Read "Figures" by Ivan Bunin online for free on Textopian. Full text with search, annotations, highlights, and AI-powered reading aids.
The pain of the blow, the sudden and sharp humiliation that struck your very heart in one of the most joyful moments of your childhood, caused you to set up such a dreadful cry, in such a high-pitched voice, that the best singer in the world would have envied the reach of your register. Then you were silent for a long time. But, filling your lungs with more air, you raised your voice to an even higher pitch, and the crying continued.
Gradually, the intervals between your high and your low notes began to decrease, and the cries followed each other in rapid succession. Then you began to call for help and, with a sense of painful pleasure, play the part of the dying.