24/05/2025
“She was sure she found a carpet… but someone inside was moaning and moving.”
The weather was warm and sunny, and Sima decided to take advantage of the chance — to air out her “pillows” and “blanket.” As pillows, she used paper bags stuffed with sawdust, and for a blanket, she used an old wall carpet with a picture of deer. She carefully stretched it on a rope between the trees, and nearby placed a wooden bench covered with red leatherette, spreading her homemade “pillows” on top.
Serafima had been homeless for over a year. Her dream was to save up some money, restore her lost documents, and return home — to one of the southern republics, where memories of family and a normal life awaited her. But for now, she had to live in an abandoned forest ranger’s hut that once stood deep in a dense forest. Now, where the forest used to be, there was a huge garbage dump.
At first, the smell was barely noticeable, but over time the piles of waste grew not by days, but by hours. Everything was dumped here: construction debris, broken furniture, old clothes, dishes. That’s how Sima got a small cabinet, a worn-out pouf, and even a wooden chest full of clothes someone had thrown away as useless.
Eventually, vans from supermarkets started coming to the dump — dumping expired products. After careful sorting, sometimes perfectly edible vegetables, fruits, and even frozen semi-prepared meals were found. The only problem was the lack of water. She had to fetch it from a dirty river, filtering it through rags and charcoal collected from the same garbage.
There was plenty of firewood — tree branches and logs were scattered everywhere, so heating the stove was not a problem. Days merged into monotonous existence, but it was rare to save even a little money. Coins in the pockets of discarded clothes were extremely rare, and wallets were considered a find of the century.
One night, she was awakened by the sound of a car pulling up. That was usual — most brought garbage at night so no one would recognize them. But this time something seemed strange. The car was expensive, large, almost an SUV. In the moonlight, it looked like a monster on wheels.
A man got out, slowly dragged a massive roll out of the trunk, and carried it deeper into the heaps.
“Is that roofing felt? I could patch the roof… The rains are coming soon,” Sima thought, mentally urging the stranger: “Come on, come on, leave already!”
The man left the roll in a pit between piles of trash, looked around as if he had changed his mind, then waved his hand and returned to the car. After a couple of minutes, the engine roared and the car disappeared into the darkness.
“Finally,” Sima exhaled and began to change into her work clothes.
She put on huge rubber boots and went out into the yard. The sky was already lightening, the air was filled with the scent of the forest. She remembered that over the hill there was a clearing with mushrooms — she should check it out in the morning.
Approaching the place where the man left the roll, she expected to see a strip of roofing felt or thick polyethylene. But instead, on the ground lay a neatly rolled carpet. Not just any — it looked like those that once decorated rich homes.
“Wow… Bukharan, I think. So beautiful, heavy. Shame it’s not for roofing,” Sima noted disappointedly to herself, but soon added, “Maybe I’ll take it for myself? Fold it in half, it’ll be a better mattress than those sawdust bags.”
She even got happy about the idea and quickly ran to the roll. She tried to lift it — too heavy. Then she carefully pulled the edge to unroll it. And then she heard it — someone was moaning inside!
Sima, who had seen a lot during her year living on the street, was scared for the first time, her knees trembling. Moving closer, she called out:
“Who’s there?”
Silence. Then again a moan, and a barely audible female voice...
Continued in the comments👇
