Once upon a time, sisters Anya and Katie set off to school, but not just any school—a magical one. Everything there was special.
The teachers there were also wizards. The first teacher the girls met didn't look like a magician at all on the surface: he was young and had long hair, wearing worn jeans. From his pocket he pulled out two colourful feathers and walked over to the window. He brushed one feather across the glass—and frost flowers bloomed on the pane.
He brushed the other feather—and delicate white leaves appeared. The pattern on the glass sparkled with all the colours of the rainbow. The girls, along with the other children, clapped loudly. The young wizard-artist bowed and stepped aside for his colleague.
This wizard was wearing an apron. He rolled up his sleeves, sat down at a pottery wheel, and began to spin it with his foot. He reached somewhere behind his ear and placed a lump of clay on the wheel. And suddenly that shapeless lump began to grow and transform into a pitcher. Anya's mouth even fell open in amazement.
The pitcher grew as if by itself. Now that's magic! The pitcher was, of course, magical. A genie could live in it. You could store living and dead water in it. The wizard-craftsman promised to tell them all about this in future lessons.
The third teacher in a long robe and turban looked most like a wizard. He brought a cat, a little dog, and some sort of box.
Well, — he addressed the dog, — what's your name?
Mushka, — she suddenly answered in a human voice.
And how old are you?
Four years old, — said Mushka and bowed importantly to the little audience.
You tell me your name too, — the wizard addressed the cat.
Barsik, — the cat muttered and turned away.
What's wrong with you, Barsik?
Mushka licked my sour cream today.
Shame on you, Mushka! — the wizard wagged his finger at the dog. — You left Barsik without breakfast.
It is shameful, — Mushka looked away, — but what can you do! Sour cream is so delicious.
Then the lid of the box opened, and a snake's head appeared from inside.
Mushka even tried to drink my milk, — with these words the snake crawled out of the box.
The children froze in horror.
Don't be afraid! — said the wizard. — This snake is kind and wise. You will soon learn to teach your own animals to speak in a human voice.
The next teacher led the children out to the meadow in front of the school. He put on seven-league boots, stamped his heels, and flew higher than the old poplars. The children gasped. The wizard flew now higher, now lower, now faster, now slower. Anya watched his amazing flight without taking her eyes off it.
Finally, the Head Wizard stepped forward and said:
Children, you've met all the teachers. Now it's time for a break. And then we'll start learning right away!
And only now did Anya notice that Katie had disappeared somewhere. Anya found her sister in the school dormitory. She was packing things into a bag, swallowing tears.
What's wrong with you? Where are you going? — Anya was surprised.
I'll never learn all this magic! — Katie burst into tears. — I'll never be able to sculpt a magical pitcher! It's so hard!
Come on! Calm down. They'll teach us.
I'm afraid of dogs and especially snakes! How will I teach them to speak? And flying? It's so scary! So hard! — Katie kept crying and wailing.
But Anya interrupted her:
Do you want to be a wizard?
Yes, — Katie sobbed.
If you want to, then you can. Becoming a wizard isn't easy. But you have to believe in yourself. Give me your hand, let's go learn.
Then a magical bell rang for the first lesson. Katie wiped her tears, held out her hand to Anya, and they went to class.
Some time passed. The girls studied at the wizard school and made their first successes. They already knew how to draw frost leaves on glass. They got pet mice and taught them to answer "yes" and "no." The hardest part was creating magical vessels on the pottery wheel, but the sisters managed that too. At first they only made bowls, crooked and ugly. But the wizard-craftsman encouraged them: "A rough start is half the battle! Keep learning, don't give up. And most importantly—believe in yourself!".
The time came for lessons in seven-league boots. The teacher took everyone out to the meadow for flying practice. While he was showing how to fasten the magical shoes to their feet, Anya whispered to Katie:
Are you scared?
I am. But I believe in myself.
I'm scared too. But I also believe in myself. So everything will work out for us!
Yes, a rough start is half the battle!
