A party popper named Khlopa lives in a large shop called "Zateyкino". She doesn't remember how she ended up there, only knowing that she was brought in a wooden crate full of similar colourful party poppers.
Khlopa's neighbours told her they had seen through a small crack in the crate how they sailed across the sea and travelled in the back of a lorry. That's all Khlopa knows. She quite enjoys living in the shop — it's populated by other festive items.
The most important items in the shop are fireworks. They're very beautiful, but also dangerous. You can't just buy them, and they're very expensive too. And fireworks always live in brightly painted boxes, several to a box! They never get bored.
The most cheerful items in the shop are sparklers. They come in different shapes — like stars or hearts, and sometimes even like little Christmas trees. These ignitable sticks never give anyone peace. They're always laughing and whispering to each other, lighting up one from another.
But Khlopa doesn't like firecrackers. She doesn't get on with them. They're naughty and sneaky. They're always trying to scare someone or grab at fingers. You always have to watch out with them, or you might step on one by accident! Firecrackers always explode unexpectedly and loudly, and people buy them very often.
Khlopa has been living in "Zateyкino" for several years now, and many festive boxes have passed through her hands. When new ones arrive, Khlopa always happily gives tours. But here's the problem — for some reason, nobody wants to buy her.
At night, when stars light up in the sky, Khlopa dreams that sooner or later she'll be the centre of attention at some very important celebration. She so wants to burst with a loud sound, scattering her sparkles in all directions to bring joy to people.
But years go by, and Khlopa just keeps gathering dust on the shelf. So she decided it was time for her to get to a celebration herself. One day, just before New Year's, a girl came into the shop with her mum and dad. They spent a long time choosing fireworks, got some sparklers, but didn't take any party poppers.
Khlopa waited until the girl was passing by, then jumped off the shelf right into her hands. The girl examined the large, beautiful party popper carefully and ran to her mum and dad to get them to buy it. They agreed, and Khlopa finally found herself outside the shop. All the way home, she imagined how she would shine at the celebration. She was proud of herself for coming up with such a clever plan.
When evening came and all the guests gathered at the New Year's table, Khlopa carefully observed everything around her. The sparklers were lit first. Khlopa winked at her acquaintances — she knew they had been waiting for this celebration just as much as she had.
The moment came to hand out presents, guests bustled about, taking beautifully wrapped boxes from under the Christmas tree. And suddenly, the girl said: "Let's open the party popper!". Everyone supported her idea, and the girl's dad took on this important task.
Khlopa held her breath.
One — they pick her up.
Two — they make a wish.
Three — dad fires the party popper,
showering everyone with shimmering sparkles.
Khlopa laughs, scattering throughout the flat. She lands on the television, flies under the carpet and settles on the Christmas tree. Now that's a celebration!
It was worth waiting so long for!
