contents - Gallatin School of Individualized Study - New York ...

Olga TseytlinahHeWas a Stone Mane was a stone man. He lived on the pebble coast. He liked to sit on thebeach and watch the sunset. He read the letters of the waves on the oldrocks. He was very wise because he had lived a long time and was very lonely. Hewas a stone man.One evening when he was admiring the sunset, something happened. Awoman descended from the sky. She was so young and gorgeous; she was all goldand like a fire. She lived on the sun. She wanted to see the earth.The stone man looked at her without stopping. She was love itself. Sheran through the shallow water and laughed, and gold splashes flew out fromunder her feet. But the stone man thought about his ancient stone body and hisancient stone heart, and he was afraid that the heat of passion would destroyboth of them. So the stone man didn’t move and didn’t say anything.When the sun was almost hidden behind the sea, the golden woman roseinto the air, flew over the sea, and dissolved in its last rays.The stone man sat on the shore all night. He was old and wise. And hewas really lonely. He never felt love in his stone heart; he never had tears in hisstone eyes. But that night he did.When the first rays of the sun appeared, the stone man tried to screamand call the golden woman, but instead of shouting, stones fell from his throat.Then the stone man crumbled, became a pile of pebbles, and only his faceretained its features. He was old. His stone heart could not endure such grief.Telling Tales63olga tseytlinaOlga Tseytlina, age 38, immigrated from Russia ten months ago. “I used towrite poems and fairy tales in Russian. I have experience in publishing andrepresenting on the stage,” she says. “This text was supposed to be ‘justhomework,’ but I got inspired.” A student at the International Center NewYork, she thanks Elaine Roberts, the Immigrant Support Program Manager, andvolunteer Anne Gorrissen.