Gianni Rodari. Traveling the Blue Arrow

Gianni Rodari

Traveling the Blue Arrow

Gianni Rodari La freccia azzurra

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Part one

Signora five minutes to the baroness

The fairy was an old lady, very well-bred and noble, almost a baroness.

“They call me,” she sometimes muttered to herself, “just a Fairy, and I don’t protest: you need to have condescension to the ignorant. But I am almost a baroness; decent people know this.

“Yes, Signora Baroness,” the maid assented.

“I’m not a 100% Baroness, but I don’t miss her so much. And the difference is almost imperceptible. Is not it?

“Invisible, Signora Baroness. And decent people do not notice her ...

It was just the first morning of the new year. All night long Fairy and her maid traveled on the rooftops, delivering gifts. Their dresses were covered with snow and icicles.

- Light the stove, - said the Fairy, - you need to dry your clothes. And put the broom in its place: now you don't have to think about flying from roof to roof for a whole year, and even with such a northerly wind.

The maid put the broom back in place, grumbling:

- A pretty little business - flying on a broom! This is in our time when airplanes were invented! I have already caught a cold because of this.

- Prepare me a glass of flower broth, - ordered the Fairy, putting on her glasses and sitting in the old leather chair that stood in front of writing desk.

“Just a minute, Baroness,” said the maid.

The fairy looked at her approvingly.

“She is a little lazy,” thought Fairy, “but she knows the rules of good manners and knows how to behave with the lady of my circle. I will promise her to increase wages... In fact, of course, I will not increase it, and so there is not enough money. "

I must say that the Fairy, for all her nobility, was rather stingy. Twice a year she promised the old maid to increase her wages, but she confined herself to only promises. The servant had long been tired of hearing only words, she wanted to hear the jingle of coins. Once she even had the courage to tell the Baroness about it. But the Fairy was very indignant.

- Coins and coins! She said, sighing. - Ignorant people only think about money. And how bad it is that you not only think, but also talk about it! Apparently teaching you good manners is like feeding a donkey with sugar.

The fairy sighed and buried herself in her books.

- So, let's sum up the balance. Business this year is unimportant, money is not enough. Still, everyone wants good gifts from the Fairy, and when it comes to paying for them, they start bargaining. Everyone tries to borrow money, promising to pay later, as if the Fairy is some kind of sausage maker. However, today there is nothing to complain about: all the toys that were in the store have sold out, and now we will need to bring new ones from the warehouse.

She closed the book and began to print out the letters that she found in her mailbox.

- I knew it! She said. “I run the risk of getting pneumonia by delivering my goods, and no thanks! This one did not want a wooden saber - give him a pistol! Does he know that a pistol costs a thousand lire more? Another, imagine, wanted to get an airplane! His father is the doorman of the courier of the secretary of a lottery employee, and he had only three hundred lire to buy a present. What could I give him for such a pittance?

The fairy threw the letters back into the box. She took off her glasses and called:

"Teresa, is the broth ready?"

- Ready, ready, Signora Baroness.

And the old maid handed the Baroness a steaming glass.

- Did you pour a drop of rum in here?

- Two whole spoons!

- I would have had enough and one ... Now I understand why the bottle is almost empty. Just think, we bought it just four years ago!

Sipping a boiling drink in small sips and managing not to burn herself, as only old ladies can do, Fairy wandered through her little kingdom, carefully checking every corner of the kitchen, shop and small wooden staircase that led to the second floor, where there was a bedroom.

How sad the store looked with drawn curtains, empty windows and cabinets, piled up boxes of no toys and heaps of brown paper!

- Prepare the keys to the warehouse and a candle, - said Fairy, - we need to bring new toys.

- But, Signora Baroness, do you want to work even today, on the day of your holiday? Do you think someone is coming to shop today? After all, New Year's Eve, Fairy's Night, has already passed ...

- Yes, but until the next new year's eve there are only three hundred and sixty-five days left.

I must tell you that Fairy's store remained open throughout the year and its windows were always lit.

Thus, the children had enough time to take a liking to this or that toy, and the parents had time to make their calculations in order to be able to order it.

Besides, there are also birthdays, and everyone knows that children find these days very suitable for receiving gifts.

Now do you understand what the Fairy is doing from January 1st until the next New Year? She sits behind a shop window and looks at passers-by. She looks especially closely at the faces of the children. She immediately understands whether they like it or not. new toy, and, if you don't like it, removes it from the window and replaces it with another.

Oh, signors, something has now attacked me with doubt! It was like that when I was still little. Who knows if the Fairy now has this shop with a window lined with toy trains, dolls, ragdogs, guns, pistols, figures of Indians and puppets?

I remember him, this Fairy shop. How many hours did I spend in front of this window, counting the toys! It took a long time to count them, and I never had time to count to the end, because I had to take the purchased milk home.

Showcase fills

The warehouse was in the basement, which was just below the store. The fairy and her maid had to go down and up the stairs twenty times to fill the cabinets and display cases with new toys.

Already on the third voyage, Teresa was tired.

“Signora,” she said, stopping in the middle of the stairs with a large bundle of dolls in her hands, “Signora Baroness, my heart is beating.

- This is good, my dear, this is very good, - answered the Fairy, - it would be worse if it no longer beat.

“My legs hurt, Signora Baroness.

- Leave them in the kitchen, let them rest, especially since you can't wear anything with your feet.

- Signora Baroness, I do not have enough air ...

- I did not steal it from you, my dear, I have enough of mine.

Indeed, it seemed that the Fairy never gets tired. Despite her advanced age, she jumped up the steps, as if dancing, as if springs were hidden under her heels. At the same time, she continued to count.

“These Indians bring me two hundred lire each. Even, perhaps, three hundred lire. Now the Indians are very much in vogue. Don't you think this electric train is just a miracle ?! I will call it Blue Arrow and I swear I’ll give up the trade if from tomorrow hundreds of childish eyes will not devour it from morning to night.

Indeed, it was a wonderful train: with two barriers, with a train station and the Chief Station Master, with the Machinist and the Chief of the Train wearing glasses. After spending so many months in the warehouse, the electric train was covered with dust, but the Fairy wiped it thoroughly with a rag, and the blue paint sparkled like the water of an alpine lake: the entire train, including the Station Master, the Train Master and the Engineer, was painted blue.

When the Fairy wiped the dust from the Machinist's eyes, he looked around and exclaimed:

- I can see at last! I have the impression that I was buried in a cave for several months. So when do we leave? I'm ready.

“Calm, calm,” interrupted the Train Master, wiping his glasses with a handkerchief. “The train won't move without my order.

The Train Master counted his stripes. He had four. Then he counted the Station Master's stripes - five. The Train Master sighed, hid his glasses and fell silent. The Stationmaster paced up and down the display case, waving a wand that gave the departure signal. In the square in front of the station, a regiment of tin riflemen with a brass band and the Colonel lined up. A whole artillery battery, led by the General, was located a little to the side.

Behind the station was a green plain and hills were scattered. On the plain around the chieftain, who was called the Silver Feather, the Indians camped. At the top of the mountain, the riding cowboys held their lassos at the ready.

Above the roof of the station, an airplane swayed suspended from the ceiling: The pilot leaned out of the cockpit and looked down. I must tell you that this Pilot was made in such a way that he could not get to his feet: he had no legs. It was the Sitting Pilot.

Next to the airplane was a red cage with a Canary named Yellow Canary. When the cage was gently rocked, the Canary sang.

In the window were also dolls, a Yellow Bear, a rag dog named Button, paints, Constructor, a small theater with three Puppets, and a fast two-masted sailing ship. The Captain walked nervously on the captain's bridge of the sailing ship. Out of absent-mindedness, only half of his beard was glued to him, so he carefully hid the beardless half of his face so as not to look ugly.

The Stationmaster and the Half-Bearded Captain pretended not to notice each other, but perhaps one of them was already about to challenge the other to a duel in order to resolve the issue of high command in the window.

The dolls were divided into two groups: some sighed at the Station Master, others cast tender glances at the Half-Bearded Captain, and only one black doll with eyes whiter than milk looked only at the Sitting Pilot and at no one else.

As for the rag dog, he would love to wag his tail and jump for joy. But he could not show these signs of attention to all three, and he did not want to choose someone, so as not to offend the other two. Therefore, he sat quietly and motionless, and he looked a little silly. His name was written in red letters on the collar: "Button". Maybe it was called that because it was as small as a button.

But then an event occurred that immediately made me forget both jealousy and rivalry. Just at that moment, the Fairy lifted the curtain - and the sun rushed into the window in a golden cascade, causing everyone to fear terrible, because no one had seen him before.

- One hundred thousand deaf whales! Snapped the Half-Bearded Captain. - What's happened?

- For help! For help! - the dolls screeched, hiding behind each other.

The general ordered to immediately turn the cannons towards the enemy in order to be ready to repel any attack. Only Silver Feather remained unperturbed. He took a long pipe from his mouth, which he did only in exceptional cases, and said:

- Do not be afraid toys. This is the Great Spirit - the Sun, everyone's friend. See how the whole square cheered up, rejoicing in his arrival.

They all looked at the display case. The square really sparkled under the sun's rays. The jets of the fountains seemed fiery. Gentle warmth penetrated through the dusty glass into the Fairy's shop.

- Thousands of drunken whales! The Captain muttered again. “I’m a sea wolf, not a sunny one!

The dolls, chatting happily, immediately began to accept sunbathing... However, the sun's rays could not penetrate into one corner of the shop window. The shadow fell just on the Machinist, and he became very angry:

- It had to happen so that I was in the shadows!

He peered out the window, and his keen eyes, accustomed to staring at the rails for hours on long journeys, met a pair of huge, wide-open eyes of a child.

It was possible to look into these eyes, as one looks into a house when there are no curtains on the windows. And, looking into them, the Engineer saw a great unchildish sadness.

Strange, thought the Blue Arrow Driver. - I have always heard that children are funny people. All they know is that they laugh and play from morning to evening. And this one seems to me sad, like an old man. What happened to him?"

The sad boy stared at the window for a long time. His eyes filled with tears. From time to time, tears rolled down the cheek and disappeared on the lips. Everyone in the window held their breath: no one had yet seen the eyes from which water would flow, and this surprised everyone very much.

- A thousand lame whales! - exclaimed the Captain. - I will enter this event in the logbook!

Finally, the boy wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket, went to the store door, grabbed the handle and pushed the door. A dull bell rang out, which seemed to be complaining, calling for help.

Half-bearded captain excited

“Signora Baroness, someone has entered the store,” the maid said.

The fairy, who was combing her hair in her room, quickly went down the stairs, holding hairpins in her mouth and pinning her hair on the way.

- Whoever it is, why doesn't he close the door? She muttered. - I did not hear the call, but immediately felt a draft.

For the sake of solidity, she put on her glasses and entered the shop with small, slow steps, as a real signora should walk, especially if she is almost a baroness. But seeing in front of you poor dressed boy, who was crumpling his blue beret in his hands, she realized that the ceremony was unnecessary.

- Well? What's the matter? - With all her appearance, the Fairy would like to say: "Speak quickly, I have no time."

- I ... Signora ... - whispered the boy.

Everyone froze in the window, but nothing was heard.

- What did he say? - whispered the Chief of the Train.

- Shh! - ordered the Chief of the Station. - Do not make noise!

- My boy! - exclaimed the Fairy, who felt that she was beginning to lose patience, as whenever she had to talk to people unaware of her noble titles. - My dear boy, I have very little time. Hurry up or leave me alone, and best of all write me a good letter.

“But, signora, I have already written to you,” the boy hastily whispered, fearing to lose courage.

- Oh, that's how! When?

- About a month ago.

- Let's see. What is your name?

- Monty Francesco.

- Quardicciolo ...

“Um… Monty, Monti… Here, Francesco Monti. Indeed, twenty-three days ago you asked me for an electric train as a present. Why just a train? You could ask me for an airplane or an airship, or better yet, a whole air fleet!

“But I like the train, Signora Feya.

- Ah, my dear boy, do you like the train ?! Do you know that two days after your letter your mother came here ...

- Yes, I asked her to come. I asked her so: go to the Fairy, I have already written everything to her, and she is so kind that she will not refuse us.

- I'm not good or bad. I work, but I cannot work for free. Your mother didn't have the money to pay for the train. She wanted to leave her old watch in exchange for the train. But I can't see them, this watch! Because they make time move faster. I also reminded her that she still has to pay me for the horse she took last year. And for the top, taken two years ago. Did you know about this?

No, the boy did not know that. Moms rarely share their troubles with their children.

“That's why you got nothing this year. Do you understand? Don't you think I'm right?

“Yes, signora, you are right,” muttered Francesco. “I just thought you forgot my address.

- No, on the contrary, I remember him very well. You see, I have it written down. And one of these days I will send my secretary to you to take money for last year's toys.

The old maid, who had listened to their conversation, upon hearing that they had named her secretary, nearly fainted and had to drink a glass of water to catch her breath.

- What an honor for me, Signora Baroness! She said to her mistress when the boy left.

- Good good! - Fairy muttered gruffly. - In the meantime, hang a sign on the door: "Closed until tomorrow" so that other annoying visitors do not come.

- Maybe lower the curtain?

- Yes, perhaps omit it. I see that there will be no good trade today.

The maid ran to obey orders. Francesco was still standing outside the store, his nose buried in the window, and he waited, not knowing why. The curtain came down and almost hit him on the head. Francesco buried his nose in dusty curtain and sobbed.

In the window, these sobs had an extraordinary effect. One after another, the dolls also began to cry and cried so hard that the Captain could not stand it and swore:

- What monkeys! Have already learned to cry! - He spat on the deck and grinned: - A thousand slanting whales! Cry over the train! Yes, I would not trade my sailboat for all the trains of all railways the world.

Great Leader Silver Feather took the pipe out of his mouth, which he had to do every time he wanted to say something, and said:

- Captain Half-Beard does not tell the truth. He's got very excited about the poor white child.

- What am I? Explain to me, please, what does “excited” mean?

- This means that one side of the face is crying, and the other is ashamed of it.

The captain chose not to turn, as his beardless half of his face was actually crying.

- Shut up, you old rooster! He shouted. “Otherwise I’ll go downstairs and nibble you like a Christmas turkey!

And for a long time he continued to spew out curses, so colorful that the General, deciding that the war was about to begin, ordered the cannons to be loaded. But Silver Feather took the receiver in his mouth and fell silent, and then even dozed off sweetly. By the way, he always slept with a pipe in his mouth.

The stationmaster doesn't know what to do

The next day, Francesco returned, and his sad eyes were fixed on Blue Arrow again. He came on the second day and on the third. Sometimes he stopped at the window for only a few minutes and then, without turning around, ran away. Sometimes I would stand in front of the window for long hours. His nose was pressed against the glass, and his fair forelock descended over his forehead. He looked affectionately at the other toys, but it was clear that his heart belonged to the wonderful train.

The Stationmaster, Trainmaster and Engineer were very proud of this and with important species looked around, but no one took offense at them for this.

All the inhabitants of the shop window were in love with their Francesco. Other children came, who also looked at the toys for a long time, but the inhabitants of the window almost did not notice them. If Francesco did not show up at the usual time, the Stationmaster nervously paced up and down the rails, casting anxious glances at his watch. The captain spewed curses. The sitting Pilot leaned out of the airplane, risking falling, and Silver Feather forgot to smoke, so that his pipe went out every minute, and he spent whole boxes of matches to re-light it.

And so all the days, all the months, the whole year.

The fairy received daily whole bundles of letters, which she carefully read, making notes and calculations. But now there were so many letters that it took half a day just to open the envelopes, and in the window they realized that the day of gifts - the New Year - was approaching.

Poor Francesco! Every day his face became more and more sad. Something had to be done for him. Everyone was waiting for the Blue Arrow Station Master to suggest something, suggest an idea. But he only took off and put on his beret with five stripes, or looked at the toes of his boots, as if he had seen them for the first time.

Button idea

Poor Button. Nobody ever paid attention to him, because, firstly, it was difficult to understand what breed he was, and secondly, he was silent all the time like a fish. Button was timid and afraid to open his mouth. If any thought crossed his mind, he hesitated for a long time before communicating it to his friends. However, with whom could he speak? The dolls were too elegant lords to pay attention to a dog of god knows what breed. The lead soldiers would not have refused to talk to him, but the officers, of course, would not have allowed them to. In general, everyone had some reason not to notice the rag dog, and he was forced to remain silent. And do you know what came of it? He forgot how to bark ...

This time, too, when he opened his mouth to explain his brilliant idea to them, there was such a strange sound - in between a cat's meow and a donkey's roar - that the whole shop window burst into laughter.

Only Silver Feather didn't laugh, because reds never laugh. And when the others had finished laughing, he took the pipe out of his mouth and said:

- Signors, listen to everything that Button has to say. The dog always speaks little and thinks a lot. Who thinks a lot is a wise thing to say.

Hearing the compliment, Button blushed from head to tail, cleared his throat and finally explained his idea.

- This boy ... Francesco ... Do you think he will receive any present from the Fairy this year?

“I don’t think so,” the Stationmaster replied. “His mother never came here, and she doesn't write any more letters — I always keep a close eye on the mail.

- Well, - continued Button, - it seems to me, too, that Francesco will receive nothing. But I honestly wouldn't want to see any other boy.

“Me too,” said the three Puppets, who all spoke in unison.

- What do you say, - continued the dog, - if we present him with a surprise?

Chapter I. SIGNORA WITHOUT FIVE MINUTES OF BARONESS

The fairy was an old lady, very well-bred and noble, almost a baroness.

“They call me,” she sometimes muttered to herself, “just a Fairy, and I don’t protest: you need to have condescension to the ignorant. But I am almost a baroness; decent people know this.

“Yes, Signora Baroness,” the maid assented.

“I’m not a 100% Baroness, but I don’t miss her so much. And the difference is almost imperceptible. Is not it?

“Invisible, Signora Baroness. And decent people do not notice her ...

It was just the first morning of the new year. All night long Fairy and her maid traveled on the rooftops, delivering gifts. Their dresses were covered with snow and icicles.

- Light the stove, - said the Fairy, - you need to dry your clothes. And put the broom in its place: now for a whole year you don't have to think about flying from roof to roof, and even with such a northerly wind.

The maid put the broom back in place, grumbling:

- A pretty little business - flying on a broom! This is in our time when airplanes were invented! I have already caught a cold because of this.

“Prepare me a glass of flower broth,” the Fairy ordered, putting on her glasses and sitting down in an old leather chair in front of the writing table.

“Just a minute, Baroness,” said the maid.

The fairy looked at her approvingly.

“She's a little lazy,” thought the Fairy, “but she knows the rules of good manners and knows how to behave with the lady of my circle. I will promise her to increase her salary. In fact, of course, I will not increase it, and so there is not enough money. "

- Coins and coins! - she said, sighing, - Ignorant people only think about money. And how bad it is that you not only think, but also talk about it! Apparently teaching you good manners is like feeding a donkey with sugar.

The fairy sighed and buried herself in her books.

- So, let's sum up the balance. Business this year is unimportant, money is not enough. Still, everyone wants to get from the Fairy good gifts and when it comes to paying for them, everyone starts bargaining. Everyone is trying to borrow money, promising to pay later, as if the Fairy is some kind of sausage maker. However, today there is nothing to complain about: all the toys that were in the store have sold out, and now we will need to bring new ones from the warehouse.

She closed the book and began to print out the letters she found in her mailbox.

The fairy threw the letters back into the drawer, took off her glasses and called:

"Teresa, is the broth ready?"

- Ready, ready, Signora Baroness.

And the old maid handed the Baroness a steaming glass.

- Did you pour a drop of rum in here?

- Two whole spoons!

- I would have had enough and one ... Now I understand why the bottle is almost empty. Just think, we bought it just four years ago!

Sipping a boiling drink in small sips and managing not to burn yourself, as only old ladies can do.

The fairy wandered through her little kingdom, carefully checking every corner of the kitchen, shop and small wooden ladder that led to the second floor, where there was a bedroom.

How sad the store looked with drawn curtains, empty windows and cabinets, piled up boxes of no toys, and heaps of brown paper!

- Prepare the keys to the warehouse and a candle, - said the fairy, - we need to bring new toys.

- But, Signora Baroness, do you want to work even today, on the day of your holiday? Do you think someone is coming to shop today? After all, New Year's Eve, Fairy's Night, has already passed ...

- Yes, but there are only three hundred and sixty-five days left until the next New Year's Eve.

I must tell you that Fairy's store remained open throughout the year and its windows were always lit. Thus, the children had enough time to take a liking to this or that toy, and the parents had time to make their calculations in order to be able to order it.

And besides, there are also birthdays, and everyone knows that children find these days very suitable for receiving gifts.

Now do you understand what the Fairy is doing from January 1st until the next New Year? She sits behind a shop window and looks at passers-by. She looks especially closely at the faces of the children. She immediately understands whether they like or dislike a new toy, and if she doesn’t like it, she takes it off the window and replaces it with another.

Oh, signors, something has now attacked me with doubt! It was like that when I was still little. Who knows if the Fairy now has this shop with a display case lined with toy trains, dolls, ragdogs, guns, pistols, figures of Indians and puppets!

Chapter II. SHOWCASE FILLS

The warehouse was in the basement, which was a car; once under the store. The fairy and her maid had to go down and up the stairs twenty times to fill the cabinets and display cases with new toys.

Already on the third voyage, Teresa was tired.

“Signora,” she said, stopping in the middle of the stairs with a large bundle of dolls in her hands, “Signora Baroness, my heart is beating.

- This is good, my dear, this is very good, - answered the Fairy, - it would be worse if it no longer beat.

“My legs hurt, Signora Baroness.

- Leave them in the kitchen, let them rest, especially since you can't wear anything with your feet.

- Signora Baroness, I do not have enough air ...

- I did not steal it from you, my dear, I have enough of mine.

- These Indians bring me an income of two hundred lire each, perhaps even three hundred lire. Now the Indians are very much in vogue. Don't you think this electric train is just a miracle ?! I will call it Blue Arrow and I swear I’ll give up the trade if from tomorrow hundreds of childish eyes will not devour it from morning to night.

Indeed, it was a wonderful train, with two barriers, with a train station and a Chief Station Master, with a Machinist, and a Train Chief wearing glasses. After spending so many months in the warehouse, the electric train was covered with dust, but the Fairy wiped it thoroughly with a rag, and the blue paint sparkled like the water of an alpine lake: the entire train, including the Station Master, the Train Master and the Engineer, was painted blue.

When the Fairy wiped the dust from the Machinist's eyes, he looked around and exclaimed:

- I can see at last! I have the impression that I was buried in a cave for several months. So when do we leave? I'm ready.

“Calm, calm,” interrupted the Train Master, wiping his glasses with a handkerchief. “The train won't move without my order.

“Count the stripes on your beret,” a third voice said, “and you will see who is in charge here.

The Train Master counted his stripes. He had four. Then he counted the Station Master's stripes - five. oskazkax.ru - oskazkax.ru The Chief of the Train sighed, hid his glasses and became quiet. The Stationmaster paced up and down the display case, waving the wand that gave the departure signal. In the square in front of the station, a regiment of tin riflemen with a brass band and the Colonel lined up. A whole artillery battery, led by the General, was located a little to the side.

Next to the airplane was a red cage with a Canary named Yellow Canary. When the cage was gently rocked, the Canary sang.

There were also dolls in the window, a Yellow Bear, a rag dog named Button, paints, the Constructor, a small theater with three Puppets, and a fast two-masted sailing ship. The Captain walked nervously on the captain's bridge of the sailing ship. Out of absent-mindedness, only half of his beard was glued to him, so he carefully hid the beardless half of his face so as not to look ugly.

The Stationmaster and Half-Bearded Captain pretended not to notice each other, but perhaps one of them was already about to challenge the other to a duel in order to resolve the issue of supreme command in the window.

The dolls were divided into two groups: some sighed for the Station Master, others cast tender glances at the Half-Bearded Captain, and only one black doll with eyes whiter than milk looked only at the Sitting Pilot and at no one else.

As for the rag dog, he would love to wag his tail and jump for joy. But he could not show these signs of attention to all three, and he did not want to choose one, so as not to offend the other two. Therefore, he sat quietly and motionless, and he looked a little silly. His name was written in red letters on the collar: "Button". Maybe it was called that because it was as small as a button.

But then an event occurred that immediately made me forget both jealousy and rivalry. Just at that moment, the Fairy lifted the curtain, and the sun rushed into the window in a golden cascade, causing everyone to fear terrible, because no one had seen him before.

- One hundred thousand deaf whales! Snapped the Half-Bearded Captain. - What's happened?

- For help! For help! - the dolls screeched, hiding behind each other.

- Do not be afraid toys. This is the Great Spirit - the Sun, everyone's friend. See how the whole square cheered up, rejoicing in his arrival.

They all looked at the display case. The square really sparkled under the sun's rays. The jets of the fountains seemed fiery. A gentle warmth penetrated through the dusty glass into the Fairy's shop.

- A thousand drunken whales! The Captain muttered again. “I’m a sea wolf, not a sunny one!

The dolls, chatting happily, immediately began to sunbathe.

However, the sun's rays could not penetrate into one corner of the shop window. The shadow fell just on the Machinist, and he became very angry:

- It had to happen so that I was in the shadows!

He peered out the window, and his keen eyes, accustomed to staring at the rails for hours on long journeys, met a pair of huge, wide-open eyes of a child.

It was possible to look into these eyes, as one looks into a house when there are no curtains on the windows. And looking into them. The machinist saw a great unchildish sadness.

Strange, thought the Blue Arrow Driver. - I have always heard that children are cheerful people. All they know is that they laugh and play from morning to evening. And this one seems to me sad, like an old man. What happened to him?"

- A thousand lame whales! - exclaimed the Captain. - I will record this event in the logbook!

Finally the boy wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket, went to the store door, grabbed the handle and pushed the door.

A dull bell rang out, which seemed to be complaining, calling for help.

Chapter III. HALF-BONED CAPTAIN EXCITED

“Signora Baroness, someone has entered the store,” the maid said.

The fairy, who was combing her hair in her room, quickly went down the stairs, holding hairpins in her mouth and pinning her hair on the way.

- Whoever it is, why doesn't he close the door? She muttered. - I did not hear the call, but immediately felt a draft.

For the sake of solidity, she put on her glasses and entered the shop with small, slow steps, as a real signora should walk, especially if she is almost a baroness. But when she saw in front of her a poorly dressed boy, who was crumpling his blue beret in his hands, she realized that the ceremony was unnecessary.

- Well? What's the matter? - With all her appearance, the Fairy would like to say: "Speak quickly, I have no time."

- I ... Signora ... - whispered the boy.

Everyone froze in the window, but nothing was heard.

- What did he say? - whispered the Chief of the Train.

- Shh! - ordered the Chief of the Station. - Do not make noise!

“But, signora, I have already written to you,” the boy hastily whispered, fearing to lose courage.

- Oh, that's how! When?

- About a month ago.

- Let's see. What is your name?

- Monty Francesco.

- Quardicciolo ...

“But I like the train, Signora Feya.

- Ah, my dear boy, do you like the train ?! Do you know that two days after your letter your mother came here ...

- Yes, I asked her to come. I asked her this: go to the Fairy, I have already written everything to her, and she is so kind that she will not refuse us.

- I'm not good or bad. I work, but I cannot work for free. Your mother didn't have the money to pay for the train. She wanted to leave me an old watch in exchange for the train. But I can't see them, this watch! Because they make time move faster. I also reminded her that she still has to pay me for the horse she took last year. And for the top, taken two years ago. Did you know about this?

No, the boy did not know that. Moms rarely share their troubles with their children.

“That's why you got nothing this year. Do you understand? Don't you think I'm right?

“Yes, signora, you're right,” Francesco muttered. “I just thought you forgot my address.

- No, on the contrary, I remember him very well. You see, I have it written down. And one of these days I will send my secretary to you to take money for last year's toys.

The old maid, who had listened to their conversation, upon hearing that they had named her secretary, nearly fainted and had to drink a glass of water to catch her breath.

- What an honor for me, Signora Baroness! She said to her mistress when the boy was gone.

- Well, I bury it! - Fairy muttered gruffly. - In the meantime, hang a sign on the door: "Closed until tomorrow" so that other annoying visitors do not come.

- Maybe lower the curtain?

- Yes, perhaps omit it. I see that there will be no good trade today.

In the window, these sobs had an extraordinary effect. One after another, the dolls also began to cry and cried so hard that the Captain could not stand it and swore:

Great Leader Silver Feather took the pipe out of his mouth, which he had to do every time he wanted to say something, and said:

- Captain Half-Beard does not tell the truth. He is very agitated because of the poor white baby.

- What am I? Explain to me, please, what does “excited” mean?

- This means that one side of the face is crying, and the other is ashamed of it.

The captain chose not to turn, as his beardless half of his face was in fact crying.

- Shut up, you old rooster! He shouted. “Otherwise I’ll go downstairs and nibble you like a Christmas turkey!

Chapter IV. STATION HEAD DOES NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO

The next day, Francesco returned, and his sad eyes were fixed on Blue Arrow again. He came both on the second day and on the third. Sometimes he stopped at the window for only a few minutes and then, without turning around, ran away. Sometimes I would stand in front of the window for long hours. His nose was pressed against the glass, and his fair forelock descended over his forehead. He looked affectionately at the other toys, but it was clear that his heart belonged to the wonderful train.

The Stationmaster, Trainmaster and Engineer were very proud of this and looked around with an important air, but no one took offense at them for this.

All the inhabitants of the shop window were in love with their Francesco. Other children came, who also looked at the toys for a long time, but the inhabitants of the window almost did not notice them. If Francesco didn't show up at the usual time. The Stationmaster paced nervously up and down the rails, casting anxious glances at his watch. The captain spewed curses. The seated Pilot leaned out of the airplane, risking falling, and Silver Feather forgot to smoke, so that his pipe went out every minute, and he spent whole boxes of matches to re-light it.

And so all the days, all the months, the whole year.

The fairy received whole bundles of letters every day, which she carefully read, making notes and calculations. But now there were so many letters that it took half a day just to open the envelopes, and in the window they realized that the day of gifts - the New Year - was approaching.

Chapter V. IDEA OF THE BUTTON

The idea - who would have thought - came from a rag dog - Poor Button. Nobody ever paid attention to him, because, firstly, it was difficult to understand what breed he was, and secondly, he was silent all the time like a fish. Button was timid and afraid to open his mouth. If any thought crossed his mind, he hesitated for a long time before communicating it to his friends. However, with whom could he speak? The dolls were too elegant lords to pay attention to a dog of god knows what breed. The lead soldiers would not have refused to talk to him, but the officers, of course, would not have allowed them to. In general, everyone had some reason not to notice the rag dog, and he was forced to remain silent. And do you know what came of it? He forgot how to bark ...

This time, too, when he opened his mouth to explain his brilliant idea to them, there was such a strange sound, intermediate between a cat's meow and a donkey's roar, that the whole shop window burst into laughter.

Only Silver Feather did not laugh, because reds never laugh. And when the others had finished laughing, he took the pipe out of his mouth and said:

- Signors, listen to everything that Button has to say. The dog always speaks little and thinks a lot. Who thinks a lot is a wise thing to say.

Hearing the compliment, Button blushed from head to tail, cleared his throat and finally explained his idea.

- This boy ... Francesco ... Do you think he will receive any present from the Fairy this year?

“I don’t think so,” the Stationmaster replied. “His mother never came here, and she doesn't write any more letters — I always keep a close eye on the mail.

- Well, - continued Button, - it seems to me, too, that Francesco will receive nothing. But I honestly wouldn't want to see any other boy.

“Me too,” the Yellow Bear muttered, scratching the back of his head.

“So are we,” said the three Puppets, who all spoke in unison.

“What do you say,” the dog continued, “if we surprise him?

- Ha ha ha, surprise! - the dolls laughed. - What is it?

“Shut up,” the Captain ordered. “Women should always keep quiet.

“I beg your pardon,” the Sitting Pilot shouted, “don’t make such a noise, otherwise you don’t hear anything above!” Let Button speak.

“We know his name,” Button said when silence was restored. - We know his address. Why don't we all go to him?

- To whom? One of the dolls asked.

- To Francesco.

Silence reigned for a moment, then a lively discussion unfolded: each shouted his own, not listening to what others were saying.

- But this is a riot! - exclaimed the General. “I just can't allow such a thing. I suggest you obey my orders!

- And go where the Fairy takes us? Then Francesco will not receive anything this year either, because his name is recorded in the debt book ...

- A thousand whales! ..

“However,” the Stationmaster intervened, “we know the address, but we do not know the road.

- I thought about it, - Button whispered timidly, - I can find the way with my instinct.

Now it was necessary not to chat, but to make a decision. Everyone looked in the direction of the General of Artillery.

For some time the General, scratching his chin, paced in front of his five cannons, lined up in battle, then said:

- Good. I will cover the movement with my troops. Frankly, I don't really like being under the command of the old Fairy either ...

- Urrah! - shouted the gunners.

The band of riflemen began to play a march capable of resurrecting the dead, and the Engineer turned on the whistle of the locomotive and hummed until everyone was almost deaf.

The hike was scheduled for the next New Year's Eve. At midnight, the Fairy had to come, as usual, to the store to fill her basket with toys ... But the showcase will be empty.

- Imagine what her face will be! - the Captain grinned, spitting on the deck of his sailing ship.

And the next evening ...

Chapter VI. NEXT EVENING

The first thing the toys had to do was decide how to get out of the store. Cut through the curtain as suggested Chief Engineer, turned out to be beyond their power. And the store door was locked with three locks.

“I thought about that too,” Button said.

Everyone looked with admiration at the little rag puppy who thought for a whole year without saying a single word.

- Do you remember the warehouse? Remember the pile of empty boxes in the corner? Well, I was there and found a hole in the wall. On the other side of the wall is a cellar with a ladder that leads to the street.

- And how do you know all this?

- We, dogs, have such a disadvantage - to poke our nose everywhere. Sometimes this flaw is useful.

“Very well,” the General objected sharply, “but I have no idea how you can lower the artillery down all these stairs into the warehouse. A Blue arrow? Have you ever seen a train going down stairs?

Silver Feather took the pipe out of his mouth. Everyone fell silent expectantly.

- White people always quarrel and forget the Sitting Pilot.

What do you mean by that, great leader?

Sitting Pilot to transport everyone in an airplane.

Indeed, this was the only way to go down to the warehouse. The seated Pilot liked the proposal:

- A dozen flights - and the transition is done!

The dolls were already looking forward to the pleasure of traveling in an airplane, but Silver Feather disappointed them:

- He who has legs does not need wings.

Thus, everyone who had legs went down on their own, and the artillery, wagons and a sailboat were transported by plane.

But the Captain, even during the flight, refused to leave the bridge. To the envy of the General and the Station Master who descended the steep steps, the Captain flew overhead.

The last to descend was the Acrobat Motorcyclist. For him, riding a motorcycle down the stairs was like drinking a glass of water.

He was still halfway there when the maid shouted in the store:

- Help, help! Signora Baroness, thieves, robbers!

- All toys were stolen from the window!

But the Chief Engineer of "Constructor" had already broken through the warehouse door, and the fugitives rushed into a corner littered with a heap of empty boxes. As soon as they disappeared, the footsteps of two old women were heard, who hurriedly ran down the stairs and nuzzled the locked door.

- Rather, the keys! - cried the Fairy.

“The castle won't open, Signora Baroness.

- They locked themselves from the inside! Well, they can't get out of there. We will have to sit here and wait until they give up.

Needless to say. The fairy was a brave old woman. But this time her courage was useless. Our fugitives, following Knobka, who showed the way, had already crossed a mountain of empty boxes and one after another made their way through a hole in the wall into the neighboring basement.

It was not the first time that the Blue Arrow went through the tunnels. The Station Master and the Train Master took their places next to the Engineer, the smallest dolls, who were already getting tired, sat in the cars, and the wonderful train, whistling softly, entered the tunnel.

It was more difficult to drag a sailboat through the hole, which could only move on water. But the workers of "Konstruktor" took care of this. In an instant they built a cart with eight wheels and loaded the ship with the Captain onto it.

They made it just in time.

The fairy, tired of waiting, pushed the door open with a push of her shoulder and began to search the warehouse.

- What a strange story! The old woman muttered trembling with fear.

- There is no one, Signora Baroness! - screamed the maid, clinging to the mistress's skirt with fear.

- I can see it myself. And there is nothing to tremble.

“I’m not trembling, Signora Baroness. Maybe the earthquake is to blame?

“The Blue Arrow is gone,” Fairy whispered sadly. - Disappeared, leaving no trace.

Let's leave the poor old ladies for a while and follow our friends. They had no idea what adventures lay ahead of them. I know all of them from start to finish. Among them there are scary ones, there are also funny ones, and I will tell you everything in order.

Chapter VII. YELLOW TEDDY BEAR GOES OUT AT FIRST STOP

Immediately, adventures began on the other side of the wall. The General raised the alarm. As you may have noticed, the General had a fiery temperament and was constantly involved in all sorts of quarrels and incidents.

“My cannons,” he said, twirling his mustache, “my cannons are rusty. It takes a little war to clean them up. Let it be small, but still you need to shoot at least a quarter of an hour.

This thought, like a nail, stuck in his head. As soon as the fugitives found themselves outside the warehouse wall. The general drew his sword and shouted:

- Anxiety, anxiety!

- What's the matter, what happened? The soldiers asked each other, who had not noticed anything yet.

“There’s an enemy on the horizon, don’t you see?” All to the guns! Load your guns! Prepare to shoot!

An incredible commotion arose. The gunners lined up the cannons in battle formation, the shooters loaded their guns, the officers shouted the words of command in sonorous voices and, imitating the General, twirled their mustaches.

- A thousand deaf and dumb whales! - the Captain barked from the height of his sailing ship. “Order me to immediately drag a few cannons aboard my ship, otherwise they will let me sink.

The Blue Arrow driver took off his beret and scratched the back of his head.

- I don’t understand how it is possible to go to the bottom here. In my opinion, there is only water here, in the wash basin, and all around the stone floor.

The Stationmaster looked at him sternly.

- If the Signor General says that an enemy has appeared, then this is how it really is.

- I saw, I saw too! - Shouted the Sitting Pilot, flying a little forward.

- What you see?

- The enemy! I tell you I saw him with my own eyes!

The frightened dolls hid in the Blue Arrow cars. The Rose doll complained:

- Ah, signors, the war will begin now! I just styled my hair, and who knows what will happen to my hair now!

The general ordered to sound the alarm.

- Shut up all! He commanded. “Because of your chatter, the soldiers do not hear my orders.

He was about to open fire, when suddenly the voice of Button rang out.

- Stop! Please stop!

- What is it? Since when did dogs begin to command troops? Shoot him immediately! - ordered the General.

But Button was not scared.

- Please, I beg you, hang up! I assure you, this is not really the enemy. It's just a baby, a sleeping baby!

- Child?! - exclaimed the General. - What does a child do on the battlefield?

“But, Signor General, we are not on the battlefield — that’s the whole point. We're in the basement, can't you see? Signores, I ask you to look around. We are, as I said, in a basement from which you can go outside. It turns out that this basement is inhabited. And in the depths of it, where the light is burning, there is a bed, and a boy is sleeping in the bed. Do you want to wake him up with shots?

- The dog is right. I see the child and not see the enemy.

“This, of course, is some kind of trick,” the General insisted, not wanting to give up the battle. - The enemy pretended to be an innocent and unarmed creature.

But who was listening to him now?

Even the dolls came out of their hiding places and gazed into the twilight of the basement.

“It's true, it's a child,” said one.

“This is an ill-bred child,” said the third, “he is asleep and holds his finger in his mouth.

In the basement, near the walls, there was old tattered furniture, a tattered straw mattress lay on the floor, there was a basin with a broken edge, an extinct hearth and a bed in which the child slept. Obviously, his parents went to work, or maybe they begged for alms, and the child was left alone. He went to bed, but did not extinguish the small oil lamp on the nightstand. Maybe he was afraid of the dark, or maybe he liked to look at the large fluctuating shadows that the lamp cast on the ceiling. And looking at these shadows, he fell asleep.

Our brave General was endowed rich imagination: he mistook the kerosene lamp for the lights of the enemy camp and raised the alarm.

- A thousand newborn whales! - Thundered the Half-Bearded Captain, nervously stroking the beardless half of his chin. - And I already thought that a pirate ship appeared on the horizon. But, if my spyglass does not deceive me, this child does not look like a pirate. He has no grappling hooks, no black eye patch, no black pirate flag with skull and bones. It seems to me that this brigantine is peacefully floating in the ocean of dreams.

The sitting Pilot flew to the bed itself for reconnaissance, flew two or three times directly over the boy, who waved his hand in a dream, as if driving away an annoying fly, and, returning, reported:

“No danger, Signor General. Opponent, I'm sorry, I wanted to say, child, fell asleep.

“Then we'll take him by surprise,” the General announced.

But this time the cowboys were outraged:

- Capture the child? Is this what our lassos are for? We catch wild horses and bulls, not children. On the very first cactus, we will hang the one who dares to harm the child!

With these words, they started their horses at a gallop and surrounded the General, ready to throw a lasso over him at any moment.

“I just spoke like that,” the General grumbled. - You can't even joke a little. You have no imagination!

The column of fugitives approached the bed. I will not assure you that all hearts were beating calmly. Some dolls had not yet recovered from their fright and were hiding behind others, for example, behind the back of the Yellow Bear. His little sawdust brain was thinking very slowly. He did not perceive the events taking place immediately, but in the order of their sequence. If there were two things to understand at the same time, Yellow Bear immediately had a terrible headache. But he had good eyesight. He was the first to see that the little sleeping boy was mistaken for the enemy. The teddy bear was immediately seized with the desire to jump on the bed and play with him. He didn’t even think that sleeping boys don’t play with teddy bears, even toy ones.

On the nightstand next to the lamp lay a sheet of paper folded in four. The address was written in large letters on one side.

“I can assure you that this is a coded message,” said the General, who had already suspected the boy as an enemy spy.

“Possibly,” the Stationmaster agreed. - But, anyway, all the same we could not read it. It is not addressed to us. See? It says here: "Signoret Fee."

“Very interesting,” said the General. - The letter is addressed to Signora Feya, that is, our hostess. Or maybe the boy is giving her information about us? Maybe he was following us? We must read this letter by all means!

“You can't,” the Stationmaster persisted. - This is a violation of postal secrecy.

But, oddly enough, this time the Silver Feather agreed with the General.

“Read it,” he said unexpectedly, and put his pipe into his mouth again.

This turned out to be enough. The general climbed onto a chair, unfolded the sheet, cleared his throat, as if he was about to announce the decree on the beginning of the war, and began to read:

“Signora Feya, I have heard of you for the first time this year; before that, I had never received a gift from anyone. This evening I do not extinguish the lamp, and I hope to see you when you come here. Then I will tell you what kind of toy I would like to receive. I am afraid to fall asleep and therefore I am writing this letter. I beg you, signora Feya, do not refuse me: I am a good boy, everyone says that, and I will be even better if you make me happy. Why should I be good boy? Yours JAMPAOLO ".

The toys held their breath, and only one doll sighed so hard that everyone turned and looked at her, and she was very embarrassed.

- What does it mean to become bad? - asked the doll Rose.

But no one answered her, and other dolls pulled her skirt so that she would be silent.

“Something needs to be done,” said the Stationmaster.

“A volunteer is required,” the Colonel said.

At this time, there was a strange cough. When people cough like that, it means that they want to say something, but they are afraid.

- Speak more boldly! - shouted the Pilot, who from above was always the first to see what happened.

“So,” said the Yellow Bear, coughing again to hide his embarrassment, “to tell the truth, I don't like traveling too long. I am already tired of wandering around the world and would like to rest. Don't you think that I could stay here?

Poor Yellow Bear! He wanted to pass himself off as a sly man, he wanted to hide his kind heart. Who knows why people with a good heart always try to hide it from others?

“Don't look at me like that,” he said, “or I'll turn into a red Bear. It seems to me that on this bed I can do a wonderful nap while waiting for dawn, and you will wander the streets in such cold weather looking for Francesco.

“Okay,” said the Captain, “stay here. Children and bears live together, because at least in one respect they are alike: they always want to play.

All agreed and began to say goodbye. Everyone wanted to shake the Yellow Bear's paw, wish him happiness. But at this time there was a loud, long beep. The Station Master raised his whistle to his lips, the Train Master shouted:

- Hurry, signors, on the wagons! Train departs! On the wagons, signors!

The dolls, fearing to fall behind the train, made an unimaginable commotion.

The shooters settled on the roofs of the cars, and the Captain's sailboat was loaded onto the platform.

The train started slowly.

The cellar door was open and opened onto a dark, narrow alley. The Yellow Bear, perched near the pillow, next to the head of Giampaolo, looked with some sadness at his comrades, who were slowly moving away. The teddy bear sighed so hard that the boy's hair began to stir as if the wind was blowing.

- Hush, hush, my friend, - the Bear said to himself, - do not wake him up.

The boy did not wake up, but a slight smile flashed across his lips.

“He's having a dream,” said Bear Cub to himself. - He sees in a dream that just now the Fairy passed beside him, putting a gift on his chair, and the breeze raised by her long skirt ruffled his hair. I bet that's what he sees now. But who knows what gift the Fairy will give him in a dream? "

And so the Bear went on a trick that would never have occurred to you: he bent down to the boy's ear and began to whisper quietly:

- The fairy has already come and left you the Yellow Bear. Wonderful Bear Cub, I assure you! I know him well, because I have seen him in the mirror so many times. From his back sticks out a key for the spring winding, and when it is wound, the Bear dances, as bears dance at fairs and in the circus. I'll show you now.

With great difficulty, the Yellow Bear reached for the spring and started it. At the same moment, he felt that something strange was happening to him. At first, a shiver ran down the Bear's back, and he became unusually cheerful. Then a shiver ran down his legs, and they themselves began to dance.

The Yellow Bear has never danced so well. The boy laughed in his sleep and woke up laughing. He patted his eyelashes to get used to the light, and when he saw the Yellow Bear, he realized that the dream had not deceived him. While dancing, the Bear winked at him, as if saying: "You will see, we will be friends."

And for the first time in his life, Giampaolo felt happy.

Chapter VIII. CHIEF ENGINEER CONSTRUCTS THE BRIDGE

The lane went uphill, but Blue Arrow easily climbed the hill and rode out onto large area just in front of Fairy's shop. The driver leaned out of the window and asked:

- Which way to go now?

Straight all the time! - shouted the General. - Frontal attack is the best tactic to overturn the enemy!

- What enemy? The Stationmaster asked. - Stop, please, your inventions. On the train, you are the same passenger as everyone else. Clear? The train will go where I tell you!

- Okay, - answered the Engineer, - but speak faster, because we are about to crash into the sidewalk.

- So, right! - said the Chief of the Station.

And Blue Arrow turned right at full speed. The seated Pilot flew two meters above the ground so as not to lose sight of the train. He tried to climb higher, but almost bumped into tram wires.

Silent cowboys and Indians galloped to the left and right of the train and looked like the bandits who surrounded it.

- Hm-hm, - the General said incredulously, - I put my epaulettes against the leaky soldo, that this journey will not end well. These riders look very unreliable. At the first stop I will move to the platform where my cannons are.

Just at that moment, the cries of the Button were heard. Obviously, he sensed some kind of danger. But it was too late. The driver did not have time to brake, and Blue Arrow entered a deep puddle at full speed. The water rose almost to the level of the windows. The dolls got very scared and moved to the arrows, on the roofs of the cars.

“We're on the ground,” said the Engineer, wiping the sweat from his face.

“You mean we’re in the water,” the Captain corrected. - There is nothing left to do but to lower my sailboat into the water and take everyone on board.

But the sailboat was too small. Then the Chief Engineer proposed to build a bridge.

“Before the bridge is built, we'll be caught,” said the Captain, shaking his head.

However, there was no other way out. The workers of "Konstruktor", under the leadership of the Chief Engineer, began to build the bridge.

“We'll use a crane to lift the Blue Arrow and put it on the bridge,” the Engineer promised, “the passengers won't even have to get out.

With these words, he cast a proud glance at the dolls. They looked at him with admiration. Only the Nera doll remained loyal to its Pilot and did not take her eyes off him.

It is snowing. The water level in the puddle began to rise, and complex calculations The engineer was wiped out.

“It's not an easy thing to build a bridge during a flood,” the Engineer said through clenched teeth. - But we will try.

To speed up the work. The Colonel placed all his riflemen at the disposal of the Engineer. The bridge rose above the water. In the dark snowy night, there was the clink of iron, the blows of hammers, the creak of wheelbarrows.

Indians and cowboys crossed the puddle on horseback and camped on the other side. Far below, a red dot could be seen, which then faded, then flashed brightly, like a firefly. It was the pipe of the Silver Feather.

Looking out of the windows of the carriages, the passengers watched this red light, which shone like a distant hope.

The Three Puppets guessed in chorus:

- It seems to be a star!

They were sentimental Puppets: they managed to see the stars even on a snowy night. And, perhaps, they were happy, weren't they?

But then shouts of "hurray" began. The Chief Engineer's men and riflemen reached the shore - the bridge was ready!

The crane lifted the Blue Arrow and placed it on the bridge, on which, as on all railway bridges, rails were already laid. The Stationmaster raised a green semaphore signaling departure, and the train moved forward with a slight screech.

But before he had time to drive a few meters, the General again raised the alarm:

- Put out all the lights! An enemy plane is above us!

- A thousand crazy whales! - exclaimed the Half-Bearded Captain. - Eat me my beard, if it's not a Fairy!

With a formidable roar, a huge shadow descended onto the square. The fugitives could already make out the Fairy's broom and the two old women sitting on it.

The fairy, I must tell you, has almost come to terms with the loss of her best toys. She collected all the toys left in the closets and in the warehouse and set off on her usual route, flying out of a chimney on a broom as always.

But she had not yet reached half of the square when the servant's exclamation made her turn back.

- Signora Baroness, look down!

- Where? Ah, I see, I see! .. Why, these are the headlights of the Blue Arrow!

“It seems to me that it is so, Baroness.

Wasting no time, Fairy turned the handle of her broomstick to the southwest and dived straight into the light reflected in the puddle water.

This time the General raised the alarm not in vain. The light was turned off. The driver turned on the engine at full speed and crossed the bridge in an instant. The platform on which the Captain's sailboat stood, and the last two carriages barely had time to land on solid ground, when the bridge collapsed with a crash.

Someone suggested that the Fairy began to bomb the bridge, but it turned out that it was the General, without warning anyone, mined the bridge and blew it up.

“I'd rather swallow it piece by piece than leave it to the enemy! He exclaimed, twirling his mustache. The fairy had already descended almost to the water itself and with great rubbish approached the Blue Arrow.

- Faster to the left! Shouted one of the cowboys.

Without waiting for the Station Master to confirm the order, the Engineer turned left, so quickly that the train nearly burst in half, and entered a dark entrance, in which the light of the Silver Feather's pipe flickered.

The Blue Arrow was placed as close to the wall as possible, the entrance door was closed and bolted.

- I wonder if she saw us? The Captain whispered.

But the Fairy did not notice them.

- Weird! - she muttered at this moment, describing circles over the square. - You might think that they were swallowed by the earth: nowhere are there any traces ... The Blue Arrow was the best toy in my store! The Fairy continued with a sigh. “I don’t understand: maybe they ran away from the thieves and are looking for their way home? Who knows! But let's not waste time. Get to work! We have countless gifts to deliver. - And, turning the broom to the north, she disappeared in the snow.

Poor old lady! Imagine yourself in her place: her store was robbed just on New Year's Eve, and she knows that in thousands of houses on this day, guys hang a stocking from the fireplace in order to find a Fairy's gift in it in the morning.

Yes, there is a reason to grab your head! .. And in addition, this snow: it hits the face, covers up the eyes, ears. What a night, my seniors, what a night!

Chapter IX. FAREWELL ROSE DOLL!

It's as dark as an ink bottle in here, ”said the Stationmaster.

“The enemy can set any trap for us here,” the General added. -

Perhaps it's best to turn on the headlights.

The driver turned on the Blue Arrow headlights. The fugitives looked around. They were in an entrance cluttered with empty fruit crates. It was the entrance to a fruit shop.

The dolls got out of the cars, gathered in a corner and made an incredible noise there.

- A thousand chattering whales! - the Half-bearded Captain growled. - These girls cannot be silent for a minute.

- Oh, there is someone here! - exclaimed the doll Rosa in her sweet voice, similar to the trill of a clarinet.

“I also think there are people here,” said the Engineer. - But who could have come up with a stupid idea to sit in the entrance on such a cold night? As for me, I would give a wheel of my steam locomotive for a nice bed with a heating pad in my legs.

“It's a girl,” said the dolls.

- Look, she's asleep.

- How cold she is! She has ice-cold skin.

The most daring dolls stretched out their hands to feel how cold the girl's skin was. They did it very quietly, afraid to wake up the girl, but she did not wake up.

- How ragged she is! Maybe she had a falling out with someone?

- Maybe her friends beat her, and she is afraid now to return home in such dirty and torn clothes?

Imperceptibly they began to speak louder, but the girl did not hear anything, remaining motionless and white as snow. She clasped her hands under her chin, as if wishing to warm herself, but her hands were also cold.

“Let's try to warm her up,” suggested the doll Rose.

She gently touched the girl's hands with her little hands and began to rub them. Useless. The girl's hands were like two pieces of ice. One shooter came down from the roof of the carriage and approached the girl.

- Uh-uh, - he drawled, casting a glance at the little one, - I've seen a lot of girls like that ...

- Do you know her? The dolls asked.

- Do I know her? No, I don’t know this one, but I’ve met people like her. This is a girl from a poor family, and that's it.

- How is the boy from the basement?

- Even poorer, even poorer. This girl has no home. The snow caught her on the street, and she took refuge in the entrance, so as not to die of the cold.

- Is she sleeping now?

“Yes, he’s asleep,” the soldier replied. - But her dream is strange.

- What are you trying to say?

“I don’t think she will ever wake up.

- Don't be silly! - the doll Rosa has resolutely objected. - Why shouldn't she wake up? But I will stay here until she wakes up. I'm already tired of traveling. I am a house doll, and I do not like to roam the streets at night. I will stay with this girl, and when she wakes up, I will go with her.

The Rose doll has completely changed. Where did her stupid and boastful look, which so annoyed the Half-Bearded Captain, have gone! An amazing fire lit up in her eyes, and they became even more blue.

- I'll stay here! Rose repeated decisively. - Of course, this is not good in relation to Francesco, but actually I don't think he would be upset by my absence. Francesco is a man and he won't even know what to do with the doll. You will give him my regards and he will forgive me. And then, who knows, maybe this girl will go to visit Francesco, take me with her, and we will see each other again.

But why was she talking and talking endlessly, as if her throat was full of words and she had to throw them out so as not to suffocate?

Because she didn't want others to talk. She was afraid to hear a negative answer, she was afraid that she would have to leave a lonely girl in a dark entrance in such a cold. But no one objected to her. Button went out to reconnaissance from the entrance and, returning, announced that the road was free and you could hit the road.

One by one, the fugitives boarded the train. The head of the station, just in case, ordered to go with the lights out.

Blue Arrow moved slowly towards the exit.

- Bye Bye! The toys said to the doll Rosa in a whisper.

The three Puppets all leaned out of the window together.

- Goodbye! They shouted in unison. “We want to cry, but you know it's impossible. We are made of wood and we have no heart. Goodbye!

And the Rose doll had a heart. In truth, she had never felt it before. But now, left alone in a dark, unfamiliar entrance, she felt deep, rapid blows in her chest and realized that it was her heart beating. And it beat so hard that the doll could not utter a word.

Through the beating of her heart, she barely heard the sound of the wheels of the retreating train. Then the noise subsided and it seemed to her that someone said: "You will not see more of your friends, little one."

She became very scared, but the fatigue and excitement endured during the trip made itself felt. The doll Rose closed her eyes. And what was the use of keeping them open. It was so dark that she could not even see the tip of her nose. Closing her eyes, she quietly fell asleep.

So the gatekeeper found them in the morning: a frozen girl and a doll Rose were sitting on the floor, embracing like sisters.

The doll did not understand why all these people were gathered at the entrance, and looked at them in bewilderment. The real live carabinieri came, so big that they were just awful.

The girl was carried to the car and driven away. The doll Rosa did not understand why the girl did not wake up: after all, she had never seen the dead before.

One carabinieri took her with him and carried her to the commander. The commander had a girl, and the commander took a doll for her.

But the Rosa doll did not stop thinking about the frozen girl, near whom she spent New Year's Eve. And every time, thinking about her, she felt her heart freeze.

Chapter X. THE HEROIC DEATH OF THE GENERAL

Lowering the muzzle to the very ground. Button ran in front of the locomotive. Snow covered the pavement with a thick blanket. It was more and more difficult to find the smell of Francesco's torn shoes under the snow. The button often stopped, hesitantly looked around, came back, changed direction.

- Maybe Francesco stopped here to play? The dog said to himself. - That is why the traces are so intricate.

The driver, squinting his eyes, slowly drove the train behind the Button. The passengers on the train began to freeze.

“We need to go faster,” the Captain urged. - I am afraid that by such a course we will arrive only next year or we will be crushed in the morning by the very first tram.

The tracks went in zigzags, and the Blue Arrow had to climb the sidewalks, descend from them, describe curves along the squares, cross the same street three or four times.

- What a way to roam the streets! - the Stationmaster grumbled. - They teach, teach children that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and they, as soon as they go out into the street, immediately begin to wander in a circle. Take this Francesco: he crossed the street ten times on a ten-meter path. I'm surprised he didn't get hit by a car.

Button searched tirelessly in the snow for Francesco's footprints. He almost did not feel either cold or tired, and on the road he was mentally talking to Francesco, as if he could hear him: “We are all coming to you, Francesco! It will be a wonderful surprise for you. You will see".

He was so carried away by a mental conversation with Francesco that he did not notice that the tracks had disappeared somewhere. He scoured in all directions, but could not find them in any way. The trail ended here, in the middle of this narrow, dimly lit street, and not in front of the entrance or anywhere on the sidewalk.

“Incredible! - thought Button. "Couldn't he have taken off?"

- What happened there? - shouted the General, who fancied enemies everywhere.

“The button will never find traces of Francesco,” the Machinist said coolly.

There was a general groan. The dolls have already seen themselves buried in the snow in the middle of the street.

- Thousand frozen whales! - exclaimed the Half-Bearded. - Only this is still not enough for us!

- He was stolen! - said the General excitedly.

- Who was stolen?

- Child, damn it! Our Francesco! His tracks reach the middle of the street and end there. What does this mean?

- The child was lifted into the air, thrown into the car and taken away.

- But who could have stolen it? Who needs a child?

Sitting Pilot helped out. He offered to fly on reconnaissance, and since no one could think of anything better, the Pilot's proposal was accepted. The plane gained altitude. For a while he was still seen in a faint light. street lamp, but now he disappeared from sight, and soon the noise of the engine also died down.

“I bet the boy was stolen,” the General continued to insist. “This means that danger threatens all of us. Come to me, soldiers! Load your cannons faster, place them along the train and get ready to open fire!

The gunners grunted:

- So that he catch a cold! Charge and discharge all night! And the charges are already wet and will not explode, even if they are thrown into Vesuvius!

- Silence! The General shouted at them.

The riflemen, standing motionless on the roofs of the cars, looked down at their brothers, who were sweating, carrying heavy cannons.

“Lucky for the gunners! - thought the arrows. - They are working, and we are already covered with snow up to our knees. A little time will pass and we will turn into snow statues! "

The musicians were also in despair: the snow crammed into the pipes and blocked them.

Then something incomprehensible happened: as soon as the first cannon was removed from the platform, it disappeared under the snow. The second failed, as if there was a lake under it. The earth also swallowed the third cannon. In short, as soon as the cannon was lowered from the platform, it disappeared under the snow.

- What is ... This is ... - from surprise and indignation, the General was speechless. He knelt down and began to tear the snow with his hands.

And then everything became clear. It turned out that the cannons were placed directly on a hole covered with snow and they fell into the water murmuring under the snow.

The general remained on his knees, as if struck by lightning. He tore off his beret, began to tear the hair on his head, and, perhaps, would have ripped off his skin if he had not heard that the gunners were laughing.

- Unhappy! The best, only guns of our army have fallen into the trap of the enemy, and you laugh! Don't you understand that we are now unarmed? All under arrest! On your return to the barracks, you will all face a military tribunal!

The gunners immediately took on a serious look, but continued to flinch with barely restrained laughter.

Not so bad, they thought, at least we won't load and unload the cannons anymore! Let the Signor General shout as much as he pleases. We feel good even without guns: less work. "

The general seemed to have aged twenty years. His hair turned white, perhaps also because he took off his beret and snow fell on his head at a rate of one centimeter per second.

The stones would have burst into tears at the sight of this scene! But, unfortunately, the stones could not see this: after all, they themselves were under the snow.

- Everything is over! - sobbed the General. - It's over! I have nothing else to do!

He felt as if he was eating a wonderful cake and suddenly, by some unknown means, all the sweetness disappeared and he found himself chewing on something like tasteless cardboard. Without guns, the General's life was tasteless, like food without salt.

He continued to kneel motionless, not paying attention to all requests, and did not even shake off the snow.

“Signor General, snow is falling on you,” the gunners noticed and wanted to shake the snow off his shoulders.

- Leave me, leave me alone!

- After all, the snow will completely cover you. He had already reached his knees.

- Never mind.

- Signor General, the snow is already up to your chest.

- I don't feel cold. My heart is colder than snow now.

In an instant, the General was almost entirely covered in snow. For some time his mustache was visible, but now they disappeared. Instead of the General, there was a snow statue, a statue of the kneeling General, grabbing his hands to the edges of the pit into which his guns fell. Poor General, what a doom!

In my opinion, he did not deserve such a fate, although he wanted it. No one prevented him from getting up, shaking off the snow and hiding in the carriage. As a General, he had the right to ride in a first class carriage. However, he chose to turn into a snow statue.

But let's leave the General with his cold fate. Goodbye, Signor General! We will not forget you.

I'm good! I'm wasting time at the General's commemoration when the Blue Arrow passengers are in serious trouble. This time it comes about the Cat. A real, not a toy Cat, the size of two Blue Arrow carriages.

While we all looked at the General and our thoughts were occupied with his self-sacrifice, the terrible predator quietly crept up through the snow, examined everyone with its green eyes and chose prey.

Have you forgotten about the Canary in the cage, which jumped on its spring and hummed "chik-chik" all the time? Well, I will only add that the cage with the Canary was suspended from the outside from the window of the Blue Arrow. In fact, the cage was supposed to hang in the car, but the Canary, with her incessant singing, was so tired of everyone that they hung the cage outside.

The cat noticed the careless Canary and decided to feast on it.

I will break the cage with one blow of my paw, she thought.

And so it happened.

With one more blow, I will silence the Canary, thought the Cat.

But it didn't work out that way.

The canary felt the sharp claws slide over her wings and let out a desperate chik-chik.

Then something cracked, clicked - and the straightening spring painfully hit the aggressor on the nose.

Half-blind with pain and frightened by an unexpected blow - who could have expected such vigorous protection from the Canary? - The cat got away. The cowboys tried to chase her for a while, but their horses fell into the snow and could not run fast.

Yes, this time the Cat received a blow on the nose instead of prey. But poor Canary was lying in the snow all disfigured.

A steel spring protruded from under her wings. The open beak was silent forever.

Within minutes, Blue Arrow lost two of its passengers.

The third - the Sitting Pilot - at that moment flew to no one knows where on his plane. Or maybe already a gust of wind hit him about chimney? Or did he crash to the ground under the weight of the snow that clung to the weak wings of his plane? Who knows?

The canary was buried with military honors under the snow. The shooters shook the snow out of their pipes and played a funeral march. To tell the truth, the sound of the trumpets was kind of cold: it seemed that the music was coming from afar, from the next street. Still, it was better than nothing.

However, the story of the Canary does not end there. Her friends from Blue Arrow do not know the continuation of this story, because after burying the Canary, they resumed their night march. But I lingered here for a while and saw the night watchman get off his bike, whose wheel bumped into the Canary's cage.

The night watchman picked her up, hung her up from the bicycle and right there, right in the middle of the street, tried to set the spring. What can two skilful hands not do! A few minutes later, Canary's "chik-chik" sounded, a little muffled, but this made it even more cheerful and carefree.

My son will like her, thought the night watchman. - I'll tell him that the Fairy gave me the Canary. I will say that I met her at night on the street and she conveyed her greetings and wishes for a cheerful, happy life. "

So the night watchman thought. Maybe he was thinking about something else, but I have no time to tell you about it, because I have to continue the story of the adventures of Blue Arrow.

Chapter XI. FLIGHT OF A SITTING PILOT

- Are we all here? No, there is not enough Sitting Pilot, who went in his airplane in search of traces of Francesco. It was a dangerous flight: the weather was not flying at all.

Trying to stay in the middle of the street so as not to get tangled up in electrical wires or not bump into a building. The seated Pilot thought of the Fairy with envy:

“I wonder how this old lady flies on her broomstick, if I’m on an airplane of the latest design and every minute I risk falling to the ground? .. I wonder,” the valiant aviator continued to himself, “which way should I go now? Nothing is visible, neither above nor below, nor on the left, nor on the right, and I do not believe that Francesco left any traces in the clouds. In my opinion, you need to go down below. "

He began to descend, but he immediately had to gain altitude again so as not to land on the head of the night watchman, who was quickly driving down the street on his bicycle. Perhaps it was the same watchman who found the Canary.

Gianni Rodari

Traveling the Blue Arrow

Traveling the Blue Arrow
Gianni Rodari

The famous story-tale of the famous Italian writer Gianni Rodari "The Journey of the Blue Arrow" about the adventures of a toy train.

Let's go along with Indians, cowboys, dolls, puppets, a brave general and other toys on a journey on the Blue Arrow, doing good and noble deeds.

Gianni Rodari

Traveling the Blue Arrow

Gianni Rodari La freccia azzurra

Part one

Signora five minutes to the baroness

The fairy was an old lady, very well-bred and noble, almost a baroness.

“They call me,” she sometimes muttered to herself, “just a Fairy, and I don’t protest: you need to have condescension to the ignorant. But I am almost a baroness; decent people know this.

“Yes, Signora Baroness,” the maid assented.

“I’m not a 100% Baroness, but I don’t miss her so much. And the difference is almost imperceptible. Is not it?

“Invisible, Signora Baroness. And decent people do not notice her ...

It was just the first morning of the new year. All night long Fairy and her maid traveled on the rooftops, delivering gifts. Their dresses were covered with snow and icicles.

The maid put the broom back in place, grumbling:

- A pretty little business - flying on a broom! This is in our time when airplanes were invented! I have already caught a cold because of this.

“Prepare me a glass of flower broth,” the Fairy ordered, putting on her glasses and sitting down in an old leather chair in front of the writing table.

“Just a minute, Baroness,” said the maid.

The fairy looked at her approvingly.

“She is a little lazy,” thought Fairy, “but she knows the rules of good manners and knows how to behave with the lady of my circle. I will promise her to increase her salary. In fact, of course, I will not increase it, and so there is not enough money. "