© Natalia Dmitrieva, 2021

© International Writer’s Union, 2021

Natalia Dmitrieva

Natalia Dmitrieva grew up in a small northern town, constantly swept by sea winds. She lived in the vibrant Pervomayskaya Street, along which the Vyg River, running into the White Sea, noisily and cheerfully jumps over the rapids. After school, Natalia worked as a Pioneer Leader, Correspondent and Local Radio Announcer. She graduated from the Faculty of Philology of the University and moved to the city on the banks of Volga River, where she teaches the Russian Language and Literature to children.

The writer lives in a protected area of the city, which preserves the charm and architecture of the XIX century. The metallic roof of her wooden house with a mezzanine always sings very loudly in the rain. It is just impossible not to write at least one tale here! Moreover, having talked to some birdlings in their sms language, Natalia realized that they had to be moved to “greater, stronger, more honest and freer” branches and began to write books for children and their parents.

Advice from the Author

“…and what is the use of a book,” thought Alice, “without pictures or conversations?”

(Lewis Carroll “Alice in Wonderland”)

The book you are holding in your hands is intended for joint communication between an adult and a child. How to make this communication productive?

Advice 1.Remember that sometimes the simple words are incomprehensible to a child. Stop reading and find out what is a window leaf, weather vane, calm, aboriginal. What do expressions like an enchanted circle or bring you to the surface mean?

Advice 2.Be sure to make conversation stops.

For example, why does a cloudlet appear on the window? How does the rain become a cloud again? What does a merchandiser do? Or what is “unselfish love”?

Advice 3.Take part in events together with the heroes.

Come up with a sequel to the fairy tale of a beautiful flower or suggest your own version of saving the little dragon. Explain to Tomboybreeze why he was in trouble. Help Alinka figure out the name of the village where the brothers Breezes lived ^[1].

Advice 4.Create illustrations for fairy tales.

Do not mix up the colors when painting the houses of the seaside town. What color are the shutters in the yellow house? And which ones are in blue?

I wish you creative success!

Natalia Dmitrieva

The first rain

Friend or enchanted circle

Alinka ran a finger over the glass. The droplet obediently slid after it, then overtaking, then again, as if glued. The girl spread out her hand, began to smear the thin silver paces with concentration. But they did not obey, continuing to wriggle like transparent snakes. Alinka was snuffling with zeal. The window was covered with a light cloud, which quickly disappeared under the diligent hand, but on the other side of the barrier, the picture did not change: it was as if strange seaweed had joined the sky and the earth together. They swayed incessantly, sometimes smoothly, sometimes breaking. They seemed to be transparent, but because of them, everything lost its own color. At first, very funny rainbow lights flashed outside the window every now and then, as if millions of small fireflies were starting a merry carnival. But this carnival was going on and on and on, and the lights stopped being funny, and they somehow dimmed, and everything around faded with them… Alinka moved from her chair to the windowsill and pressed her forehead against the glass.

Don't be angry, Alinka. Don't be sad.

– Really?! “Don't be angry,” – the girl sighed resentfully. – You feel good, you walk all the streets! And because of you, I stay at home all day long. I want to go out too.

– But I'm not here forever, and I haven’t been there for a long time. Haven’t you missed me?

– How can I miss you, please? I can die of boredom with you!

– But I saw you looking at me. You were interested. See how the leaves on the trees rejoice at me, all the blades of grass and flowers offer me their tops and palms…

– "Tops and palms", – Alinka turned away from the rain and sat down more comfortably. – You're lying! No one is happy to you – all the flowers are closed from you, all the birds are hidden and everyone is waiting you to finally stop. You're boring to everyone! Understand? My mother tells me that a person can't be a meddler. And you're a meddler!

– But I'm not human.

– So what! This is even worse! I can't even talk to you, you don't understand anything, all you know is that you go and go and go, and you don't go anywhere. It's not fair!

– Who are you talking to now, then? You are talking with me, aren’t you?

– I don't know! Probably, I am not talking with you. They don't talk to the rains! There's nothing to talk about with them!

– It is very sad. I thought we were going to be friends…

– Be friends?! And why do I need a friend who walks where he wants and how much he wants, and I sit at home alone and I am bored?

– Do you want me to tell you stories?

– What stories? Do you think I'm a little child? And what kind of stories can you know? You only know how to tramp the mud!

– And you know, Alinka, when I get offended, I can't leave right away: I keep crying and crying, stronger and stronger, sadder and sadder… Although I have seen a lot of things in the world, I am almost eternal. When the cloud that I need to shed here to water the soil is over (the plants have no mouths, and they can only drink by taking moisture from the soil with their roots), only then the sun will come out and I will leave. But I won't disappear! Many, many magical adventures will happen to me, and then I will become a cloud again. But it won’t be at the same moment! Do you know that during thousands and thousands of years, in different streams and rivers, light weightless clouds and heavy thunderclouds, I have flown around our planet hundreds and hundreds of times and have seen and heard a lot of interesting things…

– I don't understand everything you've told me, but you should know that I'll ask my dad and bring you to the surface. Well, if you're going to cry all the time here, I won't hurt you – it isn't worth the effort… No, well, it's just an enchanted circle: in order you to leave, I have to be friends with you, so that you don't get offended. And in order to be friends with you, I need you to stay. And if you stay here, I won't be able to be friends with you! Well, actually… All right, I'll be friends with you. Firstly, friends should always tell the truth, and secondly, they have to respect the wishes of each other! I'm telling you the truth: I want you to stop. So if you're my friend, you'll leave. And also, please come at night, but don't come during the day. Well, you can, when I'm being punished or I get sick – friends help each other and visit each other in a difficult moment. Well? Why aren't you talking? You're not offended, are you? I have been just sharing my thoughts with you as a friend.

– But I thought that people don’t forget their friends. You remember, Alinka, about five years ago we went for a walk together. I was so glad that you didn't run away from me like other children, hiding under mother’s umbrella. You spread your hands like pink leaves, and looked at the drops, then you began to wash your cheeks and eyes. So funny! Your mother wanted to hide you from me under an umbrella, but you were running away from her and laughing. You squatted down by one of the puddles and looked at how the droplets were splashing into it. I had so much fun with you! We were happy together, like real, real friends. And I presented you a rainbow. The first rainbow of your life. I looked into your eyes and admired their reflection. Don't you remember this?

– I don’t remember. But my mother told me that when I was little, I did not like to walk under an umbrella, and always ran out and started catching droplets… But was it you?

– Of course, it was me. And in the spring, at the farewell matinee in the kindergarten, do you remember when Serezhka said that you had a stupid hairpin? How we used to cry together when you walked home alone and held your face up to me and whispered: "It's not me crying, it's you, rain…" And then you sat here, on this windowsill, and told me that I was good, because no one guessed how offended you were. After all, you specifically put on this hairpin then, to please to Serezhka. Now you know that he likes you very much, and then.

– How do you know all this? And he doesn't like me at all! And you're lying on everything! And I don't like him at all, not even a bit! And it was not for him…

– Alinka. I never and never tell anyone else's secrets to any single person. And how many of them I know! Don't worry, they're just boys. And not just boys! You know, people often say and do things that they don't really want to do.

It just happens that way. Sometimes a person wants no one to guess about his feelings, and sometimes – so that someone will certainly guess, only himself, without any hint. Now, do you believe that I can do more than just tramp the mud?

– But how is it so? How can it be? Here you are now so boring (I'm sorry, but it's true), so cold, so gloomy, I'm so tired of you. How can it be that the warm and cheerful one who gave me the rainbow, and the sad and sensitive one who cried with me, are the same rain? It doesn't happen that way! Are you lying to me?

– No, I'm not lying. Why doesn't it happen so? After all, the little girl who loved to splash through puddles and catch raindrops, and the one offended and misunderstood by the most wonderful boy in the world, and this prickly one who wants to command everyone and is angry that the world does not obey her rules, is also that Alina. Is not it so? Now I'll tell you one secret. I didn’t leave to annoy you. I just knew from the very beginning that you were such a shrew and prickly (I'm sorry, but it's true), such a haughty person is just today, because you're in a bad mood. Because I thwarted your plans: after all, today is the day off and you… Don't frown. Still, I think that a friend can be trusted with a secret? Listen up! He's sitting on the windowsill right now, too, and he's mad at me! Yes, yes! But by tomorrow, he will have time to really miss you. Just don't give me away. And tomorrow, don't let on that you're guessing. Well, maybe just a little bit.

– Rain, honey, how do you know it? Is it true? Really?

– Well, how can I not know? Do you think I see only one of your windows? I can see Sere- zhka's window just as well as yours, and I can see many, many other things. Now, I hope you understand that I have come here not to annoy you? It's just my job. I wanted to say to you at parting that if your friend is angry with you today, he is still the same one who has amused and helped, you just need to be patient. I waited. You're not mad at me anymore. And I'm leaving.

– How are you leaving?! Don't go, please, we're friends. Really, we are friends. I'm sorry I have forgotten everything! No, I didn't even forget – I just didn't know it was all you. It's so hard to understand! I'm not an adult yet, after all! Don't get offended, please!

– I don’t get offended: this is not easy for an adult to understand. Trust me. But I have to go…

– Don't go, please! Let's talk to you again. I didn't know it was so interesting to talk to the rains! How can you leave me here alone? I'll take offense at you.

– It is really an enchanted circle! You'd better go and ask your dad to tell you about the magical transformations of rain. If he has no time, see how the droplets will shine, gradually evaporating, how the puddles will disappear first from the ground, and then even from the asphalt. And then.

– Then what? Then what? I can't hear you! – Alinka got up on her knees and opened the window leaf. Will you come back?

She thought she was going to burst into loud, loud tears, right through the open window leaf, all over the street. He will hear it, come to his senses, and be sure to come back and tell about Serezhka's secrets and much more. How it is interesting to talk to the rain! Alinka looked up at the evening sky. It was strange to see that it was light outside. It was as if the evening ended and morning came instead of night. How beautiful it was all around! Everything was just shining, so bright, so fragrant, that it made me feel a little dizzy.

So many different sounds woke up! Only the sound of the rain was a little lack… Alinka got to her feet and leaned out of the window leaf, trying to reach the branch closest to the window. "Will you come back?" – she touched the leaf and gently shook it, as if saying goodbye to someone by the palm of her hand. The branches swayed, droplets rolled to the edges of the leaves, and little rain whispered, "Of course, I'll be back! I'm practically eternal. I'm leaving, but I'm not disappearing…»