voice telling that, while I'm watching the back of Alyosha and I think to myself how is he feeling. How one gray stone monument is feeling?... Huh...

Then I look to you... I want to see your smile, that can heal me and that always make me smile, too.
But it's not there anymore. You're not there anymore...
- Where are you? - I ask loudly, with a despirited voice, and I don't care
about the stupid people around, who are looking at me like at a crazy man.
I'm scared. I look all around, searching for you.
I do it twice. And again, and again...

But I can't find you anymore...

It seems you're gone with the cold wind that started to blow right after you disappeared...

I give up and I stand still. Frozen like a stone. Frozen like Alyosha does.

And I look at him again.

The sky is going dark and stormy clouds are coming above the stone friend of mine.

I feel pain deep into my heart... Like I'm having knives in the chest.
My eyelids become heavy and they close for a moment.

I fight with them, however, and I open my eyes again.

He's still standing there, on the hill; in the darkness, that falls all around, after you are gone.
- I know what's on your face, my friend... - I say to Alyosha with great effort.

And I feel I'm fading away...

THE END

Alyosha and Me

Written, directed, pictured and edited by: Tosh

Dedicated to... Somebody...