Bunny
1 In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, in a high white tower at the very top, there lived a Bunny.
The lights were burning in the turret, and it was light, warm, and cozy.
As soon as the sun rose to the dome and the Golden Comb Cockerel appeared in the garden, the old cat Kotofey Kotofeich came to Bunny. Kotofey jumped into the crib and carefully woke up the sleeping Bunny with his velvet paw.
Bunny's blue eyes woke up, Bunny braided her light braid. Kotofey Kotofeich sang songs. This is how the day began.
The little bunny jumped and the little white one danced. A frog-frog with a broken leg2 jumped with her, two woolly squirrels danced. And the ugly Germ3 squatted in the corner, clapped his hands and rang the silver bell.
That's fun, that's fun!
And dinner is ready, but you can’t seat Bunny at the table.
Kotofey Kotofeich tied a napkin for the Bunny, and the Bunny began to eat a roasted hare and a singed goat, and to smooth it over “Koshchey’s navels”4, so sweet, so tasty, crimson and amber, their whole mouth would stick.
Here the Croaked Frog caught flies for himself, and the Hairy Squirrels gnawed nuts.
But then the red sun set behind Drum Skin’s house, the old woman Buroba walked past the turret, carrying Buroba a huge sack over her shoulders.
God forbid he turns Burob into a turret! Buroba will go up the stairs, take Bunny in a bag, take it with him and eat it.
Which children do not go to bed, Buroba collects in a bag.
Kotofey Kotofeich was already walking around the crib, warming Zaika’s downy thoughts with his mustachioed muzzle, making him sleepy.
The bunny began to yawn and asked to go to bed.
A worm crawled out of the hole. The Worm grew, swelled, puffed up, turned into a huge scary worm, then fell off, became small and crawled like a worm into its hole.
Kucherishche5 appeared in the window, propped up Kucherishche’s cheekbones with his fists, and ate Zaika’s toys.
And Bunny unraveled her light braid, took off her dress and stockings and lay down in bed bye-bye.
And the ugly Fetus rose from around the corner, climbed into the lantern, and blew into the light. And the light became a light from Zaikin’s fingernail.
Vasyutka, Kucherishchev’s little son, was singing a subtle song in the pipe, a sleepy song.
So the evening ended, the night began.
At night, Bunny often caught fish.
And the next morning the old cat Kotofey Kotofeich sneezed and did not sing any songs.
And poor Bunny was frozen with fear: the old woman Buroba was splashing and stomping up the stairs with a huge sack on her shoulders, Buroba was making her way upstairs to Bunny.
Which children catch fish at night, Buroba collects in a bag.
2
On holidays, when the Golden Crest Cockerel sang loudly, and the Clucking Hen laid a golden egg and the sun shone brighter and brighter in the turret, Kotofey Kotofeich’s godfather, the Scarecrow, crawled out of the vent.
The Scarecrow walked on his head in front of the Bunny until lunchtime - the Bunny was tearing up all her bellies with laughter, and after lunch the Scarecrow sat down on the pole with Kotofey Kotofeich, and they began a conversation.
Bunny listened, but couldn’t understand anything.
The scarecrow kept talking about rats, and mice, and little mice. And Kotofey Kotofeich purred under his breath.
Once Kotofey Kotofeich says to his godfather:
- Stuffed animal, pea-cake, I’m in trouble with Bunny, and that’s all! You can see for yourself that she’s all worn out, her elbows are torn, her stockings are all in holes, and the lace on her panties is long gone; they’re all shabby.
“Eh, godfather, godfather,” answered the Scarecrow reproachfully, “why didn’t you say ahead of time: Wolf Tail came to me yesterday, offered Tail a jar of gold, but what do I need gold for, I’m a Scarecrow without gold.”
“Maybe he’ll come again?” the Cat purred. “We didn’t have a roasted hare, or a singed goat, we didn’t have anything for lunch today, and you won’t be satisfied with Koshchei’s “navels” alone, and there’s nothing left of all the “navels.”
The Scarecrow became thoughtful and said to Kotofey:
- So, godfather, when you really go after the mice, look into my vent, there I will whisper something in your ear.
Little Bunny went to bed early, but her eyes were still awake - they were watching, and her ears were still awake - listening.
Then a worm will appear from the hole.
Then Vasyutka will beep in the chimney.
- Order some beef, some beef! - Vasyutka squealed from the pipe.
So Bunny walked around all the time.
Already Kotofey Alexey Mikhailovich Remizov (1877 - 1957), Russian Soviet writer, experimented in the field of form, used archaic syntax and vocabulary
The pipe of the skins lit a cigarette, the Bunny sniffed and turned her blue eyes far, far away: straight to the pond... to catch fish.
And Kotofey Kotofeich jumped from the crib and quietly to the vent.
The Cat called the Stuffed Animal. He stuck the Scarecrow out of the vent. And they whispered for a long time.
3
The next morning Kotofey Kotofeich did not sneeze, did not sing songs, Kotofey equipped his Bunny for the journey.
The cat said to the bunny:
- Little white bunny, go, my chicken heel, into the dark forest, keep going straight, straight, and you will have Baba Yaga’s hut. You can look into Yaga’s window, but don’t enter the hut. Yaga will notice you without the invisibility hat and want to eat you. You better walk diagonally past the hut along the path, climb through the rose hips, don’t be afraid, you won’t scratch your fingers. That's it, Bunny, that's it, little white one! The Gagana bird will meet you, say hello to the bird: Gagana will give you bird's milk. Eat some milk and get back on the road. By midnight you will come to the dungeon, don’t knock on the door, but climb straight up the tree and wait to see what happens. Listin the mole rat will pass by the tree and rustle its leaves, don’t be afraid: Listin is not scary, Listin only likes to scare. A white-sided magpie will fly past the tree, a horned goat will gallop by, don’t be afraid: the goat won’t hurt, wait for what will happen next. Twelve black robbers will come out of the dungeon, you listen to what the robbers say, write their words on your nose, and when the robbers disappear, go down into the dungeon and say what they said.
The Bunny said goodbye to Kotofey Kotofeich, said goodbye to the Croaked Frog, said goodbye to the Hairy Squirrels, said goodbye to the ugly Fetus and the Worm from the hole.
Everyone accompanied Bunny to the very last step, returned to the turret, and everyone went about their business.
The frog frog was catching flies; The woolly squirrels were gnawing on nuts; The embryo clapped his hands and rang the silver bell; The worm crawled out of the hole, grew, inflated, turned into a huge scary worm, then fell off, became small and crawled into the hole like a worm.
And Kotofey Kotofeich walked around the turret with a hatchet, putting everything in order, hemming and ironing, otherwise he would climb into Zaika’s crib and wash away the guests there with his paw.
Every evening everyone sat in a circle, drank tea, blew on the saucer, and remembered their little white Bunny.
Vasyutka, Kucherishchev’s son, was bored and whistling in the chimney.
- Bunny-Bunny, come back and turn over! - Vasyutka whistled from the pipe.
Kucherishche ate toys in the window.
4
As Kotofey Kotofeich said, that’s how it all turned out. Before the Bunny had time to look around in the forest, she came across a Bear and a Peasant: The Bear and a Peasant9 stood on a stick, forged iron, sang songs. The Bunny greeted the Little Bear and moved on. Bunny walked, walked and saw: there was a hut on chicken legs, on dog heels. Bunny looked through the window, and Baba Yaga was sleeping in the hut, with her long ears spread out: one ear instead of a pillow, and the other, like a blanket, covering her head. The Bunny showed her nose to Baba Yaga with her fingers, and rather diagonally along the path. The Gagan bird flew out of the rose hips and hit the ground with its red wing. The Bunny greeted Gagana, took a jug of bird's milk from the bird, drank the milk and then set off on her way.
Here the Bunny sees a dungeon, she approaches the door, and the door made of human bones creaks and glows. The Bunny was afraid of the tree. She climbed up, waited, and pricked up her ears.
Listin the mole rat passed, rustled the leaves, the White-sided Magpie flew by, the Horned Goat galloped, a little sister-star fell from the sky, and a door made of human bones dissolved, - the Bunny’s veins trembled, - and twelve black robbers came out of the dungeon, and the robbers said in one voice:
- Stuffed animal-pea-cake, bring the shuttle, sweep the pole!
And immediately the dungeon door closed.
The robbers stood and yawned for a month. The robbers said in one word:
- Stuffed animal-pea-cake, bring the shuttle, sweep the pole!
And immediately the dungeon door opened.
And when the robbers disappeared, the Bunny jumped from the tree and repeated all the words of the robber.
And the door opened again, and Bunny entered the dungeon.
The Bunny sees a huge crystal hall, there are jars in the corners, goldfish are swimming in the jars. Bunny wanted to catch at least one fish, but she changed her mind. She walked up to the seven-screw table. On the seven-screw table there is a black box, on the black box there is a towel embroidered with multi-colored silks, and a little white Mouse with a tail is running around on the towel. The Bunny greeted the Tail Mouse, and the Mouse gave her a golden key. The Bunny accepted the golden key from the Mouse and unlocked the box. And as soon as she opened the lid, her little eyes started running: the whole box was full of beaded purses to the very top. Bunny took one wallet with little blue flowers - she really liked the wallet, Bunny wanted to put it in her purse, and suddenly gold and nuts fell out of the wallet. Bunny grabbed the gold, and twelve black robbers got up from their place and gave the entire box to Bunny.
- Stuffed animal-pea-cake, bring the shuttle, sweep the pole! - said Bunny in a robber style.
The door opened.
And Bunny was like that.
5
The whole tower rose to its feet when the Golden Comb Cockerel shouted about the little white Bunny:
- The Little White Bunny is running home!
Everyone went down the stairs and met Bunny on the threshold.
They kissed the little white one, strangled the little heel: everyone was so happy.
And Bunny can barely catch her breath, she’s flushed, all out of breath, all her panties are down, dragging along the ground, and her hair is fluffed up.
The Bunny handed the box to Kotofey Kotofeich and said to the Cat:
- Here's a find for you, Cat, figure it out!
And she sat down to sit down, like someone killed, right there on the spot and fell asleep.
And Bunny slept for three whole days and three nights without waking up.
Scarecrow came out of the vent and began walking on his head in front of the Bunny. He sees the Scarecrow, does not pay attention to him, the Bunny jokes with Kotofey Kotofeich and again climbs into the vent.
Kotofey Kotofeich grabbed the gold and began to count. I counted the day, and counted the next, I lost count, and nothing came of it.
The Cat ran to Drum Skin for some measure.
“Give me a measure,” he says, “for a minute.”
- Why do you need a measure? - asks Drum Skin.
- “Koshcheev’s navels” count.
“Okay,” Drum Skin grinned, “I’ll give you a measure, just make sure you don’t lose it.”
And she thinks:
“The matter here is not pure, who considers “Koshcheyev’s navels” to be a measure - “belly buttons” are sold in boxes for pounds!”
And in order to find out more accurately what the Cat was going to measure, Skin coated the bottom of his measure with sticky honey.
Kotofey Kotofeich took Shkurkin's measure and went home to the turret.
And the Cat measured, measured, measured, measured - there was no end in sight.
And when he measured out to the last gold piece, he took the measure to Drum Skin, bought dresses and toys, dressed up the Bunny and sat down to quietly wash away the guests.
Then he began to dance in the turret, at least take the image out of the house.
They didn’t dance, but raged. The most different of all was the Frog-Frog, the Frog got so bad that in the evening he knocked off another leg of himself and was left with only two hind legs.
Well, the Scarecrow, needless to say, tried his best - the Scarecrow didn’t hit his face in the dirt: walking on his head, the Scarecrow rubbed a callus on his very nose.
That's fun, that's fun!
But Drum Skin didn’t blink. When Kotofey Kotofeich brought her the measure, Skin looked at the whole measure with all her eyes and found gold at the very bottom - the gold stuck to the honey.
And Skin decided to find out where such wealth came into the hands of the Bunny.
Drum Skin has lived in this world for many years, Skin's chests are filled to the brim with gold, and she has never seen or heard such gold in her life: not simple gold, but silver!
And Drum Skin began to send two of her henchmen to the little white Bunny: Artamoshka the vile and Epifashka the tasty.
6
The nose is hooked, the head is a knot, the belly is a box, and the whole thing is sinewy and pushy—that’s what Artamoshka and Epifashka were like.
The first time they arrived at the turret just before dawn. Another time - at dusk, the third time - late in the evening, and they got into the habit. And the dirty guys live day and night, there is no end.
They will come to the turret, sit in the kitchen and beg. Unwashed, unkempt, it’s a passion to look.
The burns took pity on Bunny.
Bunny tried to send them mushrooms and sorrel, but it didn’t help, they kept trying to get their own, they still begged. They pity Bunny even more.
And Bunny began to let them into the rooms.
And once they got into the rooms, there was nothing you could do to survive them.
The little bunny jumps, the little white one dances, and they wander around the turret like crazy10, touching everything, sniffing everything, otherwise they will start playing their games: either they treat each other with their faces on the table, or they throw themselves out the window, such were Artamoshka and Epifashka.
The old cat Kotofey Kotofeich warned the Bunny:
- Oh, Bunny, oh, little white one, don’t hang around with these striped ones: this gang is staggering, it won’t be of any use, remember my cat’s faithful word... They know Buroba, they call them Aunt Buroba, I heard it myself, they also ate your shoe the other day, or maybe they’ll do something else, oh, Bunny, oh, little white one!
And Bunny laughs.
- You old grumbler, you should keep grumbling, you’d better go and trample the mice.
“I can’t trample on mice anymore,” Kotofey Kotofeich sighed sadly and again began to scold Bunny.
Once Bunny sat down in the bath to wash. Kotofey Kotofeich washed her head and sang bath songs. And such a sin happened: caustic soap got into the Cat’s eye.
Kotofey Kotofeich went into the kitchen to wash his eyes, and Artamoshka and Epifashka knocked on Bunny’s bath.
- Tell me, tell me, Zainka, where do you get those multi-colored beaded wallets from, and where does the gold come from, not just plain gold, but silver?
The bunny blurted out everything with her tongue.
Kotofey Kotofeich returned from the kitchen, and Artamoshka and Epifashka were gone.
And from that time on, they disappeared from sight, striped, as if the earth had never worn them.
Bunny confessed to Kotofey Kotofeich.
Kotofey Kotofeich became alarmed.
- We are lost, we are all lost! - Old Cat kept repeating one thing.
The Bunny will wake up at night to drink, call Kotofey Kotofeich, but the Cat is not at the crib: Kotofey Kotofeich whispered all night long with the Scarecrow-Chumichel, to his godfather he confided his grief.
Every holiday, as always, the Scarecrow crawled out of the vent, walked around on his head in front of the Bunny until lunch, and after lunch, sitting on a pole with Kotofey Kotofeich, both talked about the same thing and thought in different ways about how to get the Bunny out of trouble: not without reason the striped ones came, they'll do a lot of things, you won't get around to it.
- We are lost, we are all lost! - repeated the old Cat.
7
Artamoshka and Epifashka rubbed their hands with pleasure: so deftly they tricked Bunny and pulled her snub nose.
The burns received an old dog kennel as a reward from Drum Skin to eat. They sat in the kennel, feasted and licked their lips.
And Drum Skin reeled in the striped ones’ conversation and, without hesitation, set out on a campaign to get the box: to get herself a black box with not simple, but silver gold.
And the same thing happened to Drum Skin as with the little white Bunny.
Skin came to the dungeon at midnight and climbed a tree.
Twelve black robbers came out of the dungeon, the robbers stood there, yawned for a month, said a spell and disappeared.
- Stuffed animal-pea-cake, bring the shuttle, sweep the pole! - Drum Skin repeated the robber’s words.
The door opened and Skin entered the dungeon.
Shkurka walked around the entire crystal hall, looked at everything and touched everything, took the black box from the seven-screw table and to the door.
But the door doesn't open.
And Shkurka drummed, banging on the door with all her might.
But the door doesn't open.
In her haste, Skin forgot the robber spell.
And the robbers got up from their place, surrounded the Skin and crushed it all.
And the Drum Skin turned into leather, and they made boots and shoes from the leather, and the Skin went to scurry along the pavements and rub its feet - the Skin was lost.
8
Bunny's name day coincided with the news - the flies said that Drum Skin had turned into leather.
Kotofey Kotofeich ran to Shkurka’s house, but didn’t find a single soul in the house: Artamoshka and Epifashka slipped away into the forest and built a nest for themselves, live and live, do dirty tricks and confuse people.
They celebrated the name day in the tower for three days, and the feast went on like a mountain.
On the third day, when Kucherishche had gorged himself on toys, and Scarecrow the Scarecrow had lost his head, old woman Buroba sneaked unnoticed into the turret and, amid the commotion, put all the goods in her bag.
And the Bunny lost her silver gold, and her black box, and her beaded wallets.
Only the next morning they started going back and forth, yes, it’s clear that whatever happens, it can’t be avoided.
Well, at least it’s like something has sunk into the water!
Kotofey Kotofeich walked gloomily, tied a leg at the table11 and again and again began to look for the loss.
- Didn’t it fall somewhere! - the Cat purred.
And out of despair, the Cat died for a minute and walked around gloomy again.
At night Kotofey Kotofeich called to the Scarecrow. The scarecrow did not respond for a long time.
- Is it difficult for you, godfather, without a head? — the Cat condoled.
— Passion is difficult, God forbid.
“And I brought you some mouse ointment, godfather. You anoint your neck and it will go away.”
— I apply it, it doesn’t help.
- And we, godfather, have a misfortune.
- Heard.
- Think, godfather, help me out.
- OK.
The Cat walked away from the warm vent, walked up and down the entire turret, touched the bolts to see if they were holding tightly, calmed down and began to purr.
Kucherishche sat in the window, choking, and no longer ate toys.
The ugly Fetus roared with laughter and rolled around in a flashlight.
And the light was naughty: it would flare up, then it would not be seen.
And the old woman Buroba was splashing and stomping up the stairs with a huge bag over her shoulders, fumbling in the darkness of Buroba, aiming at the turret, rising on her toes, quietly approaching the door, unlocking the heavy bolt with a magic key, opening the door...
- Kitty Kitty! - Bunny cried with fear.
Which children love to cry, Buroba collects in a bag.
9
Kotofey Kotofeich and the Stuffed Animal racked his brains a lot: they felt sorry for the little white Bunny, Bunny had neither beaded purses, nor a roast hare, nor a singed goat, nor “Koshchei’s belly buttons,” and Bunny’s face became so sad, her eyes were teary.
And Kotofey and Scarecrow decided: Bunny should go to the dungeon again and do everything she did the first time, and then everything will go like clockwork - there will be a black box, there will be beaded wallets, there will be not simple gold, but silver.
- Just look, Bunny, be careful! — the Cat admonished his Bunny.
Not so.
Bunny didn't take a step and got into trouble.
Well, Bunny looked into Yaga’s window, well, that’s good, she should have gone further, no, she couldn’t resist. She wanted to take a closer look. The Bunny opened the door and walked into the hut. And that wouldn’t be anything, it wouldn’t be so bad, otherwise you’d go ahead and pinch Yaga’s ear. Yaga woke up, Yaga got angry, Yaga sat down in the mortar and immediately chased after the little white Bunny.
My God, what has the poor thing suffered! And Bunny lost her way, and Bunny lost her purse, and she got hungry and was chilled all over. Thank you, the horned goat came across the way, otherwise you might as well lie down and die, that’s how it is! The Goat was going butting, spotted a Bunny under a bush, fed the Bunny milk, took it to her back and onto the road and carried it out.
That's what she is - a horned goat!
Bunny walked, walked, came to the dungeon, climbed a tree. Twelve angry black robbers came out, said a spell and disappeared.
- Stuffed animal-pea-cake, bring the shuttle, sweep the pole! - said Bunny in a robber style.
And when the door opened and the Bunny found herself in the dungeon, the Bunny clapped her hands with joy: everything was still standing in its place - the seven-screw table, the black box, and the jars with goldfish.
The Tail Mouse recognized the Bunny and rushed to the Bunny with a golden key. The Bunny took the key from the Mouse, and she wanted to catch a fish in advance, only one, the smallest one. And when Bunny caught the fish, Buroba was right there.
“Oh,” he says, “I got it!”
Here the Bunny folded her hands into a cross and put them in a jar directly to the fish.
And she swam like a fish, not a Bunny.
10
Twelve young months were born, and one after another twelve clear ones they were born on the left. On the left side the horned months were shown to the old cat Kotofey Kotofeich. And the Cat sighed heavily.
Months foreshadowed bad things: there was no Bunny, the little white Bunny did not return to her turret.
And the Squirrels left the roasted nuts to gnaw, rushed into the forest to look for the Bunny, but the Squirrels were not there, and the Mossies did not return to the turret.
And the frog-frog was sitting in Zaika’s bed under Zaika’s thought, croaking.
- Kitty Kitty! - someone called like Bunny during the long nights.
- Scarecrow-pea-cake, help me out! - Kotofey Kotofeich meowed pitifully, and did not lag behind Scarecrow.
But the Scarecrow, smeared with mouse ointment, without a head, could not invent anything.
- My godfather, something like a mouse’s head is breaking through, and I’m afraid you’ll catch me and eat me.
“I won’t eat you,” the Cat swore, “I’ll die on the spot, I won’t eat you, just help me out!”
- OK.
There was something wrong in the turret; it was empty: no chatter, no talking, no laughter.
Only Vasyutka, Kucherishchev’s little son, whistled in the pipe, whistling shrilly.
And the night came, clung to the window with dark shaggy hairs, obscured the light, and Kotofey Kotofeich still sat at the window, depressed, not taking his eyes off, looking at the road.
Kucherishche was sitting in the window.
The Cat became attached to Kucherishche, and Kucherishche to the Cat.
Both looked at each other.
- Convince me, Demyanich! - the cat meowed.
Kucherishche grinned:
- Give it time, Kotofeich, everything will work out.
And the Worm silently crawled out of the hole. The Worm grew, swelled, puffed up, turned into a huge scary worm, then fell off, became small and crawled like a worm into its hole.
- Kitty Kitty! - someone called, like Bunny, out of the night, sad and pitiful.
The light in the flashlight melted.
11
Early, before the Golden Comb Cockerel had even oiled his head, Kotofey Kotofeich came out of the turret to help out his Bunny.
All the way, at the instigation of Kucherishch Demyanich and Scarecrow-Chumichel, the Cat walked sedately, making intelligent speeches. He didn’t bypass anyone, he ate bread and salt with everyone. Kotu met two Goats-rams12 on the way, the Goats-rams hit each other with butting foreheads. The cat didn’t forget Kozlov, he meowed to the bearded one. He spent the night with Baba Yaga and ate rat tails with Yaga. I sat for an hour or two with Artamoshka and Epifashka, examined their nest, and cheated a little.
- The bunny is swimming like a fish now, she caught it! - the striped ones said sarcastically.
- And I’ll eat it! - the Cat encouraged.
- Don’t eat it!
“I’ll eat it, and I’ll eat it very simply!”
- How can you eat it? The robbers are watching over her!
- Well, let them keep watch for themselves.
“Perhaps the Goat...” Artamoshka scratched himself.
- Of course, Goat! - Cat picked up confidently, as if he knew what was going on.
- Will the Goat give you some cold water? - Epifashka doubted.
“It won’t be a matter of water, Gagana promised!” - said Artamoshka.
Word by word, the Cat found out all the ins and outs.
Artamoshka and Epifashka promised the Cat golden mountains, went to see the Cat off, and took him to another road: not to the dungeon, but deliberately again to Zaykina’s tower.
That's what they are, striped!
The Cat was already lost and lost, only on the eighth night the Cat came to the dungeon.
Everything, as usual, twelve black robbers came out, the robbers said a spell and disappeared.
- Stuffed animal-pea-cake, bring the shuttle, sweep the pole! - the Cat said like a robber and entered the dungeon.
The Cat entered the dungeon and tucked its tail.
Twelve black robbers greeted the Cat unkindly.
“Go, Kotofey,” said the robbers, “go, Kotofey, I’ll get you home while you’re safe, we don’t have any self-interest here for you.”
- And Bunny? - the Cat meowed.
- Bunny! - the 13 robbers balked: - We will never give you Bunny! Our little bunny swims like a fish, and we all marry her: she’s so white, a little white thing.
“Well, at least you treat me to tea, and I’ll tell you a fairy tale,” as if the Cat had given up.
The robbers agreed, ordered the samovar to be brought, and they themselves sat around the Cat, their mouths open.
The cat took a bite, took a breath, and said.
The Cat was telling a long, long tale about some Chinese apples and a Chinese merchant, a confusing tale without an end, without a beginning.
The robbers listened, listened to the Cat and fell asleep. And as soon as the robbers fell asleep, the Cat overturned the cup on a saucer, and went around the banks to look for the Bunny.
- Kitty Kitty! - Bunny called quietly.
Kotofey Kotofeich guessed it, caught the Bunny with his paw, wrapped it in a handkerchief and put it in his pocket and put it in his pocket.
And the robbers sleep, see nothing, hear nothing.
Then Kotofey Kotofeich grabbed the black box and said the spell and remember his name.
- Eh! - Dear Kotofey reproached his Fish Bunny.
- Yes, Kotofey Kotofeich, I only wanted to catch one fish, the smallest one.
- Well, I became a fish, God forgive me! - the Cat sneezed and did not stop.
The Bunny could barely catch her breath, so quickly did the Cat rush to the turret.
And only when the star sister from the Christmas tree looked at the Cat, the Cat sat down to sit for a while.
Kotofey Kotofeich took a handkerchief out of his pocket, unfolded the handkerchief, and called to the Horned Goat.
The Horned Goat came running and gave the Fish Bunny some cold water. And the Fish Bunny turned into a real little white Bunny.
“The danger, my friends, is over: the robbers went crazy with anger and gave chase... but in the wrong direction.”
“Well, thank you, Horned Goat,” the Cat thanked, “come and visit us when you want to butt the Bunny.”
“Okay, I’ll come in sometime,” answered the Goat, “but it’s better this way, I’ll walk you home now.”
So the three of us set off: the cat Kotofey, the Bunny and the Horned Goat.
There was a lot of fear and apprehension: they lost their way, and they sensed pursuit, and Buroba’s steps trampled.
Artamoshka and Epifashka got into trouble and plotted their own intrigues in revenge on the Cat.
12
Extraordinary joy, inexpressible joy! The travelers have reached the tower!
Smoke poured out of the turret like a rocker.
Again dancing, again laughter, again songs.
The Hairy Squirrels came running, brought a bag of roasted nuts, the Scarecrow crawled out of the vent, the Croaked Frog jumped up with two hind legs, the Worm crawled out of the hole, the Wolf Tail himself appeared, the Tail smiled, dangling.
And the ugly Fetus squatted down in the corner, hit his hands, and the round dances began.
They led round dance after round dance, they were exhausted.
And the Goat gored everyone, and again they went into the forest for a maple leaf, only the Goat was seen. And Kotofey Kotofeich almost ate the Stuffed Animal: such a seductive mouse face grew on the Stuffed Animal!
“Eh, godfather,” Scarecrow scolded the Cat, “didn’t I tell you that you would want to eat me?!”
The cat apologized.
Kucherishche was sitting in the window, eating toys, shaking his head.
That's fun, that's fun!
They forced Bunny to sleep in his crib - they got so excited and out of their minds.
And they feasted for three days in Zaykina’s tower.
On the fourth day in the morning, the old cat Kotofey Kotofeich came to Bunny, touched Bunny with his paw, and said to Bunny:
- Let me go, Bunny, let me go, little white one, to walk around the world from the tower, I nursed you, Bunny, I nursed you, it’s time for me to be free.
Bunny wiped away her tears with her finger, stroked Kotofey Kotofeich’s fur and said:
- How can I live without you, Kotofey Kotofeich, Buroba will eat me.
- He won’t eat, Bunny, he won’t eat, little white one, where is she? Well, the old one will come, just call, and I’ll return to the turret.
She kissed Bunny Cat on the face, pulled out her favorite beaded wallet with a peacock from her new bag, and gave it to Kotofey Kotofeich as a souvenir.
- Little white darling, my Bunny! — the touched Cat shed a tear.
So Kotofey Kotofeich left Zaikin’s turret and went for a walk around the world with a stick.
And Bunny was left alone in the turret, Bunny put gold on her fingers, took afta14 from the Germ - such paint, smeared the afta on the board and began to paint her own portrait.
The old Cat will come, Kotofey will return to the turret, and the Bunny will give him the portrait.
- Afta-afta! - Vasyutka, Kucherishchev’s little son, barked in the chimney like a little dog, guarding the turret.
The cockerel, a golden comb, sang the vociferous songs of a rooster at dawn.
And the sun played over the turret so cheerfully, like spring.
—
1 Bunny. Children's eyes are blind and attentive. For them, it seems, there is not a corner in the world that is unfilled; everything around is teeming with lives, which later, as they become more conscious, will either dissipate or settle into their firmly defined places. Without separating sleep from wakefulness, children interfere with day and night, when they are led not by their mother and nanny, but by Sleep. Every night, Sleep comes to the crib and takes them for a walk to their fields with their friends. The familiar faces of games and toys live their fullest lives at night, and this is reflected in children’s attitudes toward objects in daytime when they eat. In broad daylight, Kostroma will suddenly appear, and the sun will begin to set, and you’ll see Buroba dragging along with his bag, and when it gets completely dark and somewhere in the corner a worm starts to stir, begins to grow, and begins to make you sleepy.
2 The frog frog with a broken leg is a porcelain frog with a broken leg.
3 An embryo is like a person from a bubble, when you inflate it, it will swell, but when the air comes out, it will squeak and curl up into a nasty colored film.
4 “Koshchei’s navels” - bulldeg. Box - 25 kopecks. Children's favorite food is boiled chicken navel, and the name navel is transferred to sweet candies.
5 Kucherishche is a nutcracker toy. This monster sits with his mouth open, and in front of him is a box with a handle, if you twirl the handle, a little man crawls out of it and straight into his mouth. And no matter how much you turn, the little man keeps coming out, and the monster swallows him. Such a toy is depicted in “The ABC” by Alexander N. Benois. Ed. Procurement expeditions of states. papers St. Petersburg, 1905.
6 Vasyutka, little son Kucherishchev - the wind in the pipe.
7 The Eider bird is a mythical bird that gives bird's milk, the eider. To gag - to cackle.
8 Listin the mole rat lives in the forest, all made of leaves. There is also Listina Baba, a toy: the body is made of moss, and instead of arms there are fir cones, and there are real bast shoes on the legs.
9 The Bear with the Man is a wooden toy. The Bear and the Man are mounted on two sticks, and there is an anvil between them. If you move the sticks in different directions, then the Man and the Bear alternately hit the anvil with a hammer. The toy is depicted in “The ABC” by Alexander N. Benois.
10 Troubles - gloomy, on your mind.
11 I tied a table leg - there is a sign: in order to quickly find something lost, you need to tie a table leg, and the lost thing will be found.
12 Two Goats-Rams - a wooden toy made on the model of a Bear and a Man.
13 They balked - they became stubborn.
14 Afta is the paint used to paint self-portraits, according to Zaika.
