One day Vasily was walking to kindergarten with his mum. They were in such a hurry that, not noticing a stone on the path, the boy tripped and fell. He sprawled on the ground and started crying. A little dog ran up to him and licked his nose.
His mum said:
How did you not see that stone? You need to watch where you're going. Now we'll have to buy you some glasses.
The little dog wagged its tail, barked loudly, and ran ahead, looking back as if showing them the way. Vasily and his mum followed the dog. Turning the corner, they saw a bright sign above a shop door that hadn't been there before.
The sign read "Odds and Magical Ends." The dog ran into the shop, and Vasily and his mum followed. Mum asked the shopkeeper if he had glasses so she could notice stones and pebbles in time.
No, but we have glasses for noticing all sorts of delicious things with interchangeable lenses.
The shopkeeper replied.
What sort of delicious things? What nonsense!
Mum was surprised. The shopkeeper laid a pair of glasses with strawberry-coloured lenses on the counter:
You can try them on.
Mum said those glasses wouldn't suit her, and she didn't really need glasses anyway—her son needed them to notice stones and pebbles.
The dog, jumping onto the counter, cleverly used its tail to put the strawberry-lensed glasses on the boy's nose.
Oh!
Vasily exclaimed.
What's wrong with you?
Mum cried out.
How delicious!
The boy said. He picked up an eraser from the table, which turned into a ripe strawberry in his hands, and ate it. The air smelled of strawberries.
What on earth is this?
Mum asked. But the shopkeeper didn't answer her. He removed a curtain from a shelf standing against the wall, on which colourful glass pieces gleamed in different colours.
What is all this?
Mum repeated her question.
These are interchangeable lenses for the glasses. Will you take them?
I'm not entirely sure I understand...
Mum began.
What other lenses do you have?
Vasily interrupted her.
Here, let me introduce you.
The shopkeeper led him to the shelf. The little glass pieces chimed merrily. The shopkeeper took the glasses and changed the strawberry lenses for grape ones. The boy put on the glasses, picked up a pencil lying on the table, which immediately turned into a beautiful bunch of grapes.
We'll take the glasses!
The boy cried out happily.
Yes, yes, of course we'll take them, but is there an instruction manual? And what's the warranty period? And how much...
Mum said.
The shopkeeper wrapped up the glasses and lenses in a bag, handed it to the boy, and said:
For you, as our very first customers, it's free.
Completely free?
Mum asked.
Completely.
And the warranty?
You don't need a warranty. The glasses can only break if you want them to—or rather, if you don't want them to help you.
"Woof-woof-woof," came from the table.
Oh, sorry, I almost forgot.
He went over to the dog and put glasses with sausage-coloured lenses on it.
Won't you be late for kindergarten?
Oh, thank you for reminding me. I need to get to work! Thank you so much!
Mum suddenly remembered and they hurried to the kindergarten.
After dropping her son off at the gate and saying hello to the teacher, mum rushed to the bus stop—she was late for work. Vasily went over to his classmates. The children were sitting in the sandpit making things. Each was making something different. He wanted to work with the sand too, but there wasn't enough space.
You're late!
Said a girl named Svetochka.
We're playing at a vegetable and fruit shop. Buy some vegetables and fruit!
She called out.
And here are bananas! Here are watermelons, though they're small. And these are nuts.
A boy named Semka had arranged small pebbles in front of him. Vasily loved nuts very much. He put on the glasses with nut-coloured lenses:
Very tasty nuts.
He started taking the pebbles and happily crunching them. Semka said:
What are you doing? We're just pretending, we're playing make-believe.
Help yourself!
Vasily opened his palm, which held nuts.
Ah! You were joking.
Realised a boy named Igorek. He had seen Vasily pick up stones and hadn't noticed them turn into nuts.
Does anyone have oranges?
Vasily asked.
Here.
Said Anyutka, showing her sand fruit.
I'll buy some.
Vasily put on the glasses with orange-coloured lenses, and all the children saw him pick up an orange from Anyutka's counter.
We went to the circus too. There was an uncle magician who pulled a rabbit out of a hat, and he also made doves appear from his pocket.
Said Katyushka.
I want a watermelon!
Vasily changed the lenses. All the children gathered in amazement around a watermelon that had appeared out of nowhere in the sandpit.
We just need to wash it and cut it.
Said Vasily. While the children sat around with their mouths open, he ran to get plates, a bucket of water, and a knife. After cutting the watermelon, he said to the children:
Help yourselves!
The children timidly started taking pieces of watermelon and cautiously tasting it. But the watermelon was very juicy and sweet. Their shyness disappeared. Vasily took off the glasses and asked little Katyushka:
What would you like?
A pineapple.
Vasily changed the lenses and put the glasses on Katyushka.
Oh!
She cried out, then suddenly burst out laughing, holding a big pineapple in her hands.
I want an apple!
Said Vlada.
And I want a peach.
Said Mishenka. Vasily could barely keep up changing the lenses. The teachers noticed that extraordinary things were happening in the sandpit.
Right, who brought the fruit?
Asked the older teacher.
Did you wash them?
We did, we did! Help yourselves!
Said Vasily.
No, thank you.
Is it someone's birthday today?
Asked the younger teacher, coming over to the sandpit.
And where's the cake?
She joked. Vasily handed her the glasses:
Here's your cake!
He pointed to a large pile of sand. The younger teacher laughed, put on the glasses, and said:
A virtual sponge cake?
It's real. Try it.
Said Vasily.
Where did the cake come from? I'm sure it wasn't here before.
The older teacher was surprised.
And you can see it?
Asked the younger teacher. She took off the glasses, carefully reached out, picked up some icing with her finger, and tasted it:
Vanilla. My throat's a bit dry.
She said.
Vasily changed the lenses in the glasses, and everyone saw that the spade she was holding had turned into a large bottle of lemonade. She looked questioningly at the children and the older teacher. And the older teacher said:
Let's celebrate...
Celebrate what?
Interrupted the younger teacher.
Let's celebrate A Day of Wonders!
Hooray!!!
The children shouted. The glasses passed from hand to hand, and Vasily could barely keep up changing the lenses. The entire kindergarten population gathered around the sandpit.
There were teachers and nannies, the cook Aunty Masha, the caretaker, the facilities manager, and even the kindergarten director, a candidate of pedagogical sciences. And everyone was treating themselves, everyone was laughing, and everyone was congratulating each other on the holiday "A Day of Wonders."
When the parents arrived in the evening, they were very surprised because the children and teachers and nannies, and the cook Aunty Masha, and the caretaker, and the facilities manager, and even the kindergarten director—a candidate of pedagogical sciences—who met them at the gate were somehow smeared with cream and chocolate.
