Do miracles happen? Many people believe that this rarely happens in life, but in fairy tales it is quite possible. It is precisely because fairy tales give faith in miracles and hope for the best that both adults and children love them. One of the children’s favorites is the story “Yellow Fog”, the events of which take place in the Magic Land. Something dangerous is always happening here, but good always defeats evil forces. In the fifth part of the series about the adventures of the girl Ellie, readers will meet not only new characters, but also old favorite characters.
Once upon a time, a wizard managed to defeat the evil sorceress Arachne, but out of the kindness of his heart he decided not to kill her, but simply put her into a long sleep. He hoped that the witch would change for the better during this time. It was so long ago that the inhabitants of the Magic Land could not remember it. Only the gnomes, faithful to the sorceress, guarded her sleep and kept notes about everything that happened in the country.
And now the sorceress woke up and found out about everything that happened during her absence. She wants to seize power, and so that the residents do not interfere with her, the sorceress released a poisonous and thick Yellow fog. Not only the country, but also the health of all its inhabitants is under threat. Ellie comes to the aid of her friends again, along with Tim and sailor Charlie Black.
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Yellow fog. Read Volkov's fairy tale The Yellow Fog
The damaged flying carpet somehow managed to reach its owner into the cave. As soon as she saw the gnomes running to meet her, Arachne shouted imperiously:
Lunch! Roast the bulls! Faster! Yes, more!..
The bulls were roasted on three fires and one after another disappeared into the huge mouth of the giantess. The dwarf cooks had already begun to collapse from fatigue when the sorceress finally leaned back from the table.
Now go to sleep...” she muttered.
But before she went to bed, Arachne ordered the dwarves to sew her new shoes. The chronicler Castallo really wanted to know how his mistress ended up without shoes, but he did not dare to ask her about it.
Ruf Bilan satisfied his curiosity. The talkative traitor could not resist the temptation to blurt out to the chronicler the story of Arachne’s sad adventures. Castallo wrote Bilan's story into the next volume of the chronicle, and these events became known to us.
As soon as she got to bed, the sorceress fell into a deep sleep. Arachne slept for three weeks in a row, and the dwarves began to hope that a long-term sleep had once again attacked her. But the little men did not dare to violate her order and sewed new shoes for their mistress.
It was not an easy job! It took a hundred bull skins to complete the order, and it’s good that such a quantity was found in the storerooms of the thrifty people. Having measured the feet of the sleeping witch, thirty shoemakers began to cut and sew on the lawn in front of the cave, while ten apprentices prepared the dredge. The shoemakers dealt with the soles quite easily, but they had a lot of trouble with the sides and top: they had to set up ladders.
The shoemakers spent four hundred and seventeen balls of gunk on sewing shoes and broke seven hundred and fifty-four awls: the leather was thick and it was inconvenient to work.
After all, when Arachne woke up, a pair of colossal shoes stood on the platform. The sorceress put them on and was satisfied: the craftsmen knew their business.
Now let's have lunch! - she ordered.
Having satisfied her hunger, the fairy lay down in the sun and began to think about how to take revenge on people.
Suppose I try to give them a good earthquake? Arachne thought. - It probably won't work. I couldn’t even shake the Marran Valley properly, and I don’t have enough strength for the whole Magic Land. Maybe send locusts on them? Before my dream, I managed this magic quite well. The locusts will eat the crops in the fields, the grass in the meadows, the fruits in the fruit groves... And then what? The farmers' livestock will die from lack of food, and I will have nothing to take from them. No, that won't do! - Arachne ordered herself. - What else do I have in stock? Yep, flood. That's what I'll get them with! When it rains for three weeks, the rivers overflow their banks, and people have to escape the flood on the roofs, then they will howl. - After a pause, the sorceress continued: “They will howl, but what good does that do me?” After all, they won’t believe that I arranged all this; they will say: “Nature!” Go prove it! - Arachne lay in thought for a long time, then suddenly jumped for joy. - I remembered! Yellow Fog! That's when they start dancing, my dears!.. Yellow Fog! I remember how my mother Karena broke the proud Taureks by releasing the Yellow Fog into their area. They only held out for two weeks, and then they came with a guilty head. What's good about Yellow Fog? - Arachne continued to reason. - I can call it, I can remove it at any moment, which means everyone will understand that this is my witchcraft... And most importantly, it has never been in the Magic Land, and it will be a terrible new thing for people and animals.
The sorceress went into the cave and, having driven the gnomes out of it so that they would not peep, took out a book of spells from a secret niche. Despite the passing of millennia, the book written on parchment has been well preserved. Arachne leafed through it and found the right page.
So,” she turned to the book, “I warn you: my order must be carried out when I say: one, two, three!” But remember first: the Yellow Fog must not penetrate into the possessions of Villina and Stella. I don’t want to get involved with these proud people, who knows what magic they have in stock and how they can repay me. Second: The Yellow Mist should not extend over the surroundings of my cave, over my fields and fruit groves, over the meadows where my flocks graze. Now listen: uburru-kuruburra, tandarra-andabarra, faradon-garabadon, shabarra-sharabarra, appear. Yellow Fog, over the Magic Land, one, two, three!
And as soon as the last words flew out of the mouth of the sorceress, a strange Yellow Fog immediately covered the entire Magic Land, except for the domains of three fairies - Villina, Stella and Arachne. This fog was not very thick, and the sun was visible through it, but it seemed like a large purple circle, just before sunset, and you could look at it as much as you wanted without fear of going blind.
As if the appearance of the Yellow Fog was not such a big disaster for the Magic Land, but wait: in the course of the further truthful story, you will also learn about its harmful properties.
To begin with, the magic TV in the Scarecrow's palace stopped working. The ruler of the Emerald Isle and his friends all the time followed the misadventures of Arachne. They saw how a resourceful dragon tore off an entire corner of the flying carpet and how after that the carpet barely fluttered in the air. They watched with laughter as Ruf Bilan scurried around the villages abandoned by the Munchkins in search of food and each time returned to his mistress with a lean face. The witch's reprisal of the poor cat infuriated the Scarecrow and his friends, and Arachne's monstrous feast made them laugh until they colicked.
What an appetite! - distant spectators exclaimed, watching as bull after bull was transported from Arachne’s dinner table into her immense stomach.
They watched with curiosity as the dwarves sewed huge shoes for Arachne, and admired their dexterity and hard work. The Scarecrow and others were also interested in what was happening in the Marran Valley and among the Miguns. There, after the victory over the evil sorceress, everything was already in order, and everyone went about their business.
And then the daily observations came to an end: only a cloudy, swaying veil of fog was visible in the magic glass. Control over the enemy’s actions was now lost, and no one could predict what Arachne would do.
And the stern soul of Oorfene Deuce began to thaw little by little.
“How is this so?! – he thought with late remorse. “I caused so much harm to these good people, I only dreamed of ruling over them, oppressing them, but they forgot all the bad things that I did to them, and they treat me so kindly... Yes, apparently, that’s not how I lived my life.” life as it should be..."
But Deuce did not dare to share these new thoughts and feelings with the cunning, insidious eagle owl; he understood that the evil bird would not approve of them.
And then one fine afternoon the wanderer found himself in his native ashes. All that was left of the house were coals washed away by the rains, but Oorfene was happy to see that the cellar was intact and the lock on its door had not been touched by anyone. And when Deuce pulled out the ring and opened the door, he was convinced that his entire rich set of tools was intact. A tear ran down Oorfene’s overgrown cheek...
“Munchkins, Munchkins,” he whispered with a sigh. - Only now am I beginning to understand what good people you are... And how guilty I am before you!
While still on the road, Urfin decided to choose a new place of residence somewhere further from Kogida and closer to the Around the World Mountains.
“Let people forget about my atrocities,” thought the former ruler of the Magic Land. “This will happen sooner if I don’t hang around in front of them, but get somewhere far away...”
Before leaving his native estate, Oorfene decided to walk through all its corners, to say goodbye to the beds that he had cultivated for so long and carefully.
Walking into a vacant lot separated from the garden by a fence, Urfin gasped and clutched his heart. In the far corner rose a shoot of bright green plants with oblong, fleshy leaves and spiny stems.
- They!!! - Urfin exclaimed dully.
Yes, it was them, those same amazing plants from which he received life-giving powder many years ago. Did their seeds, which fell deep into the ground, wake up from a long torpor? No, the wind most likely brought them again. Oorfene remembered that two days ago there was a strong storm with rain and hail, from which he had to take refuge in the thicket of the forest under a spreading tree.
“Yes, of course, this is again the work of a hurricane,” said Oorfene, and the eagle owl Guamoko hooted joyfully.
A great temptation seized Oorfene Deuce. Here it is, the very miracle that Guamoco spoke about on the way to his homeland. And you don’t have to wait ten years for it, it’s here, before your eyes. Oorfene extended his hand to one of the stems and pulled it back, pricking himself on a sharp thorn.
So, he had the opportunity to start again. And now that he already has a lot of experience, he will not repeat his previous mistakes. He can prepare five hundred... no, a thousand strong, obedient blockheads. And not only blockheads: you can make invulnerable flying monsters, wooden dragons! They will quickly fly through the air and fall on the heads of frightened people with an unexpected thunderstorm! All these thoughts instantly flashed through Urfin’s mind. He glanced cheerfully at the owl.
- Well, what can you say, Guamoco, about this new gift of fate?
-What can I say, lord? Prepare more life-giving powder - and get to work! Now we will show them, these scoffers!
But long reflections during the journey to his homeland were not in vain for Urfin. Something changed in his soul. And the brilliant prospect that once again opened before him did not captivate him. He sat down on a stump and thought for a long time, carefully examining the drop of blood that spread on his finger after being pricked by a thorn.
“Blood...” he whispered. – Again blood, human tears, suffering. No, we must end this once and for all!
He brought a shovel from the cellar and dug up all the plants by the roots.
“I know you,” he muttered angrily. “Leave you here, you will fill the whole area, and then someone will guess about your magical power and do something stupid.” Once is enough!..
The owl fell into despair at this unexpected decision of the owner and for a long time begged him not to give up the happiness that had once again fallen to his lot.
“Well, at least have a handful of powder ready, just in case,” he boomed angrily. – Who knows what could happen?
Urfin rejected this request too. It took a long time to dry the plants on baking sheets, so Deuce burned them at the stake. When all that was left of the wonderful stems was ash, Urfin buried it deep into the ground. Then he made a wheelbarrow, loaded the property stored in the cellar onto it, and set off. An angry Guamoco remained at the estate.
But two hours later Oorfene heard the flapping of wings: the eagle owl caught up with him.
“You know, master,” Guamoco admitted embarrassedly, “you’re probably right!” The life-giving powder did not bring us anything good, and you did the right thing when you refused to start this whole story again.
Guamoko, of course, was cunning: he could not so easily and quickly change into a good mood. It’s just that over his long life he got used to living with people, and he would be bored in the forest alone. Oorfene understood this perfectly well, but was still pleased: after all, it would be difficult for him to spend time alone.
For several days the man and the eagle owl were on their way to the mountains. And when it was not far from them, Oorfene came across a charming clearing, through which a transparent river flowed, and along its banks grew trees with branches strewn with fruits.
“This is a good place to live,” said Urfin, and the owl agreed with him.
Here Oorfene Deuce built himself a hut and planted a vegetable garden. His days passed in work and worries, and difficult memories of the past began to be erased from the memory of the exile.
And here a year later the messengers of Arachne found Oorfene Deuce. This was not an easy task. The gnomes were tiny, their legs were short, and no matter how they hurried, they could not walk more than two or three miles a day. And finding Urfin’s new home turned out to be difficult. First, Castallo and his companions came to the Blue Country, and there the Munchkins told them that Deuce had left his native place.
They had to ask the birds and animals, and after a long and tiring journey, which took a whole month, the joyful gnomes finally reached a beautiful clearing where Urfin’s new hut stood.
Deuce was very surprised to see little men with gray beards at his feet. He lived for forty years in the Magic Land, but had never heard of the existence of gnomes. However, he knew that the wonders of the Magic Land were inexhaustible, so he politely greeted the unexpected visitors and inquired what business they had with him.
Castallo just opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly sank to the ground in exhaustion. The same thing happened to the other gnomes.
Oorfene Deuce slapped his forehead.
- Oh, I'm a fool! You are tired, you are hungry, and I immediately started talking about business. Please forgive me, living in solitude, I have become completely wild...
After a plentiful meal and rest, Castallo told Urfin about the purpose of his coming. He talked about who Arachne was and why the mighty wizard Gurricap put her to sleep in time immemorial. He did not hide the fact that the sorceress intends to become the mistress of the Magic Land and is counting on the help of Oorfene Deuce, who twice managed to conquer the Emerald City. Sending the dwarves to Urfin, Arachne hinted that she would generously reward her assistants and make them rulers and governors of the conquered countries.
Oorfene Deuce was silent for a long time. Fate again led him into great temptation. It is enough to go into the service of the evil sorceress, and he will again become the ruler of the Emerald City or the country of the Marrans and will more than pay for the humiliation to which he was subjected. But the question is: is it worth it? Again he will come to power by force, and again the oppressed people will begin to hate him...
A year spent alone, when so many things were changed, was not in vain. Oorfene raised his head and, looking into Castallo’s eyes, said firmly:
- No! I will not go into your mistress's service!
Castallo was not surprised to hear this answer, but asked:
“Reverend Oorfene, perhaps you yourself will tell this to our mistress?”
- What is it for? – Deuce asked. “Can’t you convey my words to her?”
“You see, that’s the question,” the dwarf explained. “The mistress told us that if we don’t bring you to her, then we are bad, careless servants.” And for failure to carry out her instructions, she will deprive us for a whole month of the right to kill game in the forests and fish in its streams. Well, let's tighten our belts and somehow manage with our supplies.
Urfin grinned:
“Can’t you fish and get game secretly from your mistress?” You are so small and agile, she won’t track you.
The eyes of Castallo and the other dwarves widened in horror.
– Steal game and fish?! - Castallo exclaimed in a trembling voice. “Venerable Oorfene, you don’t know the tribe of dwarves!” It has existed for thousands of years, but none of us has ever broken this word, never deceived anyone. We'd rather die of hunger...
Touched, Oorfene grabbed Castallo into his strong embrace and pressed the old man to his chest.
- Dear little people! – he said lovingly. “In order not to bring trouble on you, I will go with you and explain myself to Arachne.” I hope she will not punish you for my refusal to become her assistant?
“We are not responsible for your behavior,” Castallo explained with dignity.
“We will set off tomorrow,” said Urfin. – Today you should have a good rest.
To entertain the guests, Oorfene took a bunch of toys out of the hut and laid them out in front of the dwarves. These were wooden dolls, clowns, animal figures. The master painted them in light colors, the faces of the dolls and clowns were smiling, the deer and chamois were so light and airy that it seemed like they were about to run. How strikingly different these cheerful sunny toys were from those gloomy and gloomy ones that Oorfene once made to scare the children!
“I did this in my spare time,” Urfin explained modestly.
- Oh, how lovely! - the dwarves cried.
They took apart the dolls and animals, gently pressed them to their chests and stroked them. It was obvious that they really liked the wonderful toys. One old man sat on a wooden deer, the other began to dance with a toy bear. The faces of the guests shone with bliss, although, admittedly, the toys were quite large given their height.
Seeing the joy of the dwarves, Urfin said:
- These toys are yours! Bring them to your country and let the children enjoy them.
The delight of the dwarves was indescribable; they did not know how to thank Urfene:
The next day the company set off. After the first hundred steps, Deuce felt that something was wrong. The gnomes were not good walkers at all, and loaded with toys almost as tall as them, they puffed, sniffled, and barely trudged, but did not want to part with their gifts. For the distance that Oorfene covered in two minutes, they needed twenty. Looking at the breathless, sweaty gnomes, Oorfene laughed:
- No, dear old men, things won’t work out like that for us! How long did it take you to get to me?
“A month,” Castallo replied.
“Now we’ll walk for a year.”
Oorfene returned to the estate, rolled a wheelbarrow out of the barn, seated the little men with gifts there and walked with a light, springy step, rolling the wheelbarrow in front of him. The dwarves were in the height of bliss.
The road to Arachne's cave took Deuce only three days.
While waiting for Oorfene Deuce and Ruf Bilan to come to her, Arachne decided to test her witchcraft abilities. After all, before starting the fight with the peoples of the Magic Land, it was necessary to make sure that all its spells retained their evil power.
Readers, of course, remember that Arachne had the magical ability to transform into any animal, bird, tree... This was the primary means of defeating enemies. And so Arachne became convinced that she no longer possessed this magic. This was a great grief for her.
How could this happen? The fact is that the spell was very complex and long and so secret that Arachne was afraid to write it down so that it would not fall on her enemies. And while she was sleeping, she forgot this spell! What you want is to sleep for five thousand years, it’s not like taking a nap after lunch. Here you can even forget your own name.
Yes, now Arachne, in a battle with enemies, could no longer turn into a squirrel or a lion, into a mighty oak tree or a fast swallow. From now on, the sorceress could only rely on her gigantic height and strength.
It turned out that Arachne had also lost some other witchcraft spells, but she still had enough opportunities to harm people. She has not forgotten how, for example, to cause earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters.
“It’s okay, we’ll fight again,” the calmed sorceress said to herself when, on her order, a rock fell from the top of the mountain and broke into a thousand pieces.
Yes, the evil sorceress Arachne was a formidable opponent, and bad things will happen to those who dare to oppose her!
Meanwhile, Oorfene Deuce and a cheerful flock of gnomes, rolling in a wheelbarrow, came to the valley of Arachne. Having shown Urfin the entrance to the cave, the tiny old men ran as fast as they could to their houses, hidden in the bushes and under large stones, and called very tiny children to give them gifts from their kind uncle Urfin...
Oorfene Deuce entered Arachne's cave with a leisurely step and bowed to the sorceress with dignity.
-What do you want, madam? – Deuce asked.
He promised the dwarves to pretend that he did not know at all why Arachne had called him. And he was not at all frightened at the sight of the gigantic figure of the evil fairy and her menacingly frowning thick eyebrows.
- Do you know who I am?
“The venerable dwarf Castallo told me about you.
“So you know that I have slept for five thousand years and am eager to act!” My first intention is to seize power over the Magic Land, and then perhaps I will move beyond the mountains.
Deuce shook his graying head doubtfully.
“I tried twice to become the ruler of the Magic Land, and you know how it ended,” Urfin said calmly.
-You are a pathetic worm compared to me! – the sorceress exclaimed arrogantly and straightened up so that her head rested on the ceiling.
“Sorry, madam,” Deuce objected firmly, “I didn’t act so rashly.” The first time I had a powerful army of obedient wooden soldiers, and the second time I had an army of two thousand agile, strong Marranos. And both times I failed. Madam, I have thought a lot over the past year and realized that it is not so easy to bring free peoples to my feet...
– Yes, I don’t approve and refuse! Life has taught me a lot, and I want to live alone until the people I offended reconcile with me.
- Go, pathetic man, and forget about our conversation! – the sorceress ordered angrily. – You will regret your refusal. After all, I could elevate you so much!..
Oorfene left with a bow. On the threshold he turned around and said:
– I’m afraid that along the road of war you will go towards your death!..
Arachne smiled mockingly, but she had an involuntary respect for this little man who was not afraid of her, the powerful sorceress.
“But I would shower this stubborn man with honors if he agreed to serve me,” thought the sorceress. “It feels like this person can firmly move towards the intended goal...”
In the clearing in front of the cave, Oorfene met Ruf Bilan, who was followed by another party of gnomes into the Dungeon. Former king with contempt
/>End of introductory fragment
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Alexander Volkov
YELLOW FOG
INTRODUCTION
A FIVE THOUSAND YEARS-LONG DREAM
The long narrow gorge of the Around the World Mountains ended in a cozy, warm cave with a high arch, smooth walls and a flat floor. In the far corner of the cave stood a gigantic bed, and there, on a soft moss bed, a woman of gigantic stature was sleeping deeply.
Her dream was unusual: it lasted for dozens of centuries. Who managed to cope with this giantess, who and for what atrocities cast an enchanted dream on her?
To find out how and why such an amazing thing happened, let’s move back in time several thousand years ago, to that distant era when the mighty sorcerer Gurricap appeared in the country that was later called Magic.
It was Gurricap who fenced off the Magic Land from the rest of the world with the Great Desert and the World Mountains, it was he who gave the animals and birds that inhabited it the gift of human speech, he made the hot summer sun shine over its forests and fields all year round.
Gurricap did a lot of good for the Magic Land, and the tribes of little people who lived in it lived cheerfully and happily, in calm, peaceful work.
But then a thousand, or maybe two thousand years passed, and unexpected disasters began to befall the inhabitants of the Magic Land every now and then. Then, in a clear sky, a hurricane will fly into a human settlement and knock down houses, killing and maiming those who did not manage to leave their homes in time; then the flood will inundate the coastal village; then livestock will be attacked by a widespread disease, cows and sheep die in dozens.
Looking at his magic books, Gurricap learned that the sorceress Arachne had come to the Magic Land from the big world. She was only waist-high to Gurricap, but the good wizard's head was level with the tops of the tallest trees. Therefore, Arachne was a giantess, but shorter, only about thirty cubits.
Arachne was a very evil witch. If on any day she failed to harm anyone, she considered that day lost. But, having caused trouble to someone, she laughed so loudly that the trees in the nearby grove swayed and fruits fell from them.
Arachne treated only one of the human tribes condescendingly - the small tribe of gnomes whom she brought to the Magic Land from beyond the mountains. The gnomes served her faithfully and devotedly, their great-grandfathers took a great oath to this. But if the sorceress had offended her subjects, the gnomes would have scattered all over the country, and then try to find them in the dense forests and tall meadow grasses: they were as tall as elbows and knew how to hide surprisingly cleverly.
Tiny old men with long gray beards and neat old women in white caps took care of all the needs of their mistress with the greatest diligence. They roasted oxen and rams for her; the gnomes bred them on rich mountain pastures. They baked fluffy loaves from the wheat they grew in the fertile soil of their secluded valley. Fat pheasants and partridges were shot with small bows; they wove the material and dyed it blue, and then sewed a new robe when the sorceress's clothes wore out.
For these invaluable services, Arachne did not leave the gnomes with her patronage: Arachne's spells extended their life to one hundred and fifty years, their children grew up without knowing diseases, their arrows hit game without missing, and large fish fell into the nets.
But Arachne did good with the greatest reluctance and rewarded herself by doing all sorts of dirty tricks to the rest of the human tribes. And so, when Gurricap found out about this, he decided to neutralize the evil sorceress. However, how to do this? The easiest way seemed to kill the sorceress by hitting her on the head with a huge fist. But the wizard was so kind that he never killed anyone. Even walking through the meadow, he deliberately made noise and shuffled his feet, and all sorts of frogs, bugs, and cockroaches managed to get out from under his huge boots.
Gurricap had only one thing left to do: put Arachne to sleep for a long time. He rummaged through the book of spells and found that the longest period of enchanted sleep into which he could plunge the evil sorceress was five thousand years.
Well, the timing is right,” Gurricup muttered thoughtfully. “Perhaps during this time she will lose the habit of doing evil... But it is written here that for the magic to succeed, I must muster all my willpower, and most importantly, I need to be near Arachne when I say the spell, otherwise it will not work.” And this is the hardest thing...
From all the scouts - animals and birds - Gurricap knew that it was impossible to take the sorceress Arachne by surprise. Dwarves were constantly snooping around her, they warned their mistress of any danger. And besides, the sorceress knew how to take on any form she wanted. She could pretend to be a fox or an eagle owl, a blooming apple tree or a dry stump. Catching her was an extremely cunning task.
Gurricap thoroughly prepared to carry out his plan. He learned a long and terrible spell by heart, so that at the right moment he would not be distracted and not fumble with his eyes over the lines of the magic book. And then he called on all the forest animals and birds for help. The animals and birds willingly responded to the wizard’s call: Arachne had annoyed everyone enough and they were glad to get rid of the evil fairy.
On the appointed day and hour, the valley where Arachne’s refuge was located was surrounded by countless herds of all kinds of animals. There came bison and aurochs, lions and tigers, hyenas, jackals, wolves, badgers and hares, mice and rats, possums, martens and squirrels jumped along the tree branches. Flocks of eagles, condors, and hawks soared in the air, magpies chirped, crows cawing, and the swift wings of a swallow cut the air...
A terrible hubbub and hubbub filled the area. And all this innumerable army menacingly approached Arachne’s refuge, surrounding it on all sides. This army was led by a giant with flowing gray curls and eyes blazing with anger. With a trumpet voice that covered the noise of his discordant army, Gurricap announced:
Come out, Arachne! The time has come for you to answer for all your crimes!
The sorceress's heart trembled with fear. At first she thought of hiding in a cave, but realized that it was easiest to capture her here. And instantly an eagle flew out of the cave and tried to get lost in the eagle flock. In vain! The eagles were on the alert and treated the uninvited stranger with such powerful blows of their claws and wings that the false eagle instantly pretended to be a swallow, which was mixed up in the midst of the nimble birds. But they didn’t yawn either and instantly recognized the deceiver.
Alexander Volkov
YELLOW FOG
INTRODUCTION
A FIVE THOUSAND YEARS-LONG DREAM
The long narrow gorge of the Around the World Mountains ended in a cozy, warm cave with a high arch, smooth walls and a flat floor. In the far corner of the cave stood a gigantic bed, and there, on a soft moss bed, a woman of gigantic stature was sleeping deeply.
Her dream was unusual: it lasted for dozens of centuries. Who managed to cope with this giantess, who and for what atrocities cast an enchanted dream on her?
To find out how and why such an amazing thing happened, let’s move back in time several thousand years ago, to that distant era when the mighty sorcerer Gurricap appeared in the country that was later called Magic.
It was Gurricap who fenced off the Magic Land from the rest of the world with the Great Desert and the World Mountains, it was he who gave the animals and birds that inhabited it the gift of human speech, he made the hot summer sun shine over its forests and fields all year round.
Gurricap did a lot of good for the Magic Land, and the tribes of little people who lived in it lived cheerfully and happily, in calm, peaceful work.
But then a thousand, or maybe two thousand years passed, and unexpected disasters began to befall the inhabitants of the Magic Land every now and then. Then, in a clear sky, a hurricane will fly into a human settlement and knock down houses, killing and maiming those who did not manage to leave their homes in time; then the flood will inundate the coastal village; then livestock will be attacked by a widespread disease, cows and sheep die in dozens.
Looking at his magic books, Gurricap learned that the sorceress Arachne had come to the Magic Land from the big world. She was only waist-high to Gurricap, but the good wizard's head was level with the tops of the tallest trees. Therefore, Arachne was a giantess, but shorter, only about thirty cubits.
Arachne was a very evil witch. If on any day she failed to harm anyone, she considered that day lost. But, having caused trouble to someone, she laughed so loudly that the trees in the nearby grove swayed and fruits fell from them.
Arachne treated only one of the human tribes condescendingly - the small tribe of gnomes whom she brought to the Magic Land from beyond the mountains. The gnomes served her faithfully and devotedly, their great-grandfathers took a great oath to this. But if the sorceress had offended her subjects, the gnomes would have scattered all over the country, and then try to find them in the dense forests and tall meadow grasses: they were as tall as elbows and knew how to hide surprisingly cleverly.
Tiny old men with long gray beards and neat old women in white caps took care of all the needs of their mistress with the greatest diligence. They roasted oxen and rams for her; the gnomes bred them on rich mountain pastures. They baked fluffy loaves from the wheat they grew in the fertile soil of their secluded valley. Fat pheasants and partridges were shot with small bows; they wove the material and dyed it blue, and then sewed a new robe when the sorceress's clothes wore out.
For these invaluable services, Arachne did not leave the gnomes with her patronage: Arachne's spells extended their life to one hundred and fifty years, their children grew up without knowing diseases, their arrows hit game without missing, and large fish fell into the nets.
But Arachne did good with the greatest reluctance and rewarded herself by doing all sorts of dirty tricks to the rest of the human tribes. And so, when Gurricap found out about this, he decided to neutralize the evil sorceress. However, how to do this? The easiest way seemed to kill the sorceress by hitting her on the head with a huge fist. But the wizard was so kind that he never killed anyone. Even walking through the meadow, he deliberately made noise and shuffled his feet, and all sorts of frogs, bugs, and cockroaches managed to get away from under his huge boots.
Gurricap had only one thing left to do: put Arachne to sleep for a long time. He rummaged through the book of spells and found that the longest period of enchanted sleep into which he could plunge the evil sorceress was five thousand years.
Well, the timing is right,” Gurricup muttered thoughtfully. “Perhaps during this time she will lose the habit of doing evil... But it is written here that for the magic to succeed, I must muster all my willpower, and most importantly, I need to be near Arachne when I say the spell, otherwise it will not work.” And this is the hardest thing...
From all the scouts - animals and birds - Gurricap knew that it was impossible to take the sorceress Arachne by surprise. Dwarves were constantly snooping around her, they warned their mistress of any danger. And besides, the sorceress knew how to take on any form she wanted. She could pretend to be a fox or an eagle owl, a blooming apple tree or a dry stump. Catching her was an extremely cunning task.
Gurricap thoroughly prepared to carry out his plan. He learned a long and terrible spell by heart, so that at the right moment he would not be distracted and not fumble with his eyes over the lines of the magic book. And then he called on all the forest animals and birds for help. The animals and birds willingly responded to the wizard’s call: Arachne had annoyed everyone enough and they were glad to get rid of the evil fairy.
On the appointed day and hour, the valley where Arachne’s refuge was located was surrounded by countless herds of all kinds of animals. There came bison and aurochs, lions and tigers, hyenas, jackals, wolves, badgers and hares, mice and rats, possums, martens and squirrels jumped along the tree branches. Flocks of eagles, condors, and hawks soared in the air, magpies chirped, crows cawing, and the swift wings of a swallow cut the air...
A terrible hubbub and hubbub filled the area. And all this innumerable army menacingly approached Arachne’s refuge, surrounding it on all sides. This army was led by a giant with flowing gray curls and eyes blazing with anger. With a trumpet voice that covered the noise of his discordant army, Gurricap announced:
Come out, Arachne! The time has come for you to answer for all your crimes!
The sorceress's heart trembled with fear. At first she thought of hiding in a cave, but realized that it was easiest to capture her here. And instantly an eagle flew out of the cave and tried to get lost in the eagle flock. In vain! The eagles were on the alert and treated the uninvited stranger with such powerful blows of their claws and wings that the false eagle instantly pretended to be a swallow, which was mixed up in the midst of the nimble birds. But they didn’t yawn either and instantly recognized the deceiver.