Free The Margin of Evil! by Simon Boxall Page B

expressed any of these thoughts in public, it would have led to summary execution, followed by a shallow grave.
    Georgi i had now arrived at Red Square. He headed towards the Kremlin. There seemed to be some commotion going on near the main gate. Georgii hurried over. There was a strange looking man waving a revolver at two teenage boys. A guard was holding them by the scruff of their necks. Georgii arrived at the scene just in the nick of time. There was no telling what this gun-toting-maniac might do.
    ' Monsieur Comrade! These two young men are a disgrace to this fledgling, 'Socialist' state. They have humiliated me publicly. I will have you know that I am the 'General Secretary' of the 'French Marxist Internationale'. Never in all my days, have I been subjected to anything like this! Never! I shall complain to the highest authority! I demand that these two are harshly dealt with! Do I have your word on that monsieur!?'
    ' You have my word that I shall deal with this in the proper way. Now, will you put that revolver away?'  Georgii said.
    ' Do I have your word on that?'
    ' As I said I will deal with this in the proper way! Now will you stop waving that thing around, you`re making me nervous!'
    The man snorted and walked off in the direction of the river. Georgii turned around to face the boys.
    ' Now ... will you tell me what's going on?'
    He dismissed the guard and the three of them walked off in the direction of the Militsiya station. They talked along the way.
    ' We were only having some fun,' the taller of the two boys said.
    ' We were throwing snowballs at each other. When this posh man wearing a funny hat came up to us ...'  The second lad said.
    ' He pointed with his umbrella at that lunatic, and said he would give us meat and bread if we would throw the horse dung that he gave us, at that Frenchman.'  The taller of the two boys said.
    ' We threw the dung and then the madmen pulled out a pistol and said he would shoot us. We made a run for it and ran straight in to the fat guard!, the smaller boy said.
    ' He sent for help and took us over to face that foreign speaking lunatic!!'
    ' The monsieur ranted and raved until you got here. He gave us a right old ear bashing.'
    ' You know this monsieur is not going to let it go, don't you? The pair of you, no mistake about it, are in serious trouble,' Georgii said.
    ' We know that and we are genuinely sorry. Not for him, but were sorry that no one seems to have a sense of humour in Russia anymore,' the tall boy said.
    ' Can you describe the man that got you to do it?'
    ' He was definitely foreign, he was very smartly dressed. He looked very posh. Spoke Russian with a heavy accent.'
    ' So where's the food he promised to give you?'
    ' The fat guard had it away,' the shorter boy said.
    ' How do you two survive?'
    ' We're not Besprizorniki! We're too old,' the tall boy said.
    ' We are both cleaners.  I work at the Abattoir and he works at the City Mortuary,' the short one said.
    ' That's interesting,' Georgii said, 'I would like to ask you some questions about something else. But that can wait'
    They g ot to the Militsya station and Georgii took statements from the two boys. He also had a mini conference with his boss.  She was all in favour of locking the two up until a trial date could be decided on. But Georgii reminded her that all the city prisons were full. Life in Lefortovo [11] was pretty much like the Bastille of 1792. The firing squads had to be fed, like the guillotine had been just over a century before. It was decided that the two boys would be released on bail, on condition that they both report to the Militsya station every day. He explained to the two boys exactly what would happen.
    On the station steps Georgii, acting on an impulse, decided to ask the boys one more question. 'Does the name Isaak Goldstein mean anything to you?'
    The two boys looked nervously at each other, the shorter one said, 'No we've never heard of him before ...'
    The taller boy said,