Once upon a time there lived a grandfather and grandmother. They worked hard and long, and when they retired, they left their city apartment and moved to live in a distant village. They had a small but very cosy cottage there.
And in our age of modern technology and gadgets, they equipped their cottage with the latest technology: satellite television, internet, convenient means of transport, scooter, bicycle and so on. Grandpa ploughed small garden beds near the house on his mini-tractor, and grandma looked after the household. At a family meeting, after heated debates and compelling arguments, they made a joint decision to buy a goat. The little goat Rosie gave them milk.
Grandpa and grandma ordered groceries through the internet with delivery, because there was no shop in their village, and it was not economical to travel to the neighbouring village to do shopping.
And so one day grandpa says:
Bake me a kolobok, grandma.
And she replies:
The internet was down yesterday, we haven't ordered flour yet.
Why don't you rummage through the bags in the cellar, do a stock check of the kitchen cupboards, maybe you'll find something.
Okay.
Said grandma.
Looks like we won't be able to get out of this, I'll do as you say.
She shook through the bags, searched through the cupboards, milked some milk from the little goat Rosie, and somehow managed to get some dough together. Grandma put all the ingredients into a miraculous bread maker, switched on the "Kolobok" baking programme and the mixing and baking process began in full swing.
While our characters were busy with their personal affairs, chatting with relatives on social media, the bread maker programme was coming to an end. The kolobok was baked.
Grandma opened the bread maker, and there it was, so fluffy, fragrant, golden brown... Only very hot.
Grandma put the kolobok on the windowsill to cool, and went to the kitchen to load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
The kolobok lay there, and suddenly saw a mono-wheel (unicycle).
Oh, what a cool vehicle.
Thought the kolobok.
Let me take it for a ride, stretch my sides, get out of my comfort zone on the windowsill.
The round fellow jumped off the window, climbed onto the mono-wheel and rolled off... Rolling along, smiling, having fun. Suddenly, a Hare on roller skates comes towards him.
Saw the kolobok and snickered meanly:
Kolobok, kolobok, I'll overtake you and eat you.
Don't eat me, little hare, and you won't catch me anyway. Let me sing you a little song and we'll pretend you didn't say anything and I didn't hear anything. And we'll each go our own way.
While the hare was thinking, the kolobok rolled away. There was no one to eat or chase. And he almost didn't get to sing a song. That's what a sad thing happened to him.
The kolobok felt sorry for the hare, came back and sang him a little song to lift his spirits and restore his faith in life:
I'm a kolobok,
I'm a kolobok,
I'm a rosy-cheeked fellow,
I ran away from grandma,
I ran away from grandpa,
And from you, hare,
I'll ride away on my unicycle.
The kolobok rolls on, and towards him comes a Wolf on a scooter.
Saw the kolobok and asks:
Oh, how can you be so beautiful and tasty, and ride around the forest by yourself? What if you meet someone bad, like me, and they'll eat you in one bite! I like you, and I'm going to eat you.
Don't eat me, wolf, I'll sing you a song, I wrote the music and words myself, I didn't sleep for ten nights.
And the kolobok sang:
I'm a kolobok,
I'm a kolobok,
I'm a rosy-cheeked fellow,
I ran away from grandma,
I ran away from grandpa,
I ran away from the hare,
And from you, wolf, I'll run away.
And the kolobok rolled on, and the wolf couldn't catch him on his rusty scooter.
Suddenly, a Bear comes out from behind a tree on a gyroscooter.
Rolls up to the kolobok and, drawling his words lazily, says:
Just look at that! It's the rosy-cheeked and tasty kolobok! You smell so delicious that I've made an important decision to eat you.
Don't eat me, bear, I'll sing you such a song, you'll be amazed, we'll shake the whole forest.
Let's see, go ahead.
Grumbled the bear.
I'm a kolobok,
I'm a kolobok,
I'm a rosy-cheeked fellow,
I ran away from grandma,
I ran away from grandpa,
I ran away from the hare,
I ran away from the wolf,
And from you, Misha, I'll run away.
The kolobok rolls on, riding on his monocycle, and towards him comes a Fox on a bicycle.
Oh, how beautiful and lovely you are, tasty and delicious. I'm going to eat you.
She said it just like that, without flattery or sycophancy, clean and straightforward.
Let me sing you a song, just don't eat me.
The kolobok got a bit scared.
And sang:
I'm a kolobok,
I'm a kolobok,
I'm a rosy-cheeked fellow,
I ran away from grandma,
I ran away from grandpa,
I ran away from the hare,
And I escaped from the wolf,
And I fooled the bear,
And from you, fox, I'll escape too!
Oh, what a stylish song, what a rhythm, what deep lyrics! And what a cool voice you have, kolobok. Sit on my nose and sing one more time.
Oh no, fox, I know you're cunning, I won't sit on your nose, and I won't sing anymore, I'll go back to grandpa and grandma.
The kolobok got on his monocycle and rolled away. Grandpa and grandma were already waiting for him, worried. And when the kolobok came home, he apologised to them for his behaviour, and for jumping off the windowsill without asking.
And grandpa and grandma had an educational talk with him about kolobok maniacs and eaters that roam the forest, explained the danger of talking to strangers.
Reciting poetry, singing songs and performing as a folk talent ensemble can only be done within the family or with the permission of adults, and you should try to run away from strangers who want to talk to you.
The kolobok stayed to live in the modern cottage of grandpa and grandma, enjoyed life, turned up the volume on the portable speaker to MAX and sang songs so loudly all around that even crows were afraid to come near the property. The harvest was preserved and the enterprising characters organised a mini-farm... But that's a completely different story.
Read fairy tales and interesting stories will always surround you.
