February 16
A lot of shelling occurred last night, they used the GRAD missiles lavishly.
In the morning I went to the Site, took the barrow constructed the day before and made off for the nearest wood.
It turned out to be rather a crowded place as for a wood. While felling trees to cut out twelve poles for the Site's projected fencing, I spotted no less than half a dozen men (some with guns), a woman and a horse trafficking along the trail.
I brought the poles to the Site—an up-hill work most of the way. Straining at the barrow-handles was taking too much out of me. At times I simply had to stop for a rest and—swimming in the sweat inside my clothes—stretch out on the roadside beside the loaded barrow.
Back at the Site, no sooner had I untied the poles from the barrow but there broke out the Sodom-and-Gomorrah which goes on till now.
Today I saw:
- explosion bursts ahead and behind me;
- a huge piece of a tree trunk thrown aloft like a pencil stub among the spray of roofing parts madly spinning in all the planes;
- a large pack-house going up in flames;
- a mangy dog with his head completely lost desperately tearing off for life not knowing where to among those crazy thunder-bolts from everywhere.
And from the evening impressions:
- fatty red sparks and thundering flashes when a GRAD volley hit a block-of-flats in the street where I was pulling the handcart;
- a coal black stream of smoke bending under the blue sea of the moonlit sky;
- one more fire but from afar.
In the intervals I:
- took a bath (one pail);
- translated one page.
And I had:
- a quickie with Sahtik,
- yoga,
- supper,
- water-walk.
Now I've got all the right to call it a day and to wind up with a – "So long".
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