The Fourth Height

If the measured flow of life is torn apart by war, if the fabric of life is ground into separate scraps, it is so hard to remain human, so incredibly difficult to find within yourself the strength to keep living…

To live for those who lost their loved ones forever. No wonder the well-known phrase is on everyone’s lips: “war has no woman’s face.” The merciless grinding machine shreds destinies, spits out maimed, chewed-up souls—souls forever cut off by memory from peaceful life.

Before you is the story of the life of Gula, the Queen—a life filled with simple joys and daily worries that still flicker with sparks of happiness after the end of the most terrible war in human history.

Childhood joys—so bright and so unclouded by adult bustle! Simple moments of joy from the first years of life, with time, become less and less everyday, and on the slope of life they look like a sunny celebration of existence. Years at school, first friends, even childhood illnesses and naive pranks are remembered warmly—because then her mother was nearby, and the world was simple and clear. And the dream of so many boys and girls comes true: the child is taken to shoot a film. What an invaluable gift it was back then—to immortalize yourself as a little child in a movie! Later, as an adult, you can watch yourself and smile… If fate generously allows you to reach old age… Now everyone can keep a home video chronicle.

Four “heights”—that is, four key trials—in Gula’s life. All her life the girl overcame difficulties on the way to her goal; she proved above all to herself that she could, that she would manage.

At the threshold of adulthood, the Soviet world that surrounded Gula plunged into the shadow of a fascist invader. War scattered people across the land, separated them for a long time—and for some, forever—from relatives and loved ones. But faith in victory did not abandon people, and thanks to people like Gula Koroleva, it was possible to drive away the ruthless invader.

Gula overcame the fourth “height” at the end of the war… And the life of the brave, uncomplaining girl was cut short. Gula remained in the hearts of those who knew her as an uncomplaining, cheerful girl—whose optimism, whose energy helped people come together in the years of deprivation.

And without hesitation you bow before the courage and bravery of those who went through the war with their heads held high. Thank you, dear veterans! Your priceless example of a worthy, courageous life must remain in the people’s memory, as instruction for coming generations.