The Gang

Sergey Barshai is a social journalist, sculptor, and writer, and a member of the commission for minors’ affairs and the protection of their rights under the administration of Krasnoyarsk.

Clink, clink—coins from our ever-not-depleting hand land in the bottom of a plastic cup in a boy’s palm. Clever little eyes on a dirty face don’t look straight at us; they hide, as if they ought to feel ashamed of their craft. We give and walk away, thinking about the nobility and responsiveness of our souls. To give or not to give—that’s a deeply personal and quite complicated question. But probably everyone who gives would do well, at that, to ask themselves once again what their coin is “for.” Is he sure that his charity won’t push this young, essentially helpless creature straight into the arms of hell?

The collection of short stories “VATAGA” tells the fates of children who ended up in the underworld of a big city’s hell.