You go with the revolutionary
You follow the boy out of that district of Moscow and into a rather
seedy, rundown neighborhood. The many hairpin corners you turn are
sharp, the air is thick with the odor of something you can't
identify--and aren't sure you want to--and around your feet are shards
of broken glass. The boy finally stops in front of an old tenement
that looks like it's been more than halfway destroyed, knocks on the
door, and whispers a password. The door creaks open, and he gestures
quickly to you. With some hesitation, you follow.
At a rickety wooden table sit about ten other revolutionaries--most a
few years older than you, but some around your age.
"You remember them, Sophia," the boy tells you. "Ilya,
Ivan, Viktor, Pytor, Yevno, Sergei, Anna, Matela, Andrei, and
Cyril." Thank goodness for the introductions, you think.
"Now that we all know each other," one of the
men--Andrei--laughs sarcastically, "let's get down to business,
shall we? Sophia, do you have the next pamphlet for us?"
Pamphlet? What's he talking about? Maybe there's something in your
pocket...but then you reach up to straighten your kerchief and hear it
crackle. You whip the kerchief off and see a piece of paper. It's
written in Russian, but that doesn't matter--you understand too well
that this is a revolutionary document that speaks out against the
tsar--and that apparently you wrote it.
"Here you are," you say, handing the pamphlet to Andrei, who
is obviously the group's leader. He reads it and gasps.
"Sophia! This is good--VERY good. As soon as we have enough, make
sure the peasants--our brothers, our comrades--get this. Make sure
everyone knows that the revolution is drawing near! Hand them out,
Sophia...spread the word!"
You nod, but inwardly gulp. You know you could be arrested for passing
out such material. What should you say?
"Yes, of course," you say, for now you remember just how
awful things were in Russia before the revolution. You'll help the
people of Russia in any way possible.
