mlm

Dani had been considered odd since childhood. In the village, they favored the simple: the strongest, the loudest, the rudest. But he was quiet, bookish, with an eternal interest in biology. He knew how to heal, how to help, and believed it was important. People made fun of him, calling him a botanist. Only Styopka was always there. Three years older, loud, strong, with a perpetual grin and a bad reputation. He didn't understand half of what Dani said, but he listened.

Then life, as it inevitably does, ruined everything. Dani left for Moscow, became a surgeon, and disappeared into a foreign rhythm. Styopa stayed behind—the fields, the work, the familiar village life. They didn't quarrel. They simply ceased to be a part of each other.

Eleven years later, Dani returned. The village celebrated the occasion with a bang—tables, noise, conversation. He was greeted like a hero. And among the faces, he saw Styopa.

He hadn't changed much. Still as strong, only his gaze had grown heavier. A girl stood next to him, and a little girl twirled at his feet. Styopa looked at Dani—cheerfully, as before, but as if through glass.

And then it became clear: time hadn't simply passed. It had taken away what Danny had never dared to say.