In the early summer morning the beach was almost empty.
Kotka—short, puny, wearing glasses—lying on his stomach, raked the warm sand under his sides and shoulders with his hands. The cat just got out of the water. His back, covered with purple-red pimples, trembled every now and then, like a horse when it is stung by horseflies.
His friend, Yurka, was lying on his back with his hands under his head, looking into the clear greenish sky. A lone cloud slowly crawled there, very similar to an old ship: here are the masts, and the highly upturned bow with a protruding bowsprit, and the flat carved stern. And even the flag flickers over the caravel.
Yurka — a strong, tall boy — was in dry shorts. Apparently he hasn’t taken a bath yet. On his hands laid under his head, oblong, tight biceps stood out in relief.
The boys lay in silence for a long time. Kotka was reading The Two Captains, but Yurka was still looking at the sky. The caravel had already sailed away, melted away, and another cloud appeared instead, similar to an accordion. Sometimes the wind stretched the bellows of this accordion, and then it seemed to Yurka that some sounds were indeed heard.
— Shall we go swimming? The cat put down the book. Yura silently got up.
From the steep bank Kotka jumped into the water and swam, throwing out his arms in a sweeping manner. The river was not wide, soon he was already in the middle. Shouted:
— Blow here!
Yuri didn’t answer. He stood knee-deep in the water near the shore, in the place where the beach gently sloped down to the river. He scooped up handfuls of water and watered his shoulders and chest. Then this strong, athletic-looking boy crouched several times, as older women who cannot swim do, floundered in the water and went ashore.
— Come here! — He called again from the middle of the Kotka River.
But Yurka, without answering, walked to his clothes and lay down on a towel. Soon, Kotka settled down next to him.
Didn’t you swim again? — he asked.
— Reluctance, — Yurka answered languidly. — It’s chilly today.
The day was not at all cold, on the contrary, but Kotka said nothing.
— And in general … swimming for a long time is harmful, — Yurka said. — Burning a lot of calories.
The cat was silent again. As for calories, Yurka is not the first time he repeats. Look, professor! I suppose last year, when I didn’t get out of the water for days on end, I didn’t remember about calories!
Why wear out my tongue in vain ?! Kotka knew perfectly well why Yurka was now fumbling around near the shore, like a preschooler, but in the depths — no, no.
Yurka drowned last summer. Right there, just opposite these bushes. How this happened is hard to understand. After all, Yurka swam great, perhaps the best in school. And, of course, Kotka is much better.
Leg cramps cramped? Or fainting? Or stuck in a hole? Although — what are the pits here ?!.
But, in general, Yurka began to sink. And, most importantly, at the first moment, none of the bathers noticed this. When they missed it, they began to dive, to fumble along the bottom. Luckily they found it quickly. Well, they pulled it out. Pumped out.
Everything seemed to end happily. But Kotka began to notice: from that day on, Yurka seemed to have been replaced. Some became timid, indecisive. He was now downright afraid of water. Rinse near the shore — and that’s it. Swimming is nothing. Well, no way…
And not only in the water. He has become something else.
He goes with Kotka for mushrooms, every now and then in the forest he looks back, remembers the way. Even twigs stuck in some places. So that you don’t get lost. Where are you going to get lost? This forest is trampled up and down by the boys. And to the highway — two kilometers, no more.
In volleyball — and Yurka used to be a classy player — he will jump out over the net, but he hits somehow sluggishly, as if hesitating — should he beat? And before sharply, boldly extinguished.
Kotka saw: something was wrong with a friend. And so, and so approached him. All to no avail. In secret, Kotka even consulted with the fizruk.
— A difficult case, — he frowned. — You see, this is a psychological shock. Well, it’s such a shock. A very strong shock. After such a shock, there are all sorts of jumps. My uncle was in a car accident ten years ago. And since then, by rail — as much as you like, by plane — please, and in a taxi — for nothing … I never got into a car! Never in ten years!
The cat sighed.
— What to do?
Fizruk shrugged.
— Let’s wait! Maybe time will heal. Time is a great doctor!
Yes, maybe it is. But months passed, and Kotka did not notice any improvement. As before, Yurka was lethargic, as if he had never slept enough.
And now, lying on the beach, Kotka looked into the book, but did not read.
“Is Yurka really going to stay like that? For life? he thought. — What can you think of? Here in
books — there the hero always achieves his goal. Already, it would seem, quite a dead end, but he — no, does not give up and wins. But that’s in books…” Kotka sighed, rolled over on his side and dug deeper into the hot sand.
“Maybe take Yurka to some lecture? About courage. Or about border guards. How do they bravely catch spies? .. »
Kotka thought for a moment and spat: no, you won’t break Yurka with a lecture.
“Maybe we should give him a good book? Here at least «Two Captains». Let Sanka Grigoriev have an effect on him!”
Kotka wrinkled his forehead: no, it won’t work. Yurka reads a lot. And about the characters and everything else. And in the water it still drifts.
«What can you think of?»
The cat got up. He looked thoughtfully across the river to the opposite bank. But he had such a look, as if he was looking not forward, but, on the contrary, back, into himself. You can vouch that he did not even see houses on the other side, let alone smaller objects.
He stood like that for a few minutes, then quickly walked towards the water.
— What are you? Yuri was surprised. — Swim again? It’s cold…
— Not! Not cold! The cat jumped off the cliff and swam.
Yurka again began to look at the high transparent sky. Somewhere in the distance a boat blew its horn, and for a long time it rolled muffledly over the water until it got lost somewhere in a dense forest.
Suddenly Yurka heard a cry:
— Save! Ouch! Save…
Yurka jumped up: Kotka was floundering in the middle of the river. He then jumped out of the water, stupidly waving his arms, then again fell into the depths. Here he again surfaced, madly shaking his head, from his mouth — a whole stream of water. Even screaming, it seems, is no longer possible.
And, as for evil, on the beach — none of the adults. Only a few babies. They rush about, they scream, but they are unable to help.
Yurka rushed to the shore. I stopped at the cliff, My heart skipped a beat: I haven’t swum in such a long time! ..
But in a second, Yurka had already jumped into the river and rapidly rushed forward.
— Right! Right! — the kids shouted and showed with their hands where to swim.
Yurka raced, ripping up the water like a torpedo. He had never swam like this before. His head and body were under water. Only for a second did a wide-open mouth appear, a breath of air, and again — forward!
Here is Kotka: eyes bulging from fear, hands demon-. paddling quite a bit in the water.
— Ah! he shouts and reaches for Yurka. — Ah!
— Calmly! Yurka says. — Calmly! Swims very close to Kotka, but in such a way that
he couldn’t get a hold of it.
— Lie down on your back! Yurka commands sternly. — Well! And Kotka obediently turns over, belly up.
— Calmly! Yurka says authoritatively. — Calmly. Nothing will happen. I’m near. So you won’t drown. Breathe deeply.
And Kotka stretches out in the water and tries to breathe deeper.
“Yes,” says Yurka. — Order! Now you will have a rest and we will move to the shore.
Yurka is watching his friend with all his eyes. Still, well done Kitty! Drowned, but not lost. He’s already come to his senses. And not grasping for the rescuer — not everyone can do it. Another will be stunned, will cling like a tick, and will drown himself, and destroy the rescuer. Yurka heard such stories more than once.
And Kotka is a young man! And how obediently he executes commands! ..
— Well, let’s go! Yurka says. — Do not worry! If anything, I’m there…
The cat nods. He rolls over on his chest and slowly swims towards the shore. Hands raking like a dog. Apparently, there is no strength for saplings. And he spits all the time: he swallowed great after all …
This is how they get to the beach.
Toddlers greet them with enthusiastic cries. However, it’s not just kids on the beach. From somewhere, more guys came running. Here is Shurka — from the seventh «b», here is Mishka — from the eighth.
They all look at Yurka, and the kids cling directly to him — it seems that now they will even climb to hug him, wet.
— Well, Yura swam! Well, I swam! — the fat little one shouts excitedly. — One, one, one! He waves his arms vigorously.
“Yes, it was great,” Shurka from the seventh “b” says solidly. — If you could mark the time, maybe you broke the record ?!
And the little girl, putting her finger in her mouth, looks at Yurka with such admiration, as people probably looked at his namesake — Yuri Gagarin.
Almost no one pays attention to Kotka. Short, frail, he sits on the sand, spits every now and then and also says respectfully:
— Yes, without Yurka, I would — tu.e.! Kayuk!
— Why are you? And he would have got out himself, — Yurka is embarrassed.
— I would love to swim! the fat boy mutters enviously. — That would be beauty!
— And what? — says Kotka. — Ask Yura, he will teach you. Right, Yura?
Yurka picks sand with his foot:
— Well, well … You can.
He enters the water and shows the baby how to move his hands, how to breathe in and out correctly.
The rest of the guys soon disperse along the beach.
Kotka takes the «Two Captains» and lies down. But he doesn’t read. For a long time he watches how Yurka teaches the baby.
He smiles and, pleased, winks at himself:
“Order! Now it will float! And no shocks!