Cinderella and Alangazar - страница 13

And says: ‘That’s nothing. Let me show you real strength.’

He stomps his foot—

the ground trembles—

and from under the roots—blorp!—

comes bubbling up this white, foamy liquid."

"Eeek!" squealed Fox. "What was that?!"

"The hunter says,

‘Now that’s strength! I cracked the earth so hard, even its brains came out!’

My great-granddad’s eyes went wide, his back hunched—

and he ran! Ran so fast the wind couldn’t catch him!"

Everyone burst out laughing. Someone even clapped their hands.

"But what was it really?" Cinderella asked, laughing through her surprise.

"It was," Alangazar roared with laughter,

"ayran!

There was a goatskin nearby.

The hunter had stomped on it—pssshh!

It took great-granddad years to figure out the trick.

And when he did, he laughed so hard the neighbors' pinecones dropped from their trees!"

"Unbelievable!" Fox said in awe. "So sometimes wit is stronger than strength!"

"Ever since then," Alangazar winked,

"Great-granddad always sniffed the air before a contest—

just to check if it smelled like ayran!"

Laughter broke out again. Someone slapped their knee, another sipped their tea.

The night was clear. Stars shimmered kindly above.

The fire crackled softly, as if it too held onto these old, joyful stories,

while one by one, the storytellers shared their light with their friends.

How Cinderella Wanted to Become a Fairy

Cinderella adjusted the shoulders of her uniform, smiled softly, and looked at the crackling fire.

The flames reflected in her eyes – as if they, too, were waiting for a little magic.

– Well then, – she said, – my turn. Want to hear how, as a little girl, I dreamed of becoming… a fairy?

– A fairy?! – Alangazar, Ertoshtuk, and Fox cried out in chorus. – But you’re a commander!

– Yep, a commander, – Cinderella nodded. – But when I was six, I was sure I’d grow up to be a fairy, just like my godmother.

True, I had no wings, no wand.

But I had imagination – more than an entire enchanted army put together!

– Go on, go on! – Fox curled her tail tightly with excitement.

– I found an old broom, wrapped it in tinsel, and stuck a pot on my head – instead of a helmet.

Threw mom’s bedspread over my shoulders – like a real fairy cloak.

And off I went through the village… to make miracles!

The first giggles started by the fire.

– First, I tried to enchant the neighbor’s goat. I wanted her to fly.

So I tied some balloons to her…

But she clearly wasn’t ready for takeoff.

She jumped straight into the laundry bucket!

– Ha! – Ertoshtuk snorted. – That’s the “Fly-and-Dip” spell!

– Exactly! – Cinderella laughed. – Then I decided to turn our chicken into a princess.

I smeared glitter on her head, and hung mom’s beads around her neck.

The chicken got offended, ran into the barn – and started such an egg-party, the whole village came to watch!

– And your parents? – asked Fox, wiping tears of laughter.

– My stepmother wanted to scold me at first…

But when she saw me standing proud in a pot, draped in tinsel, next to a sparkling chicken – she just threw up her hands and laughed.

With everyone else.

And right then I thought:

Maybe I won’t become a real fairy…

But if I can make people smile —

isn’t that magic too?

Alangazar nodded with respect:

– I agree. A cheerful heart is stronger than any spell.

They all fell quiet for a moment.

The fire crackled gently.

The night wrapped around their camp like a soft, fluffy blanket.