One day Vasily was walking to kindergarten with his mom. They were in such a hurry that, not noticing a stone in the road, the boy tripped and fell. He sprawled on the ground and started to cry. A little dog ran up to him and licked his nose.
His mom said:
How did you not see that stone? You need to watch where you're going. Now we'll have to buy you glasses.
The little dog wagged its tail, barked loudly, and ran ahead, looking back as if showing them the way. Vasily and his mom followed the dog. Turning the corner, they saw a bright sign above a shop door that hadn't been there before.
The sign read "Necessities and Magic." The dog ran into the shop, and Vasily and his mom followed. His mom asked the shopkeeper if he had glasses so she could notice stones and pebbles in time.
No, but we have glasses for noticing all sorts of delicious things with interchangeable lenses.
The shopkeeper replied.
What delicious things? What nonsense!
His mom was surprised. The shopkeeper laid a pair of glasses with strawberry-coloured lenses on the counter:
You can try them on.
His mom said those glasses wouldn't suit her, and she didn't really need glasses anyway—her son needed them to notice stones and pebbles.
The dog jumped onto the counter and with a clever flick of its tail placed the strawberry-lensed glasses on the boy's nose.
Oh!
Vasily exclaimed.
What's wrong?
His mom cried out.
How delicious!
The boy said. He picked up an eraser from the table, which turned into a ripe strawberry in his hands, and ate it. The air smelled of strawberries.
What is this?
His mom asked. But the shopkeeper didn't answer her. He removed a curtain from a shelf standing against the wall, on whose shelves shimmered multicoloured glass pieces.
What is this?
His mom repeated her question.
These are interchangeable lenses for the glasses. Will you take them?
I don't quite understand…
His mom began.
What other lenses do you have?
Vasily interrupted her.
Here, please, let me introduce you.
The shopkeeper led him to the shelf. The little glass pieces chimed cheerfully. The shopkeeper took the glasses and replaced the strawberry lenses with grape lenses. The boy put on the glasses, picked up a pencil lying on the table, which immediately turned into a beautiful bunch of grapes.
We'll take the glasses!
The boy cried out happily.
Yes, yes, of course we'll take them, but do you have instructions? And what's the warranty? And how much…
His mom said.
The shopkeeper wrapped the glasses and lenses in a bag, handed it to the boy, and said:
For you, as our very first customers, it's free.
Completely free?
His mom asked.
Completely.
And the warranty?
You don't need a warranty. The glasses can only break if you want them to—or rather, if you don't want them to help you.
"Woof-woof-woof," came from the table.
Oh, excuse me, I almost forgot.
He went over to the dog and put glasses with sausage-coloured lenses on it.
Won't you be late for kindergarten?
Oh, thank you for reminding me. I need to get to work! Thank you so much!
His mom suddenly remembered and they hurried to the kindergarten.
After dropping her son off at the gate and greeting the teacher, his mom ran to the bus stop—she was late for work. Vasily went to his classmates. The children were sitting in the sandbox making things. Each was making something different. He wanted to work with the sand too, but there wasn't enough room.
You're late!
Said a girl named Svetochka.
We're playing vegetable and fruit shop. Buy our vegetables and fruits!
She called out.
And here are bananas! Here are watermelons, though they're small. And these are nuts.
A boy named Semka had arranged small pebbles in front of him. Vasily loved nuts very much. He put on the glasses with nut-coloured lenses:
Very tasty nuts.
He started taking pebbles and crunching them happily. Semka said:
What are you doing? We're just pretending, we're playing make-believe.
Help yourself!
Vasily opened his palm, which held nuts.
Ah! You were joking.
A boy named Igorek figured it out. He had seen Vasily take stones but hadn't noticed them turn into nuts.
Does anyone have oranges?
Vasily asked.
Here.
Said Anyutka, showing her sand fruits.
I'll buy them.
Vasily put on the glasses with orange-coloured lenses, and all the children saw him pick up an orange from Anyutka's counter.
We went to the circus too. There was an uncle magician who pulled a rabbit out of a hat, and he also made doves appear from his pocket.
Said Katyushka.
I want a watermelon!
Vasily changed the lenses. All the children gathered in amazement around a watermelon that had appeared out of nowhere in the sandbox.
We just need to wash it and cut it.
Vasily said. While the children sat around with their mouths open, he ran to get plates, a bucket of water, and a knife. After cutting the watermelon, he said to the children:
Help yourselves!
The children timidly took pieces of watermelon and cautiously tried them. But the watermelon was very juicy and sweet. Their shyness disappeared. Vasily took off the glasses and asked little Katyushka:
What do you want?
Pineapple.
Vasily changed the lenses and put the glasses on Katyushka.
Oh!
She cried out, then suddenly laughed loudly, holding a big pineapple in her hands.
I want an apple!
Said Vlada.
And I want a peach.
Said Mishenka. Vasily could barely keep up changing the lenses. The teachers noticed that amazing things were happening in the sandbox.
So, who brought the fruit?
Asked the older teacher.
Did you wash them?
We washed them, we did! Help yourselves!
Vasily said.
No, thank you.
Is someone having a birthday today?
Asked the younger teacher, coming over to the sandbox.
Where's the cake?
She joked. Vasily handed her the glasses:
Here's your cake!
He pointed to a big pile of sand. The younger teacher laughed, put on the glasses, and said:
A virtual sponge cake?
It's real. Try it.
Vasily said.
Where did the cake come from? I'm sure it wasn't here.
The older teacher was surprised.
And you can see it?
Asked the younger teacher. She took off the glasses, carefully reached out, picked some frosting with her finger, and tasted it:
Vanilla. My throat's a bit dry.
She said.
Vasily changed the lenses in the glasses, and everyone saw that the shovel she was holding turned into a big bottle of lemonade. She looked questioningly at the children and the older teacher. And the older teacher said:
Let's celebrate…
Celebrate what?
Interrupted the younger teacher.
Let's celebrate the Day of Wonders!
Hurray!!!
The children shouted. The glasses passed from hand to hand, and Vasily could barely keep up changing the lenses. Everyone in the kindergarten gathered around the sandbox.
There were teachers and nannies, the cook Aunt Masha, the janitor, the caretaker, and even the kindergarten director, a candidate of pedagogical sciences. And everyone was eating treats, everyone was laughing, and everyone was congratulating each other on the holiday—the "Day of Wonders."
When the parents arrived in the evening, they were very surprised because the children and teachers and nannies, and the cook Aunt Masha, and the janitor, and the caretaker, and even the kindergarten director—the candidate of pedagogical sciences—who met them at the gate were somehow covered in frosting and chocolate.
