Břetislav SobekMy great-grandfather had his first chicken after the end of the First Balkan War. He thought everything was fine. But then somebody didn’t like the Habsburg guy in Sarajevo and shot him. The guy with a long moustache sitting on the Habsburg throne didn’t like it either and started the First World War.
It was more difficult to feed his chicken during the war. Soldiers wanted to be fed as well. My great-grandfather tried to explain to them that it was better to wait for eggs than eating grain. They didn’t get it. They ate the grain. He assumed those fellas invented Müsli bars aka pressed grain with chocolate after the war.
Then the war ended. He expanded from one chicken to two rabbits and two chickens. They liked each other. Even though sometimes the chickens went mad from the blank stares of the rabbits and the rabbits couldn’t withstand how chickens’ heads sway backwards and forwards.
Then he bought 2000 square meters estate to start to grow grain, fruit and vegetable. He planted many apple, apricot and cheery trees. He started to grow vegetables as paprika, water melons, potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes and eggplants.
His business grew. A son was born to him, my grandfather. Everything went well until another guy appeared. This time he wasn’t with a long moustache but with a squarish one. He wanted to make the world pure again. The guy thought it was a reasonable move with the moustache. The long moustache didn’t win the war last time.
Some of our neighbours joined him to help with his big ideas. The life got harder and my great-grandfather was shot during the war. It meant that my grandfather had to take over at the age of 16.
The Nazi soldiers came. They wanted to be fed again. They wanted to slaughter our chickens and rabbits. Fortunately the animals weren’t pure and clean enough for them. They were black. They desired for truly white chickens. This time my grandfather’s animals got lucky.
After the war Marshal Tito came over and told us that our property wasn’t our property. When they were taking away our stuff, one of the chickens started to beep really loudly. The chicken said something like: “Don’t worry, he will understand when he realizes that the Russian guy with so well combed hair is stupid and that his ideas are not so great after all.” So it happened and the private property was returned to us. My father was born and they took care of their farm together.
They expanded again. Their land expanded to 5000 square metres. At that time we had 60 chicken, 80 rabbits, one pig, three goats and more that one hundred trees. We produced around 1000 kg of potatoes each year. He began producing ajvar, marmalades and set up our own bakery with cheese and meat bureks. We have a speciality. A burek made out of rabbit meat. We think it is very tasty, but some people got stuck in their past and don’t want to accept the idea of something new and different. I believe they will grow to it.
When Tito died, a few people around us wanted to have their own islands of freedom and purity. Those people were determined to exterminate other people for this cause. So it happened and lots of people were shot standing in a line. Half of our property was burned down by the freedom fighters and my father lost his legs in it. The world decided to turn a blind eye on us.
Today, I am not sure what’s going to happen. There is another guy who has neither long nor squarish moustache but none. I have seen him on TV. He is like a wax figure. He says the world needs purging again. I am afraid. What is going to happen to us? Will the world turn a blind eye on us in the name of postponed peace?
