Like most 10 year olds, Ivan didn't have much experience of loneliness. And, like most 10 year olds, Ivan was innocent. He knew a small bit about the world, but he'd never gone far from his small village, located south of Leningrad. The Revolution had been a few years ago, and he was still too young to fully understand what was happening. However, his older sister, who was clever and sensible, but also caring, had tried to explain it, but, like most 10 year olds, Ivan didn't care about politics. Lenin's proposal was simple enough to interest him, though. Peace sounded good to Ivan, and land... It would be nice to have a big field to play in, but the thing that appealed most to him was the thought of a nice loaf of fresh bread. He and his sisters were poor and parentless. They managed to get along, though.
By their small house, there was a forest. Katyusha would tease little Ivan by saying that it was where Baba Yaga's cottage was, and that if he misbehaved, she would come to get him. Ivan insisted that that story didn't scare him anymore, but he still tried to avoid those looming trees as much as possible. It seemed that Natalya, Ivan's younger sister was frightened by the story as well, as she would grab onto Ivan protectively whenever he went near the woods. In fact, even Katyusha felt a chill when she had to go into the forest to collect firewood. It seemed that the forest had that effect on everyone, even adults and children, who were too old to believe in the story of Baba Yaga. Maybe it wasn't an old witch who lived in that forest. Maybe it was something else.