Dina Visits Nan
Tonya and Tonny reach out their hands and call out together:
Dina, help! Dina, save us!
The boy and girl are standing in a bog, the mud has already swallowed them up to their knees, and now they are up to their waists in dark, thick sludge. In a moment only their faces are visible, turned up to the grey sky. They can no longer scream, only silently move their lips. But their cries still ring in Dina's head. The bog has swallowed the children, two large bubbles appeared and burst, leaving a smooth surface, as if nothing had ever been there!
Dina wakes up in terror. Outside the window a full moon shines, a breeze drifts through the half-open window and gently stirs the curtain. All is quiet. But Dina is frightened, because Tonya and Tonny appear in her dreams almost every night! One moment a hurricane carries them away, the next a whirlpool in the river pulls them under, a tsunami washes them away, and tonight it was the bog... Dina is afraid to go to sleep, she has lost weight from constant lack of sleep.
Mum and Dad are worried about their daughter. Mum decides to take the girl to the doctor, but Dina asks to visit Nan. There she will surely get better, and everything will be fine!
Dina had not told her parents about her journey to the Enchanted Forest, but Nan knew everything, and, as Dina hoped, could help her.
After breakfast they began to get ready for the road. Dina took all the things she had with her when she searched the Enchanted Forest for medicine for Mum. A yellow hoodie, a backpack woven by Grandad from willow cut on the day of the spring equinox, a little bag of soil from under the blackcurrant bush, a white serviette, a bracelet with a small horseshoe given by the pony Buyan, and the little bottle from Mum's medicine.
Dad drove the car out of the garage, the bags were loaded into the boot and they set off to Nan's in the neighbouring village.
Nan was already waiting for her daughter's family. Dina hugged Nan and immediately ran to Buyan. The pony greeted the girl with a cheerful whinny. Of course, Dina had a few sugar cubes in the pocket of her dress, because Buyan had a sweet tooth. The girl held out her palm with the sugar, then hugged him around the neck and stroked him. On the shelf beside the stall lay a brush, and Dina picked it up and began brushing his mane. Then Nan came in and said:
Dina, let's go and have tea, then your parents will drive home, and you can visit Buyan again.
Dina kissed the pony on the forehead and went off with Nan.
Mum and Dad rested after the journey over a cheerful samovar with fragrant tea and Nan's jam tarts, and then they drove off.
Dina, tell me, what happened? You look so sad and pale. Why did you refuse to go to the doctor?
Nan, I'm not ill. Every night I dream of Tonya and Tonny, they perish and before that they beg me to help them. Remember, they are the children from the Enchanted Forest. I'm even scared to go to bed now. And I want to help them, only I don't know how, the girl said with sorrow.
Nan hugged her granddaughter and said:
Now we'll go to see my friend, her name is Anna-Maria-Rose. You should address her just like that, she loves being called by her full name. Just don't call her 'Auntie' or 'Nan', simply by her name. She's the one who told me how to save your mum. Her grandad also visited the Enchanted Forest as a child and managed to come back.
Did his mum get ill too?
No, he got there by accident, he got lost in the forest when he went out to pick mushrooms.
Anna-Maria-Rose was very pleased to see the visitors. After getting to know Dina they went to have cocoa in the cosy kitchen. There Dina told her everything: about the Enchanted Forest, and about Tonya and Tonny.
I have an old book, it was left to me by my grandad. He used to say that it contains everything you might need in a difficult situation, said Anna-Maria-Rose thoughtfully, but I can't open it, it is fastened with three silver buttons. Perhaps now it will open.
She brought a large, heavy book from the bedroom. The corners of the cover were trimmed with ornate silver fittings. The book was fastened with three square buttons, like those on a kaftan.
No sooner had Anna-Maria-Rose put the book on the table than it opened with a rustle. As if an invisible hand had turned several pages, and on a leaf lines began to appear, written in neat calligraphic handwriting:
"There is an Enchanted Forest.
A child can get into it.
You can get out of it only before sunset
If you do not come out before sunset, you will become a doll.
If the sorceress wishes, she can turn the doll back into a living person during the day.
And if anyone wishes to help the dolls leave the forest, the spell will break.
If you do not leave the forest within two years, you will remain a doll FOREVER!"
Dina, you can go back into the Enchanted Forest and help the children, said Anna-Maria-Rose confidently, you are the only child here, and the book opened just for you!
The page in the book rustled over, and everyone read the new lines:
"Dina, go outside. Whoever first approaches you will be your helper. Take everything you had with you last time, and tomorrow at dawn go to the Rotten Ravine."
The book snapped shut and fastened itself with all three silver buttons. Everyone exchanged glances, and Dina felt a shiver run down her back. Nan hugged her granddaughter and said:
Don't be afraid, Dina! You may be small, but you are very brave, you managed to help Mum, and you can help the children too. And Anna-Maria-Rose and I will be waiting for you!
Yes, love, added Anna-Maria-Rose, there is no other way out. These dreams will keep tormenting you. And the sorceress of the Enchanted Forest is not wicked, she won't get in your way, the book says nothing about that. And know that if someone is waiting for you, then you will succeed!
Dina had nowhere to turn, she had to go and wait for a helper. The girl decided she would go alone. And the grandmothers set about making rhubarb pies, because on her first journey to the Enchanted Forest they had been packed in her backpack.
The girl went outside, passed Anna-Maria-Rose's tidy yard, where wonderful gloxinias of every colour grew, and opened the gate. Suddenly a dog ran up to her, a small brown poodle, very thin and shaggy. The dog barked loudly and lunged at Dina, nearly knocking the girl off her feet, and there was nobody else in the street...
Both grandmothers rushed out at the barking, but the poodle had no intention of biting Dina. He lay down at her feet and gazed at her with devoted eyes.
So that's the helper the book was talking about! exclaimed Anna-Maria-Rose in surprise. This is the dog from the next street, it had two owners, the twins Tonya and Antosha. Oh, they went missing last year: they went into the forest for redcurrants, and no one saw them again! Only the dog came back, it howled and kept running to the Rotten Ravine. The children's parents called the rescue teams, a search dog came with a policeman, but they never found anyone. Their mum has since sat by the window all day long, waiting, and she doesn't talk to anyone.
Are those twins ginger? asked Dina.
Yes, ginger. Perhaps they are the ones asking you to help them get home. By the way, the dog's name is Duffy.
As soon as Anna-Maria-Rose said the dog's name, it jumped up and wagged its tail vigorously.
Come here, Duffy, called Anna-Maria-Rose, I'll feed you, you must be hungry.
Dina's nan busied herself with the pies, while the girl and Anna-Maria-Rose fed the dog, then washed and brushed it. And finally they gave it a trim. Duffy became such a beauty, fit for a show. But already at dawn Dina and the dog would set off for the Enchanted Forest. When the rhubarb pies were ready, Nan, just as last time, put three of them into Dina's backpack.
Duffy left with Dina and her nan. The girl had strange dreams all night which she could not remember afterwards, but she knew for certain that she had had to run from someone and hide the whole time.
As soon as Nan woke Dina, she ran to the shed to say goodbye to Buyan. The pony greeted her with a quiet whinny, the girl hugged him around the neck, tears dripped onto his velvety skin, and then something struck the floor with a melodic chime. It was a small silver bell. Dina put it in her backpack, Buyan did not give gifts for nothing.
Thank you, Buyan, Dina whispered and kissed him on the forehead, see you! I'm off to the Enchanted Forest again.
The girl ran off, wiping away her tears.
At the first rays of sunshine Nan, Dina, Anna-Maria-Rose and Duffy stood by the Rotten Ravine.
The Rotten Ravine
Nobody knew why the ravine was called Rotten. Nothing grew in it, and water did not run there even in heavy rain, only thin spirals of mist swirled at the bottom. The ravine was not long, only about a hundred metres, with ordinary forest at both ends. How wide the Rotten Ravine was nobody knew, the far side could not be seen, a dense mist began there. It was impossible to approach the edge of the ravine, as if there were an invisible wall in front of it.
Dina, her nan, Anna-Maria-Rose and Duffy went out to the clearing beyond the village and stopped before the Rotten Ravine.
Dina, how will you get to the other side? There isn't even a bridge! exclaimed Nan.
What do you mean there isn't? Look, a new bridge with lacy railings, and above it a rainbow arch! replied the girl.
Nan and Anna-Maria-Rose exchanged glances, they could not see any bridge...
Duffy boldly ran onto the little bridge, then came back to Dina, grabbed the edge of her dress and pulled her towards the Rotten Ravine. The rainbow arch above the bridge began to fade. Dina was afraid it would vanish, and then she would not be able to get into the Enchanted Forest. She ran after Duffy and shouted as she went:
Go home! If I come back, I'll come straight to you, Nan!
The two old friends saw the girl and the dog, approaching the invisible wall that separates reality from the Rotten Ravine, as if they were drawn in by an invisible force. The air rippled, as happens in great heat, then the ripple bent, two tiny figures floated over the ravine and vanished.
And Dina and Duffy, seeing no obstacles, simply stepped onto the freshly planed little bridge and in just a few metres found themselves on the other side of the Rotten Ravine.
The Enchanted Forest
As soon as the girl and the dog crossed the ravine, they saw an enormous eye. In front of them there was no forest, no field, nothing at all, just one eye. It was such a deep, jet-black colour that it looked like a single pupil. The eye began to grow and at the same time to move further away. Duffy's fur stood on end, he growled and pressed against Dina's legs. Dina felt shivers run over her skin.
Then a wind lifted Dina and Duffy and, spinning them like fallen leaves, carried them into the black pupil. Dina grabbed the poodle by its front paw in mid-air, pressed the dog to herself, squeezed her eyes shut in fear, and together they flew into the "black hole".
An invisible force gently set the girl and the dog down. Under their feet was firm ground. Dina opened her eyes and saw a carved house, covered in ivy, with a little tower, and on it a weathervane with a rooster. The rooster looked real, with a bright, multicoloured tail. A light breeze blew, the weathervane rooster stirred and proudly crowed its "Cock-a-doodle-doo". Out of the house came the sorceress, a lacy lilac shawl draped over her shoulders.
Hello, Dina, I've been waiting for you for a long time! And you've come with Duffy, hello to you too! What a beauty you've become, you should be entered in a dog show, said the sorceress with a smile.
Hello! replied Dina, and Duffy barked his greeting.
Why are you standing there? asked the sorceress. Time is passing, before sunset you must save the brother and sister and get yourselves home in time! So come in. Dina, it's time for tea. You'll learn your task in a dream.
There was nothing for it. Dina washed off the road and sat at the round table, covered with a lacy lilac tablecloth. On it stood a samovar, jam and fragrant buns. The sorceress poured tea into a little cup inlaid with mother-of-pearl. After the first sip Dina's eyes began to close, and the old woman helped her to the sofa. A soft down pillow received Dina's tired head in its embrace.
Dina's First Dream
I see myself as an elderly gentleman: a grey beard, thick glasses. I'm walking along the pavement with a cane. It is very hot, but I'm wearing a coat. My leg hurts badly. I walk with a limp, leaning on my stick. Right in front of me a tall, round glass building has risen up, and a young woman runs out of it, waving to me and shouting:
We're waiting for you, hurry!
Who is waiting for me? I ask in complete bewilderment.
Who? the young woman's voice rose to an incredibly high note in indignation. You're the chairman of the jury!
The jury?! My glasses slid up onto my forehead in surprise.
Yes, and you must choose the most beautiful poodle at the dog show.
I hurry after the young woman, limping. A high, large round hall, along its walls stand pedestals, and on them sit completely identical brown plush poodles. How can one find the most beautiful dog here?
I look closely at each one. Perhaps Duffy will give me some sign. But toys cannot whine, bark, or blink... And the young woman walks beside me and keeps buzzing:
Hurry, or the dream will end soon!
And then a drop of blood ran from the ear of one of the toys! When I was helping Anna-Maria-Rose trim Duffy, I accidentally cut the tip of his ear.
This dog will be the winner of our show, I said loudly, so the whole hall could hear, that is, I said it.
The toy came to life, jumped down from its pedestal onto the floor, licked my hand, and then I woke up.
At the Sorceress's
Dina is standing again before the sorceress's house, the weathervane rooster spotted the girl, stirred and proudly crowed its "Cock-a-doodle-doo". Out of the house came the sorceress, a lacy lilac shawl draped over her shoulders.
Well done, Dina! If you hadn't recognised Duffy, he would have been a plush toy forever. Now your new task: you must grow a rhubarb bush, come into my garden.
The sorceress went round the house, Dina and Duffy following her. Wondrous plants grew in the garden. Here is a flower bed of insect-catchers: two child's palms on a thin green stalk, each with seven fingers with long pink nails. The palms keep clapping and catching flies that swarm around the plant. Dina, passing by, smelled honey and pineapple, and understood why the flies were flying to their doom.
And here is a flower bed of plants resembling cobras. They have very beautiful shimmering hoods, sparrows wander among them, pulling caterpillars out of the hoods. Sometimes the cobra-plant wraps a little sparrow in its hood as a sign of gratitude.
And here is a flower bed around a small fountain, resembling an atomiser, from which an invisible mechanism releases a fragrant cloud. On each plant there are three stalks ending in blossoms that look like human heads with large noses and long hair. The noses sniff, and if they like the smell, the hair turns multicoloured, and if not, it turns grey. The displeased heads start butting the pleased heads and squeak as they do. Above the flower bed there is constant noise.
Dina stopped before the atomiser fountain, but the sorceress, without looking back, called to her:
Time is passing!
Dina followed the sorceress onward without looking around. And in the garden there was plenty to see! They all stopped beside a dug-over, empty round flower bed.
Here you must grow the rhubarb! said the sorceress, and vanished.
Dina looked around the garden in bewilderment. There was nothing nearby, not even a packet of seeds.
What can I at least level the soil with? the girl asked herself.
In her backpack, woven from willow, something jingled melodically, and Dina remembered the bell given by Buyan. And at once from nowhere, a small rake appeared.
Thank you so much, Buyan!
Dina levelled the flower bed. She took the bell from her backpack, shook it and said:
Now I need a spade to make a hole!
Snap, and a spade lay beside the flower bed.
Thank you, Buyan!
Dina dug a hole in the middle. She shook the bell once more and said:
And now I need seeds!
But nothing appeared. What if she shook it twice? But the bell did not even give a melodic chime...
Dina grew frightened: how would she complete the task now? Duffy jumped up and nudged his nose into the backpack. Then he jumped again and barked loudly.
Duffy, do you really think I should put a rhubarb pie in the hole? asked Dina.
The dog licked the girl's hand. Well, it was worth trying, especially as nothing else came to mind. Dina took out a pie and buried it in the centre of the flower bed, then took the little bottle of spring water from her backpack and watered it. The water in the bottle did not decrease, but from the earth first came red shoots, then pink-green sprouts, and soon large green leaves on juicy stalks, and then thick stems with fluffy white flower clusters. From nowhere bees flew up and buzzed happily over the rhubarb flowers.
Thank you, Dina, you have grown magical rhubarb in my garden. Remember: magical! Now it's time to return to the table, said the sorceress. She appeared in the very same spot from which she had vanished.
Someone has stolen the dragon's thorn you brought me last time, you must find it, the sorceress gave the task.
Dina washed her hands and sat at the round table, covered with a lacy lilac tablecloth. On it stood a samovar, jam and fragrant buns. The sorceress poured tea into a little cup inlaid with mother-of-pearl. After the first sip Dina's eyes began to close, and the old woman helped her to the sofa. A soft down pillow once again received the tired head of Dina in its embrace.
Dina's Second Dream
I don't know who I am. I can see very poorly. It is a bright, warm day, but I feel uncomfortable, I want to hide. As if through a haze I try to look at my hands, but they look more like shovels with long clawed fingers, and I don't have bare skin but black hide! I hear the flapping of wings and understand that I must run. Someone is hunting me! Nearby there is a hole, a strong smell of damp earth. My body is clumsy, but I quickly fall into the hole, and only someone's sharp claw lightly scratches my hide.
I am underground, and this is my home! I must find the dragon's thorn, where can it be here?! There are a great many tunnels, all of them end in storerooms. I rustle along the long corridors: here, a dead end, a strong smell of dried earthworms. This is the winter store. I must find another tunnel.
This tunnel ended in a small room covered with autumn leaves. This is my bedroom. I turn round and by the smell find another passage.
I crawl along it for a long time and suddenly sense a stranger's smell: someone unknown is ahead. Here the tunnel ends, and I fall into emptiness. My back itches badly, an unbearable itch and pain.
And suddenly I'm not just tumbling aimlessly somewhere, but flying, flapping my wings. My eyes are dazzled by light, and I see a vast valley bathed in sunshine, and in the centre a black mountain, like a dragon's thorn.
I glide on the currents of air. How wonderful to be a bird! An incredible feeling of lightness and freedom! Suddenly I hear the chime of a bell, it reminds me of the sorceress's task. I must hurry!
I swoop towards the mountain, and now I'm above it. The lower I descend, the smaller it becomes. Suddenly long springy stalks with huge palms rise out of the ground. They have seven fingers each with pink claws, and they try to catch me like a fly.
When the palms part for another clap, strands of grey-brown-crimson slime hang between them. By some miracle I manage to avoid their slimy embrace. And now I can grip the thorn with my claws. The hunter plants, having lost me as prey, vanished. But the thorn won't budge, it's firmly stuck in the ground!
Buyan, please help me! I cry out.
And then the thorn wobbled in the ground like a milk tooth, I seized it and began to fly up.
At the Sorceress's
Dina is standing again before the sorceress's house, holding the dragon's thorn, the owl-weathervane stirred and grumbled "Hoo-hoo-hoo". Out of the house came the sorceress, a lacy lilac shawl draped over her shoulders.
Thank you, Dina, for returning the dragon's thorn to me. Now you must bring Tonya and Tonny home. Come in.
As soon as Duffy saw Dina, he ran to her with a joyful bark, put his front paws on the girl's chest and licked her cheek.
Duffy, how glad I am to see you!
Everyone went into the sitting room. The table with the samovar and the sofa with the pillow had vanished. On the wall where there had been no door at all, a tall double door appeared.
"The library," Dina guessed. There, in a cupboard, dolls were standing. The door swung open with a clang, and the sorceress said:
Dina, come in. There is little time left, the sun will set soon. If you succeed, we will never see each other again. Just in case, goodbye!
And what if I don't succeed? asked the girl, trembling.
The sorceress shrugged her shoulders and said nothing.
In the Library
Dina, and behind her Duffy, went in through the welcomingly opened doors. They slammed shut with a crash. From nowhere, with a deafening clatter a heavy bolt dropped, and a large padlock was fastened to it. There's no way back!
If you do not return with Tonya and Tonny home before sunset, there will be a place for you on a shelf in the cupboard! boomed the sorceress's thundering voice.
In the library a cloud of dust whirled up, and at once it grew dark, as happens when the sun sets. Dina's eyes went dark too, and tears welled up. But there was no time for crying, something had to be done.
Duffy licked the girl's hand and ran ahead, inviting Dina to follow him. The bracelet with the small horseshoe, a gift from Buyan, glowed in the dusk, and Dina's heart immediately lightened.
Rows of cupboards rose up before the travellers. And then on one cupboard a fiery inscription appeared: "Dina". As soon as the girl opened the doors, it began to burn. On a shelf stood a lonely box, covered in dust, and the fire had already spread to the shelf. Dina, without a second thought, snatched up the box, the flames flared white, and from the cupboard only a heap of ash remained, which in a moment vanished too.
The box was carved, of cherrywood, and smelled very pleasant. Dina opened it: on emerald velvet lay a mother-of-pearl button from a Wobbly Doll and a small pirate arrow.
What am I to do with them? whispered Dina. How will they help me?
And Duffy was already calling the girl, barking loudly by another cupboard. Dina put the button and the pirate arrow into the pocket of her yellow hoodie, and the box into her backpack.
She went to the cupboard beside which Duffy would not stop barking, and opened it. On the only shelf stood two dolls, Tonya and Tonny. There was a crack, the whole cupboard became crazed with fine cracks, as if it were covered in craquelure. Dina managed to grab the dolls from the shelf, and the cupboard turned to dust, which in a moment also vanished.
Suddenly the dolls slipped from Dina's hands, struck the floor with a terrible crash and turned into Tonya and Tonny! The children hugged each other and wept, and Duffy ran round them, barking joyfully.
An owl hooted, and before the astonished children's eyes appeared a clock, floating in the air. On the dial, which constantly changed shape from circle to oval and back again, at the top, at 12 o'clock, a pink sun was painted, at three a yellow sun, at six a crimson sun, and at nine a moon.
The minute hand, sometimes stepping beyond the oval, raced around the circle, while the hour hand was approaching the crimson sun. Time was relentlessly running out...
Then the bracelet unfastened and fell from Dina's wrist. It turned into a bow. The girl took the pirate arrow from her pocket. The boy seized it, drew the string of the bow and fired at the clock. He hit the minute hand dead on, it trembled, stopped, as if pondering what to do, lurched violently and reluctantly crept backwards. Then the small hand on the clock stopped too. The children breathed a sigh of relief. The bracelet with the horseshoe settled back onto Dina's wrist. There was no time for talking, they had to hurry!
Dina took off her backpack, in it lay two rhubarb pies. She gave one half of a pie to Tonya, the other half to Tonny, and divided the second pie between herself and Duffy. The children felt an unusual surge of strength, as if they had drunk a magic potion!
From Dina's pocket the mother-of-pearl button fell out, it rolled under a cupboard full of books. Duffy dashed after the button and at the last moment managed to grab it in his teeth. And then everyone froze with fear, out from under the cupboard a snake appeared. How could it have fitted there? It grew bigger and bigger and soon rose up to the ceiling. It was a cobra, it spread its enormous multicoloured hood and, leaning forward, looked into Dina's eyes.
Duffy opened his mouth in amazement, and the button dropped to the floor. It began to grow, its edges curled up, and it turned into a mother-of-pearl bowl.
The owl hooted again, the children looked at the clock floating in the air. The minute hand stopped, trembled and quickly ran in the opposite direction, bringing sunset closer. Dina approached the cobra and stroked its smooth, warm skin. She remembered the flower bed in the sorceress's garden, where the cobra-plants had been so kind to the sparrows, and said:
Please help us get home!
Water, hissed the snake.
Dina took the little bottle of spring water from her backpack and poured the water into the mother-of-pearl bowl. Until the bowl was full, the water kept flowing from the little bottle and flowing. The cobra drank the spring water and said:
Everyone stand together in a tight circle. The boy should pick up the dog in his arms.
The children did so. The cobra covered the children with its hood, and they all heard the piercing voice of the sorceress:
In one minute the sun will set!
Return
The cobra's hood wrapped the travellers closely. Inside it was warm and dark. And then everyone was spun around in a multicoloured tunnel: Tonya, Tonny and Duffy flew off in one direction, and Dina in the other. The bell in Dina's backpack began to play a victory tune.
In a blink, Dina was in the shed where Buyan stood. The girl hugged her friend, kissed him on the forehead and rushed into Nan's house. In the kitchen Anna-Maria-Rose and Nan were drinking tea with pies.
I'm back! Dina shouted from the doorway.
Nan hugged her granddaughter, tears of joy running down her cheeks.
And did you save the children? asked Anna-Maria-Rose.
Yes, we all flew out through the coloured tunnel. They must have got home together with Duffy, replied the girl.
Let's go to their house, suggested Anna-Maria-Rose.
Ever since the children had gone missing, their house had been plunged into darkness. No one switched on the lights there. The gate and fence had once been lime green, but the paint had peeled off, grass had grown up under the fence, and nobody mowed it.
But now they all saw that the fence was lime green again. The gate was flung open, and loud laughter came from the yard. On the abandoned flower beds pink and red geraniums had bloomed.
Dina and the grandmothers went into the yard. Half the village had come running at the noise. Mum was hugging her Tottys (what she used to call them), crying and laughing with happiness.
The neighbours began carrying tables out into the street and covering them with white tablecloths. The housewives brought whatever they could, and the whole village celebrated the children's return from the Enchanted Forest all day long.
Everyone thanked Dina and marvelled at her bravery. Of course, Dina knew that without Duffy and Buyan, Nan and Anna-Maria-Rose she would never have been able to save her brother and sister.
When Dina and her nan came home, she took the carved box from her backpack and opened it. On emerald velvet lay a watch. It was small, just right for Dina's wrist. On the dial was a tiny cobra and an inscription in the same calligraphic handwriting as in the book with the silver buttons: "Dina".
The girl put on her watch, and a little snake winked at her from the dial, although, as everyone knows, they cannot blink.
