The Dying Wish

   The Dying Wish

Suzanne Marsh

16 July, 1918 Ipatiev House, Yekaterinburg, Russia

Maria sensed a change in the men guarding her and her family in the days leading to their demise. She had just turned nineteen, and she was beautiful with long eyelashes, long brown hair, and eyes like huge blue saucers. Her sunny disposition made it difficult for the guards to dislike her. She was constantly watched, her only friend was Tonya, one of the town girls who aided her in dressing. On the night of 16 July 1918; Maria summoned Tonya; just as she was leaving for the day. Tonya Dobrow, a stout girl of twenty, Maria and Tonya had become friends. Maria, stood in her muslin white dress, almost gray and tattered since all the family had were the clothes on their backs. Maria stood tall, her blue eyes giving nothing away:

“Tonya, today Yurovsky informed me you will not be returning so I want to give you

something to remind you of me.” Maria took the round gold locket from around her neck and handed it to Tonya. Tonya was shocked, what did Maria assume would happen to her and her family. Tonya felt the tears well up in her dark brown eyes:

“Maria, I can’t take this, it is yours, you wear it every day.” Maria looked Tonya in the eyes:

“Tonya you have been very kind to me, I know things are bad here at Ipatiev House, I know

that the Bolsheviks are planning something. Take the locket, wear it, perhaps give it

to your daughter, please remember me.”

Maria left the room, with tears in her eyes as Tonya stood there with the locket in her hand; no one had ever been that kind to her; she knew what Yurovsky was going to do tomorrow night, and her heart broke.

18 July 2020

She tried to sit up in bed, her strength failing, before she could depart this earth she had to see the locket one last time, it had been in her family since 1918, and it was important to her. She sent for her granddaughter Mary:

“Mary, this key...the trunk is locked...inside the trunk is a small white...box...bring the box to

me.” Mary Mitchell did as her grandmother asked, she climbed up the steep stairs to the

musty attic. There were several travel trunks she would just have to determine which one. Then she noticed a strange-looking steamer trunk; she strode over to it. The brown exterior was not plastic it was leather, an old steamer trunk. It had to be the trunk her grandmother sent her to find and bring down a small white box. Grandmother, Mary knew had her reasons whatever they were. She noted that the destination was in Cyrillic not English, yes this had to be the trunk she was looking for. She put the key into the lock, it turned, and she pushed the top up. Dust and cobwebs be damned. The treasures inside the trunk were historically astounding. She recognized several items from a history course she had taken a few years ago. The items were from the Russian Revolution, what were they doing in her grandmother’s trunk. She moved the uniform aside and there sat the small white box, Mary wondered what was in the box, her curiosity was great but instead, she tucked the box in her pants pocket and proceeded back down the two flights of stairs.

She returned to her grandmother’s bedroom, and the hospice nurse greeted her:

“She is sleeping right now Mary, would you mind coming back in a short while?” Mary turned to leave when her grandmother awoke:

“Did you find the box Mary I sent you for Mary?” Her grandmother was growing weaker before Mary’s eyes:

“Yes, grandmother I have it in my pants pocket.” Her grandmother, life beginning to glow in those brown eyes smiled wanly:

“Thank you, Mary, nurse would you please leave for about an hour? I have something

I must tell my granddaughter.” The nurse smiled at Mary as she left the room, Mary returned the smile thanking the nurse for her kindness. Once the nurse exited the old woman motioned Mary to come and sit next to her on the bed. Her voice quivered as she opened the box, she knew it was time for Mary to have the locket. “Mary, I have something to tell you about our family, about the Russian Revolution and a friend of my mother’s whose name was Maria.” The old woman took a breath and then began:

“It was July 16^th, 1918, the last Czar, Nicholas II, and his entire family were at Ipatiev House,

‘the house of special purpose’ it was called. My mother Tonya Dobrow was a maid and

companion to Maria Nikolaevna Romanov, Grand Dutchess Maria Nikolaevna Romanov.

Mother said she was an extraordinary beauty, with long brown hair and saucer blue eyes. She

found herself in a terrible situation, Tonya was also a Revolutionary, sent to spy on

the royal family. You saw the clothes in the trunk? Those were Tonya, a uniform of sorts.

Tonya knew the Romanovs were to be executed, when Yurovsky arrived, there had been rumors

but it was now truth, in two nights the royal family would be obliterated, wiped out. Tonya

told Yurovsky she could not face them, they were so trusting, why did they have to die? Why

could they not be exiled somewhere? She knew they had been denied by the English King

but wasn’t there something that could be done.

Yurovsky, his dark eyes glaring told her the 16^th of July would be her last day, she was to

say nothing of their plans.

Maria summoned Tonya just as she was leaving to go home, removed this locket from around

her neck, and gave it to my mother. That is why when you were born I asked that you be named

Mary as my mother requested. Up until the day she died, she felt such utter guilt that she

lived and Maria died a horrible violent death, along with the rest of her family.”

The old woman seemed to drift off, her story told. Mary held her hand as it grew tight around her own, and then it released and fell to the side of the bed. Mary was in awe of the story she had just heard, the locket now belonged to her. She opened the lock, there was a miniature of Maria and a lock of brown hair.

Author’s note:

July 18^th, 1918 the Romanov family was awakened, taken down to the basement, and executed.