In a small village, at its very edge, stood an unusual cottage. It stood out remarkably against all the other buildings in the settlement. People would even come just to look at it.
The house resembled a real fairy-tale tower. It was small, with round windows framed by intricately carved, lace-like trim, a roof that looked like a large honeycake, and walls painted in a soft pink colour.
Around the house were many flowers and flowering trees, and there was even a pond where two magnificent snow-white swans swam. Everything about this house was extraordinary.
And no one suspected that a family of magicians lived in it. Mum, Dad, Grandma, and a girl named Milana, who was celebrating her birthday today—she was turning sixteen.
For this momentous occasion, a grand celebration had been arranged in the house, as the girl had reached the age when she could begin learning the intricacies of magic.
When the party was coming to an end and guests began to leave, Grandma called Milana over:
You know, my dear girl, that we are not like most people. We have a power called magic. And we must direct this power only towards doing good deeds. We have been helping people for many years when we see they cannot manage without our help.
To begin learning all the intricacies, I will give you three ribbons with which you can perform three good deeds. But remember this: if you try to use their power for something wrong, the ribbons will turn into mere twigs and lose their magical properties.
Grandma continued her story.
Milana took the magic ribbons from her grandmother—they were blue, green, and orange—and went to bed.
In the morning, when it was fully light, Milana went out through the gate of the house. She decided to take a walk around the village. Today was Saturday, so there should be plenty of people on the streets.
The girl couldn't think of where to use the magical power of the ribbons. Milana walked down one street, then another. Everywhere, everyone was busy with their own affairs and paid no attention to the girl.
Milana met an elderly woman carrying heavy bags and offered to help her. The woman thanked her but said she had already reached her house. So the girl walked until lunchtime and was even a bit tired.
Milana came to some old ruins that had long been abandoned by people, though children played dangerous games there. The abandoned buildings were located almost in the centre of the village and cast a shadow over the lives of most people living on that street.
Just then, children's voices could be heard coming from there. Some boys were playing something.
Milana climbed over the old logs and saw one of the boys:
Why are you playing here? Don't you have anything better to do? It's dangerous here—you could be crushed by something at any moment!
Milana said to him.
Seeing the girl, all the boys ran over to her and shouted in unison that they had nowhere else to go, since there was not a single playground or park in the village.
Then the girl remembered her magic ribbons and thought of how to use them.
Milana told the boys to go home for lunch and come back here in the evening. She then threw the orange ribbon on the ground, and in an instant, all the old buildings disappeared, and well-maintained flower beds and paths with benches appeared in their place.
The girl threw the green ribbon, and in place of the old pit, a small pond formed, with a weeping willow spreading over it and ducks swimming on the water.
Finally, the last blue ribbon remained, from which an entire playground appeared with everything you could imagine: swings, slides, various ladders, and carousels.
When the boys arrived in the evening, they couldn't believe their eyes at how beautiful it was. Even the adults came with joy to see the small park that had appeared out of nowhere.
And Milana was very happy that she had been able to bring so much joy to people through her good deeds.
