Nina's Gift

A short story inspired by Nina Kulagina, a Russian woman with psychokinesis powers.

“Do it again, Nina. Make the cup move like you did yesterday.”

Nina clucked her tongue. “Nyet, Masha, no, I’m tired. Moving things drains me, I can’t.” She shook her head as her little sister pleaded with sad brown eyes. Nina was tired from a long day at the university, and from trying to keep warm on the long bus ride home. She knocked the snow off her boots and carefully placed them in the corner.

“Please?”

Nina couldn’t resist Masha’s soulful stare. Ever since their mother passed on, Nina vowed to look after her baby sister and shield her from the harshness of the Moscow khrushcheby apartment block ghetto, and from all the struggles of a life with very little money and a drunkard for a father. She wanted to watch over her closely like a mother hen until Masha could grow up a little and slide into her teen years.

“Oh alright, Masha, just this once.” Nina stood still and silent, transfixed on the plastic orange cup of water on the table – the same orange cup she had sipped apple juice from when she was small. A warm memory popped into her mind of when Mama had tilted the small cup to Nina’s tiny lips while humming a haunting Russian lullaby. Nina pushed the memory away, since emotional thoughts clouded her abilities and focused instead on moving the cup. She coaxed it, and envisioned it sliding down the table in her mind. It didn’t budge. Nina exhaled and steadied herself. She lifted her hands over it, and then gently guided it with a wave of energy that rippled through her palms. The orange cup slowly skidded across the table all by itself and then stopped. The water sloshed, and then the cup moved again, sliding right to the edge.

Masha clapped. “Bravo! I knew you could do it, my Nina!” She ran up to her sister and grabbed her neck with a huge embrace.

Nina half smiled and hugged her. She winced as she felt Masha’s rib’s under her thin blouse. “Masha, have you been eating?” Masha had looked very pale lately and was struggling with a cough, no doubt from their poor diet of bread and lard which was all they could afford.

Nina’s heart began to beat wildly and she gripped her forehead and sat down. Moving objects with her mind made her light headed and exhausted. She could move things without touching them since she was a little child. Her earliest memory was of moving her Russian Matryoshka doll when she was just 3 or 4 simply by thinking about it. Nina had surprised herself when the top half of the Matryoshka had scraped and slid over the apartment floor as she guided it instinctively with her thoughts and with the energy that vibrated from her palms. Her mother had called her a “vunderkind” – a child prodigy, and marveled at her gifts. “You got this talent from your babushka, Nina. Your grandma had the same gift – da blagoslovit tebya Bog, ditya – may God bless you, child,” Mama had said. She made Nina promise not to tell anyone about her amazing psychokinesis abilities.

Meanwhile, Papa was always conspiring to make money off her talents and had even talked to a Moscow circus troupe about selling off his daughter for 400 rubles. But that’s where it ended, Mama had refused to even consider Nina joining any such thing and after a few long nights of terrible arguing and broken dishes, the idea was quashed.

Nina shook off the memories and felt a stir. The apartment door rattled and goosebumps pricked her neck. The air dripped with the recognizable stench of Smirnoff vodka and body odor. She knew at once Papa was at the door, struggling to insert his key.

“Papa’s home, Masha,” Nina warned. She gave her sister a look and Masha knew not to talk too much, and to disappear behind the walls when he finally made it through the door.

Papa staggered into the tiny apartment, clutching a bag with a bottle of Smirnoff inside. “Privet moi docheri – hello my daughters,” he said. Nina studied his face for signs of anger and was surprised when he seemed cheerful, his crow’s feet curling up into warm circles at each eye.

“Privyet,” Nina said. “Is it still snowing, Papa? Your jacket’s wet.” She helped him take off his coat, damp and reeking of cigarettes.

A sharp knock on the door made Nina jump and she grabbed the back of the kitchen chair. “Papa, who is it? Have you brought guests?”

Papa grinned as the door slowly opened revealing two men in dark grey uniforms, outfitted with high rank shoulder boards and gold buttons. They met Nina with callous grey eyes. “This is your oldest daughter?”

Papa held Nina’s arm. “Don’t worry, moya doch', you look like you’ve seen a ghost. These are my friends in the KGB. I told them about your amazing gift, they want to see it for themselves!”

Papa kissed Nina on the cheek and her face turned pale. “You’ll see, Nina, we will be better off after they take you for testing at the lab. They promised they will get us out of the khrushcheby and give us food – apples and oranges and everything we like.”

“No, no, Nina’s not going anywhere!” Masha yelled, running to her sister’s arms.

Nina stared at her father. “Papa, you betray me with a kiss.” Fear turned to anger and she stomped off to her bedroom to grab what clothes she could and tossed them into a bag.

“No, I’m coming with you, Nina!” Masha screamed, following her like a lost kitten.

Nina turned to the KGB agents in the hallway with her suitcase in her hand. A newfound courage bubbled up within her as she spoke. “You will get us food – oranges, apples, beef, chicken, whatever Masha wants, or I’m not going with you, do you understand?” Nina lifted her palms up at the larger KGB agent and imagined him afraid, terrified of her presence.

He quickly stepped back, and his mouth slightly dropped. He turned to the second agent. “Get her what she wants.”

Is he afraid of me? Nina grinned. Good. She felt at once alive and in control. After half an hour, the first agent came back with two paper bags filled with foods Nina hadn’t tasted since her mother was alive.

She held Masha’s hand. “Stay here Masha, and eat and gain your strength. I’ll be back, I promise.” Masha fell into Nina’s arms and cried. “I love you Nina.” Nina squeezed her sister and kissed her.

The KGB agents escorted Nina out of the kruschcheby and into a new life.