Boris is a handyman. He is a locksmith by profession, but a passionate pigeon-handler by calling. He was born and raised in the country, but gradually moved with his family to the outskirts of Moscow in search of work. But his hometown would not let go, so once a month Boris travels to his native village in Tver province for honey and potatoes.
For years Boris has been a member of the Moscow Association of breeders of ornamental and homing pigeons, without whose support and authorization it is impossible to build a pigeonry in the city.
The pigeonry, for Boris, is a sip of fresh, country air amidst the crowded Moscow yards: it is the place where he spends all of his free time.
The pigeonry is a multistorey, feathered castle where 30 different breeds of pigeon hatch, grow up, mate, hatch their own eggs, fight and make up non-stop. Fortunately, fascination with pigeons runs in the family. Every evening Boris can be found on the bench amidst the lilac bushes, surrounded by concrete block towers, with his wife, sons, and grandsons.
Translated by Chase Philpot