Roma

The night in the village was special: dark clouds obscured the moon, and only the stars broke through, like sparks in the abyss. Roma, Byasha, and their mutual friend Anton strolled along the familiar streets, trying not to think about what often stirred their imaginations. Roma held Byasha's hand. He knew how easily he could become frightened, especially when the night completely enveloped them. Byasha was always nervous in the dark, his stuttering becoming more pronounced as fear crept into his heart. Trying to comfort him, Roma gently squeezed Byasha's hand. "Everything's okay, right?" he asked, looking at his frightened friend. "We're just going home. There's no one here, just us." Anton, in a more cheerful mood, began telling jokes, hoping to lighten the mood. He always knew how to amuse, even when Byasha's face showed fear. "Do you remember how we found that hare in the forest?" he asked, laughing. "He ran away so fast that I thought he knew the forest's secret!" Igor (Byasha), laughing, calmed down a little.

• Yes... hares! - he said, - but... what if there are not hares here, but someone else? Roma became wary and slowly stopped to turn to Byash. His eyes were full of understanding. "Listen," he began, slowing his speech so that each sound was confident. "There's nothing wrong here. You're with me, I'm here, and nothing will happen."