New Year is a magical holiday. As New Year's Eve approaches, many people are overcome with a strange feeling that something magical and fairy-tale-like should happen.
Outside the window it was winter, and there were only a few days left until everyone's favourite New Year. As she was putting her children to bed, who were being fussy and refusing to sleep, Maria remembered an amazing and mysterious adventure that had happened to her in childhood.
Alright,
Said Maria.
If you don't want to sleep, I'll tell you a magical story that happened to me when I was still little.
And Maria began her captivating tale:
I was nine years old, and my brother Mike had just turned five. We loved New Year very much, and most of all we enjoyed helping mum with all the preparations for the long-awaited holiday. Dad would bring a real Christmas tree into the house a few days before the celebration (I'll never forget that captivating scent of fresh pine needles). For my brother and me, this became the best moment.
Mum would take out a large box of Christmas decorations from the cupboard. In the box, as it seemed to me, lived a mystery in the form of bright colourful baubles, glass icicles, funny figurines, and tinsel. We would start decorating the forest's evergreen resident, mum would wrap it in a bright multicoloured garland, and Mike and I would hang the decorations, and our little tree would become a fairy-tale beauty.
And at the end of it all, mum would open a small box containing an old Father Frost. He was already worn and tattered, since he had belonged to our mum when she was little. To us, this Father Frost seemed the most real, and we couldn't imagine how the decorated tree could stand on New Year's Eve without him. Only Snow Maiden had gone missing somewhere.
Probably during the move from the old house to the new flat. But I brought mum my favourite doll, which I had been given for my birthday. Mum (your grandmother) sewed the most beautiful dress for her from white tulle, attached a fur trim, and even my dad helped and wove her a crown from thin copper wire. What a beautiful Snow Maiden we ended up with, she practically glowed with mother-of-pearl. Even to me it seemed that the old Father Frost was pleased with his new granddaughter.
And so the tree was decorated. I did my homework, told Mike a fairy tale, and we went to bed. And when I woke up in the morning, I went into the big room and saw that our beloved Father Frost was missing from under the tree.
Mum!
I exclaimed.
Where has Father Frost gone! We put him under the tree yesterday, I remember exactly?
Mike came into the kitchen with the same question, and tears were already welling up in his eyes.
Dad decided that he was already very old and worn out.
Mum answered us.
And decided to take him to the dacha with the old things, we want to decorate a tree in the yard there, so we'll put Father Frost under it. And we'll buy a new one for home tomorrow, besides, look how beautiful our Snow Maiden turned out, and she doesn't look right with the old Father Frost.
No, mum, that's not fair!
Mike objected.
After all, he lived with you through all your childhood and guarded your presents under the tree on New Year's Eve, so you've treated him unfairly!
I was even surprised—my brother was so small, as I always thought, yet he spoke so wisely. Of course, I was sad too, because our old Father Frost meant more to me than just a New Year decoration. But there was nothing to be done, dad had already left, and no one could convince him in time.
It turned out that, finding himself at the dacha, in a dark box, among old things—our Father Frost was also very sad, he felt bad and bored in this place and, of course, very lonely. There was neither us nor Snow Maiden beside him, to whom he had become very attached over the past night. And the next day and night he spent completely alone in sorrow.
Our little Snow Maiden turned out to be very brave and decided to find her grandfather herself. She missed him very much and didn't want another companion. She felt sad, and also Snow Maiden saw that we were very upset too. Mike was crying, and I was sad.
The brave Snow Maiden decided to do whatever it took to bring the old Father Frost back, and besides, being an ordinary doll, she had ridden with us to the dacha more than once and remembered the way.
When we all went to sleep, the fearless Snow Maiden jumped down from the little table on which the tree stood, ran across the room and climbed out onto the street through the open window. We lived on the ground floor, so it wasn't difficult for her to get down from the window.
After that, Snow Maiden inconspicuously made her way to the main road, where a stray dog was sleeping at a bus stop in the corner.
The dog was surprised to see such a beautiful doll alone on the street. Little Snow Maiden shared her story with him, and the dog decided to help her. Taking the doll carefully in his teeth, the dog headed in the direction Snow Maiden indicated.
The journey turned out to be not easy at all. The dog hadn't eaten anything for a long time and had little strength, so he often stopped to rest. And after gathering a bit of strength, he continued on his way.
And finally, our travellers reached the dacha village where the house was located where Father Frost should have been. Snow Maiden helped the dog find the right house and asked him to lift her higher to the window.
But the window was closed, and our Snow Maiden was in despair—had they really come all this way only to freeze outside?
But suddenly she heard a raven cawing above her head:
Why do you need to get into the house?
Asked the curious raven.
My grandfather Father Frost is lying alone in the dark in a box in this house, I really want to help him get home!
Answered the little Snow Maiden sadly.
Surprisingly, it turned out that the raven also loved New Year very much, because after the holiday there was always something to find. The bird helped her. With her hard beak, she managed to open the window.
Snow Maiden climbed into the house.
Grandfather, grandfather!
Called the little doll.
Father Frost!
Father Frost didn't expect that anyone still needed him.
I'm here!
He answered uncertainly.
Who's calling me?
It's me, Snow Maiden! I've come for you, Maria and Mike are very sad without you, and I don't want to celebrate New Year with another grandfather!
How did you get here?
He could barely be heard through the closed box.
Right now, Grandfather, I'll try to open you.
She ran to the window and called the raven for help to break through the hard sticky tape with her beak.
Father Frost was free and was very happy about it. He was glad to see his Snow Maiden. She told him about all the adventures that happened on the way to the dacha. And she said that without him they wouldn't celebrate New Year, even if they couldn't make it back to the city in time. After all, love and friendship are the most precious things in the world!
And at that same time in the city, the following was happening.
In the morning, Mike and I woke up and, of course, saw that our Snow Maiden had also disappeared.
Mum!
I called out to mum in despair.
Look, Snow Maiden has also disappeared, surely dad didn't send her to the dacha too?
At that moment, dad came into the room.
Who did I send where?
He asked.
Dad, you took the old Father Frost away yesterday, and now you've sent Snow Maiden to the dacha too?
Mike asked, crying.
Mum and dad exchanged glances, not understanding what was happening.
Right then.
Dad began.
We'll all have breakfast now, get ready and drive out to the dacha together.
Hooray!
Mike and I exclaimed in unison and ran to get ready.
On the way out of the city, we were all tense and silent the whole way. We were all curious about where our Snow Maiden had disappeared to. While mum and I were getting ready, we looked around the entire flat, peered into every corner and under every piece of furniture, but Snow Maiden had vanished without a trace.
We drove onto the dacha village territory and from a distance we could already see that some large dog was sleeping on our porch.
Everyone stay in the car!
Said brave dad.
He got out of the car and walked towards the house, but to our surprise, when the dog saw dad, he wagged his tail in a friendly manner. We all got out of the car and caught up with dad.
The little dog turned out to be very sweet, but it was clear he hadn't eaten anything for a long time. Fortunately, mum had brought plenty of provisions for the whole day, and the dog was very grateful.
Dad, open the house faster!
Shouted Mike.
I can't wait to find our Father Frost!
What a surprise awaited us all when dad opened the door! On the table near the open window stood Snow Maiden and Father Frost side by side! And it's true what they say, that miracles happen at New Year. How Snow Maiden ended up at the dacha, so far from the city, remains a mystery to us to this day.
The dog, as we named him, turned out to be very loyal and pleasant. He stayed to live at our dacha, dad built him a warm kennel and constantly went to feed him.
And we all returned to the city, because there were only a few hours left until New Year. Mum took the old Father Frost and Snow Maiden out of her bag and placed them under the tree, where they were supposed to stand.
From then on, they became my favourite New Year decorations. Maria finished her story, who had long since become a mother herself.
And in the morning, when the children woke up, they saw that dad had brought a large real fir tree, and mum had taken out boxes of Christmas decorations. Next to the large box stood a small one, in which the old Father Frost and Snow Maiden patiently awaited their moment. They had become a bit worn over time, but they were, as always, the most beautiful and beloved.
