Little Pictures

Chapter I

Childhood Dreams

The icy winter nights are always generating sore fillings. Everyone has the desire to be wrapped themselves with a warm blanket and lied on a soft pillow.

Notably, in the morning when hover frost made a mosaic on frozen windows, then sleepiness had a sweeter taste.

At the edge of the Zvezdara hill had been lied state city hospital. It is surrounded by thick forest.

In the night, shiny and bright lights were reflecting from hospital windows on the massive part of white snow outside. If we add that the sparks of light flew in a million colours, it looked like as a beautiful blanket which wrapped hospital.

In the air was levitating different filling about this gorgeous night.

Of course, that particular night was New Year's Eve and everyone all around the world has different expectations from a new beginning.

Outside was extremely cold with the temperature of (-29° C) but inside the hospital was pleasantly worm.

On that silly and frightening cold night, very noisy newborn baby alias I, announced that something wonderfully was happened just a couple of minutes fast of the New Year Eve.

The warm greetings came from the hospital staff to our family.

The rest of the family wanted to see a miracle which already happened and has had a shape of the little electric toy.

Also, the happy mode was followed in the whole world with the celebration of New Year’s Eve.

If we add me smiling without crying, it created an absolute sensation for whole hospital staff.

After World War II which ended a couple of years ago, people with hope as a small dash continued living with their families in the city of Belgrade in Eastern Europe. The enormous poverty was present at that time.

The happiest era for our family began with great fun. The father Rudy, mother Louise, uncle Alexander and grandma Nina full filled their wishes just on time because the newborn baby very soon must come from the hospital and all the family was waiting for my arrival.

Especially my father Rudy with his best friend Dragan - my godfather who gave myself Christian name Dejan - have been overjoyed.

They were becoming so lucid playing guys who were promoting special ritual of disinfection. That method was known as an approved ritual of silly drinking. From their point of view, the process of killing germs consist of consumption of alcohol.

Allegedly, those actions must prevent spreading of any disease, from anyone closer to the baby.

Their disappearance to an unknown destination from home for a while approved their special secret mission.

Only God knows why and where they disappeared. Probably they reasoned and must be assured that they should become so hygienic in these delicate processes.

The big question mark was when they would come back? How could they be detectable for the rest of the two families?

The other part of the family has been more active and very concerned about how to transport me from the hospital during freezing weather. Finally, after a few resolved issues, everything passed without any problems, and they delivered the package safely home.

Familiarising with a new environment, and with my milking process period, gave family headache with frequent changing indulges.

The adventure of introducing a new world with a new environment was coming without argument issues from myself.

Later, they told me that they have been so grateful for obedient baby like myself. Although, I was not crying frequently but only with motives.

In the months ahead many of family friends, neighbours or friend from a friend was coming to visit us and see me. It was looked like as I was a little circus attraction for them.

Notably, every time during these visits, a lot of grannies, made kissing with their mouth without teeth. Their saliva was flowing over my body everywhere.

Grandma Nina was desperate, and whenever they were gone, she washed me so hard after their scenic tour’s session and visits.

Big concern overwhelmed two families because almost four weeks passed by from the time when our impressive guys disappeared.

The problematic period was in connection with not a regular supplement of the food to the market. The flour, sugar, oil, meat - became an everyday problem and most families were heavily stressing in searching for supplies.

Hey! What was a joke! One night, as in a cheap movie our disinfected guys arrived with very loudly music style sitting on the truck cabin. Overjoyed and with yelling and singing, in the company of local musicians who were also sitting with them on the truck.

They became our instant sensation and famous delivering guys because the truck was overloaded with supplies for everyone, including our good neighbours.

At the first moment, neighbours were becoming very angry for early awakening. But when they started to share supplies among themselves for free, their attitude made big overturn and they were united in the creation of a festive session.

The musicians came down from the truck and started to play wheel dancing. They have been instantly surrounded by neighbours who joined together to wheel dance.

Many of them came barefoot on the street, and a couple of them were in pyjamas.

They were embraced singing and dancing or holding their hands almost all night. In the dawn when the new day was born, they looked thrilled and tired.

Our supplies were tremendous - exceptional - because we got colossal swine which temporarily finished in the bathroom in the bath!

Where the father found this monster, we did not have any idea?

It should compensate for our necessity for meat for months!

Without any butcher’s knowledge, it became a real challenge to chop that monster and pack meat in the fridge.

* * *

Back Burning

Everyone orientated oneself, variously

And wasn’t easy honestly

While the shortage took time

Find meat – one of the victuals, fine

Finally, for a while

The puzzle was sorted out with a smile.

Where our father spent the nights

monstrous swine carried on his back with fights.

The concern in the family was growing

chop the monster, on-site or made some towing,

Parked swine was laying in the bath

The family has counselling chat.

Father’s hot plum brandy made icon though

Sharps knives, dishes, missing, not enough

The highland of shoulders made swine-sty creations

Lines up was rising from sausage’s preparations.

Backyard smoking meat house-made blue overturning

Crazy wind, pork specialities completely burning

Head of the family is rudely scold

Secrets for burn try to unfold.

* * *

The secrets for burning become revealed does not matter how much you tried to resolve any issues, that lousy fortune as a dark cloud was covering our haven.

That was some invisible sign or movement which we did not follow at that time. But the society started to change its shape rapidly, and we did not know anything about that yet.

Staggering stratification in most community levels became a new deal. In the fifties, many people could not afford nice clothes or travelling. The privilege for that lucrative stuff was only for political party followers who became very brutal. Nobody controlled them in their abundance of life and how much power they have got to abuse other people. At that time the family was fighting very hard to keep me alive because I was continuously sick. Especially, grandma Nina son Alexander and my uncle at the time, always had some tricks when they were taking me on afternoon sleep with medication. That part with afternoon bound sleeping was affecting myself so strongly and I determined to avoid this sleeping in any circumstances.

* * *

Outlawed Smoke

Nina with endless cooking flare

grooming child with care

Daily ritual always has a grip

escorting me on afternoon sleep.

Technique and bravura of mine

and resistance with decline.

Watching everyday factory chimney smoke

arranged sign to go on afternoon sleep

without provoke.

But, if the lack of smoke deep

Then stops with afternoon sleep

One day, the chimney was not smoking,

happiness around me walking

Reminded grandma about settlement we keep

To leave for another day, afternoon sleep.

Nina’s losing her hope

having extra cigarettes as dope.

Watching on the chimney straight

She did not want to be surrender without a fight.

Without afternoon sleep, like a stream

We could not know even in a dream.

The first work stoppage in the factory has been

restraining famous chimney smoke steam.

* * *

Then, my afternoon sleeping was almost permanently stopped for myself? Yuppie! That was my answer that we finally made the solution in my favour!

Rapidly growing, future days were relating to the enormous energy of myself which was followed by the curiosity of every kind.

One day parents brought home the latest model of radio which is not like today's models. It was junk lord at least twenty kilograms weighing and looked monstrously.

The most exciting thing on the radio was the green magic eye. It was designed to tune the radio and purpose was as today's HDD led lights function.

When the eye was steady green than it was a sign that radio tune was into a wavelength, the trickiest moment for me was when the mystical green light was repeatedly winking; the radio was in a state of jamming or fading. I have been fascinated about that blinking and decided one day to make severe technical investigation – what was going on with that enchanted green light?

The time that nobody was at home gives myself bust to resolve the secrets. Anyway, the situation forced me to jump on some boxes for better research and to be closer to the eye.

Well, the experiment went in the wrong direction. In the meantime, I started losing control with climbing and radio fell on me and made huge bruises all over the body.

The parents were also beating me, severely. The last point was when they returned the radio to his place! It was correctly working!

* * *

Scientific Research

Twenty kilos big horse

New radio with a considerable force

The green magic eye captivating

My attention was alternating.

Great contest for myself creating

How to examine it so well

later, generated practically hell.