Stalin: The Merciless Whip — Chapter from the Novel "Stone" by Volodymyr Shablia
Stalin: The Merciless Whip Stone — Book One: First Steps Toward the Light and Back — Chapter 4 by Volodymyr Shablia June 1941. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Moscow. On June 23, 1941, Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, the leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, woke shortly before noon feeling utterly shattered. The lingering effects of an exceptionally severe psychological crisis, brought on by the realization that his strategic plans had collapsed, seemed to press his body deep into the mattress. When he tried to lift his head from the pillow, a dull pain throbbed somewhere deep inside the back of his skull, as though his brain itself were resisting any movement of the cranium. Despite this, Stalin forced himself out of bed at once and walked over to the washbasin. The cold water had a refreshing effect. Wanting to intensify it, he undressed and stood beneath an icy shower for several minutes. A large purple terry towel with an abstract pattern brushed pl...