Oh, apple!

                OH, APPLE!

Summer was drawing to a close. The sun was not very hot, more often the rains began to break, even the thunder boomed. It became boring in the village, so often you won’t run to the river to swim and catch perches. Yellowed leaves began to fly from the trees. But the apples in the neighboring garden, where no one lived, were already ripe and attracted with their red barrels.
               
                The city guys who came to their grandparents on vacation left. The books that were asked at the school for the summer are read. There was nothing to do for the ten-year-old Nikita Kononov . Well, he went to work with his father. So the dad is very busy. He works as an agronomist, he has a lot of business to do, especially since the time has come to harvest. Father Andrei Petrovich is a very responsible man, as with the sunrise he leaves his horse Malvina to the fields, and is  at work until late in the evening. Dad’s horse is very beautiful, white with brown spots; mane and tail are very magnificent. Beauty! But the girl’s character is very restless; she is often offended, she can get rid of herself and goes for a walk wherever she wants! Catch her then, look in the grove or in the meadow! But Nikita loves her anyway and is trying to get his father’s permission to ride the horse and rush on her along a long road.
The father promises to give permission when the son grows up a little, and the horse will obey him. Nikita believes that this is unfair. He is already an adult; he even learned to ride a tractor! Yes, and at school teachers praise him. The boy even complained once: “At the parental meeting, the teacher spoke so much good about me that I was dead!” But Andrei Stepanovich explained to his son that such praises should only be rejoiced.
Mom, Ekaterina Ivanovna, works as a chief accountant. She also tries to do her job in good faith. In the morning she does household work, and then sits in her office until the end of the working day. Mom looks very attractive; her beautiful long braids are laid on her head with a wreath. And her eyes are huge, blue with long black eyelashes. Nikita is proud of her young parents. And he had no grandparents.
               

The boy  is not tall. His eyes are brown like his father's, his bright red hair has grown strongly during the summer, fluttering when the boy is running fast! Curiosity shines in Nikita’s eyes. It seems that he knows all the people in the village, even perfectly remembers who has delicious raspberries growing in the garden, where you can enjoy ripe strawberries. And then in a nearby garden ripened apples swing. Slip, or something, behind the fence, but pushes the full bosom of Antonovka! It doesn’t matter that you can pick as many apples as you like in your yard. But Nikita wanted an adventure. And he got them!
Nikita put a high staircase closer to his neighbor. He decided that it was his right to pick apples, because the tree grew from the side of the Kononov’s house, and the most furry and heavy branches went down the fence to the neighbors. But nobody lived there!

                The boy climbs the stairs, and she sways. Nikita became scared, but he won’t climb back either! The ladder swayed, the kid was already on the top step and looked down at the neighboring yard. And suddenly - somersault! And her head pulled down, the child was in the branches of a huge apple tree! Out of fear, he only said: “Oh!” And immediately fell to the ground! Suddenly there was: “Woof-woof!” And the boy’s hand was caught in someone’s mouth wet from saliva! Dog! Where did she come from here?! Nikita was surprised. It turned out to be a small white lap-dog. She carefully looked the boy in the eye and continued to hold his hand. What happened? The neighboring house has been empty for many years, the windows were clogged with boards, and the yard was heavily overgrown with grass. And then a dog! What if he mad? What to do?
And then a man's voice came: “Boyfriend! Go to the place! ”The dog immediately opened its mouth and released Nikita's hand. Then he sat down and, as it seemed to the boy, smiled at him in a friendly manner. Here you have a friend!
Then an elderly man appeared and came closer.
_ You are probably our neighbor? Did you want to try apples? Why didn’t you come to us through the gate and ask?
Nikita could not answer anything; he was very embarrassed and scared.
_ Well then! Let's get acquainted. My wife and I are your new neighbors.
 We arrived last night. My name is Peter Alekseevich Krylov. And what is your name?
My name is Nikita Kononov.
_I am so sorry. Our Friend scared you. He’s actually a kind and gentle dog. And then he decided that someone was encroaching on his new territory. I think you make friends with him.
The dog looked from the owner to Nikita and waved its tail amiably. The impression was that he understood people human speech!

Suddenly there was a female voice: “My God, what happened? Boy, are you okay? ”
Nikita sat down, looked around and saw a gray-haired old woman. She said that she’ll bring a greenback and a bandage now, since she saw a scratch on the boy’s hand.
The man explained that it was his wife. Her name is Polina Kondratyevna. Both of them are pensioners, have lived in a big city for decades. They worked hard, taught philosophy at a local university.                They had one son who died tragically in a car accident. The old people retired and decided to move to the village where their relatives used to live. That's how they and Nikita and his parents turned out to be neighbors.
Approached Polina Kondratyevna. She was a tall, middle-aged woman with gray hair. There was something surprising in her look that attracted her, some kind of participation and interest in another person. She was thrilled. The woman quickly applied the medicine to the scratch and bandaged this part of Nikita's arm.
“Now you're fine,” the old man said and smiled. _Let's go into the house and talk.
The house was clean and comfortable. In one day, order was put in order and things were laid out. Nikita drew attention to the pictures hung on the walls in beautiful frames.
_And who is this?
The neighbors said that they were their closest relatives, and also showed a photograph of their son Stepan. A handsome, sporty-looking guy was looking at Nikita. His eyes were cheerful and benevolent.
Parents said that a car accident occurred on the highway. There were Stepan's friends in the car. The guy managed to get a woman with a child and her husband out of a burning car, and he received many burns and died in a hospital.
Since then, parents quickly grew old, became very sick and decided to change their place of residence and climate. The village has wonderful air, space. There is a river where you can fish. Wonderful! Telling this, the neighbors sighed and complained about the rapidly approaching old age.
"Old men are tired children," Nikita suddenly said.
_You're right!
_ Can childhood last for life?
“I think I can’t,” answered Peter Alekseevich.
_ I want that in youth I lived well and happily, but in old age I need only happily!
Unfortunately, life is a very complicated thing, not always happiness accompanies us all the time.
From that day on, Nikita went to his neighbors every day; they had long and pleasant conversations, which the boy recalled as an adult.
Nikita learned a lot after meeting new friends.
Thanks to the apples! They really helped the boy learn more about many things and events.
He began to treat older people with great respect and love!