A lunar fragment climbed into the sky.
The Mouse Village has awakened in the basement.
A whistle was heard inside the locomotive:
A daring mouse player rolls mice.
There is noise and mice in the square.
Everywhere they are rushing after the mouse.
Below, under the mice, mice rustle.
Above the mice a mouse buzzes.
The learned mice are full of thoughts.
A mouse steals a mouse.
Smart little mice, hiding in the shadows,
All night they shoot at the mouse with a mouseket.
But in the morning a lunar fragment will fall.
The Mouse Village will fall asleep at dawn.
And my mother whispers to me: “Timosha, get up!”
And I will answer her: “I’m sleeping... don’t move...”
Message to the Red Cat,
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Moon fairy taleNight has come to the sky again Telling the night's news And then the morning will come, Neat janitor Wind |
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Dog tribute |
The duet "Thick Ears" has written several more songs based on poems by Tim Sobakin. You can listen to them |
Favorite sound
This is not a tra-ta-ta, this is not a knock-knock-knock.
I get sad from boom-boom, I often frown from bam-bam,
Creating a terrible noise, creating a terrible din!
If the Cat suddenly notices that I am sad and gloomy,
Immediately he will sing a song called “MUR-MUR”.
I feel so comfortable when in the silence I suddenly hear
The sound of a purring cat is my favorite sound.
“Look... at... me,” he whispered.Green eyes met black ones, but a moment later something went out in the depths of the black ones, their gaze became empty and motionless. The hand holding Harry's clothes fell to the floor, and Snape didn't move again.
And then there was the famous black tunnel, at the end of which a dazzling light could be seen, and alternately an insane delight, then the same insane and hopeless melancholy that engulfed him... And yet - Snape suddenly realized that he desperately wanted to live. Live, love, be happy and make loved ones happy. Severus suddenly realized that he had not managed to do so much in his life, which ended so absurdly and was not so long. And even the hope of a quick meeting with Lily, the anticipation of which had filled the last twenty years that had passed since the day of the irreparable mistake, for some reason did not please. Ah, if it were possible to return, he would not waste another second - every moment he spent on the blessed earth would be filled with meaning!From somewhere out of the void, familiar figures and faces began to appear: a mother passed by, shaking her head reproachfully; then his father appeared, throwing a look in his direction full of contempt; and then a sadly smiling Dumbledore emerged.
Severus, my boy, why are you in such a hurry? Your time has not yet come, and you have not yet fulfilled your destiny! Remember what you promised me? The world still needs you - speech former director as always, it was thoroughly permeated with condescension and majestic sadness. - For the sake of the common cause... you must, you must return!
Albus, but...
No buts, Severus. Your life path It’s not over yet, take my word for it this time, as they always did. Offers. Come back...
As soon as Dumbledore's last words were spoken, the world immediately plunged into silence and pitch darkness.
At first, sounds returned to him - Snape began to distinguish the shuffling of feet, the slap of a damp rag on the floor, an angry whisper, sternly reprimanding someone for breaking the rules... Then Severus suddenly discovered that light was penetrating through his tightly closed eyelids, and, using a remarkable effort of will, opened his eyes.
I woke up, thank Morgana! - an unfamiliar elderly woman with a huge wart on her nose, dressed in the uniform of a healer at St. Mungo's, was leaning over him, with someone peeking out from behind her. Snape no longer had the strength to see who, and he closed his eyes again, then he felt someone’s cool fingers carefully massaging his throat, the taste of a dreamless sleep potion, and again fell into oblivion.
The next time Severus came to his senses was at night. Everything around was flooded with the silvery light of the full moon, looking through the uncurtained window, on the windowsill of which a fairy was sitting sideways. Why a fairy, he himself did not know, but how could this vision be anyone else - all glowing, young, big-eyed, with a huge head of fluffy hair and a slightly snub nose? And the feeling of an unaccountable all-consuming happiness, which only happens in barefoot childhood, because you simply breathe, live in this world, covered his entire being, filled his soul to the very brim so that it seemed that if he moved, it would spill over the edge. Snape lay there admiring the picture before him, afraid to breathe so as not to disturb the magic of the moment, until (it is unknown what niffler) his nose mercilessly itched, causing him to sneeze deafeningly. The fairy immediately jumped off the windowsill and spoke in the ordinary voice of the Know-It-All of Hogwarts Hermione Granger, who for some reason was speaking Lately as a hospital nurse.
Sir, how are you feeling? Oh, just don't answer, you can't talk! I... we were all... so worried!
“Granger is in his repertoire! We worry about the orphans and the poor! - Snape chuckled to himself. - And logical to the point of impossibility. Ask a question, and then: don’t answer! Oh, by the way, what's wrong with Potter? Lord, of course, no. Otherwise, Miss Granger would not be stuck here, but somewhere in the basements of Malfoy Manor! And how did I get here? After all, everything should have ended in the Shrieking Shack..."
There were many questions, and they were born one after another. What caused great annoyance was the fact that there was no way to immediately ask them out loud in order to immediately receive an answer. If he had had enough strength, Snape would have reached out to Granger's thoughts and, unbeknownst to her, found out everything that was bothering him so much, but, alas, this was impossible. Bye. And Snape was also slightly disappointed that the fairy fairy turned out to be none other than his student, and far from being the most beloved, rather the most annoying and annoying.
Meanwhile, Miss Granger, having cast a simple diagnostic spell, dragged in a bunch of some bottles with potions and removed the bandage from the patient’s neck, enthusiastically talking about something. When Severus listened more closely to her chatter and realized that she was trying to tell him the latest news from the wizarding world, he began to greedily absorb everything the girl was saying. That almost two months have passed, that Voldemort died, and Potter unexpectedly remained alive and is now deeply unhappy because of the glory of the victor of the Dark Lord that suddenly fell on him. The barely alive Snape himself was found in the Shrieking Shack by Madame Pomfrey, who was walking around the outskirts of Hogwarts after the battle in search of poor people whom she could help with something... Granger's voice acted like a good sedative, and Severus himself did not notice how he fell asleep.
Six months later, having finally come to his senses, Severus Snape, at the urgent request of the new Hogwarts headmaster Minerva McGonagall, returned to teaching potions. It cannot be said that his character had changed much - Snape still sarcastically ridiculed cases of bungling by both students and colleagues; everyone was also assigned detentions for flagrant violations of the rules discovered by the professor personally; they (as in previous years) were used to scare freshmen. But the students’ attitude towards their teacher subtly changed - now they respected him more than they feared him. His true role in past war aroused delight and admiration among children who did not have the honor of meeting the pre-war Severus Snape, when he deservedly earned the nickname of the Terror of Hogwarts Dungeons. And - worst of all - the attitude of my colleagues changed. Many of those who had protested covertly in one way or another during his short directorship now somehow felt guilty. The general point of view was once expressed by Minerva McGonagall at a regular tea party ceremony for two people, organized by her in her office.
Understand, Severus, if we could only guess, we would never... Oh, if Albus had only hinted!
But he didn’t understand, didn’t want to understand, because he didn’t see any guilt behind them, because he himself would have acted in exactly the same way if he believed that the director’s place was occupied by his worst enemy, a man trying to destroy and change the very essence of Hogwarts. Rejection of him as a traitor meant only one thing - he successfully pretended to carry out Dumbledore's instructions, which could not help but flatter him even now. However, he was unable to convey his thoughts to Minerva: she was still running around with her feeling of imaginary guilt, which she tried to make amends for in every possible way. However, sometimes it was even pleasant - Snape received a convenient schedule of classes, all the needs of his laboratory (both in ingredients and in equipment) were satisfied first of all, he was not involved in fulfilling public duties organizing holidays and other noisy events that he never liked. There was only one thing that bothered him: Minerva’s thirst to somehow improve his personal life. At first, Severus only grinned at all of Minerva’s matrimonial inclinations: her efforts to woo him with one of her unmarried colleagues were very naive - both the foolish Sibyl and the army-style Rolanda Hooch were very familiar with Severus’s wondrous character. None of them were graduates of the faculty named after the illustrious Godric, so they were not going to sacrifice themselves in the name of Snape’s personal happiness. But Minerva did not calm down and began searching for a bride among her friends and relatives, then among their acquaintances and relatives... This continued until Snape, who was fed up with all this, barked in his usual manner:
Minerva! Please stop all this nonsense! I'm fed up with you!
But, Severus... you don’t understand,” the usually reserved McGonagall stammered in response. - I want you to be happy... And the senior girls will finally calm down if you have personal life... You now have a halo and attractiveness for them... a kind of Byronic hero... Hasn’t anyone confessed their love to you yet? Can you guess what the reputation of Hogwarts can become?! After all, a good third of them whisper mainly about you. Even in transfiguration classes! And with what eyes they look at you! Even Miss Granger!
What about Miss Granger? - Snape turned sharply. - And what does the reputation of Hogwarts have to do with it? Do you really suspect that I could allow any semblance of a connection... with a student?
Snape was furious. Minerva has a good opinion about him moral principles, you can't say anything! As if he had ever given a hint about the possibility similar relationships with a student! And what does Granger have to do with it? Although... He was slightly disingenuous about Granger and now he understood it perfectly well. The insipid and boring shaggy know-it-all, the only one of the entire famous trinity who went to finish his studies at Hogwarts, for some reason not only stopped annoying him, but also periodically appeared in his dreams in the guise of a magical fairy, bathed in moonlight, like on that magical night in the hospital ward, then in a more indecent and at the same time more seductive form. And Lily stopped dreaming completely. But Minerva does not need to know about all this. He must cope with everything himself - Occlumency has always been great at getting rid of unwanted visions.
After the end of the war, the relationship between the friendly trinity of Gryffindors-victors-Dark Lord did not exactly go wrong, but became much less close. Harry, hiding from journalists and general attention, decided to travel for a year and a half, hoping that during this time they would forget about him. Ron, on the contrary, proud of his status as a hero of the magical war, calculating that he would now be accepted into the Auror school with open arms without any NEWTs from some Hogwarts, went straight there. And Hermione returned back to her seventh year, which she never completed last year due to well-known events and travels through the forests in the company of Potter.
To all her acquaintances' questions about the reasons that prompted her to return to study, she replied that knowledge had always been attractive, and she was simply afraid that by not completing the school course and passing the exams, she would miss something very important to her. In essence, her explanations were plausible and even true, with one tiny exception, who was called Professor Snape. Hermione knew that Minerva McGonagall had convinced Snape to return to teaching after his release from hospital. She was afraid to admit not only to anyone around her, but even to herself that during the days when, by chance, she became her teacher’s nurse, something in her soul was hurt, and now all the girl’s thoughts revolved only around Snape. Perhaps the professor’s memories also played a role, which Harry, amazed by what he saw in the penitentiary, nevertheless showed her and Ron under great secrecy. Only a complete cynic would not be touched by the story of the professor’s many years of hopeless and devoted love for a long-dead woman. His “always,” uttered in Dumbledore’s office, squeezed a tear out of the far-from-unsentimental Miss Granger, and his vile imagination helpfully slipped in pictures in which this “always” applied directly to her person. In all decent books you were supposed to fall in love with such heroes, and the girl unexpectedly realized that she was almost on the verge of falling in love with her strange teacher. So Hermione, accustomed to living strictly according to the rules established by someone, fell into a trap from which she saw no way out. And now, hoping with the help of a couple of insults received directly from the hero of dreams, to get rid of her so inopportunely awakened romance, about which she herself bitterly ironized, Miss Granger returned to Hogwarts.
However, Snape turned out to be completely different from what she expected to see. Halo of the Sufferer romantic hero faded after the very first potions lesson, where the professor, in his usual manner, beat Seamus Finnigan to smithereens for mixing up the components of the dreamless sleep potion, and assigned him three detentions at once. But the greasy-haired, evil bastard that Harry and Ron imagined Snape to be in conversations throughout their years of education did not appear either. Behind the teaching chair, Hermione saw a slightly tired, abrasive, sarcastic, but very interesting person. The most interesting thing was that it excited the minds of many of her fellow students, who had read articles in both The Prophet and The Quibbler about the courage of the Order of the Phoenix spy Severus Snape. The girls seemed to have sewn a hero costume, which they persistently tried to dress Snape in. Listening to admiring whispers about his “interesting pallor” and “mysterious look of black eyes,” Hermione was angry both at the stupid chickens who saw only the outer shell and were not interested in the inner content of a person, and at herself for also feeling such an attraction, and this It was clearly wrong and she didn’t need it at all. Snape, it seemed, had no idea about the unrest that his modest persona was causing among the senior students. True, sometimes (but very, very rarely) Hermione caught his gaze, but every time he immediately turned away or made some petty remark.
This continued until almost spring, when Hermione, already worried about successfully passing her NEWTs in June, began to suffer from insomnia and memories of the events of the previous year. She, of course, first turned to Madam Pomfrey, who gave her sleeping pills, but taking the drug made Hermione feel half asleep throughout the day. Such an existence did not suit her at all, but (completely by accident!) she discovered that some half an hour spent on the Astronomical Tower (in violation of all the rules) was wonderfully calming and conducive to a long, undisturbed sleep.
This evening Hermione stayed on the tower longer than usual - the picture that opened before her eyes was too good. For some reason, she simultaneously evoked a vague longing for all the departed friends and relatives and a feeling of peace and aching sad happiness, the realization that life goes on, that many survived: Harry, Ginny, Ron, George, Luna, herself... And also, why... then mixed with all these thoughts were thoughts about Snape... Not only was she unable to sort out her feelings for him, putting each on the proper shelf, but she was also much more confused: it had already reached the point where she began to envy Harry’s mother with black envy, which, through some unknown merit, was able to evoke such selfless, long-term devotion. And the worst thing was that almost every night in her sleep she began to see pictures from the professor’s spied memories, only the main character What was happening was not Lily Evans, but she - Hermione Granger. The school year was ending, which meant that she would soon have to leave here forever, without understanding or unraveling this complex and caring person. Snape. Severus Snape. Professor Snape. And what do you want to do with inexplicable feelings that defy any understanding and control?
During all the years of teaching Harry Potter at Hogwarts, Snape was so used to wandering the corridors at night so that, if anything happened, he would be the first to find out where Lily’s restless offspring was going to get himself into again, that all the night shifts, from which other teachers carefully tried to get out of, are still, no matter what. took on the necessity. This year, after the death of Voldemort, the worst possible disaster was couples in love. The main surge of love passions among the younger generation occurred, of course, in the spring. Spring. He both loved and hated spring at the same time. He loved - for Lily and the happiness that she gave him. He hated - also for Lily and his own irreparable mistake, which cost both her and his own life... Lily, Lily, Lily! In spring, there was always only her everywhere: looking at him with her green gaze from every tree, shrouded in the lightest haze of the first sticky leaves, from every clearing where snow-white woods and crocuses appeared, like her delicate skin; spoke to him in the gentle singing of birds in the morning; reminded of herself with the murmur of the first streams, so similar to her ringing, crumbly laughter... Every spring, Snape felt sick: he could not sleep, could not eat, and in any cuddling couple he saw Lily and James Potter... or Lily and himself... That's why he dispersed them, and took off points with special frenzy. He took revenge and mourned: he took revenge for his failed, stolen, and mourned for it.
However, this spring everything was different. Insomnia came to him as usual, but Lily was no longer with him, his heart ached, but did not burst from unbearable burning pain, and his soul was filled with forebodings. Therefore, he caught lovers and imposed penalties on them much less zealously than usual. And today, in fact, it was not his turn to wander through the night corridors, but Minerva’s. And Severus sat calmly in his rooms and read a book until the full silver moon rolled out into the sky in all its glory, filling everything around with its light, as then, in the hospital... What Merlin pulled him into the air, he himself later couldn’t explain - probably the house elves had turned the fireplace too hot that evening... He slipped out of Hogwarts and went to wander around, completely immersed in his own thoughts. His feet, of course, brought him to the Astronomy Tower, the memories of which could not be called rosy. And Severus again imagined Dumbledore falling from this tower, struck by his spell, automatically raised his eyes and... Oh Morgana! In one of the tower windows, turning sideways, hugging her knees and looking somewhere into the distance, sat, bathed in moonlight, was the same fairy he had seen in the hospital! Granger! No, fairy! And Severus was again flooded with that causeless happiness, and he wanted to sing, scream at the top of his lungs, and hug everyone the world simply for the fact that it exists, that it carries such a wonderful fairy tale. He stood frozen and was afraid to move, so as not to frighten off the wondrous vision, whoever it really was - a magical creature or an ordinary person.
The next day, the students noticed that Snape was much more distracted and silent than usual, and even missed two whole sixth-year antics, so outrageous in their insolence that one could with good reason not only remove points, but also impose very unpleasant penalties. And in the evening... in the evening, an incomprehensible force drew him to the Astronomy Tower, where, hiding in the shadows, he again watched in fascination at Granger, languid, flexible and silvery from the moonlight. And again, as if he were a child or an eccentric youth, he felt indecently happy, because he himself was simply living in this world and because of the fairy-tale miracle in the form of young Hermione Granger. Severus returned to his rooms only after Hermione, taking a deep breath, drove away the magic, threw a naughty lock of hair behind her ear with her usual gesture, and quietly slipped out into the corridor, making her way into the Gryffindor common room. And the next night it all happened again, and the next, and the third... Snape was as if enchanted, and it frightened him that he was beginning to feel dependent on these strange half-dates. It was impossible, it was impossible to repeat the story of my feelings for Lily. And what will happen to him when the girl graduates from Hogwarts in the summer and leaves forever?
June this year turned out to be surprisingly hot and dusty, completely unusual for the inhabitants of the British Isles, and only frequent thunderstorms brought the desired freshness and allowed us to breathe deeply with pleasure. The vegetation of the Forbidden Forest clearly liked this weather - the flowers, trees, grass felt as if they were growing in greenhouses under the constant care of Pomona Sprout. However, the heat did not stop the fifth-year students from passing their OWLs, and the graduates from passing their NEWTs. Of course, some of them complained that the examination committee was overly biased and picky because of the weather, and in previous years, much higher marks were awarded for the same exact answers. high scores, but most agreed with the results being “excellent” and “above expectations.” None graduation ceremonies was not expected - the memory was still too fresh of those who could also have graduated from Hogwarts, but instead slept in mass grave on the shore of Black Lake.
Some students needed guidance, and Headmaster McGonagall quickly charged the entire Teaching Staff their writing. To Snape's great surprise, for some reason he got Miss Granger, his little moon fairy, as his ward. It turned out to be easy to praise Hermione on paper, but to put your signature and give everything to the girl was incredibly difficult, because it put a logical end to their never-begun romance. Severus had long ago realized, having laughed bitterly at his ability to choose his affections, that he was in love again and, most likely, again hopelessly and unrequitedly. Miss Granger firmly occupied the place in his heart where before, before his failed death, Lily reigned supreme. Having reached almost last day, he finally pulled himself together, invited the former student to his dungeons and almost solemnly presented the recommendation, muttering some appropriate words for the occasion wishing her further success outside of Hogwarts. And imagine his surprise when Miss Granger, before running away, suddenly stood on tiptoe, kissed him on the cheek and, blushing, whispered:
“Thank you, professor! But I... I don’t want to leave!”
He stood there, stunned for several minutes, touching his cheekbone with his fingertips, where the little fairy kissed him.
Having successfully passed the NEWTs, Hermione realized with deadly clarity that she could not imagine her existence somewhere in the magical world, outside the walls of Hogwarts, she realized that she would simply die, suffocate, if she was forced to leave forever from where people close to her in spirit lived, where , after all, there was him, her favorite professor. She had to admit that she was truly a loved one when, having almost quarreled with Ginny, who, for some unknown reason, suddenly began to admire Lily Potter, she discovered that she was insanely jealous of him for the past and, possibly, the present. Hoping for reciprocity (despite Gryffindor maximalism) seemed the greatest stupidity and unsurpassed impudence. But at least it was worth trying to at least be close, breathe the same air as Snape and, finally, see each other every day. Hermione saw only one opportunity to stay at Hogwarts - to ask to be an assistant to one of the teachers, which was very difficult. The history of Hogwarts, of course, had similar examples, but they were always associated with special circumstances. Hermione could not call her strange love for Snape a special circumstance, even if she wanted to.
However, gradually a certain plan was born in her head, and by hook or by crook she obtained a bottle of Felix Felicis from the personal director’s reserves of Minerva, who was so favorable to her, and then everything turned out to be surprisingly simple. Having drunk the entire bottle at once just in case, Hermione first felt an unprecedented need to communicate with Professor Vector, who always treated the talented student kindly. Word for word - and now Septima herself eagerly began to convince Hermione of the need for more in-depth study charms, and then they went together to Flitwick, who was in unprecedented delight at the prospect of getting Miss Granger as an assistant... And then a real miracle happened in the guise of a corn-eared house elf, coyly informing her that Professor Snape was waiting for her in the next ten minutes in the potions room, to submit the necessary documents. And Hermione rushed through the stairs like a whirlwind, reaching the dungeons not in ten, but in just six minutes, took a deep breath and exhaled several times in front of the treasured door to calm her wildly pounding heart, and with the proper appearance stepped into the domain of her professor. Perhaps she had never seen him like this before: a surprisingly touching and embarrassed Snape, handing her some recommendations and uttering good wishes without his usual causticity. Obeying an unconscious impulse, Hermione walked up to him and pressed her lips to his cheek. Fear and awareness of what she was doing only came over her during the kiss itself. All the blood suddenly rushed to the hot cheeks, and the legs themselves carried it away.That's it, Miss Granger! You've gone completely crazy, or Felix Felicis has some kind of side effect. You have to think of this: kiss Severus Snape himself! Let him hit him on the cheek, but you won’t be able to look up at him later! - She scolded herself, already taking refuge in the safety of the Gryffindor common room.
There she spent all the remaining hours of such a strange, happy, hectic and unpredictable day. But when night fell on the ground, bringing peace and coolness, Hermione suddenly wanted to be at the Astronomy Tower to once again admire the beauty of the landscapes surrounding Hogwarts and put her restless thoughts in order. Slipping through the portrait of the Fat Lady, the girl reached the tower without incident and settled down in her usual place, but for some reason the usual peace did not come; on the contrary, strange images and desires came into her head. It suddenly seemed to her that she had only to spread her arms, push off harder, using the non-verbal “levikorpus”, and she would fly over the silvery glades spread below, to the mysterious lacy trees of the Forbidden Forest, darkening in the distance, to the sparkling metallic shine smooth surface of the Black Lake... And, probably, Merlin took away her mind for a few seconds, because she really suddenly spread her arms, pushed off, clearly uttering a spell to herself, and rushed somewhere up... Only the flight didn’t work out - it did just a slow fall from one of the most tall towers Hogwarts, with her entire short life flashing before her eyes. And the whole being of the Gryffindor excellent student was suddenly pierced by the desperate thought that this was the end of her life that had just begun, which turned into a scream:Carrying within herself for the rest of the day a confusion of feelings and incomprehensible hopes, which Hermione stirred up with her timid kiss and words, after listening to Filius’s proud statement that he was taking from the new school year Miss Granger as his assistant, Severus realized: he simply could not sleep. In such cases, work usually calmed him down best. Therefore, first he brewed several simple potions for the hospital wing (the same ones that Madam Pomfrey could not interrogate from him for a week), and then he remembered that today was one of the most suitable nights for collecting wild herbs growing right in the clearings near the castle. However, even habitual, almost mechanical actions did not bring calm and did not drive out the confusion from his always so clear and harmonious thoughts. Snape reproached himself for the fact that, busy with his worries, he himself did not think of offering Hermione a position as an assistant, because she undoubtedly had a penchant for potions. At the same time, he was glad that such a bright idea came to Flitwick’s head. And now the girl, his moon fairy, who awakened in him an unheard-of and serene joy of life, will remain within the walls of Hogwarts, where she can be seen at least just occasionally, without even counting on anything more. And then the memories smoothly returned to today, such a chaste and tender kiss that Hermione gave him, and a crazy hope for reciprocity suddenly arose in his soul...
So, collecting herbs and reasoning with himself, Severus Snape, completely unnoticed by himself, reached the foot of the Astronomy Tower and seemed to return to one of his most obsessive nightmares - absurdly tumbling in the air, a small figure fell from the tower in the ringing silence, and then cut through the silence a heartbreaking female scream: “No-no!”
He didn’t remember how he jumped over the few meters that separated him from the probable place of his fall, he didn’t remember how he managed to grab his wand and cast a levitating spell, he didn’t remember how he caught the unlucky flyer, and he woke up only when he found an unconscious woman in his arms Hermione Granger. And then, having already dealt with the shock, Snape thanked Merlin with all his heart that this time he was not late and was able to save the life of another Gryffindor, which had unexpectedly become so dear to him.
And then everything was right: the hospital wing and vigils near Hermione’s bed, eloquent glances and half-confession, bouquets and kisses.
Moon fairy tale.
Once upon a time, long ago, far, far away, on the side of the Moon that is not visible even with the most powerful microscope, a little girl was born. Her mom and dad were the moon king and queen. They loved their daughter very much. Every evening, when the stars around them became brighter, they put her in her cradle, covered her with a pink satin blanket, on which gold stars were embroidered, and dreamed about what a wonderful queen she would become when she grew up. I must say that the girl even had her own crown. Quite small, but made of pure gold. It was presented by the most famous Moon Master on the princess's birthday. So they lived in goodness and health until trouble happened. Strange alien ships began to approach the Moon. They flew from a large blue planet, which was visible if you went around the Moon from the other side, from the one where no one had lived for a long time. The local residents, and there weren’t many of them, didn’t like this place because there were various legends about it, sometimes scary. It was rumored that a brother killed his brother here. Who would want to live in such a creepy place? True, some people said that only the Great Moon Mouse lives here, but she doesn’t come to visit and doesn’t show herself to anyone. So, these alien spaceships even tried to land on the Moon. And its inhabitants had no peace from them. Then the king decided that it was necessary to build a large defensive fortress around the Moon. He called his loyal subjects:
- My faithful servants and friends! Our planet is in danger. The sages unraveled the plans of the inhabitants of the Blue Planet. They want to conquer our Moon and settle down to live on it, since soon there will not be a tree or a flower left on their planet. They treat their planet too poorly; will they protect and care for ours? Let's build a reliable fortress and continue to live as we lived.
Every single lunar inhabitant, young and old, boarded their ships and flew off to build a fortress. And ahead of everyone flew the king and queen. They left their little daughter with the princess’s most faithful servant and bodyguard, the Big Moon Cat. He was distinguished by his enormous height, reaching to the ceiling. Slightly shaggy, fiery red in color, and the tail and paws are striped. Despite his appearance, he was very kind and a little absent-minded. I often forgot the kettle on the stove, or ate my favorite apricot jam, and then spent a long time looking for it. But this is because he really loved to dream.
On the day when the king and queen flew away, he promised them to take care of the little princess and dreamed of the soon return of his owners. But his dreams were not destined to come true, since not a week later, not a month later, the ships did not return back. The Moon Cat left the palace, climbed the highest mountain, and peered into the distance for a long, long time with eyes blurred from tears. But even from there no one was visible. The cat stood for a long time on the top of the mountain and wiped away his tears with the tip of his tail; in such sad moments he always forgot about the handkerchief. Then he went to the princess. She always smiled at him, tickled his red mustache and his heart was filled with sadness and love.
Lunar cat.
Back in the days when he was a kitten, and the whiskers on his face were just beginning to grow, and the stripes on his tail and paws were barely noticeable, he knew that the entire clan of Moon cats served faithfully and faithfully royal family. They said that many centuries ago, the great-grandfather Old Moon Cat saved the planet from an invasion of rodents that flew from another planet warring with the Moon. For this he was awarded special permission to attend the royal council and wear a blue ribbon, a sign of a person close to him. royal house. Then the Old Moon Cat was not quite old, his fur glistened in the sun, and his whiskers bravo stood up to the sides. Most of all, Moon Cat wanted to be like his glorious great-grandfather, whose portrait hung in the palace gallery. Years passed and he became the little princess's bodyguard. This honor was given to him taking into account the merits of the illustrious ancestor.
Moon Cat got up early, at five o'clock in the morning, and looked at the twinkling stars for a long, long time, until the last of them disappeared into the morning haze. He dreamed, and I already said that he loved to dream, oh glorious exploits, about a big, big barrel of apricot jam. Sometimes he imagined himself as a captain spaceship, flying off to new, unknown planets.
At seven o'clock he washed himself with moonlight from a large puddle and, having combed his tail, sat down to breakfast. Since taking care of the princess fell on his furry paws, his life has changed. It was necessary to feed the child, put him to bed and tell him fairy tales. It was not entirely difficult, but when the princess learned to walk and it was time to raise her, then difficulties began. The time to dream about exploits became less and less. But maybe this is a feat - to devote your time and life to someone who needs help and forget about own plans? It's impossible to say. that the princess was not obedient. No, she was very obedient, but too restless. She wanted to touch and find out everything. If she was forbidden, then she was offended and cried, so bitterly that the Cat’s heart could not stand it and he was ready to allow anything. But, as you know, children cannot be spoiled! But the most unpleasant thing was that she was drawn like a magnet to where it was absolutely impossible to go - to the OTHER SIDE OF THE MOON. One day, when the poor cat was completely exhausted and dozed off under the warm rays of sunlight, he had a strange dream: as if he was not a cat at all, but a large jar of apricot jam. It shimmers red - brown and the sweet smell spreads far around. It gurgles and foams, and at that moment, when a delicious slice of apricot was about to fall out of the jar, the CAT shuddered and suddenly woke up from a bad feeling. No, not because he turned out to be a cat and not jam, but because of something completely different. He looked around - everything seemed to be in place: the lawn, moonlit yellow flowers, mixed with bright lush gladioli, which the princess simply adores. Here! She was nowhere to be found. The cat called her, looked for her, looked under every bush, stupidly shouted “Ku-ku!”, but all in vain. The princess is missing.
Do you ever have the feeling that something very bad happened and that you yourself are to blame? Happens? So the Cat had exactly this feeling. And he only blamed himself for everything:
---Oh, why did I let her walk for so long! Oh. Why did I doze off? But I haven’t even tried that wonderful jam. Oh, what am I talking about?
The Cat’s despair was great, but he couldn’t give up. This is how his glorious great-grandfather once taught him, and the words of a song that the princess often sang came to mind (and where did she get it from?): “And at the edge of an abyss and in the mouth of a tiger, do not lose courage and believe in happiness. “ By the way, the Cat had difficulty understanding the meaning of this expression. The fact is that when there were still tigers on the moon, they were very small, no larger than an ordinary cat. Some kind of special variety. And to such a giant as Moon Cat was, they almost seemed like hamsters. The question is, why be afraid of those who cannot harm you? But the tigers had something to fear - just make sure they don’t step on you! To avoid accidentally crushing the little animals, Moon Cat clapped his hands and shouted:
-Hey, stripes, I'm coming! And I watched the striped skins of animals flash here and there. “These minke whales just get in the way,” he grumbled. “They prevent decent cats from walking. “But since the tigers were moved to another planet, since the lunar climate did not suit them, the Cat even became somehow bored without them. So when the princess’s song came to Cat’s mind, he became completely sad and lonely. What to do? Where to look? He wandered around the palace and garden for a long time and reached a vacant lot beyond which the Other Side of the Moon began. The entire valley was covered with thick yellow fog, through which it was impossible to even see the stars above your head, much less objects. The cat closed his eyes for just one second and imagined that there might be a little girl wandering around in this pitch darkness. She must be scared in the dark. And the Cat suddenly became very, very scared. No, he was afraid not for himself, but for the princess. Because you are always most afraid for those you love.
“Meow,” the cat shouted again.
“Cough, cough,” someone answered from the fog.
... If cats could fly, or, for example, run fast like tigers and minke whales, or at least faint, then the Cat would probably evaporate, run away, or faint. But since this is not possible - cats, as you know, do not faint, he was simply speechless from fright. And he felt his red fur stand on end. From the outside it looked like a big fluffy ball. An ominous shadow separated from the fog and moved straight towards the cat. When the shadow came very close, the Cat fell onto all four paws, pressed his tail to the ground and prepared for battle. But the shadow was not going to fight. She stopped and hid something behind her. Then a small white and pink one separated from the large shadow and rushed onto the cat’s neck before he began to think anything. And only then, it began to dawn on the old servant, stunned with fright, that this was his beloved girl, and the shadow was none other than the Great Moon Mouse.
--Exactly. - she said. - No education. And I wonder where she got such bad manners (she pointed her chin towards the child). Yes, you are clearly completely exhausted, even your stomach has sunken in and your mustache has drooped. But the child needs to be raised. Any mouse knows from childhood that you need to wash your hands before eating, and after dinner say “Thank you.” “
Probably the Mouse could have talked for a long time, but looking sternly at the cat, she suddenly fell silent, arrogantly pursing her lips. He looked terribly upset. The cat didn't think it was that bad.
“Would you like some tea?” he asked the Mouse uncertainly.
- Yes, if you please. I've been trying to deal with this fidget for over two hours now. But she could have fallen, yes, from the very edge of the Moon. “That’s where I found her,” the Mouse added in a whisper.
“And besides, I have nowhere to rush,” she said to herself.
Moon Mouse.
It is not known how many years she lived on the Moon, maybe a hundred, or maybe a hundred and twenty, but she never, never left the house without an invariably white cap and the same white starched apron. And although it was called the Great Moon Mouse, it was significantly smaller in height than the Moon Cat. Thin, stern, with thin wrinkled paws, she seemed very angry. But first impressions are often deceiving. The Mouse lived very secludedly, in a small, neat house. . She didn’t invite anyone to visit, and she didn’t make friends with anyone. She didn’t like noise and fuss. During the day, she worked in her garden, watering the beds and caring for the plants. For the winter I made my favorite raspberry jam. And while drinking tea, I whiled away the long winter evenings all alone. It is not known where her relatives were and why she lived alone. Yes, no one asked. After all, it’s not good to ask about other people’s secrets...
In general, from that very meeting, the Moon Mouse began to often visit the Cat and the princess. She was strict and adamant in all matters related to the upbringing of the princess: neatness and good manners.
---You need to sit straight at the table and not wave your fork or knife. Wipe off with a napkin. If you cannot get a dish yourself, you need to ask for it to be handed to you. “Don’t forget to say “thank you” and “please,” the Mouse taught the princess. Oh, and this difficult matter is etiquette. But how nice it is to communicate with well-mannered people. So they went day after day. There was still no news from the king and queen. The Moon Cat wiped the dust from the portrait of his great-grandfather and raised the princess, while the Moon Mouse still gave instructions in a voice impatient of objections. And then autumn came. Real lunar autumn. Have you ever seen lunar autumn? Oh, this is a magnificent sight. The leaves on the trees one day turn golden yellow and you will not find a single green or reddish one. It’s as if golden dust has fallen on the planet and covered the gardens, lawns, and it seems that the air has also become golden. On this day came the princess's birthday. Moon Mouse baked a real birthday cake, Moon Cat poured apricot jam into crystal vases, and the little princess was dressed in a beautiful white and pink dress and even her little gold crown. Maybe when many guests come to a birthday party, the holiday is more fun and the songs sound louder, but there was no one to come to the princess except the Cat and Aunt Mouse. The cat gave the girl a large bouquet of autumn flowers, and the Mouse gave her beads made from cherry seeds. After the festive dinner, Moon Cat and Moon Mouse quietly talked while sitting in the garden, sipped tea, and the princess walked nearby and collected a bouquet of autumn leaves.
“I’ve been sitting too long,” said the Moon Mouse, “it’s time to go home.” It will soon start to get dark. - Yes, and it’s time for the girl to sleep. - added the Cat.
They began to call the princess, but she did not respond. They looked for her in the garden, but she was not there either. After a whole hour of searching, the Cat and the Mouse looked at each other tiredly, the same thought came to their minds: “It seems I know where to look. “, - the Mouse said out loud. She headed towards the dark side of the Moon. The cat walked silently behind her. His imagination painted pictures one more terrible than the other. When they, hurrying and stumbling in the twilight, reached the edge of the Moon, they found only a small golden crown there. The princess was not there. The worst assumptions were confirmed:
“She fell, our girl,” whispered the Mouse. And for the first time in long years Moon Cat saw that Moon Mouse could cry. The Blue Planet was visible in the distance, it attracted the eye and seemed to beckon to itself...
Princess.
Have you ever ridden on a swing? Then you know this feeling, when you fly up, it seems that your heart is freezing, and when you fly down, somewhere in your stomach it feels tickling - tickling! The princess felt about the same thing when she fell from the edge of the Moon. She went to look at the same one Blue planet, about which there were so many legends and about which she had heard so much. The girl leaned forward just a little, just a drop and suddenly...
“Oh!,” the princess hit something hard with a painful plop.
At first she wanted to cry, but looking around she was so surprised that she forgot about it. She didn’t yet know where she was, but not on the Moon, that’s for sure. Even the trees here were somehow different - very tall, with thick, strong trunks. And the leaves, the leaves are both yellow and with a reddish tint, and there are also green ones. One tree was completely strange, its branches looked more like paws, and instead of leaves, small green needles stuck out. The princess stood up, came over and touched unusual tree. It was prickly - prickly, but it smelled of something pleasant.
“Where am I?” the girl asked the tree. But it couldn't answer her question. Suddenly she felt very, very sad, she sat down near a thorny tree and tears flowed from her eyes. After all, it is very sad to find yourself alone - alone in an unfamiliar place. Then in the bushes near the tree something rustled, and then an unfamiliar creature appeared - small, red, with a long fluffy tail. Two black eyes glittered on the cunning muzzle. The creature crawled out from behind the bush, looked around and moved straight towards the girl.
“Who are you?” the princess asked the red animal.
---I am a little fox. I live in this forest. Where did you come from? Somehow I haven’t seen you before.
“I’m from there,” answered the princess and pointed to the sky. There, in the distance, the Moon glowed with a pale yellow light. From here it seemed very small and nothing was visible on it, neither a garden nor a palace.
“Don’t you know how I can get back?” the girl asked the little fox.
The little fox scratched his paw behind his ear and thought.
“I think I know who can help,” he finally muttered. “Wait a minute.”
The little fox disappeared into the thicket of the forest. He returned when the sun had already hidden behind the treetops. The little fox and the girl walked deep into the forest along a narrow path for a long time until they came out into a large clearing. Right in the clearing stood a neat little house, more like a hut. She had only one window, small, but even that was covered with a thick curtain.
“Here,” said the little fox, “there lives an old woman who knows everything.” Ask her what you should do, and I ran. And before the girl had time to utter a word, the little red lump quickly disappeared into the forest. The princess looked at the house again. And although there was nothing special about him, her heart sank with a premonition of trouble. The girl approached the house and was just about to knock on the door when an old woman came out. She must have been very old, since her face was completely covered with wrinkles, and her back was disfigured by a hump. On the elongated face there was a large hook-shaped nose, and small, close-set eyes looked attentively and angrily.
“Hello,” the little princess stammered, “I would like to know the way home.” The old woman silently extended her hand and grabbed the girl by the shoulder. Her bony, hooked fingers turned out to be very tenacious. Then, opening the door, she almost pushed the child into the hut. “Just like Baba Yaga from a fairy tale,” the girl suddenly thought.
“Are you probably hungry?” the old woman asked in a squeaky voice. And although her toothless mouth was stretched into a smile, the princess felt uneasy. The old woman handed her a mug of milk. The milk was warm, tasty, but with some kind of sweet aftertaste. With every sip, the little princess’s thoughts became confused, her eyes closed on their own, and she could not remember something very, very important. And the old woman’s cracked voice sounded somewhere nearby, and then began to move further and further away...
When the girl woke up it was already morning. She was lying on a large hard bed, covered instead of a mattress with a mattress stuffed with straw. A piece of old faded fabric served as a blanket for her. The bright sun was shining over the house, the birds were singing in the forest. And everything seemed so peaceful and ordinary, but somehow there was anxiety in my soul. She didn't remember how she got here. And I didn’t remember anything at all. An old woman entered the room and handed the girl a simple gray cotton dress - of blue color, which turned out to be a little long and wide. Then she combed her hair with a wooden comb, braided it into a tight braid, tied a scarf on her head and said:
----Come on, granddaughter, I will arrange your fate. Ha ha ha. They left the house and walked along the path. They walked for a long time and the girl’s legs were already tired. Finally we left the forest and walked along a country road. The shoes and hem of the dress were covered with road dust, and they kept walking and walking. Finally, the walls of a high castle appeared ahead. At the gate of which stood guards armed to the teeth. The old woman walked straight up to one of the guards and whispered something to him. and, lo and behold, they were immediately allowed inside, into a spacious courtyard. There were many different buildings around, small and large. Some were connected to each other using long galleries. And how many different doors were everywhere. And they all led somewhere, but the old woman confidently headed towards one of them, bound with iron and apparently very heavy. She seemed to know well what was behind that door; she knocked loudly on the door with her fist. At the knock, the iron lock clanged, the door opened with a creak, and a round, plump face with a red nose and lively brown eyes appeared from the opening. And then the owner of the red nose herself swam out onto the threshold. She was a very plump woman, not yet old, but no longer young. She wore a long white apron and her red hair was neatly tucked under a large frilly cap. She smelled of fresh bread and pies. It was the royal cook.
“Here,” said the old woman, pointing to the child, “this is my granddaughter.” I give it to you for your service. I'm too old to watch her. Let her work in the kitchen, and I will come once a month for the money she earns. Everything is good. And the old woman hobbled away.
“What’s your name?” the cook asked the girl. But she just shrugged her shoulders; she didn’t remember her name.
“Oh, okay, you’ll be Madeleine,” said the fat woman and bolted the door.
When the castle gates slammed behind the old woman, she whispered gloatingly: “Now you’re not a princess anymore.” My potion helped, she forgot everything. “. And the old witch laughed evilly. You know, it's very sad when you forget who you really are, and your home, and even those you love.
In the castle.
And days after days stretched on, identical as drops of autumn rain. Madeleine, as the princess was now called, lived in the royal kitchen. She cleaned huge cauldrons, washed mountains of dirty dishes, and washed the floors. And the old woman came and took the money she earned. So the years flew by. And although Madeleine lived in the royal castle, she never saw either the king and queen or their son. At night, when sleep fell on the tired girl, she dreamed that some little princess was spinning in a white and pink light dress in the middle of a green lawn, and on her head was a real golden crown. And it felt so good and joyful. It seemed like someone’s voice was repeating one phrase: “Don’t go to the edge of the Moon...”. And then my heart sank with vague melancholy and anxiety. Then the little girl disappeared, and in her place a creepy old woman with a toothless mouth appeared and laughed, her voice sent an icy shiver and Madeleine woke up in horror. But she didn’t understand anything, not a single thing. So more than one year flew by and the little princess, now Madeleine, grew up. She still worked in the kitchen, but she turned into a real beauty. Tall, slender, with golden hair like lunar autumn and gray-green eyes. The hard work had not damaged the skin on her hands; they were white and tender. But there was always sadness in her eyes, even if the girl smiled.
And then one day a big royal hunt was announced. Kings and princes, as well as beautiful princesses, were invited from all four corners of the world. The king and queen decided to marry their son and, under the guise of an invitation to hunt, organize a brideshow. Oh, and a lot of people came to the royal castle! Madeleine has more work, because there are ten times more dirty dishes. But she wanted to take at least a glimpse of the holiday. And now the long-awaited day of the Great Hunt has arrived. Dozens of magnificent horses were harnessed to their best harnesses and gilded saddles. The ladies dressed up in lovely riding costumes and hats with short veils. How many beautiful princesses were around! All this hubbub, cheerful laughter, dog barking, all this cavalcade shining with youth attracted attention and caused kind smiles. Madeleine looked from the kitchen window at all this joyful bustle and she really, really wanted to be there, with them, and especially next to that tall, fair-haired young man in a beautiful green suit, with a gilded ribbon over his shoulder. He had blue, kind eyes and a pleasant voice.
“Your Highness, everything is ready,” a servant ran up to the young man.
--Forward! “, - the young prince commanded and all the participants in the hunt moved towards the castle gates.
“Your Highness,” Madeleine repeated sadly. “And I, I’m just your servant.”
The girl walked up to the cauldron that had been drained to a shine and looked at her reflection. “Oh, why am I so sad, why was I born a servant, where are my parents?” she asked herself. A ray of moonlight penetrated the kitchen window and hit the girl’s face, and it seemed to her, only for one moment, that she was stroked on the cheek with a warm, soft paw. Her heart sank again with aching sadness and she cried bitterly...
...Two days later, the Great Hunt ended, the prince and his guests returned to the castle. A lot of game was brought, everyone returned tired but happy. The hunters boasted to each other about their trophies, they said amazing stories and admired the miracles of dexterity and courage displayed. Most of the talk was about His Highnesses and his prey. The prince managed to catch the most beautiful fox alive. In order not to spoil the valuable skin during the hunt, the young man managed to throw a loop of rope over his hind paw and tightened it with a sharp movement. The caught animal looked hunted and unhappy, and its paw was very sore. But does the winner really care about the feelings of the vanquished? The king and queen came out to greet the hunters and when His Highness bowed in respectful bow before his father. The king solemnly said: “Our beloved son, my mother, the queen, and I will not be able to bear the burden of state power for a long time, therefore we want to eventually transfer the reins of government to you. But for the good of the country and our peace of mind, we would like to see the queen on the throne with you. So you must choose a bride for yourself. In three days you will announce the name of your chosen one, and you will present the skin of this magnificent fox to her as a gift. “It cannot be said that the prince and the fox were happy. Everyone was upset for their own reason. The prince did not want to get married because he did not find a girl after his heart, and the fox did not want to say goodbye to his life. Finally everyone went to the dining room and the courtyard was empty. Madeleine finished her work well after midnight. Having washed the mountains of dirty dishes, she was about to go to bed, her eyes were simply sticking together from fatigue, but then she heard someone outside the window, either a pitiful sigh or a groan. Madeleine opened the door and went outside. It was a moonlit night, there was not a single cloud in the sky and the full moon illuminated the entire yard. The girl listened. Sigh - the groan was repeated. It came from the enclosure where the hunters had placed the captured fox. Then she came closer and saw the animal. The fox lay on the ground, resting his muzzle on his front paws and sighed pitifully from time to time. The girl felt sorry for him: “As lonely as I am.” “, she thought. Returning to the kitchen, the royal maid poured milk into a bowl, crumbled some bread into it and again went to the enclosure.
“Here, eat, poor fellow,” she said to the fox. The fox lapped up the milk and looked at the girl gratefully. Suddenly he pricked up his ears, looked closely at her and said: “Old friend, is that you?” “Madeleine was very surprised; she did not suspect that she understood the language of animals.
“Do you know me?” she asked the fox.
-Don’t you remember, we met when you got lost in the forest. I was then a little fox. She looked at him, but could not remember anything.
“It’s strange,” the fox was now surprised. “What a short memory people have.” I recognized you by the beads on your neck. But Madeleine could not remember where she got these beads from, nor how they met in the forest.
“Very strange,” the fox seemed to think out loud. Suddenly some idea struck him:
“Of course, they helped you” to forget everything!
The next day there was only talk about the upcoming ball and the choice of the royal bride. The servants were discussing the news and it seemed that the celebration had moved to the kitchen. Everyone was cheerful and work was going well. Only Madeleine did not share in the general merriment. Today, from the window overlooking the courtyard, she saw a handsome prince with a lovely black-haired girl, a princess of a distant Northern country, who was destined to be the wife of the young prince. The young man pointed at the fox and promised to give her his trophy on the day the engagement was announced. The fox squealed pitifully, but not a shadow of pity for the poor animal flashed in the eyes of the black-haired beauty. All day and all evening Madeleine was busy with work, and when night fell and everything became quiet around, she carefully opened the door and went out into the street. Approaching the cage, the girl opened the bolt and said to the fox:
----Run, there, at the end of the garden, there is a hole in the wall, you will crawl through. And this is from me to you, as a keepsake. Madeleine took off her cherry pit beads and put the fox around her neck. The limping fox ran in the indicated direction, suddenly he stopped:
“They will punish you for letting me go.” But the girl just waved her hand at him. Maybe this is the most important thing in life - to be able to help someone else in trouble without thinking about yourself? In the morning, when it was discovered that the fox had escaped, a commotion began. They interrogated all the servants and guards, but no one saw anything. But when it was Madeleine’s turn, she didn’t even think about denying it.
“You will be punished,” pronounced the verdict of the chief minister who conducted the investigation. “You will be tied to the pillory and beaten with a whip until the sun sets.” The girl was very frightened, but remained steadfast; she only looked sadly at the prince. He stood and looked at her thoughtfully.
---No, I forgive her.
“Indeed,” said the Queen Mother, who did not like punishment, “let’s not spoil the holiday for our guests.” And besides, the engagement...
But the prince interrupted her:
-Mother, the engagement cannot take place.
An exclamation of amazement ran through the crowd present. The king and queen looked at each other in surprise.
“The fact is,” continued the prince, “that according to our promise, I had to bring the skin of a captured fox as a gift to the bride.” And since he is not there, the engagement cannot take place. Well, for example, until I... catch another fox.
The prince winked slyly at his friends and threw glance at Madeleine and left satisfied with himself. Oh, if only at that moment someone would look at the princess of the North Country! It seemed that her gaze was throwing lightning, and poorly hidden anger distorted her Beautiful face. From that day on, Madeleine began to often meet the young prince in the courtyard. Either he was heading to the stables, where he examined his horses, or he passed by the well when it was drawing water. She would never have allowed herself to be the first to speak to His Highness, but the prince spoke to her himself:
“Where are you from and what is your name?” he asked the girl affectionately.
--- Madeleine, your maid, and I don’t know who my parents were. - she answered timidly, - Probably the same poor people as me.
“If we dressed you in a different dress, you could outshine some queens in beauty,” the prince said with a smile.
At this time, the princess of the North Country came out onto the balcony, she was still staying in the castle, she heard the conversation between the prince and the maid. Her anger flared up with new strength, because it was Madeleine who prevented her engagement.
“Nothing,” she hissed, “there lives an old witch in the forest who, for a hard coin, will agree to get you out of my way.”
Several more days passed, Madeleine was still busy with work in the royal kitchen. She worked tirelessly all day, but sleep did not come to her at all at night. She dreamed about her prince, remembered his gentle voice and eyes the color clear skies. Suddenly, in the middle of the silence, she clearly heard her name: “Madeleine, open up, it’s me...”. The girl stood up and listened. The voice was quiet, but she would have recognized it from a thousand, there was so much warmth and tenderness in it. Madeleine couldn’t believe her ears: the prince is here, is he calling her? She opened the door and at the same moment something dark was thrown over her head, and then strong, tenacious fingers dug into her shoulders and arms. Someone was dragging her in an unknown direction. The bag on the girl’s head prevented her from breathing, and she lost consciousness from the stuffiness and fear.
Foxes.
Madeleine woke up in the forest. She could not move, her arms and legs were tightly tied to the tree with a thick rope. It was difficult for the poor thing to remember how she got here. Yes, of course, she was kidnapped, but by whom and why? And what will happen to her now? Then she saw a whole flock of foxes coming out of the bushes. They sat down around a tree and waited. They sat in silence until a beautiful fluffy fox came out to them, he was limping barely noticeably, and beads made of cherry stones hung around his neck.
“Thank you for saving me,” the fox began solemnly.
“Thank you for saving our brother, our leader,” the other foxes chimed in.
“Our father,” squeaked the smallest fox.
Raising his front paw, the leader ordered everyone to be silent.
“Debt is repayable,” he continued. Then he approached Madeleine and chewed the rope.
---When I met you for the first time, I was like he is a fox pointed with a nod to the little fox, “And you were just a little girl.” You said that you fell from the edge of the moon and that you are a princess. You wanted to go home and I foolishly took you to the old witch. It was she who gave you a potion that takes away your memory, and then sold you as a maid. At your place kind heart, you saved my life, and I must correct my mistake. We will take you to the Fairy.
---Foxes are called cunning, so let our cunning serve a good cause.
The leader fox gave some task to his cub and the little red lump disappeared into the thicket of the forest. The foxes took the girl to the Fairy, who lived by a beautiful forest lake. The water in it was so clean and transparent that you could see the colorful pebbles at the bottom. Many curious fish splashed very nearby, near the surface, and the surface of the water served as a mirror for the Fairy. The Fairy herself was young and beautiful and really, really loved to do good, so she immediately agreed to help the poor girl. And it’s so great when there are people ready to help Hard time. The fairy gave me some kind of potion to drink, so bitter that Madeleine’s eyes welled up with tears. But the medicines that the doctor prescribes when you are sick are not always sweet. The spell of the evil witch dissipated and Madeleine remembered, remembered everything, everything. Her childhood, her bodyguard, Aunt Mouse, and like a heavy stone fell from her soul. Madeleine cried, but not from grief, but from joy, she found herself.
“I want to go home.” The girl looked pleadingly at the Fairy. But the Fairy did not yet know how to help her, because, as we said, she was still very young and did not know all the intricacies of magic. Moreover, Madeleine came to Earth from another time. “A little bit into the past,” as the Fairy put it. But she promised to learn and bring the princess home. When you have hope, even the slightest, of seeing those you love, life becomes much easier. The little fox brought a child's white and pink dress, the same one that the princess wore on her birthday, he managed to steal it from the old witch as his father ordered. Fairy touched with a magic wand and the dress, lo and behold, just fit Madeleine! The girl's old shoes turned into a pair of white elegant shoes.
“Would you like to see anyone else?” the Fairy asked with a smile.
----Today there is a ball at the palace, go towards your happiness.
The fairy seated the girl in her carriage, drawn by four of the fastest horses, and waved goodbye. Magic horses either galloped across the ground or rushed over it like the wind. A few minutes later Madeleine's carriage was already driving through the gates of the royal castle.
Hundreds of candles burned in the huge ballroom, illuminating everything around as if it were day. The musicians, positioned on the balcony so as not to disturb the dancers, played cheerful music. Near the massive golden throne, trimmed with scarlet velvet, where the king and queen sat, stood a pensive prince. He listened absentmindedly to what his father was saying. It seemed as if his thoughts were hovering somewhere very far away.
-Finally choose a bride, son. Let it be a princess North Country., - said the king.
-Yes, let it be. “I don’t care now,” answered the prince.
Madeleine entered the hall just at the moment when the music died down and the king said in a solemn voice:
-And now, my son, show us your chosen one.
The prince slowly moved forward and headed towards the princess of the North Country, who proudly raised her head and smiled at him. But suddenly a light, barely perceptible sigh attracted his attention. The young man turned his head and stopped in surprise. At the entrance to the hall stood a dazzling beauty in a white and pink dress. There was something painfully familiar in her gray-green eyes.
“Madeleine,” the young man said, not believing his eyes. -I've been looking for you so much.
She moved towards him and everyone made way for them. So along the living corridor they approached each other without noticing anyone around. The music started playing again and His Highness invited his Princess to dance. Couples were circling around them, and they couldn’t get enough of each other. They met so that they would never be separated again. A ray of moonlight came through the window and barely touched Madeleine’s hair when everyone gasped. A whisper of surprise ran through the hall; a small golden crown glittered on the girl’s head.
Epilogue.
So the fairy tale about the little Moon Princess ended. She was happy with her prince because she really wanted it. They gave birth to two wonderful boys - two princes. But what happened next and whether they met the Moon Cat is a completely different tale.
IN close proximity from home - supermarkets, kindergartens, schools. There are public transport stops within a five-minute walk.
Architects and designers developed the building design in accordance with modern building codes and the latest technologies housing construction. So, technical solution the house involves the construction of block sections of the house in a monolithic frame. External walls are multi-layered: on the inside - brickwork, upper layer- thermal insulation, finishing layer - thin-layer plaster of the “CERESIT” type. Interior partitions are made of brick, which provides better sound insulation. The fencing of the loggias is made using facing bricks, and the glazing is made using aluminum profiles. All apartments and entrances are equipped with plastic windows with double-glazed windows, designed specifically for weather conditions Siberia.
Typical floors will be filled with studio apartments ranging from 26 to 39 square meters. m, one-room apartments - 52 sq. m, two-room apartments - 76 sq. m and three-room apartments - 100 sq. m. For the first time in the Berdsky microdistrict, you can live in two-story apartments - from 60 to 112 sq. m. m equipped with terraces and French glazing. The upper floors offer a magnificent view of the city streets and neighborhoods and the Ob Sea, which is only a 15-minute walk away.