In the 1990s, I worked as deputy head of the investigation department in Ufa. In the same department, Aslyam Akmalov worked as an investigator. In conversations with colleagues, he sometimes complained of heart disease. We offered him a job change, but he invariably refused.
Once, having finished my work, I was going home, on the way I went to Aslam's office. I asked about health, family. He replied that everything was fine. Having said goodbye to him, I left the building of the investigation department.
Akmalov's office window was located next to the entrance. I looked around, saw Aslam's face - and I felt creepy: it was yellow, like wax. Akmalov waved his hand to me, as if saying goodbye. I also waved back and went home.
The next morning I came to work and learned from the department staff that Akmalov had died at night.
He was only 40 years old, he had the rank of captain of justice. I jokingly called him Esaul - this is a Cossack rank. The word consists of two parts and is translated from Tatar as "yasak" - "tribute", "ola" - "takes", that is, taking tribute.
A month later, I was on duty at night in the investigation department. The building was locked from the inside, I was doing business in my office. Footsteps were heard in the corridor at about 1 am. Someone walked from the side of Akmalov's office in my direction, as if kicking with their feet.
The footsteps died away near my office and, a little later, moved further towards the toilet. I looked out into the corridor, but saw no one. I went to the toilet - there was no one there either. I checked the doors of all the offices - they were closed, as well as the front door.
I went back to my office and continued my work. Then again there was a shuffling of steps, already from the side of the toilet in the direction of Akmalov's office. I again looked out into the corridor - no one.
Promotional video:
About a month later, I had the next shift - and it all happened again. I told about these cases to the employee of our department Elena Shukpina. A colleague said that when she was on duty at night, she also heard steps in the corridor from the side of Akmalov's office - towards the toilet and back.
After these cases, about 10 years have passed. In the summer my wife and I lived in the country, I had a strange dream. In a dream I saw the deceased Aslyam Akmalov. He introduced himself as a Esaul and asked me to help his wife at the dacha (his garden plot was not far from mine). The door in their barn had fallen off, and he wanted me to put it back in place, so he could take my ax to work.
Then he reproachfully asked why I did not visit his grave. After all, it is located only 30 meters from the grave of my son Rustam, who, after a serious illness (blood leukemia), died at the end of October 1997 and was buried in the Southern cemetery of Ufa.
Photo by the author of the story.
I told my wife about my dream. And the next day Akmalov's wife came to us. She asked me to help her put the door in the barn, she told me to take my ax with me. My wife and I were taken aback.
About a month later, my wife and I went to the cemetery to clean up our son's grave. There I remembered how in my dream Akmalov said that he was buried very close.
Walked around - and really found Akmalov's grave, which was thirty meters away. I went up to her and recited a prayer - a surah from the Koran.
And in the spring of 2016, my wife and I went to the cemetery to clean up the graves of our relatives and our son. They removed the trash, I read the prayer, as expected, we went to the exit.
And then, as if some unknown force led me to the grave of Akmalov.
I approached her and, having read the inscription on the monument, I learned that a month ago, at the end of March 2016, his wife was buried here. Perhaps it was their souls who asked me to approach their graves and read a prayer to them.
That's exactly what I did.
Kamil Khaidarovich GALIEV, Ufa. Magazine "Non-fictional stories" №12
