What are the stories of Mikhail Zoshchenko. Mikhail Zoshchenko: life, creativity

Mikhail Zoshchenko

Stories for children

Smart animals

They say that elephants and monkeys are very smart animals. But other animals are not stupid either. Look what smart animals I saw.

Smart goose

One goose was walking in the yard and found a dry crust of bread.

So the goose began to peck at this crust with its beak in order to break it and eat it. But the crust was very dry. And the goose could not break it. But the goose didn’t dare swallow the whole crust right away, because it probably wouldn’t be good for the goose’s health.

Then I wanted to break this crust so that it would be easier for the goose to eat. But the goose did not allow me to touch its crust. He probably thought that I wanted to eat it myself.

Then I stepped aside and watched what would happen next.

Suddenly the goose takes this crust with its beak and goes to the puddle.

He puts this crust in the puddle. The crust is made soft in water. And then the goose eats it with pleasure.

It was a smart goose. But the fact that he didn't let me break the crust shows that he wasn't that particularly smart. Not exactly a fool, but he was still a little behind in his mental development.

Smart chicken

One hen was walking in the yard with chickens. She has nine little chicks.

Suddenly a shaggy dog ​​came running from somewhere.

This dog crept up to the chickens and grabbed one.

Then all the other chickens got scared and scattered.

Kura was also very scared at first and ran. But then he looks - what a scandal: the dog is holding her little chicken in his teeth. And he probably dreams of eating it.

Then the chicken boldly ran up to the dog. She jumped up a little and gave the dog a painful peck right in the eye.

The dog even opened his mouth in surprise. And she released the chicken. And he immediately ran away quickly. And the dog looked to see who pecked her in the eye.

And, seeing the chicken, she became angry and rushed at it. But then the owner ran up, grabbed the dog by the collar and took it away with him.

And the chicken, as if nothing had happened, collected all her chickens, counted them and began to walk around the yard again.

It was a very smart chicken.

Stupid thief and smart pig

Our owner had a pig at his dacha. And the owner locked this piglet in the barn at night so that no one would steal it.

But one thief still wanted to steal this pig.

He broke the lock at night and made his way into the barn.

And piglets always squeal very loudly when they are picked up. Therefore, the thief took the blanket with him.

And just as the piglet wanted to squeal, the thief quickly wrapped him in a blanket and quietly walked out of the barn with him.

Here is a piglet squealing and floundering in a blanket. But the owners do not hear his screams, because it was a thick blanket. And the thief wrapped the pig very tightly.

Suddenly the thief feels that the pig is no longer moving in the blanket. And he stopped screaming. And lies without any movement.

The thief thinks:

“I may have wrapped the blanket around him really tight. And maybe the poor little pig suffocated there.”

The thief quickly unfolded the blanket to see what was wrong with the piglet, and the piglet jumped out of his hands, squealed, and rushed to the side.

Then the owners came running. The thief was captured.

Thief says:

- Oh, what a pig this cunning piglet is. He probably pretended to be dead on purpose so that I would let him out. Or maybe he fainted from fear.

The owner says to the thief:

- No, my little pig didn’t faint, but he deliberately pretended to be dead so that you would untie the blanket. This is a very smart pig, thanks to which we caught the thief.

Very smart horse

Besides the goose, chicken and pig, I saw a lot of smart animals. And I’ll tell you about this later.

In the meantime, I need to say a few words about smart horses.

Dogs eat boiled meat.

Cats drink milk and eat birds. Cows eat grass. Bulls also eat grass and gore people. Tigers, those cheeky animals, eat raw meat. Monkeys eat nuts and apples. Chickens peck crumbs and various debris.

Tell me, please, what does the horse eat?

The horse eats the same healthy food that children eat.

Horses eat oats. And oats are oatmeal and rolled oats.

And children eat oatmeal and rolled oats and thanks to this they become strong, healthy and brave.

No, horses are not stupid for eating oats.

Horses are very smart animals because they eat such a healthy baby food. In addition, horses love sugar, which also shows that they are not stupid.

Smart bird

One boy was walking in the forest and found a nest. And in the nest sat tiny naked chicks. And they squeaked.

They were probably waiting for their mother to fly in and feed them worms and flies.

The boy was glad that he had found such nice chicks, and wanted to take one to bring him home.

As soon as he extended his hand to the chicks, suddenly some feathered bird fell from the tree like a stone at his feet.

She fell and lies in the grass.

The boy wanted to grab this bird, but it jumped a little, hopped on the ground and ran away to the side.

Then the boy ran after her. “Probably,” he thinks, “this bird hurt its wing, and that’s why it can’t fly.”

As soon as the boy approached this bird, it jumped again, jumped on the ground and again ran away a little.

The boy follows her again. The bird flew up a little and sat down in the grass again.

Then the boy took off his hat and wanted to cover the bird with this hat.

As soon as he ran up to her, she suddenly took off and flew away.

The boy was really angry with this bird. And he quickly went back to take at least one chick.

And suddenly the boy sees that he has lost the place where the nest was, and cannot find it.

Then the boy realized that this bird had deliberately fallen from the tree and was deliberately running along the ground in order to take the boy away from its nest.

So the boy never found the chick.

He picked a few wild strawberries, ate them and went home.

Smart dog

I had a big dog. Her name was Jim.

It was a very expensive dog. It cost three hundred rubles.

And in the summer, when I was living at the dacha, some thieves stole this dog from me. They lured her with meat and took her away with them.

So I searched and searched for this dog and couldn’t find it anywhere.

And then one day I came to the city to my city apartment. And I’m sitting there, grieving that I lost such a wonderful dog.

Suddenly I heard someone on the stairs call.

I open the door. And you can imagine - my dog ​​is sitting in front of me on the platform.

And some top tenant says to me:

- Oh, what a smart dog you have - she just called herself. She poked her muzzle into the electric bell and called for you to open the door for her.

It's a shame that dogs can't talk. Otherwise she would have told who stole it and how she got into the city. The thieves probably brought it by train to Leningrad and wanted to sell it there. But she ran away from them and probably ran through the streets for a long time until she found her familiar house, where she lived in the winter.

Then she climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. She lay at our door. Then she saw that no one opened it for her, so she took it and called.

Oh, I was very happy that my dog ​​was found, I kissed her and bought her a big piece of meat.

Relatively smart cat

One housewife left on business and forgot that she had a cat in the kitchen.

And the cat had three kittens that had to be fed all the time.

Our cat got hungry and started looking for something to eat.

And there was no food in the kitchen.

Then the cat went out into the corridor. But she didn’t find anything good in the corridor either.

Then the cat approached one room and felt through the door that there was something pleasant smelling there. And so the cat began to open this door with its paw.

And in this room there lived an aunt who was terribly afraid of thieves.

And here this aunt sits by the window, eats pies and trembles with fear.

And suddenly she sees that the door to her room is quietly opening.

The aunt, frightened, says:

- Oh, who's there?

But no one answers.

The aunt thought they were thieves, opened the window and jumped out into the yard.

And it’s good that she, the fool, lived on the first floor, otherwise she probably would have broken her leg or something. And then she only hurt herself a little and bloodied her nose.

So my aunt ran to call the janitor, and meanwhile our cat opened the door with her paw, found four pies on the window, gobbled them up and went back to the kitchen to her kittens.

The janitor comes with his aunt. And he sees that there is no one in the apartment.

The janitor got angry with his aunt - why did she call him in vain - he scolded her and left.

And my aunt sat down by the window and wanted to start making pies again. And suddenly he sees: there are no pies.

The aunt thought that she herself had eaten them and forgot out of fear. And then she went to bed hungry.

And in the morning the owner arrived and began to carefully feed the cat.

Mikhail Mikhailovich Zoshchenko, a famous Russian writer and playwright, was born in 1894, on July 29 (according to some sources, in 1895), in St. Petersburg. His father was an Itinerant artist, and his mother was an actress. First, we will talk about how life turned out for such a writer as Mikhail Zoshchenko. The biography presented below describes the main events of his life. Having talked about them, we will move on to a description of the work of Mikhail Mikhailovich.

Studying at the gymnasium and at the St. Petersburg Institute

In 1903, parents sent their son to study at St. Petersburg Gymnasium No. 8. Mikhail Zoshchenko, whose biography can be reconstructed on the basis of his own memories and works, talking about these years, noted that he studied rather poorly, in features of the Russian language. He received a unit for his essay in the exam. However, Mikhail Mikhailovich notes that already at that time he wanted to be a writer. So far, Mikhail Zoshchenko has created stories and poems only for himself.

Life is sometimes paradoxical. The future famous writer, who began writing at the age of nine, is the most backward student in his class in the Russian language! His lack of progress seemed strange to him. Mikhail Mikhailovich Zoshchenko notes that at that time he even wanted to commit suicide. However, fate protected him.

After graduating in 1913, the future writer continued to receive his education at the St. Petersburg Institute, Faculty of Law. A year later, due to non-payment of tuition, he was expelled from there. Zoshchenko had to go to work. He began working at the Caucasian Railway as a controller.

Wartime

The usual course of life was interrupted by the First World War. Mikhail decided to enlist in military service. First, he became a private cadet and went to the Pavlovsk Military School, then, after completing a four-month accelerated course, he went to the front.

Zoshchenko noted that he did not have a patriotic mood, he simply could not sit in one place for a long time. In the service, however, Mikhail Mikhailovich distinguished himself. He took part in many battles, was poisoned by gases, and was wounded. Having begun to participate in battles with the rank of ensign, Zoshchenko was already a captain and was transferred to the reserve (the reason was the consequences of gas poisoning). In addition, he was awarded 4 orders for military merit.

Return to Petrograd

Mikhail Mikhailovich, returning to Petrograd, met V.V. Kerbits-Kerbitskaya, his future wife. After the February Revolution, Zoshchenko was appointed head of the telegraph and post offices, as well as commandant of the Main Post Office. Next was a business trip to Arkhangelsk, work as an adjutant of the squad, as well as the election of Mikhail Mikhailovich to the secretary of the regimental court.

Service in the Red Army

However, peaceful life is interrupted again - this time by the revolution and the subsequent Civil War. Mikhail Mikhailovich goes to the front. As a volunteer, he entered the Red Army (in January 1919). He serves as a regimental adjutant in a regiment of the village poor. Zoshchenko takes part in the battles of Yamburg and Narva against Bulak-Balakhovich. After a heart attack, Mikhail Mikhailovich had to demobilize and return to Petrograd.

Zoshchenko changed many occupations between 1918 and 1921. Subsequently, he wrote that he tried himself in about 10-12 professions. He worked as a policeman, a carpenter, a shoemaker, and a criminal investigation agent.

Life in peaceful years

The writer in January 1920 experienced the death of his mother. His marriage to Kerbits-Kerbitskaya dates back to the same year. Together with her he moves to the street. B. Zelenina. In May 1922, a son, Valery, was born into the Zoshchenko family. In 1930, Mikhail Mikhailovich was sent along with a team of writers to the Baltic Shipyard.

Years of the Great Patriotic War

At the beginning of the war, Mikhail Zoshchenko writes a statement in which he asks to be enlisted in the Red Army. However, he is refused - he is declared unfit for military service. Zoshchenko has to conduct anti-fascist activities not on the battlefield. He creates anti-war feuilletons and publishes them in newspapers and sends them to the Radio Committee. In October 1941, he was evacuated to Alma-Ata, and a month later he became an employee of Mosfilm, working in the studio's script department.

Persecution

Zoshchenko was summoned to Moscow in 1943. Here he is offered the position of editor of Crocodile. However, Mikhail Mikhailovich refuses this offer. Nevertheless, he is on the editorial board of Krokodil. Outwardly everything looks fine. However, after some time, clouds begin to gather more and more over Mikhail Mikhailovich’s head: he is removed from the editorial board, evicted from the hotel, and deprived of food rations. The persecution continues. S. at the SSP plenum even attacks Zoshchenko’s story “Before Sunrise.” The writer is practically not published, but in 1946 he was nevertheless introduced to the editorial board of Zvezda.

August 14, 1946 - the apotheosis of all its vicissitudes. It was then that the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks issued a resolution on the magazines “Leningrad” and “Zvezda”. After this, Zoshchenko was expelled from the Writers' Union and was also deprived of his food card. This time the reason for the attacks was completely insignificant - a children's story by Zoshchenko called "The Adventures of a Monkey." All magazines, publishing houses and theaters, following the decree, terminate the contracts they had previously concluded, demanding the return of advances issued. The Zoshchenko family is in poverty. She is forced to subsist on the proceeds from the sale of her personal belongings. The writer is trying to make money in a cobbler's artel. he is eventually returned. In addition, Mikhail Zoshchenko publishes stories and feuilletons (of course, not all). However, at this time one has to earn a living mainly by translation work.

Mikhail Zoshchenko manages to reinstate himself in the Writers' Union only after a significant event occurs on June 23, 1953 - the writer is again accepted into the Union. However, this is not the end. Mikhail Mikhailovich did not manage to remain a member for long this time.

On May 5, 1954, a fateful event occurred. Anna Akhmatova and he were invited that day to the Writer's House, where a meeting was to take place with a group of English students. The writer publicly declared his disagreement with the accusations made against him. A new stage of bullying begins after this. All these ups and downs affected his poor health. The article “Facts Reveal the Truth,” published on September 7, 1953, was the last straw. After this, the writer’s name ceased to be mentioned at all. This oblivion lasted for about two months. However, already in November, Mikhail Mikhailovich was offered cooperation by two magazines - “Leningrad Almanac” and “Crocodile”. A whole group of writers comes to his defense: Chukovsky, Kaverin, Vs. Ivanov, N. Tikhonov. In 1957, in December, he published “Selected Stories and Novels of 1923-1956.” However, the writer’s mental and physical condition is deteriorating. A sharp decline in his strength occurs in the spring of 1958. Zoshchenko loses interest in life.

Death of Zoshchenko

On July 22, 1958, Mikhail Zoshchenko died. Even his body was disgraced after his death: permission was not given to bury him in Leningrad. The writer's ashes rest in Sestroretsk.

Mikhail Zoshchenko, whose life story was discussed in the first part of our article, left a great creative legacy. His path as a writer was not easy. We invite you to take a closer look at how his creative destiny unfolded. In addition, you will find out what stories Mikhail Zoshchenko created for children and what their features are.

Creative path

Zoshchenko began writing actively after he was demobilized in 1919. His first experiments were literary critical articles. His first story appeared in the Petersburg Almanac in 1921.

Serapion brothers

Zoshchenko was brought to a group called in 1921 by the desire to become a professional writer. Critics were wary of this group, but noted that Zoshchenko was the “strongest” figure among them. Mikhail Mikhailovich, together with Slonimsky, was part of the central faction, which adhered to the belief that one should learn from the Russian tradition - Lermontov, Gogol, Pushkin. Zoshchenko feared a “noble restoration” in literature, considered A. Blok a “knight of a sad image” and pinned his hopes on literature with heroic pathos. The first almanac of the Serapions appeared in Alkonost in May 1922, in which Mikhail Mikhailovich’s story was published. And “Stories of Nazar Ilyich, Mr. Sinebryukhov” is a book that became his first independent publication.

Characteristics of early creativity

The school of A.P. Chekhov was noticeable in Zoshchenko’s early works. These are, for example, such stories as “Female Fish”, “War”, “Love”, etc. However, he soon rejected it. Zoshchenko considered the larger form of Chekhov's stories inappropriate to the needs of the modern reader. He wanted to reproduce in the language "the syntax of the street... of the people." Zoshchenko considered himself a person who temporarily replaces a proletarian writer.

A large group of writers created a collective declaration in 1927. It highlighted a new literary and aesthetic position. M. Zoshchenko was among those who signed it. He was published at this time in periodicals (mainly in the satirical magazines “Smekhach”, “Behemoth”, “Eccentric”, “Buzoter”, “Mukhomor”, “Inspector General”, etc.). However, not everything was smooth sailing. Because of the story “An Unpleasant History” by M. Zoshchenko, allegedly “politically harmful,” an issue of the magazine “Behemoth” was confiscated in June 1927. This type of publication is gradually being eliminated. In Leningrad in 1930, The Inspector General, the last satirical magazine, was also closed. However, Mikhail Mikhailovich does not despair and decides to continue working.

Two sides of fame

He has been collaborating with the Krokodil magazine since 1932. At this time, Mikhail Zoshchenko is collecting material for his story called “Youth Restored”, and also studying literature on medicine, psychoanalysis and physiology. His works are already well known even in the West. However, this fame also had a downside. In Germany in 1933, Zoshchenko's books were subjected to a public auto-da-fé in accordance with Hitler's blacklist.

New works

In the USSR at the same time, Mikhail Zoshchenko’s comedy “Cultural Heritage” was published and staged. The Blue Book, one of his most famous books, begins publication in 1934. In addition to novels, short stories and plays, Zoshchenko also writes feuilletons and historical stories ("Taras Shevchenko", "Kerensky", "Retribution", "The Black Prince", etc.). In addition, he creates stories for children ("Smart Animals", "Grandma's Gift", "Christmas Tree", etc.).

Children's stories by Zoshchenko

Mikhail Zoshchenko wrote many stories for children. They were published in magazines between 1937 and 1945. Of these, some were separate works, while others were combined into cycles. The cycle "Lelya and Minka" is the most famous.

In 1939 - 1940s. Mikhail Zoshchenko created this series of works. It included the following stories: “Golden Words”, “Nakhodka”, “After Thirty Years”, “Don’t Lie”, “Galoshes and Ice Cream”, “Grandma’s Gift”, “Christmas Tree”. It is no coincidence that Mikhail Zoshchenko combined them into one cycle. Brief summaries of these works allow us to conclude that they have something in common, namely the images of the main characters. This is little Minka and Lelya, his sister.

The story is told on behalf of the narrator. His image is no less interesting than the heroes of Mikhail Zoshchenko’s stories. This is an adult who recalls instructive and comic episodes from his childhood. Note that there are similarities between the author and the narrator (even the name is the same, and there is also an indication of the writing profession). However, it does not reach complete coincidence. The narrator's speech differs significantly from the author's. This form of storytelling is called literary tale. It was especially relevant in the literature of the USSR in the 20s and 30s. At this time, the entire culture was characterized by a craving for stylistic and linguistic experiments.

In these stories, as S. Ya. Marshak notes, the author not only does not hide morality. He speaks about it with all frankness in the text, and sometimes in the title of his works (“Don’t lie”). However, this does not make the stories didactic. They are saved by humor, always unexpected, as well as the special seriousness inherent in Zoshchenko. Mikhail Mikhailovich's unexpected humor is based on a witty parody.

Today, many works written by Mikhail Zoshchenko are very popular. His books are read in schools; adults and children love them. His path in literature was not easy, as was the fate of many other writers and poets of the Soviet era. The twentieth century is a difficult period in history, but even during the war years, many works were created that have already become classics of Russian literature. The biography of such a great writer as Mikhail Zoshchenko, briefly outlined by us, we hope, has aroused your interest in his work.

Mikhail Zoshchenko, whose 120th birthday is being celebrated these days, had his own style that cannot be confused with anyone else. His satirical stories are short, phrases without the slightest frills or lyrical digressions.

A distinctive feature in his manner of writing was precisely the language, which at first glance may seem rude. Most of his works are written in the comic genre. The desire to expose the vices of people, which even the revolution could not change, was initially perceived as healthy criticism and was welcomed as revealing satire. The heroes of his works were ordinary people with primitive thinking. However, the writer does not make fun of the people themselves, but emphasizes their lifestyle, habits and some character traits. His works were not aimed at fighting these people, but at calling to help them get rid of their shortcomings.

Critics called his works literature “for the poor” for his deliberately rustic style, full of words and expressions, which was common among small owners.

M. Zoshchenko “Bad custom.”

In February, my brothers, I fell ill.

I went to the city hospital. And here I am, you know, in the city hospital, receiving treatment and resting my soul. And all around is peace and quiet and God's grace. Everything around is clean and orderly, it’s even awkward to lie down. If you want to spit, use a spittoon. If you want to sit down, there is a chair; if you want to blow your nose, blow your nose into your hand, but blow your nose into the sheet - oh my God, they won’t let you blow it into the sheet. There is no such order, they say. Well, you resign yourself.

And you can’t help but come to terms with it. There is such care, such affection, that it couldn’t be better.

Just imagine, some lousy person is lying there, and they bring him lunch, and make his bed, and put thermometers under his armpits, and push enemas with his own hands, and even inquire about his health.

And who is interested? Important, progressive people - doctors, doctors, nurses and, again, paramedic Ivan Ivanovich.

And I felt such gratitude towards all the staff that I decided to offer financial gratitude. I don’t think you can give it to everyone – there won’t be enough giblets. I'll give it to one, I think. And to whom - he began to take a closer look.

And I see: there is no one else to give, except to the paramedic Ivan Ivanovich. The man, I see, is large and respectable and tries harder than anyone else and even goes out of his way. Okay, I think I'll give it to him. And he began to think about how to stick it to him, so as not to offend his dignity and so as not to get punched in the face for it.

The opportunity soon presented itself. The paramedic approaches my bed. Says hello.

Hello, he says, how are you? Was there a chair?

Hey, I think it took the bait.

Why, I say, there was a chair, but one of the patients took it away. And if you want to sit down, sit down with your feet on the bed. Let's talk.

The paramedic sat down on the bed and sat.

Well,” I tell him, “what do they write about, are the earnings high?”

The earnings, he says, are small, but which intelligent patients, even at the point of death, certainly strive to put into their hands.

If you please, I say, although I’m not dying, I don’t refuse to give. And I’ve even been dreaming about this for a long time.

I take out the money and give it. And he kindly accepted and curtsied with his hand.

And the next day it all started. I was lying very calmly and well, and no one had disturbed me until then, but now the paramedic Ivan Ivanovich seemed stunned by my material gratitude. During the day he will come to my bed ten or fifteen times. Either, you know, he’ll fix the pads, then he’ll drag you into the bath, or he’ll offer to give you an enema. He tortured me with thermometers alone, you cat of a bitch. Previously, a thermometer or two would be set a day in advance - that’s all. And now fifteen times. Previously, the bath was cool and I liked it, but now it’s too much hot water to fill up – even though you’re on guard.

I’ve already done this and that – no way. I still shove money at him, the scoundrel, just leave him alone, do me a favor, he gets even more furious and tries.

A week has passed and I see I can’t do it anymore. I was exhausted, lost fifteen pounds, lost weight and lost my appetite. And the paramedic is trying his best.

And since he, a tramp, almost didn’t even cook it in boiling water. By God. The scoundrel gave me such a bath - the callus on my foot burst and the skin came off.

I tell him:

What, you bastard, are you boiling people in boiling water? There will be no more material gratitude for you.

And he says:

If it doesn’t, it won’t be necessary. Die, he says, without the help of scientists. - And he left.

But now everything is going as before again: thermometers are placed once, enemas are given as needed. And the bath is cool again, and no one bothers me anymore.

It’s not for nothing that the fight against tipping is happening. Oh, brothers, not in vain!

Lelya and Minka

Stories for children

M. Zoshchenko

1. TREE

This year, guys, I turned forty years old. This means that I have seen the New Year tree forty times. That's a lot!

Well, for the first three years of my life, I probably didn’t understand what a Christmas tree was. My mother probably carried me in her arms. And, probably, with my black little eyes I looked without interest at the decorated tree.

And when I, children, turned five years old, I already perfectly understood what a Christmas tree was.

And I was looking forward to this joyful holiday. And I even spied through the crack of the door as my mother decorated the Christmas tree.

And my sister Lela was seven years old at that time. And she was an exceptionally lively girl.

She once told me:

- Minka, mom went to the kitchen. Let's go to the room where the tree is and see what's going on there.

So my sister Lelya and I entered the room. And we see: a very beautiful tree. And there are gifts under the tree. And on the tree there are multi-colored beads, flags, lanterns, golden nuts, lozenges and Crimean apples.

My sister Lelya says:

- Let's not look at the gifts. Instead, let's eat one lozenge at a time.

And so she approaches the tree and instantly eats one lozenge hanging on a thread.

I speak:

- Lelya, if you ate a lozenge, then I’ll eat something too now.

And I go up to the tree and bite off a small piece of apple.

Lelya says:

- Minka, if you took a bite of the apple, then I’ll now eat another lozenge and, in addition, I’ll take this candy for myself.

And Lelya was a very tall, long-knitted girl. And she could reach high.

She stood on her tiptoes and began to eat the second lozenge with her big mouth.

And I was surprisingly short. And it was almost impossible for me to get anything except one apple that hung low.

I speak:

- If you, Lelishcha, ate the second lozenge, then I will bite off this apple again.

And I again take this apple with my hands and again bite it a little.

Lelya says:

“If you took a second bite of the apple, then I won’t stand on ceremony any more and will now eat the third lozenge and, in addition, I’ll take a cracker and a nut as a souvenir.”

Then I almost started crying. Because she could reach everything, but I couldn’t.

I tell her:

- And I, Lelishcha, how will I put a chair by the tree and how will I get myself something besides an apple.

And so I began to pull a chair towards the tree with my thin hands. But the chair fell on me. I wanted to pick up a chair. But he fell again. And straight for gifts.

Lelya says:

- Minka, it seems you broke the doll. This is true. You took the porcelain hand from the doll.

Then my mother’s steps were heard, and Lelya and I ran into another room.

Lelya says:

“Now, Minka, I can’t guarantee that your mother won’t put up with you.”

I wanted to roar, but at that moment the guests arrived. Many children with their parents.

And then our mother lit all the candles on the tree, opened the door and said:

- Everyone come in.

And all the children entered the room where the Christmas tree stood.

Our mom says:

- Now let each child come up to me, and I will give each one a toy and a treat.

And so the children began to approach our mother. And she gave everyone a toy. Then she took an apple, a lozenge and a candy from the tree and also gave it to the child.

And all the children were very happy. Then my mother took in her hands the apple that I had bitten off and said:

- Lelya and Minka, come here. Which of you two took a bite of this apple?

Lelya said:

- This is Minka’s work.

I pulled Lelya’s pigtail and said:

- Lelka taught me this.

Mom says:

“I’ll put Lelya in the corner with her nose, and I wanted to give you a wind-up little train.” But now I will give this winding little train to the boy to whom I wanted to give the bitten apple.

And she took the train and gave it to one four-year-old boy. And he immediately began to play with him.

And I got angry at this boy and hit him on the hand with a toy. And he roared so desperately that his own mother took him in her arms and said:

- From now on, I will not come to visit you with my boy.

And I said:

- You can leave, and then the train will remain for me.

And that mother was surprised at my words and said:

- Your boy will probably be a robber.

And then my mother took me in her arms and said to that mother:

“Don’t you dare talk about my boy like that.” Better leave with your scrofulous child and never come to us again.

And that mother said:

- I will do so. Hanging around with you is like sitting in nettles.

And then another, third mother, said:

- And I will leave too. My girl didn't deserve to be given a doll with a broken arm.

And my sister Lelya shouted:

“You can also leave with your scrofulous child.” And then the doll with the broken arm will be left to me.

And then I, sitting in my mother’s arms, shouted:

- In general, you can all leave, and then all the toys will remain for us.

And then all the guests began to leave.

And our mother was surprised that we were left alone.

But suddenly our dad entered the room.

He said:

“This kind of upbringing is ruining my children.” I don't want them to fight, quarrel and kick out guests. It will be difficult for them to live in the world, and they will die alone.

And dad went to the tree and put out all the candles. Then he said:

- Go to bed immediately. And tomorrow I will give all the toys to the guests.

And now, guys, thirty-five years have passed since then, and I still remember this tree well.

And in all these thirty-five years, I, children, have never again eaten someone else’s apple and never once hit someone who is weaker than me. And now the doctors say that this is why I am so relatively cheerful and good-natured.

2. GALOSHE AND ICE CREAM

When I was little, I really loved ice cream.

Of course, I still love him. But then it was something special - I loved ice cream so much.

And when, for example, an ice cream man was driving down the street with his cart, I just started to feel dizzy: I wanted so much to eat what the ice cream man was selling.

And my sister Lelya also exclusively loved ice cream.

And she and I dreamed that when we grew up big, we would eat ice cream at least three, or even four times a day.

But at that time we very rarely ate ice cream. Our mother did not allow us to eat it. She was afraid that we would catch a cold and get sick. And for this reason she did not give us money for ice cream.

And then one summer Lelya and I were walking in our garden. And Lelya found a galosh in the bushes. An ordinary rubber galosh. And very worn and torn. Someone must have thrown it because it burst.

So Lelya found this galosh and put it on a stick for fun. And he walks around the garden, waving this stick over his head.

Suddenly a rag picker walks down the street. He shouts: “I’m buying bottles, cans, rags!”

Seeing that Lelya was holding a galosh on a stick, the rag picker said to Lelya:

- Hey, girl, are you selling galoshes?

Lelya thought it was some kind of game and answered the rag picker:

- Yes, I’m selling. This galosh costs a hundred rubles.

The rag picker laughed and said:

- No, one hundred rubles is too expensive for this galosh. But if you want, girl, I’ll give you two kopecks for it, and you and I will part as friends.

And with these words, the rag picker pulled out his wallet from his pocket, gave Lela two kopecks, put our torn galosh into his bag and left.

Lelya and I realized that this was not a game, but in reality. And they were very surprised.

The rag picker has long since left, and we stand and look at our coin.

Suddenly an ice cream man walks down the street and shouts:

- Strawberry ice cream!

Lelya and I ran to the ice cream man, bought two scoops from him for a penny, ate them instantly and began to regret that we had sold the galoshes so cheaply.

The next day Lelya says to me:

- Minka, today I decided to sell another galosh to the rag picker.

I was delighted and said:

- Lelya, did you find a galosh in the bushes again?

Lelya says:

“There’s nothing else in the bushes.” But in our hallway there are probably, I think, at least fifteen galoshes. If we sell one, it won’t hurt us.

And with these words, Lelya ran to the dacha and soon appeared in the garden with one rather good and almost new galosh.

Lelya said:

“If a rag picker bought from us for two kopecks the same kind of rags that we sold him last time, then for this almost brand new galosh he will probably give at least a ruble.” I can imagine how much ice cream I could buy with that money.

We waited a whole hour for the rag picker to appear, and when we finally saw him, Lelya said to me:

- Minka, this time you sell your galoshes. You are a man, and you are talking to a rag picker. Otherwise he’ll give me two kopecks again. And this is too little for you and me.

I put a galosh on the stick and began to wave the stick over my head.

The rag picker approached the garden and asked:

- Are galoshes on sale again?

I whispered barely audibly:

- For sale.

The rag picker, examining the galoshes, said:

- What a pity, children, that you sell me everything one overshoe at a time. I'll give you a penny for this one galosh. And if you sold me two galoshes at once, you would receive twenty, or even thirty kopecks. Because two galoshes are immediately more necessary for people. And this makes them jump in price.

Lelya told me:

- Minka, run to the dacha and bring another galosh from the hallway.

I ran home and soon brought some very large galoshes.

The rag picker put these two galoshes side by side on the grass and, sighing sadly, said:

- No, children, you are completely upsetting me with your trading. One is a lady's galosh, the other is from a man's foot, judge for yourself: what do I need such galoshes for? I wanted to give you a penny for one galosh, but having put two galoshes together, I see that this will not happen, since the matter has worsened from the addition. Get four kopecks for two galoshes, and we will part as friends.

Lelya wanted to run home to bring some more galoshes, but at that moment her mother’s voice was heard. It was my mother who called us home, because my mother’s guests wanted to say goodbye to us. The rag picker, seeing our confusion, said:

- So, friends, for these two galoshes you could get four kopecks, but instead you will get three kopecks, since I deduct one kopeck for wasting time on empty conversation with children.

The rag picker gave Lela three kopeck coins and, hiding the galoshes in a bag, left.

Lelya and I immediately ran home and began to say goodbye to my mother’s guests: Aunt Olya and Uncle Kolya, who were already getting dressed in the hallway.

Suddenly Aunt Olya said:

- What a strange thing! One of my galoshes is here, under the hanger, but for some reason the second one is missing.

Lelya and I turned pale. And they stood motionless.

Aunt Olya said:

“I remember very well that I came in two galoshes.” And now there is only one, and where the second one is is unknown.

Uncle Kolya, who was also looking for his galoshes, said:

- What nonsense is in the sieve! I also remember very well that I came in two galoshes, however, my second galoshes are also missing.

Hearing these words, Lelya, out of excitement, unclenched her fist in which she had money, and three kopeck coins fell to the floor with a clang.

Dad, who also saw off the guests, asked:

- Lelya, where did you get this money?

Lelya started to lie something, but dad said:

- What could be worse than a lie!

Then Lelya began to cry. And I cried too. And we said:

— We sold two galoshes to a rag picker to buy ice cream.

Dad said:

- Worse than a lie is what you did.

Hearing that the galoshes were sold to a rag picker, Aunt Olya turned pale and began to stagger. And Uncle Kolya also staggered and grabbed his heart with his hand. But dad told them:

- Don’t worry, Aunt Olya and Uncle Kolya, I know what we need to do so that you are not left without galoshes. I’ll take all Lelin’s and Minka’s toys, sell them to the rag picker, and with the money we get we’ll buy you new galoshes.

Lelya and I roared when we heard this verdict. But dad said:

- That's not all. For two years I have forbidden Lela and Minka to eat ice cream. And two years later they can eat it, but every time they eat ice cream, let them remember this sad story.

That same day, dad collected all our toys, called a rag picker and sold him everything we had. And with the money received, our father bought galoshes for Aunt Olya and Uncle Kolya.

And now, children, many years have passed since then. For the first two years, Lelya and I really never ate ice cream. And then we began to eat it, and every time we ate it, we involuntarily remembered what happened to us.

And even now, children, when I have become quite an adult and even a little old, even now, sometimes, when eating ice cream, I feel some kind of tightness and some kind of awkwardness in my throat. And at the same time, every time, out of my childhood habit, I think: “Did I deserve this sweet, did I lie or deceive someone?”

Nowadays, many people eat ice cream, because we have entire huge factories in which this pleasant dish is made.

Thousands of people and even millions eat ice cream, and I would really like, children, that all people, when eating ice cream, would think about what I think about when I eat this sweet thing.

3. GRANDMOTHER’S GIFT

I had a grandmother. And she loved me very dearly.

She came to visit us every month and gave us toys. And in addition, she brought with her a whole basket of cakes.

Of all the cakes, she let me choose the one I liked.

But my grandmother didn’t really like my older sister Lelya. And she didn't let her choose the cakes. She herself gave her whatever she needed. And because of this, my sister Lelya whined every time and was more angry with me than with her grandmother.

One fine summer day, my grandmother came to our dacha.

She has arrived at the dacha and is walking through the garden. She has a basket of cakes in one hand and a purse in the other.

And Lelya and I ran up to my grandmother and greeted her. And we were sad to see that this time, apart from cakes, grandma didn’t bring us anything.

And then my sister Lelya said to her grandmother:

- Grandma, didn’t you bring us anything besides cakes today?

And my grandmother got angry with Lelya and answered her like this:

- I brought it. But I won’t give it to the ill-mannered person who asks so openly about it. The gift will be received by the well-bred boy Minya, who is better than anyone in the world thanks to his tactful silence.

And with these words, my grandmother told me to extend my hand. And on my palm she put ten new coins of ten kopecks.

And here I stand like a fool and look with delight at the brand new coins that lie in my palm. And Lelya also looks at these coins. And he doesn't say anything. Only her eyes sparkle with an evil light.

Grandma admired me and went to drink tea.

And then Lelya hit my hand with force from the bottom up, so that all my coins jumped on my palm and fell into the grass and into the ditch.

And I sobbed so loudly that all the adults came running - dad, mom and grandma. And they all immediately bent down and began to look for my fallen coins.

And when all the coins were collected except one, the grandmother said:

“You see how rightly I did that I didn’t give Lelka a single coin!” What an envious person she is. “If,” he thinks, “it’s not for me, then it’s not for him!” Where, by the way, is this villainess at the moment?

To avoid being beaten, Lelya, it turns out, climbed a tree and, sitting on the tree, teased me and my grandmother with her tongue.

The neighbor's boy Pavlik wanted to shoot Lelya with a slingshot in order to remove her from the tree. But the grandmother did not allow him to do this, because Lelya could fall and break her leg. The grandmother did not go to this extreme and even wanted to take his slingshot away from the boy.

And then the boy got angry with all of us, including his grandmother, and from afar he shot at her with a slingshot.

Grandmother gasped and said:

- How do you like it? Because of this villain, I was hit with a slingshot. No, I won’t come to you anymore so as not to have similar stories. It’s better if you bring me my nice boy Minya. And every time, to spite Lelka, I will give him gifts.

Dad said:

- Fine. I will do so. But only you, mother, praise Minka in vain! Of course, Lelya did wrong. But Minka is also not one of the best boys in the world. The best boy in the world is the one who would give his little sister a few coins, seeing that she has nothing. And by doing this he would not have driven his sister to anger and envy.

Sitting on her tree, Lelka said:

“And the best grandmother in the world is the one who gives something to all the children, and not just Minka, who, out of his stupidity or cunning, remains silent and therefore receives gifts and cakes.”

Grandmother did not want to stay in the garden any longer.

And all the adults went to drink tea on the balcony.

Then I told Lele:

- Lelya, get off the tree! I'll give you two coins.

Lelya climbed down from the tree, and I gave her two coins. And in a good mood he went to the balcony and said to the adults:

- Still, grandma turned out to be right. I am the best boy in the world - I just gave Lela two coins.

Grandma gasped with delight. And mom gasped too. But dad, frowning, said:

- No, the best boy in the world is the one who does something good and doesn’t brag after it.

And then I ran into the garden, found my sister and gave her another coin. And he didn’t say anything about it to the adults.

In total, Lelka had three coins, and she found the fourth coin in the grass, where she hit me on the hand.

And with all these four coins Lelka bought ice cream. And she ate it for two hours, was full, and still had some left.

And by evening her stomach hurt, and Lelka lay in bed for a whole week.

And now, guys, many years have passed since then. And to this day I remember my father’s words very well.

No, I may not have managed to become very good. It's very difficult. But this, children, is what I have always strived for.

And that's good.

4. DON'T LIE

I studied for a very long time. There were still gymnasiums back then. And teachers then put marks in the diary for each lesson asked. They gave any score - from five to one inclusive.

And I was very young when I entered the gymnasium, the preparatory class. I was only seven years old.

And I still didn’t know anything about what happens in gymnasiums. And for the first three months I literally walked around in a fog.

And then one day the teacher told us to memorize a poem:

The moon shines merrily over the village,

White snow sparkles with blue light...

But I didn’t memorize this poem. I didn't hear what the teacher said. I didn’t hear because the boys who were sitting behind either slapped me on the back of the head with a book, or smeared ink on my ear, or pulled my hair, and when I jumped up in surprise, they placed a pencil or insert under me. And for this reason, I sat in class, frightened and even stunned, and all the time I listened to what else the boys sitting behind me were planning against me.

And the next day, as luck would have it, the teacher called me and ordered me to recite the assigned poem by heart.

And I not only didn’t know him, but I didn’t even suspect that there were such poems in the world. But out of timidity, I did not dare to tell the teacher that I did not know these verses. And completely stunned, he stood at his desk, not saying a word.

But then the boys began to suggest these poems to me. And thanks to this, I began to babble what they whispered to me.

And at this time I had a chronic runny nose, and I couldn’t hear well in one ear and therefore had difficulty understanding what they were telling me.

I somehow managed to pronounce the first lines. But when it came to the phrase: “The cross under the clouds burns like a candle,” I said: “The crackling sound under the boots hurts like a candle.”

Here there was laughter among the students. And the teacher laughed too. He said:

- Come on, give me your diary here! I'll put a unit there for you.

And I cried because it was my first unit and I didn’t yet know what happened.

After class, my sister Lelya came to pick me up to go home together.

On the way, I took the diary out of my backpack, unfolded it to the page where the unit was written, and said to Lele:

- Lelya, look, what is this? The teacher gave me this for the poem “The moon shines merrily over the village.”

Lelya looked and laughed. She said:

- Minka, this is bad! It was your teacher who gave you a bad grade in Russian. This is so bad that I doubt that dad will give you a photographic device for your name day, which will be in two weeks.

I said:

- What should we do?

Lelya said:

— One of our students took and glued two pages in her diary, where she had a unit. Her dad drooled on his fingers, but couldn’t peel it off and never saw what was there.

I said:

- Lelya, it’s not good to deceive your parents!

Lelya laughed and went home. And in a sad mood I went into the city garden, sat down on a bench there and, unfolding the diary, looked with horror at the unit.

I sat in the garden for a long time. Then I went home. But when I approached the house, I suddenly remembered that I had left my diary on a bench in the garden. I ran back. But in the garden on the bench there was no longer my diary. At first I was scared, and then I was glad that now I no longer have the diary with this terrible unit with me.

I came home and told my father that I had lost my diary. And Lelya laughed and winked at me when she heard these words of mine.

The next day, the teacher, having learned that I had lost the diary, gave me a new one.

I opened this new diary with the hope that this time there was nothing bad there, but there again there was a one against the Russian language, even more bold than before.

And then I felt so frustrated and so angry that I threw this diary behind the bookcase that stood in our classroom.

Two days later, the teacher, having learned that I did not have this diary, filled out a new one. And, in addition to a one in the Russian language, he gave me a two in behavior. And he said that my father would definitely look at my diary.

When I met Lelya after class, she told me:

“It won’t be a lie if we temporarily seal the page.” And a week after your name day, when you receive the camera, we will peel it off and show dad what was there.

I really wanted to get a photographic camera, and Lelya and I taped up the corners of the ill-fated page of the diary.

In the evening dad said:

- Come on, show me your diary! Interesting to know if you picked up any units?

Dad began to look at the diary, but did not see anything bad there, because the page was taped over.

And when dad was looking at my diary, suddenly someone rang on the stairs.

Some woman came and said:

“The other day I was walking in the city garden and there on a bench I found a diary. I recognized the address from his last name and brought it to you so that you could tell me if your son had lost this diary.

Dad looked at the diary and, seeing one there, understood everything.

He didn't yell at me. He just said quietly:

— People who lie and deceive are funny and comical, because sooner or later their lies will always be revealed. And there was never a case in the world where any of the lies remained unknown.

I, red as a lobster, stood in front of dad, and I was ashamed of his quiet words.

I said:

- Here's what: I threw another one of my, the third, diary with a unit behind a bookcase at school.

Instead of getting even more angry with me, dad smiled and beamed. He grabbed me in his arms and started kissing me.

He said:

“The fact that you admitted this made me extremely happy.” You confessed something that could have remained unknown for a long time. And this gives me hope that you won’t lie anymore. And for this I will give you a camera.

When Lelya heard these words, she thought that dad had gone crazy in his mind and now gives everyone gifts not for A's, but for un's.

And then Lelya came up to dad and said:

“Daddy, I also got a bad grade in physics today because I didn’t learn my lesson.”

But Lelya’s expectations were not met. Dad got angry with her, kicked her out of his room and told her to immediately sit down with her books.

And then in the evening, when we were going to bed, the bell suddenly rang.

It was my teacher who came to dad. And he said to him:

“Today we were cleaning our classroom, and behind the bookcase we found your son’s diary. How do you like this little liar and deceiver who left his diary so that you wouldn’t see him?

Dad said:

“I have already personally heard about this diary from my son. He himself admitted this act to me. So there is no reason to think that my son is an incorrigible liar and deceiver.

The teacher told dad:

- Oh, that's how it is. You already know this. In this case, it is a misunderstanding. Sorry. Good night.

And I, lying in my bed, hearing these words, cried bitterly. And he promised himself to always tell the truth.

And this is indeed what I always do now.

Ah, sometimes it can be very difficult, but my heart is cheerful and calm.

5. THIRTY YEARS LATER

My parents loved me very dearly when I was little. And they gave me many gifts.

But when I got sick with something, my parents literally bombarded me with gifts.

And for some reason I got sick very often. Mainly mumps or sore throat.

And my sister Lelya almost never got sick. And she was jealous that I got sick so often.

She said:

“Wait a minute, Minka, I’ll get sick one day too, and then our parents will probably start buying me everything.”

But, as luck would have it, Lelya was not ill. And only once, putting a chair by the fireplace, she fell and broke her forehead. She groaned and groaned, but instead of the expected gifts, she received several spanks from our mother, because she put a chair near the fireplace and wanted to get her mother’s watch, and this was forbidden.

And then one day our parents went to the theater, and Lelya and I stayed in the room. And she and I started playing on a small tabletop billiards table.

And during the game Lelya, gasping, said:

- Minka, I accidentally swallowed a billiard ball. I held it in my mouth, and it fell down my throat.

And we had small but surprisingly heavy metal balls for billiards. And I was afraid that Lelya swallowed such a heavy ball. And he cried because he thought there would be an explosion in her stomach.

But Lelya said:

- There is no explosion from this. But the illness can last for an eternity. This is not like your mumps and sore throat, which go away in three days.

Lelya lay down on the sofa and began to groan.

Soon our parents came and I told them what happened.

And my parents were so scared that they turned pale. They rushed to the sofa where Lelka was lying and began to kiss her and cry.

And through her tears, mom asked Lelka what she felt in her stomach. And Lelya said:

“I feel like the ball is rolling around inside me.” And this makes me tickle and want cocoa and oranges.

Dad put on his coat and said:

- With all care, undress Lelya and put her to bed. In the meantime, I’ll run for the doctor.

Mom began to undress Lelya, but when she took off her dress and apron, a billiard ball suddenly fell out of her apron pocket and rolled under the bed.

Dad, who had not yet left, frowned extremely. He went to the pool table and counted the remaining balls. And there were fifteen of them, and the sixteenth ball lay under the bed.

Dad said:

Mom said:

- This is an abnormal and even crazy girl. Otherwise, I cannot explain her action in any way.

Dad never hit us, but then he pulled Lelya’s pigtail and said:

- Explain what this means?

Lelya whimpered and couldn’t find what to answer.

Dad said:

“She wanted to make fun of us.” But we are not to be trifled with! She won't receive anything from me for a whole year. And for a whole year she will walk around in old shoes and in an old blue dress that she doesn’t like so much!

And our parents slammed the door and left the room.

And looking at Lelya, I couldn’t help but laugh. I told her:

- Lelya, it would be better if you waited until you got sick with mumps than to go through such lies to receive gifts from our parents.

And just imagine, thirty years have passed!

Thirty years have passed since that little accident with the billiard ball happened.

And in all these years I have never remembered this incident.

And only recently, when I started writing these stories, I remembered everything that happened. And I started thinking about it. And it seemed to me that Lelya did not deceive her parents in order to receive gifts that she already had. She deceived them, apparently for something else.

And when this thought occurred to me, I got on the train and went to Simferopol, where Lelya lived. And Lelya was already, imagine, an adult and even a little old woman. And she had three children and a husband - a sanitary doctor.

And so I came to Simferopol and asked Lelya:

- Lelya, do you remember this incident with the billiard ball? Why did you do this?

And Lelya, who had three children, blushed and said:

- When you were little, you were as cute as a doll. And everyone loved you. And I had already grown up and was an awkward girl. And that’s why I lied then that I had swallowed a billiard ball—I wanted everyone to love and pity me just like you, even if I were sick.

And I told her:

- Lelya, I came to Simferopol for this.

And I kissed her and hugged her tightly. And he gave her a thousand rubles.

And she cried with happiness because she understood my feelings and appreciated my love.

And then I gave her children one hundred rubles each for toys. And she gave her husband, the sanitary doctor, his cigarette case, on which was written in gold letters: “Be happy.”

Then I gave her children another thirty rubles each for a movie and candy and told them:

- Stupid little owls! I gave you this so that you can better remember the moment you experienced and so that you know what you need to do in the future.

The next day I left Simferopol and on the way I thought about the need to love and feel sorry for people, at least those who are good. And sometimes you need to give them some gifts. And then those who give and those who receive feel great at heart.

But those who don’t give people anything, but instead present them with unpleasant surprises, have a gloomy and disgusting soul. Such people wither, dry out and suffer from nervous eczema. Their memory weakens and their mind becomes darkened. And they die prematurely.

The good ones, on the contrary, live extremely long and enjoy good health.

6. FIND

One day Lelya and I took a box of chocolates and put a frog and a spider in it.

Then we wrapped this box in clean paper, tied it with a chic blue ribbon and placed this package on the panel facing our garden. It was as if someone was walking and lost their purchase.

Having placed this package near the cabinet, Lelya and I hid in the bushes of our garden and, choking with laughter, began to wait for what would happen.

And here comes a passerby.

When he sees our package, he, of course, stops, rejoices and even rubs his hands with pleasure. Of course: he found a box of chocolates - this doesn’t happen very often in this world.

With bated breath, Lelya and I watch what will happen next.

The passerby bent down, took the package, quickly untied it and, seeing the beautiful box, became even more happy.

And now the lid is open. And our frog, bored with sitting in the dark, jumps out of the box right onto the hand of a passerby.

He gasps in surprise and throws the box away from him.

Then Lelya and I began to laugh so much that we fell on the grass.

And we laughed so loudly that a passerby turned in our direction and, seeing us behind the fence, immediately understood everything.

In an instant he rushed to the fence, jumped over it in one fell swoop and rushed towards us to teach us a lesson.

Lelya and I set a streak.

We ran screaming across the garden towards the house.

But I tripped over a garden bed and sprawled out on the grass.

And then a passerby tore my ear quite hard.

I screamed loudly. But the passer-by, giving me two more slaps, calmly left the garden.

Our parents came running to the scream and noise.

Holding my reddened ear and sobbing, I went up to my parents and complained to them about what had happened.

My mother wanted to call the janitor so that she and the janitor could catch up with the passerby and arrest him.

And Lelya was about to rush after the janitor. But dad stopped her. And he said to her and mother:

- Don't call the janitor. And there is no need to arrest a passerby. Of course, it’s not the case that he tore Minka’s ears, but if I were a passer-by, I would probably have done the same.

Hearing these words, mom got angry with dad and said to him:

- You are a terrible egoist!

Lelya and I also got angry with dad and didn’t tell him anything. I just rubbed my ear and started crying. And Lelka also whimpered. And then my mother, taking me in her arms, said to my father:

- Instead of standing up for a passerby and bringing children to tears, you would better explain to them what is wrong with what they did. Personally, I don’t see this and regard everything as innocent children’s fun.

And dad couldn’t find what to answer. He just said:

“The children will grow up big and someday they will find out for themselves why this is bad.”

And so the years passed. Five years have passed. Then ten years passed. And finally twelve years have passed.

Twelve years passed, and from a little boy I turned into a young student of about eighteen.

Of course, I forgot to even think about this incident. More interesting thoughts came into my head then.

But one day this is what happened.

In the spring, after finishing the exams, I went to the Caucasus. At that time, many students took some kind of job for the summer and went somewhere. And I also took a position for myself - a train controller.

I was a poor student and had no money. And here they gave me a free ticket to the Caucasus and, in addition, paid a salary. And so I took this job. And I went.

I first come to the city of Rostov in order to go to the department and get money, documents and ticket pliers there.

And our train was late. And instead of morning he came at five o’clock in the evening.

I deposited my suitcase. And I took the tram to the office.

I come there. The doorman tells me:

“Unfortunately, we’re late, young man.” The office is already closed.

“How come,” I say, “it’s closed.” I need to get money and ID today.

Doorman says:

- Everyone has already left. Come the day after tomorrow.

“How so,” I say, “the day after tomorrow?” Then I’d better come by tomorrow.

Doorman says:

— Tomorrow is a holiday, the office is closed. And the day after tomorrow come and get everything you need.

I went outside. And I stand. I don't know what to do.

There are two days ahead. There is no money in my pocket - only three kopecks left. The city is foreign - no one knows me here. And where I should stay is unknown. And what to eat is unclear.

I ran to the station to take some shirt or towel from my suitcase to sell at the market. But at the station they told me:

— Before you take a suitcase, pay for storage, and then take it and do with it what you want.

Apart from three kopecks, I had nothing, and I could not pay for storage. And he went out into the street even more upset.

No, I wouldn’t be so confused now. And then I was terribly confused. I’m walking, wandering down the street, I don’t know where, and I’m grieving.

And so I’m walking down the street and suddenly I see on the panel: what is this? Small red plush wallet. And, apparently, not empty, but tightly packed with money.

For one moment I stopped. Thoughts, each more joyful than the other, flashed through my head. I mentally saw myself in a bakery drinking a glass of coffee. And then in the hotel on the bed, with a bar of chocolate in his hands.

I took a step towards my wallet. And he held out his hand for him. But at that moment the wallet (or it seemed to me) moved a little away from my hand.

I reached out my hand again and was about to grab the wallet. But he moved away from me again, and quite far away.

Without realizing anything, I again rushed to my wallet.

And suddenly, in the garden, behind the fence, children's laughter was heard. And the wallet, tied by a thread, quickly disappeared from the panel.

I approached the fence. Some guys were literally rolling on the ground laughing.

I wanted to rush after them. And he already grabbed the fence with his hand in order to jump over it. But then in an instant I remembered a long-forgotten scene from my childhood life.

And then I blushed terribly. Moved away from the fence. And slowly walking, he wandered on.

Guys! Everything happens in life. These two days have passed.

In the evening, when it got dark, I went outside the city and there, in a field, on the grass, I fell asleep.

In the morning I got up when the sun rose. I bought a pound of bread for three kopecks, ate it and washed it down with some water. And all day, until evening, he wandered around the city uselessly.

And in the evening he came back to the field and spent the night there again. Only this time it’s bad because it started to rain and I got wet like a dog.

Early the next morning I was already standing at the entrance and waiting for the office to open.

And now it is open. I, dirty, disheveled and wet, entered the office.

The officials looked at me incredulously. And at first they didn’t want to give me money and documents. But then they gave me away.

And soon I, happy and radiant, went to the Caucasus.

7. GREAT TRAVELERS

When I was six years old, I did not know that the earth is spherical.

But Styopka, the owner’s son, with whose parents we lived at the dacha, explained to me what land was. He said:

- The earth is a circle. And if you go straight, you can go around the entire earth, and you will still come to the same place from where you came.

And when I didn’t believe it, Styopka hit me on the back of the head and said:

“I’d rather go on a trip around the world with your sister Lelya than take you.” I have no interest in traveling with fools.

But I wanted to travel, and I gave Styopka a penknife.

Styopka liked the knife and agreed to take me on a trip around the world.

Styopka organized a general meeting of travelers in the garden. And there he told me and Lele:

- Tomorrow, when your parents leave for the city, and my mother goes to the river to do laundry, we will do what we have planned. We will go straight and straight, crossing mountains and deserts. And we will go straight until we come back here, even if it took us a whole year. Lelya said:

- What if, Styopochka, we meet Indians?

“As for the Indians,” answered Styopa, “we will take the Indian tribes prisoner.”

- And those who don’t want to go into captivity? - I asked timidly.

“Those who don’t want to,” answered Styopa, “we won’t take them prisoner.”

Lelya said:

— I’ll take three rubles from my piggy bank. I think this money will be enough for us.

Styopka said:

“Three rubles will certainly be enough for us, because we only need money to buy seeds and sweets.” As for food, we will kill small animals along the way, and we will fry their tender meat over a fire.

Styopka ran to the barn and brought out a large sack of flour. And in this bag we began to collect things needed for long journeys. We put bread, sugar, and a piece of lard into the bag, then we put in various utensils - plates, glasses, forks and knives. Then, after thinking, they put in colored pencils, a magic lantern, a clay washstand and a magnifying glass for lighting fires. And, in addition, they stuffed two blankets and a pillow from the ottoman into the bag.

In addition, I prepared three slingshots, a fishing rod and a net for catching tropical butterflies.

And the next day, when our parents left for the city, and Styopka’s mother went to the river to rinse clothes, we left our village of Peski.

We followed the road through the forest.

Styopka’s dog Tuzik ran ahead. Styopka walked behind her with a huge bag on his head. Lelya followed Styopka with a skipping rope. And I followed Lelya with three slingshots, a net and a fishing rod.

We walked for about an hour.

Finally Styopa said:

— The bag is devilishly heavy. And I won’t carry it alone. Let everyone take turns carrying this bag.

Then Lelya took this bag and carried it.

But she didn’t carry it for long because she was exhausted.

She threw the bag on the ground and said:

- Now let Minka carry it.

When they put this bag on me, I gasped in surprise: this bag was so heavy.

But I was even more surprised when I walked along the road with this bag. I was bent to the ground, and like a pendulum, I swung from side to side, until finally, after walking ten steps, I fell into a ditch with this bag.

And I fell into a ditch in a strange way. First, a bag fell into the ditch, and after the bag, right on top of all these things, I dived. And although I was light, I nevertheless managed to break all the glasses, almost all the plates and the clay washstand.

Lelya and Styopka were dying of laughter, watching me flounder in the ditch. And so they were not angry with me when they learned what damage I had caused by my fall.

Styopka whistled for the dog and wanted to adapt it to carry weights. But nothing came of it, because Tuzik did not understand what we wanted from him. And we had trouble figuring out how to adapt Tuzik to this.

Taking advantage of our thoughts, Tuzik gnawed through the bag and in an instant ate all the lard.

Then Styopka ordered everyone to carry this bag together.

Grabbing the corners, we carried the bag. But it was awkward and difficult to carry. Nevertheless, we walked for another two hours. And finally they came out of the forest onto the lawn.

Here Styopka decided to take a break. He said:

“Whenever we rest or when we go to bed, I will stretch my legs in the direction in which we need to go.” All great travelers did this and thanks to this they did not stray from their straight path.

And Styopka sat down by the road, stretching his legs forward.

We untied the bag and started snacking.

We ate bread sprinkled with granulated sugar.

Suddenly, wasps began to circle above us. And one of them, apparently wanting to taste my sugar, stung me on the cheek. Soon my cheek was swollen like a pie. And I, on Styopka’s advice, began to apply moss, damp earth and leaves to it.

I walked behind everyone, whining and whining. My cheek was burning and ardent. Lelya was also not happy about the trip. She sighed and dreamed of returning home, saying that home can be good too.

But Styopka forbade us to even think about it. He said:

“I will tie anyone who wants to return home to a tree and leave it to be eaten by the ants.”

We continued walking in a bad mood.

And only Tuzik was in a wow mood.

With his tail raised, he rushed after the birds and with his barking brought unnecessary noise into our journey.

Finally it began to get dark.

Styopka threw the bag on the ground. And we decided to spend the night here.

We collected brushwood for the fire. And Styopka took a magnifying glass out of the bag to light a fire.

But, not finding the sun in the sky, Styopka became depressed. And we were upset too.

And, having eaten bread, they lay down in the dark.

Styopka solemnly lay down feet first, saying that in the morning it would be clear to us which way to go.

Styopka began to snore. And Tuzik also began to sniffle. But Lelya and I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. We were frightened by the dark forest and the noise of the trees. Lelya suddenly mistook a dry branch above her head for a snake and screamed in horror.

And a falling cone from a tree scared me so much that I jumped on the ground like a ball.

Finally we dozed off.

I woke up because Lelya was tugging at my shoulders. It was early morning. And the sun hasn't risen yet.

Lelya whispered to me:

- Minka, while Styopka is sleeping, let’s turn his legs in the opposite direction. Otherwise he will lead us where Makar never drove his calves.

We looked at Styopka. He slept with a blissful smile.

Lelya and I grabbed his legs and in an instant turned them in the opposite direction, so that Styopka’s head described a semicircle.

But Styopka did not wake up from this.

He just groaned in his sleep and waved his arms, muttering: “Hey, here, to me...”

He probably dreamed that he was attacked by Indians and he was calling us for help.

We began to wait for Styopka to wake up.

He woke up with the first rays of the sun and, looking at his feet, said:

“We’d be fine if I lay down with my feet anywhere.” So we wouldn’t know which way to go. And now, thanks to my legs, it’s clear to all of us that we need to go there.

And Styopka waved his hand in the direction of the road along which we walked yesterday.

We ate some bread and hit the road.

The road was familiar. And Styopka kept opening his mouth in surprise. Nevertheless he said:

— A trip around the world differs from other trips in that everything repeats itself, since the earth is a circle.

The creaking of wheels was heard behind me. It was some guy riding in a cart.

Once upon a time there lived a little boy Pavlik in Leningrad.

He had a mother. And there was dad. And there was a grandmother.

And in addition, a cat named Bubenchik lived in their apartment.

This morning dad went to work. Mom left too. And Pavlik stayed with his grandmother.

And my grandmother was terribly old. And she loved to sleep in the chair.

So dad left. And mom left. Grandmother sat down in a chair. And Pavlik began to play on the floor with his cat. He wanted her to walk on her hind legs. But she didn't want to. And she meowed very pitifully.

Suddenly a bell rang on the stairs.

Grandmother and Pavlik went to open the doors.

It's the postman.

He brought a letter.

Pavlik took the letter and said:

“I’ll tell dad myself.”

The postman has left. Pavlik wanted to play with his cat again. And suddenly he sees that the cat is nowhere to be found.

Pavlik says to his grandmother:

- Grandma, that’s the number - our Bubenchik has disappeared.

Grandma says:

“Bubenchik probably ran up the stairs when we opened the door for the postman.”

Pavlik says:

- No, it was probably the postman who took my Bubenchik. He probably gave us the letter on purpose and took my trained cat for himself. It was a cunning postman.

Grandmother laughed and said jokingly:

- Tomorrow the postman will come, we will give him this letter and in return we will take our cat back from him.

So the grandmother sat down in a chair and fell asleep.

And Pavlik put on his coat and hat, took the letter and quietly went out onto the stairs.

“It’s better,” he thinks, “I’ll give the letter to the postman now. And now I’d better take my cat from him.”

So Pavlik went out into the yard. And he sees that there is no postman in the yard.

Pavlik went outside. And he walked down the street. And he sees that there is no postman anywhere on the street either.

Suddenly some red-haired lady says:

- Oh, look, everyone, what a little baby is walking alone down the street! He probably lost his mother and got lost. Oh, call the policeman quickly!

Here comes a policeman with a whistle. His aunt tells him:

- Look at this little boy of about five who got lost.

The policeman says:

- This boy is holding a letter in his pen. This letter probably contains the address where he lives. We will read this address and deliver the child home. It's good that he took the letter with him.

Auntie says:

– In America, many parents deliberately put letters in their children’s pockets so that they don’t get lost.

And with these words, the aunt wants to take a letter from Pavlik. Pavlik tells her:

– Why are you worried? I know where I live.

The aunt was surprised that the boy told her so boldly. And from excitement I almost fell into a puddle.

Then he says:

- Look how lively the boy is. Let him then tell us where he lives.

Pavlik answers:

– Fontanka Street, eight.

The policeman looked at the letter and said:

- Wow, this is a fighting child - he knows where he lives.

Auntie says to Pavlik:

– What’s your name and who is your dad?

Pavlik says:

- My dad is a driver. Mom went to the store. Grandma is sleeping in a chair. And my name is Pavlik.

The policeman laughed and said:

– This is a fighting, demonstrative child - he knows everything. He'll probably be a police chief when he grows up.

The aunt says to the policeman:

- Take this boy home.

The policeman says to Pavlik:

- Well, little comrade, let's go home.

Pavlik says to the policeman:

“Give me your hand and I’ll take you to my house.” This is my beautiful home.

Here the policeman laughed. And the red-haired aunt laughed too.

The policeman said:

– This is an exceptionally combative, demonstrative child. Not only does he know everything, he also wants to take me home. This child will certainly be the chief of police.

So the policeman gave his hand to Pavlik, and they went home.

As soon as they reached their house, suddenly their mother was coming.

Mom was surprised to see Pavlik walking down the street, picked him up and brought him home.

At home she scolded him a little. She said:

- Oh, you nasty boy, why did you run into the street?

Pavlik said:

– I wanted to take my Bubenchik from the postman. Otherwise my little bell disappeared, and probably the postman took it.

Mom said:

- What nonsense! Postmen never take cats. There's your little bell sitting on the closet.

Pavlik says:

- That's the number. Look where my trained cat jumped.

Mom says:

“You, nasty boy, must have been tormenting her, so she climbed onto the closet.”

Suddenly grandma woke up.

Grandmother, not knowing what happened, says to mother:

– Today Pavlik behaved very quietly and well. And he didn't even wake me up. We should give him candy for this.

Mom says:

“You don’t need to give him candy, but put him in the corner with his nose.” He ran outside today.

Grandma says:

- That's the number.

Suddenly dad comes. Dad wanted to get angry, why did the boy run out into the street? But Pavlik gave dad a letter.

Dad says:

- This letter is not to me, but to my grandmother.

Then she says:

– In Moscow, my youngest daughter gave birth to another child.

Pavlik says:

– Probably, a fighting child was born. And he will probably be the chief of police.

Then everyone laughed and sat down to dinner.

The first course was soup with rice. For the second course - cutlets. For the third there was jelly.

The cat Bubenchik watched Pavlik eat from her closet for a long time. Then I couldn’t stand it and decided to eat a little too.

She jumped from the closet to the chest of drawers, from the chest of drawers to the chair, from the chair to the floor.

And then Pavlik gave her a little soup and a little jelly.

And the cat was very happy with it.

Coward Vasya

Vasya's father was a blacksmith.

He worked in a forge. He made horseshoes, hammers and hatchets there.

And every day he rode to the forge on his horse.

He had, wow, a nice black horse.

He harnessed her to the cart and drove off.

And in the evening he returned.

And his son, a six-year-old boy named Vasya, loved to ride a little.

Father, for example, comes home, gets off the cart, and Vasyutka immediately gets into it and rides all the way to the forest.

And his father, of course, did not allow him to do this.

And the horse didn’t really allow it either. And when Vasyutka climbed into the cart, the horse looked askance at him. And she waved her tail, saying, boy, get off my cart. But Vasya lashed the horse with a rod, and then it was a little painful, and it ran quietly.

Then one evening my father returned home. Vasya immediately climbed into the cart, whipped the horse with a rod and rode out of the yard for a ride. And today he was in a fighting mood - he wanted to ride further.

And so he rides through the woods and whips his black horse so that he runs faster.