The blockade does not impose only political and economic isolation; no less important is the isolation of the spirit. A person often needs precisely what is lacking or completely absent at a given moment.
There are no sharp or dramatic situations in the story, and the events do not unfold rapidly—the core of the narrative is the blockade itself: of thought, of feeling, of expectation. The daily search for scarce goods is primarily metaphysical and resonates with other manifestations of the blockade.
The unnamed protagonist of the story realizes that life beyond and on this side of the Hakari checkpoint were not the same. Moreover, life within Hakari was blissful, for there was harmony between body and soul.

We sincerely express our gratitude to writer Kim Gabrielyan for granting permission to record this work and to publish its electronic and audio versions on our website free of charge.