Once upon a time there was a boy named Ilyusha. He was already quite grown up—all of five years old! He was a smart and obedient boy, very curious, and afraid of almost nothing. Well, he was a bit wary of the neighbour's dog, a Doberman named Graf. When Graf strutted importantly on his walk beside his owner, he was almost the same height as Ilyusha.
Not like the small, funny little bundle—a terrier named Nordic, who bounced merrily ahead of Grandma Lisa from the third entrance when she went for a walk with him. Ilyusha loved to play with him. Tag. They would happily race each other through the autumn park, tumble together in the autumn leaves, and play with a ball.
Ilyusha would throw it, and Nordic would find it and bring it back to him. And Mama and Grandma Lisa sat on a bench and admired their friendly game.
But then it happened that Ilyusha caught a cold and became ill. He lay at home, all hot and miserable. He looked sadly out the window and missed his friend Nordic. Mama hardly left his bedside, giving Ilyusha tea with honey and raspberry jam, but the doctor said he needed to have injections, otherwise he wouldn't get better.
But what Ilyusha was afraid of was needles. As soon as he saw a needle, he was unrecognizable. Usually obedient and compliant, he would start screaming and struggling, and there was no way to hold him. No one could manage him; he wouldn't agree to any gifts and absolutely refused to have injections.
And so it was this time too. After an unsuccessful attempt to give him an injection, Mama left the room, and Ilyusha fell asleep in tears. All of this was observed by the needles in Mama's sewing box, lying in a little box for needlework on the armchair where Mama sat, keeping vigil beside her sick son. They whispered about something and, apparently coming to an agreement, having climbed out of the box, stood in a row around the boy's head.
The biggest Needle clapped her hands and sang a little song:
Needle fairy,
Come flying fast,
And make our Ilyusha
Shrink down at last!
We'll take him to the ball.
We'll spin around merrily,
We'll sing and celebrate cheerily,
We'll party together with cheer,
For there's no reason to fear!
Then something sparkled in the air, a light transparent cloud appeared and descended on the sleeping boy. He began to shrink rapidly and soon became just slightly taller than the biggest Needle from Mama's box.
Opening his eyes, Ilyusha at first didn't understand where he was. There was a large, festively decorated hall, soft music was playing, and around him walked Needles, politely bowing to each other. He was confused, and was just about to become frightened and cry, when a little voice called to him from behind. Ilyusha turned around and saw beside him a beautiful little spruce branch. She was holding out her little needles to him and smiling.
Hello, Ilyusha! Were you invited to the ball too?
She asked.
Hello, Branch! I don't know, I was sleeping, and I ended up here. What kind of celebration is this? And why are there so many needles here?
What, you don't know?! Today is the birthday celebration of the Very First Needle, the Ancestress of all Needles on earth! That's why there are so many guests here, just look at who's all here!
Then the music sounded louder and more solemn, and the doors of the hall opened wide. The Very First Needle entered the hall. She was a Bone needle, not as beautiful and shiny as modern steel Needles, but she was the First, and that meant something!
She was invented in very ancient times, when people lived in caves and wore clothing made from animal hides. And so that it would be more convenient to wear such clothing, people came up with the idea of fastening the hides together with thin straps and sinews. And for this, they needed to make a little hole, for which they adapted sharp bones.
This happened 35,000 years ago. And now she lives in a museum in the city of Celje, which is in Slovenia. The little spruce branch told Ilyusha all of this while the First Needle, to applause, walked to her chair, which stood on a raised platform in the centre of the hall. As soon as she sat down, the master of ceremonies announced the beginning of the celebration.
Invited guests began to enter the hall. What kinds of needles were here! All the plant needles came—spruce, pine, fir, needles from thuja and saxaul, acacia and cactus, even Roses sent their thorns to congratulate the Bone Needle. Then entered the Needles of porcupines, hedgehogs, and echidnas.
After them came the Needles of sea creatures. The needle fish arrived in a luxurious aquarium, accompanied by starfish, sea lilies, and sea cucumbers. But the sea urchins preferred to walk separately, respectfully carrying their gifts for the birthday girl.
When all the representatives of the animal and plant kingdoms had passed, sewing needles entered the hall. Leading the procession was the Big Gypsy Needle. She was called that because long ago, gypsies used exactly such a needle to sew harnesses for their horses. Behind her came other sewing needles, arranged by sizes.
After all, each sewing needle had its own size, so that needlewomen would know which needle to use for sewing different fabrics. The procession was completed by golden, delicate embroidery Needles. They were giggly and cheerful, they had the most joyful work, because they created Beauty!
Ilyusha watched this parade of Needles with wide eyes. After all, he hadn't even realized how many needles existed in the world. The doors of the hall began to close, and the music sounded louder, inviting everyone to dance and have fun. But then the voice of the Very First Needle was heard.
