The Letter
written by: Vladimir Andreev
@Vladimir_Andrei
“Dear Liz, I’d like to tell you about this wonderful art piece. It was 1989, and Andrew and I went on vacation to Bulgaria. The wind of change was blowing there too. Can you imagine: we even learned some phrases of the language before we took off to Sofia. We had a great time there, we visited so many places, we saw such beauty, we tasted so many delicious dishes! I can write about this journey for many pages, and it will merely tell you about our experience there. But I’m afraid I don’t have the time.
It was the end of the summer, and we went to the Rila Lakes area you should go there someday. Rila monastery was a few kilometers down the trail, and we could see the majestic and wonderful sight of that spiritual center snuggled up in the foothills of the mountain. There we met the Smokes: a wonderful family of four. Helena and her husband were local art dealers who adored hiking and camping. After so many years, I think it was a great choice we’d made when reached them that day. You know, the funny thing is that it was a total. We were walking through the woods when we heard “Mice! Ellie, there are mice here! Come quick, they’re running!” “Aah, I see them! They’re so fluffy! Anne, look over there- it’s a quite fast turtle.”
The girls’ orotund voices bounced among the trees and made us smile. Soon we met their parents and had a friendly chat. Over some small pots of tasty buffalo yogurt and a slice of white cheese, we got on well with the Bulgarians and about their occupation. Long story short- we met a few weeks later in Bourgas- their hometown, and they showed us their gallery. Oh, Lizzie, it was great! There were paintings, sculptures, art pieces with folklore details, and some things used in agriculture. There were many cool things there. Then Andrew saw it. The little sculpture of Pegasus with Orpheus on its back was hidden behind some other stuff, but our dear Andrew had an eye for it. I had the role of a negotiator. Oh my, there were several rounds of the bargain- first, we had some tea with local pastry, then some wine with appetizers, and finally the heavy artillery- apricot rakia (a kind of Bulgarian moonshine) with grilled homemade sausage and shopska salad. It was really tough, but I made it! The price was perfect for us, and we bought the piece with a few more items- second-hand kettles and cutlery.
Then we celebrated the deal for a few more days on the beach of the Black Sea.
Dear loving friend, I leave you this wonderful statue, and I’m absolutely sure you’ll take care of everything after… all is over.
Love
Lucy”
The tears fell from Lizie’s eyes like huge drops of liquid diamonds when she finished reading her best friend’s letter. She was going to miss her so much…
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