Short Story Writing Sample
- 1. Lugauskas 1 Short Story Writing Sample by Michelle Lugauskas āToday is October 30, 1977, and itās going to be a beautiful fall Sunday morning in New York City today,ā announces the radio DJ. I, in my pyjamas and robe, awake early to read the newspaper. I especially love to read the Sunday edition of the New York Times. I look forward to it every week. I start the coffee and begin to make breakfast for my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren. My oldest grand-daughter, Natasha, 17, runs up to me shouting, āLook Babushka, look! Turn on the TV, theyāre talking about Russia, your country!ā Just that one word alone brought back so many memoriesā¦Russia. Such a vast nation with such power and history. I havenāt spoken about it in such a long time. I left Russia just after World War II and havenāt been back since. On the television, I saw a reporter interviewing Dr. Moritz Furtmayr, a prominent forensic expert. āWhat is this?ā I ask Natasha. āI donāt know. Theyāre talking about Russia, I thought youād like it.ā Dr. Moritz Furtmayr was claiming that a woman named Anna Anderson, after many tests, was most definitely proven to be the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov of Russia. I suddenly dropped the newspaper. I couldnāt believe my ears. āBabushka, whoās Anastasia?ā Natasha asks. I stare at her, dumb-founded. What do I say? How can I say it? So many thoughts rushing through my head now. It is unbearable for me to even speak. I have to sit. I sit down. I stare at the television once more. Again, Natasha asks, āWhoās Anastasia and why are you so upset?ā If only I could tell her what happened. If only she knew. But, I have to tell her, I thought. Itās about time I told someone my story. āWell, Natasha,ā I begin. āDo
- 2. Lugauskas 2 you want to hear a story about what happened to me when I was your age?ā āWhy, what happened?ā she asked. āDo you really want to know?ā āYes!ā she exclaims. āWell, then letās go back. Back to the beginning.ā āIt was the year 1916. I just turned 15 and my younger brother, Leo, just turned 12. It was a beautiful summer in Yekaterinburg. The sun was out, and the flowers were blooming. My father, who was a well-respected doctor in our town, looked up with respect to the Royal Family - the Romanov Family. I remember how much he praised them. He praised Nicholas especially for raising such a beautiful family. Letās see now, there was Olga, Tatiana, Marie, Anastasia, and Alexei. I especially looked up to Anastasia. She was exactly my age and just like meā¦only she was a Grand Duchess, a title meaning something much more than a princess, and I was just a typical Russian girl. āBut, anyway, World War I was going on at the time, and all of our boys were going to fight in the war. My mother was especially upset because her brother, my uncle, went off to France the year before. We always hoped for positive news. I remember every Sunday all my family would come to my house. I remember having to say endlessly, āKak pazhivayete?ā āHow are you?ā to a bunch of people. And then weād hear the endless āKharasho, spaseeba.ā āVery well, thank you.ā We all ate a traditional Russian meal - zharkoe po domashnemu, or āhomemade hotpotā. It consisted of chicken stewed in a clay pot and we served it with potatoes and mushrooms. Everyone loved it. After we all ate everything and we couldnāt move, we all rested on the couch and my mother and father both took turns passing around and reading
- 3. Lugauskas 3 the latest Pravda edition. Those were good memories. I remember looking around at my family - the Sednev family and thinking how blessed I was. I mean, I was no Romanov, but I was pretty closeā¦in my mind at least. As 1916 came to a close, 1917 rolled around the corner. The war was still going on and Lenin was slowly gaining power in all of Russia. Every day, he convinced more men to join the Bolshevik party. And every day these men were crying for a revolution. āA revolution!ā I said to my father one day. āYes, Lara, it just might come to be.ā āBut, a revolution. A Russian revolution? Whoever heard of such a thing?ā My father just laughed at that remark and kept on reading the Pravda. Lenin gained more and more power every day. He convinced many men that the Tsars were to blame for all of Russiaās losses in the war. He even dared say that we should overtake the Royal Family and throw them out of office. I remember my father saying, āHow could he say such a thing? The Royal Family!ā My father was very upset and he hated Lenin, which few men in Yekaterinburg dared to do at that time. He even mentioned joining the White Army - a group of men who opposed Leninās Red Army, or the Bolsheviks. I didnāt know what to think. I didnāt know what was happening to Russia. One minute everything was fine, and the next everyone wanted to overthrow the Royal Family! It was all happening so fast. Just remember, Natasha, I was only 15 at the time. But, I was getting older, and my family was growing poorer. āAs 1917 raged on, so did the Red Army. They gained more power each and every day. As they grew more and more powerful, we grew poorer and poorer. My father wasnāt getting any business because no one could afford a
- 4. Lugauskas 4 doctor anymore. It was about time we faced the truth: Russia was starting to fall apart. My father suddenly became quiet, more reserved. He wasnāt bringing home an income and didnāt want to be blamed for the downfall the Sednev family was heading toward. This bothered him. But this wasnāt just happening to our familyā¦every family in Russia had the same problem. They were all falling apart too. āThings got so bad, that on July 15th, 1917, Tsar Nicholas was forced to abdicate his throne. This bothered my father a lot. He said, āWhatās going to happen next?ā And sure enough, things just got worse from that point on. āDobroye ultra,ā āGood morning,ā screamed the local paper boy the next morning. I got the paper but was not distracted by the incessant high-pitched shouts of the nine-year-old boy, but by the headline of the Pravda, āThe Royal Family Arrested!ā read in big bold print. I just stood there and gasped at the formation of the letters on the page forming the sentence. āItās really happening,ā I said to Leo later on, āweāre really going to have a revolution now?ā Leo was too oblivious to speak. He was playing with one of his toys. āI guess so,ā he said. But talks of a revolution were all people could speak of. Especially at that particular time in Russian history, because things were getting worse by the day. āPeople wanted change. They wanted Lenin to take power and create a government where everyone had equal rights under the law. I didnāt know what to believe. All I knew was that things were about to turn for the worse, and they certainly did.
- 5. Lugauskas 5 āOne cold, frigid, winterās day in December 1917, my father came home practically frost-bitten and said that he had bad news. He said that the Royal Family was under house arrest and were taken somewhere in Siberia. He said he didn't know where. My mother said, āHow can you be worrying about the Tsars when you know we have no heat and we have no food left to feed the children.ā I froze at that remark. I knew things were bad, but I didnāt know they were this bad. I knew we had no heat, because each night we had to do sit-ups and push-ups before going to bed so that our muscles would not freeze up during the night, but I at least thought that we had some food left. Now I knew the truth. We had nothing. I remember being very angry at my father that night. He didnāt care that we had nothing, all he cared about was the fact that the Royal Family was somewhere in Siberia. āNo one cares!ā I wanted to scream to him! āPay attention to your own family, not them!ā But, of course, I kept all of this to myself. Who would listen to me anyway? āI had to get a job, my mother told me one day. Both my brother and I had to. We needed more money coming into the house and my mother thought it was a good idea that at least two small incomes would be better than none. We asked everywhere if anyone was hiring, but no one was, of course. They were all too busy joining Leninās Red Army, and planning a new government for Russia. I grew more and more frustrated every day. āFinally, one day in early April 1918, when I was 16, and my brother was 14, we both went to the Ipatiev House, and found some luck. I got a job as a maid in the huge mansion, and my brother got the job as the kitchen boy. My job was to clean the floors and the bedrooms. There were a lot of them. Leoās
- 6. Lugauskas 6 job was to clean up the kitchen after the chef served a meal. āIt doesnāt sound so bad,ā I thought to myself. Leo and I ran home to tell our parents the good news. āWe both started work in the middle of April. I remember it was a particularly warm April that year. Flowers were blooming as we worked at the Ipatiev House, and the sun was out all the time. People were not cheerful, and on the outside, I didnāt look happy either, but on the inside, I was as happy as a baby! āThen, one day, April 30, 1918, a day I shall never forget, so help me God, I heard the most exciting news I probably ever heard in my life. Another maid who worked in the Ipatiev House with me said the Red Army was bringing the Royal Family to āstayā right there in the very own Ipatiev House! I couldnāt believe my ears! I would be working in the same place as Tsar Nicholas! Anastasia Romanov would be there too! It was just too good to be true. I ran home to tell my father! āFather, father!ā I shouted. āI have the best news!ā āWhat?ā he asked hesitantly. āMy friend, Natalya, told me that the Red Army is bringing the abducted Romanov family to stay at the Ipatiev House!ā I will never forget the look my father gave me after I said this. It was almost as if he was glad to hear the word āabductedā in the same sentence with āRomanov family.ā And I couldnāt figure out why. āMaybe you will meet them,ā he told me. I never thought of that. Meeting the Royal Family? āWell, thatās just like a fairy tale, isn't it kisa?ā I hate it when my mother calls me that. The word kisa is equivalent to the English word ākitten.ā But, anyway, the thought of meeting the Romanovs never crossed my mind. I didnāt even know there would be a day
- 7. Lugauskas 7 when Iād see one of them from afar. But, little did I know, that the day would be coming sooner that Iād thought. āI first saw Anastasia Romanov on an early May morning in 1918. I had to go upstairs to clean her bedroom and she was still sleeping. I didnāt know it at the time. So, I was cleaning, oblivious to everything around me, singing. I had to open the curtains to dust them and when I did that, all the sunlight came through into the room. That must have awakened her, because when I turned around, there I saw her pretty little face looking up at me. I was so shocked. I dropped my towel and water bucket on the floor and just stood there. There was silence in the room for about two minutes, until finally, Anastasia said to me, āYou donāt have to do that, you know.ā I still stood thereā¦gaping. āI appreciate your kindness, but you really donāt have to do that.ā āBut, itās my job, miss.ā I couldnāt believe it! I had just blurted out some sentence without even thinking about it to Anastasia Romanov! What would she say? Would she banish me? Or have me killed? A million thoughts were rushing through my head when she answered, āWell, then take a break.ā What do I say to that? What does anyone say to that when the Grand Duchess of Russia tells a maid to take a break from her job? Now, when I was hired for this job, it didnāt entail the fact that I would be cleaning for the Royal Family themselves, so when they were there, they didn't teach me how to act in front of them! I grew so frustrated. I didnāt know what to do until she said, āWant to play cards?ā From that moment on, I knew we were going to be friends. āEach day Anastasia and I grew closer. Whenever I had to go to her room to clean, we played cards and talked. Sometimes we even went outside in the
- 8. Lugauskas 8 garden. We picked flowers a lot, too. Anastasia picked flowers for Alexei and her father, and I picked flowers doe Leo and my father, too. We got along really well. We had so much in common. You couldnāt tell that she one day might rule all of Russia. To me, she was just a normal girl. āEven Leo had connections with the Royal Family. His job was to help clean up Alexeiās meals every day. He befriended Alexei just like I befriended Anastasia. It almost seemed like a crazy dream of mine. A ray of sunshine in the midst of the darkest time in history. āAnastasia always found a way to brighten up my day. Whether we talked about flowers, or boys, or Russia itself, she always made me laugh. She was a funny girl, and boy did she love to eat! Thatās true with any Russian! āEvery time Leo and I came home from work, I found it strange that my father and mother were sitting on the couch staring out the window, looking at nothing. They would nod at us to acknowledge our presence, my mother would even be daring enough to say, āDobrye vyecher.ā āGood evening.ā They sat there and watched things getting worse each and every day. My father no longer had a job. Leoās and my income alone would have to support the Sednev family. It finally hit me that things were not as good as Anastasia said things were. But, what struck me as the most strange was that my father was no longer happy. Before all this, before Lenin and the abduction of the Romanov family, before, my father was happy, smiling all the time. Now, every time I came home he was frowning. Always mad at something. But what? I only found out later that the question I should have asked myself was but at whom.
- 9. Lugauskas 9 āAnastasia and I have the same birthday. On June 5, 1918, we celebrated our 17th birthday. Separately, of course. No one knew of our friendship. It was a secret between just us. I remember we both did not do much for our birthdays. I, being poor, and she, being under house arrest and all. We just celebrated quietly, dreaming of the future. Dreaming of a time when everyone would be free and wouldnāt have to live like this. A life in turmoil. That was both of our birthday wishes that year. At least that was mine, she wouldnāt tell me hers. āSummer went on in the Ipatiev House. As June ended and July came, I noticed that the skies grew darker. No more sun and happiness, but dark depressing clouds approached. Something was coming. Change was imminent. They say after a rainstorm, a rainbow appears and thereās a pot of gold at the end of it. Well, I guess Russia was about to have its rainstorm, and, hopefully, there would be a pot of gold at the end of it. I hoped. āA few days later, I saw history was made. āThe day was July 17, 1918. Leo told me that he had to be in work early that day, which was odd because we never went in to work early, but I went along with him anyway. I remember having a bad feeling about something in the pit of my stomach. āItās just something I ate,ā I thought to myself. āItāll pass.ā We finally came to the Ipatiev House and I noticed that it was darker that morning than most mornings. Maybe rain was coming? When Leo and I walked in the house, there was a lot of ruckus going on. People were frantic and scurrying around. I remember feeling lost and out of place, but Leo just walked straight into the kitchen, as if he owned the place. I was on my way
- 10. Lugauskas 10 upstairs going to see if Anastasia was alright, when I overheard some men talking in the upstairs hallway. One man was talking to two other men and saying things quietly. I couldnāt quite catch what they were saying so I leaned in closer. The leader was informing two young Bolsheviks that there was a set of instructions that had to be followed and that two other men had backed out two days ago because of fear. They were to be the replacements. And then he kept talking about something, but I couldnāt quite catch it. He kept repeating, āā¦in cold blood, can you do it in cold blood?ā The two soldiers replied, āYes!ā joyously. But, thatās not when it hit me. I heard one of the soldiers ask Yurovsky, the leader, who it was they were to be expecting? āAll 12 of them,ā he replied. ā12?ā he asked, panicking a little. āThe family, a doctor, and some kitchen attendants,ā Yurovsky answered. āThatās odd,ā I thought. āLeo works in the kitchen,ā when suddenly it hit me. It all made sense. āWhen?ā asked the familiar voice. āIn precisely 10 minutes. You, Vladimir, get them to the basement.ā āYes, sir,ā he immediately answered. I couldnāt believe this. I just found out that the Bolsheviks have orders to kill the Royal Familyā¦and my brother! I didnāt know what to do. I panicked. My hands went numb. Leoā¦ Anastasia. Who do I warn first? āSuddenly, the memory of Leo and me walking in to work flashed in my mind. He was so happy. He had a smile on his face and said, āSee you later, Lara.ā I started to cry. I snapped back to reality when I heard the soldiers loading their guns. I heard Vladimir heading upstairs to get the family. My heart started beating fast. What do I do? I did the first thing that came to my mind: I started running. My hands were shaking and my heart was beating so
- 11. Lugauskas 11 fast I thought that it would fly right out of my chest, but I kept running. I ran to the first place I could think of. I ran to the kitchen. āLeo, Leo!ā I shouted. He was sitting down tying his shoe. āLeo, we have to get out of here now! Come with me!ā āWhat, no! Iām not leaving. We have jobs to do, Lara, come on, get back to work.ā āLeo, listen to me. We have to go.ā By then I was shaking so uncontrollably that I had to sit down. Just as I sat down the cook, Ivan Kharitonov, stepped in and said, āLeo, we have to go to the basement with the family. Apparently, thereās some ruckus outside and they want to keep us all safe.ā My mind went blank. Again, I did the first thing that entered my mind. āNo,ā I wrapped my hand around Leoās mouth so that he wouldnāt be able to speak, āIvan, tell the Romanovs that there was an emergency; That Leonid Sednev had to be sent out of the house due to an unexpected occurrence with his uncle.ā āAlright, good luck with your uncle, Leo.ā He left. āWhatād you do that for?ā Leo screamed. āI have a commitment to this kitchen, to this house, and more importantly, to this family! Now let go of me and let me be!ā I pretended not to hear him. I just grabbed his hand and ran as fast as I could to the basement. I spared Leo, maybe thereād be time to spare Anastasia, too? Leo and I flew down the stairs. But when I got there, I saw the shadows of 12 Bolshevik soldiers entering a room carrying huge guns. They shut the door behind them. āIām too late! No!ā I stared crying. There was a small window that had visual access to the room inside and a chair and Leo stood on top of the chair to look inside the room. He said, āHey look, Lara, theyāre all inside this room. It looks like theyāre posing for a picture.ā I shoved Leo off the chair. He fell on the floor, and, surprisingly, he stayed there while I watched what
- 12. Lugauskas 12 happened inside. Unfortunately, I couldn't hear what was going on inside, but I saw Yurovsky talking to Nicholas, and Nicholas had a startled expression on his face. His mouth formed the word, āWhat?ā and then it happened. Yurovsky took out his revolver from his pocket, with a blank expression on his face, and shot him. He shot the Tsar. The Tsar of Russia. Right then and there. Alexandra panicked. She started praying. I could see her mouth forming the words, āOur Father..ā Then suddenly, the worst moment of my life happened. I saw Anastasia. She was standing behind her father, tears in her eyes. She was looking all over the room. She looked to her right, then to her left, she looked up and down, and then, she looked my way. She saw me. I could feel the sting of her icy blue eyes. She had a look of hurt on her face. As if this was all my fault that this was happening. As if I betrayed her in some way. But I didnāt, I wanted to shout to her, Anastasia, Iāll help you, youāre my best friend! But, then suddenly, as she was holding her gaze on me, I looked away. I felt like a bad friend. Like I couldn't do what I was supposed to do, like I had failed her in some way. I breathed heavily. Anastasia looked away too. I looked back at the row of soldiers. One of them saw me. He saw me staring in at this horrible sight. And then he did something that haunts me to this day. He took out his revolver, fully knowing that I was watching his every move, put his finger on the trigger, aimed at Anastasiaās heart, and fired.ā
- 13. Lugauskas 13 Epilogue āSo you see Natasha, thatās why I know that Anna Anderson is not really Anastasia. I saw Anastasia die right in front of me.ā āHow come you never told me that story, Babushka?ā āI thought you should know now that you are now my age when it happened to me.ā āWow, so youāve been carrying that burden on your shoulders since you were 17?ā I said, āI guess so.ā Thereās something Natasha did that day that Iāll never forget. She got up and hugged me. āItās alright, Babushka. Iām sure Anastasia is smiling down from Heaven now knowing that she had a great friend like you in her life.ā āWhy, thank you Natasha. Iām sure she is, too.ā Iāll never forget Anastasia Romanov as long as I live. Even though I only knew her for less than two months I will still never forget her. Iāll also never forget Russia. Even though I left Russia a long time ago, and probably will never go back, it will always be in my heart.