Dina Visits Granny
Tonya and Tonni stretch out their hands and shout together:
Dina, help! Dina, save us!
A boy and a girl are standing in a bog, the marsh has already sucked them in up to their knees, and now they are up to their waists in dark, thick sludge. In a moment only their faces are visible, turned up towards the grey sky. They can no longer scream, only silently move their lips. But still their cry rings in Dina's head. The marsh has swallowed the children, two large bubbles appeared and burst, and left a smooth surface, as if nothing had ever been there!
Dina woke up in terror. Outside the window a full moon shines, a breeze drifts through the half-open window and gently stirs the curtain. All is quiet. But Dina is frightened, because Tonya and Tonni appear in her dreams almost every night! Sometimes a hurricane carries them away, sometimes a whirlpool in the river pulls them under, sometimes a tsunami washes them away, and today it was a bog... Dina is afraid to go to bed, she has grown thin from constant lack of sleep.
Mum and Dad are worried about their daughter. Mum decided to take the girl to the doctor, but Dina asked to visit Granny. There she will surely get better, and everything will be alright!
Dina had not told her parents about her journey to the Enchanted Forest, but Granny knew everything, and, as Dina hoped, might be able to help her.
After breakfast they began to get ready for the journey. Dina took all the things that she had with her when she was searching the Enchanted Forest for a cure for Mum: a yellow hooded jumper, a little rucksack woven by Grandad from willow cut on the day of the spring equinox, a little bag of soil from under a redcurrant bush, a white napkin, a bracelet with a tiny horseshoe given by the pony Buyan, and the little bottle from Mum's medicine.
Dad drove the car out of the garage, the things were loaded into the boot, and they set off to Granny's in the neighbouring village.
Granny was already waiting for her daughter's family to visit. Dina hugged Granny and immediately ran to Buyan. The pony greeted the girl with a cheerful neigh. Of course, Dina had a few lumps of sugar in the little pocket of her dress, because Buyan had a sweet tooth. The girl held out her palm with the sugar, then hugged him around the neck and stroked him. On a little shelf beside the stall lay a brush, Dina picked it up and began to brush his mane. Then Granny came and said:
Dina, let's go and have tea, then your parents will go home, and you can visit Buyan again.
Dina kissed the pony on the forehead and went off with Granny.
Mum and Dad rested after the journey with a cheerful samovar, fragrant tea and Granny's jam tarts, and then they drove off.
Dina, tell me, what's happened? You look so sad and pale. Why did you refuse to go to the doctor?
Granny, I'm not ill. Every night I dream of Tonya and Tonni, they perish and before that they ask me to help them. Remember, they are the children from the Enchanted Forest. I'm even scared to go to sleep now. And I want to help them, only I don't know how," said the girl bitterly.
Granny hugged her granddaughter and said:
Now we'll go to my friend, her name is Anna-Maria-Rose. That's how you should address her, she adores being called by her full name. Just don't call her "auntie" or "granny", simply by her name. She is the one who told me how to save your mum. Her grandfather, when he was still a child, also went into the Enchanted Forest and managed to come back.
Did his mum get ill too?
No, he got there by accident, he got lost in the forest while he was out picking mushrooms.
Anna-Maria-Rose was delighted by her guests. After getting to know Dina, they went to drink cocoa in the cosy kitchen. There Dina told her everything: about the Enchanted Forest, and about Tonya and Tonni.
I have an old book, it was passed down to me by my grandfather. He used to say that it contains everything that might be needed in a difficult situation, said Anna-Maria-Rose thoughtfully, but I can't open it, it's fastened with three silver buttons. Perhaps now it will open.
She brought from the bedroom a big, heavy book. The corners of the cover were trimmed with openwork silver fittings. The book was fastened with three square buttons, like those on a caftan.
No sooner had Anna-Maria-Rose put the book on the table than it opened with a rustle. As if an invisible hand had turned several pages, and on a sheet lines began to appear, written in an even calligraphic hand:
"There is an Enchanted Forest.
A child can get into it.
One can get out of it only before the sun sets.
If you do not come out before sunset, you will become a doll.
If the sorceress wishes, she may turn the doll back into a living person by day.
And if anyone wants to help the dolls leave the forest, the spell will break.
If you do not leave the forest within two years, you will remain a doll FOREVER!"
Dina, you can go back into the Enchanted Forest and help the children, said Anna-Maria-Rose confidently, you are the only child here, and the book opened precisely for you!
The page in the book turned over with a rustle, and everyone read the new lines:
"Dina, go outside. Whoever approaches you first will be your helper. Take everything that was with you last time, and at dawn tomorrow go to the Rotten Ravine".
The book snapped shut and fastened itself with all three silver buttons. Everyone exchanged glances, and Dina felt a shiver run down her back. Granny hugged her granddaughter and said:
Don't be afraid, Dina! You may be little, but you are very brave, you managed to help Mum, you can help the children too. And Anna-Maria-Rose and I will be waiting for you!
Yes, darling, Anna-Maria-Rose added, there is no other way out. These dreams will go on tormenting you. And the sorceress of the Enchanted Forest is not wicked, she won't get in your way, the book doesn't say anything about that. And know this: if someone is waiting for you, then you will succeed!
There was nowhere for Dina to turn, she had to go and wait for her helper. The girl decided that she would go alone. And the grannies set about making rhubarb pasties, because on her first journey to the Enchanted Forest they had been packed in the rucksack.
The girl went out into the street, passed the tidy yard of Anna-Maria-Rose, where wonderful gloxinias of every colour grew, and opened the gate. Suddenly a dog ran up to her, a small brown poodle, very thin and shaggy. The dog barked loudly and rushed at Dina, nearly knocking the girl off her feet. There was nobody else in the street...
At the barking both grannies rushed out, but the poodle had no intention of biting Dina. He lay down at her feet and looked at her with devoted eyes.
So that's the helper the book was talking about! exclaimed Anna-Maria-Rose in surprise. This is a dog from the next street, it had two owners, the twins Tonya and Antosha. Oh, they went missing last year: they went into the forest for redcurrants, and nobody saw them again! Only the dog came back, it howled and kept running to the Rotten Ravine. The children's parents called out the rescuers, a search dog came with a policeman, but they never found anyone. Their mum has been sitting by the window all day ever since, waiting, and she doesn't talk to anyone.
Are those twins red-haired? asked Dina.
Yes, red-haired. Most likely it's them asking you to help them get home. By the way, the dog's name is Duffy.
As soon as Anna-Maria-Rose said the dog's name, it jumped up and wagged its tail hard.
Come here, Duffy, called Anna-Maria-Rose, I'll feed you, you must be hungry.
Dina's granny set about the pasties, and the girl and Anna-Maria-Rose fed the dog, then washed and combed him. And at last they trimmed him. Duffy became such a beauty, fit for a show. But at dawn Dina and the dog were going to set off for the Enchanted Forest. When the rhubarb pasties were ready, Granny, just as she had the last time, put three into Dina's rucksack.
Duffy went with Dina and her granny. All night the girl had strange dreams, which she could not remember afterwards, but she knew for certain that she had had to run from someone all the time and hide.
As soon as Granny woke Dina, she ran to the shed to say goodbye to Buyan. The pony greeted her with a quiet neigh, the girl hugged him around the neck, tears dripped onto his velvety skin, and then something struck the floor with a melodious chime. It was a small silver bell. Dina put it into her rucksack, because Buyan did not give presents for nothing.
Thank you, Buyan, Dina whispered, kissing him on the forehead, goodbye! I'm going back to the Enchanted Forest.
The girl ran off, wiping away her tears.
At the first rays of the sun, Granny, Dina, Anna-Maria-Rose and Duffy stood by the Rotten Ravine.
The Rotten Ravine
Nobody knew why the ravine was called Rotten. Nothing grew in it, and water did not run there even in heavy rain, only thin spirals of mist swirled at the bottom. The ravine was not long, only about a hundred metres, with ordinary forest at both ends. How wide the Rotten Ravine was nobody knew, the far side could not be seen, a dense mist began there. It was impossible to approach the edge, as if there were an invisible wall in front of it.
Dina, her granny, Anna-Maria-Rose and Duffy went out onto the clearing beyond the village and stopped in front of the Rotten Ravine.
Dina, how will you get to the other side? There isn't even a little bridge! exclaimed Granny.
What do you mean, there isn't? Look, a new bridge with openwork railings, and above it a rainbow arch! answered the girl.
Granny and Anna-Maria-Rose exchanged glances, they could not see any bridge...
Duffy bravely ran up to the little bridge, then came back to Dina, seized the hem of her dress and pulled her towards the Rotten Ravine. The rainbow arch above the bridge began to fade. Dina was afraid it would vanish, and then she would not be able to get into the Enchanted Forest. She ran after Duffy and shouted as she went:
Go home! If I come back, I'll come straight to you, Granny!
The two old friends watched as the girl and the dog, approaching the invisible wall that separates reality from the Rotten Ravine, were drawn in as if by an invisible force. The air rippled, as it does on a very hot day, then the ripple bent, and two tiny figures floated over the ravine and disappeared.
And Dina and Duffy, seeing no obstacles, simply stepped onto the freshly planed little bridge and in just a few metres found themselves on the other side of the Rotten Ravine.
The Enchanted Forest
As soon as the girl and the dog crossed the ravine, they saw an enormous eye. In front of them there was no forest, no field, nothing, just one eye. It was such a deep, jet-black colour that it looked like a single pupil. The eye began to grow and at the same time to move further away. Duffy's fur stood on end, he growled and pressed against the girl's legs. Dina felt goosebumps run over her skin.
Then a wind lifted Dina and Duffy and, spinning them like fallen leaves, carried them into the black pupil. Dina grabbed the poodle by his front paw in mid-air, pressed the dog to her, screwed her eyes shut in fear, and together they flew into the "black hole".
An invisible force gently set the girl and the dog down. Under their feet was firm ground. Dina opened her eyes and saw a carved house, covered in ivy, with a turret, and on it a weathervane with a cockerel. The cockerel was like a real one, with a bright, multicoloured tail. A light breeze blew, the cockerel weathervane stirred and proudly crowed its "Cock-a-doodle-doo". Out of the house came the sorceress, with a lacy lilac shawl draped over her shoulders.
Hello, Dina, I've been waiting for you for a long time! And you've come with Duffy, hello to you too! What a beauty you've become, you should be sent off to a dog show, said the sorceress with a smile.
Hello! replied Dina, and Duffy barked his greeting.
Why are you standing there? asked the sorceress. Time is passing, we must rescue your brother and sister before the sun sets, and get home ourselves in time! So come in. Dina, it's time for tea. You'll learn your task in your sleep.
There was nothing to be done. Dina washed off the road and sat down at a round table covered with an openwork lilac tablecloth. On it stood a samovar, jam and fragrant buns. The sorceress poured tea into a little cup lined with mother-of-pearl. After the first sip Dina's eyes began to close, and the old woman helped her to the sofa. A soft down pillow received the tired head of Dina into its embrace.
Dina's First Dream
I see myself as an elderly gentleman: a grey beard, thick glasses. I walk along the pavement with a stick. It is very hot, but I'm wearing a coat. My leg hurts badly. I walk with a limp, leaning on my cane. Right in front of me a tall, round glass building has risen up, and out of it a girl runs, waves her hand at me and shouts:
We're waiting for you, hurry!
Who is waiting for me? I ask in complete bewilderment.
Who? the girl's voice rose to an incredibly high note in indignation. You're the chairman of the jury!
The jury?! My glasses slide up onto my forehead in surprise.
Yes, and you must choose the most beautiful poodle at the dog show.
I hurry, limping, after the girl. A tall, large round hall, along its walls stand pedestals, and on them sit completely identical brown plush poodles. How can one find the most beautiful dog here?
I look closely at each one. Perhaps Duffy will give me some sign. But toys cannot whine, bark, or blink... And the girl walks beside me all the while buzzing:
We must hurry, or the dream will end soon!
And then a drop of blood ran from the ear of one toy! When I was helping Anna-Maria-Rose trim Duffy, I accidentally cut the tip of his ear.
This dog will be the winner of our show, said loudly, so the whole hall could hear, that is, said I.
The toy came to life, jumped down from the pedestal onto the floor, licked my hand, and then I woke up.
At the Sorceress's
Dina is standing in front of the sorceress's house again, the weathervane cockerel saw the girl, stirred and proudly crowed its "Cock-a-doodle-doo". Out of the house came the sorceress, with a lacy lilac shawl draped over her shoulders.
Well done, Dina! If you had not recognised Duffy, he would have been a plush toy forever. Now here is your new task: you must grow a rhubarb bush, come into my garden.
The sorceress went round the house, and Dina and Duffy followed her. In the garden grew strange plants. Here is a flower bed of insect-hunters: two children's palms on a thin green stalk, each with seven fingers with long pink nails. The palms keep clapping and catching the flies that swarm around the plant. Dina, passing by, smelt honey and pineapple, and understood why the flies flew to their certain doom.
And here is a flower bed of plants resembling cobras. They have very beautiful shimmering hoods, sparrows wander among them, pulling caterpillars out of the hoods. Sometimes a cobra-plant embraces a little sparrow with its hood in gratitude.
And here is a flower bed around a small fountain, like an atomiser, from which an invisible mechanism releases a fragrant cloud. On each plant there are three stalks, ending in flowers resembling a human head with a big nose and long hair. The noses sniff, and if they like the smell, the hair turns multicoloured, and if not, it turns grey. The displeased heads start butting the pleased heads and squeaking at the same time. Above the flower bed there is a constant hubbub.
Dina stopped in front of the atomiser fountain, but the sorceress, without turning round, called to her:
Time is passing!
After that Dina followed the sorceress without looking about. And there was plenty to see in the garden! They all stopped beside a dug-over, empty round flower bed.
Here you must grow the rhubarb! said the sorceress, and vanished.
Dina looked about the garden in bewilderment. There was nothing nearby, not even a packet of seeds.
What can I at least levelling the soil in the flower bed with? the girl asked herself.
In her willow rucksack something melodiously jingled, Dina remembered the bell given by Buyan. And at once, from nowhere, a small rake appeared.
Buyan, thank you very much!
Dina levelled the flower bed. She took the bell from the rucksack, shook it and said:
Now I need a spade, to dig a hole!
In a flash, a spade lay beside the flower bed.
Buyan, thank you!
Dina dug a hole in the middle. She shook the bell once more and said:
And now I need some seeds!
But nothing appeared. What if she shook it twice? But the bell did not even make a melodious sound...
Dina was frightened: how would she complete the task now? Duffy jumped up and pushed his nose into the rucksack. Then he jumped again and barked loudly.
Duffy, do you really think I should put a rhubarb pasty into the hole? asked Dina.
The dog licked the girl's hand. Well, it was worth trying, especially as nothing else came to mind. Dina took out a pasty and buried it in the centre of the flower bed, then took the little bottle of spring water from her rucksack and watered it. The water in the bottle did not decrease, but from the earth first red shoots appeared, then pink-green sprouts, and now big green leaves on juicy stalks, and then thick stems with fluffy white flower clusters. From nowhere bees flew in and buzzed happily over the rhubarb flowers.
Thank you, Dina, you have grown magical rhubarb in my garden. Remember: magical! Now it's time to return to the table, said the sorceress. She appeared in the very same place from which she had vanished.
Someone has stolen the dragon's thorn that you brought me last time, you must find it, gave the task the sorceress.
Dina washed her hands and sat down at the round table covered with the openwork lilac tablecloth. On it stood the samovar, jam and fragrant buns. The sorceress poured tea into a little cup lined with mother-of-pearl. After the first sip Dina's eyes began to close, and the old woman helped her to the sofa. The soft down pillow once again received Dina's tired head into its embrace.
Dina's Second Dream
I don't know who I am. I can see very badly. It is a bright warm day, but I feel uncomfortable, I want to hide. As if through a veil I try to look at my hands, but they are more like shovels with long clawed fingers, and I don't have bare skin, but black fur! I hear the flapping of wings and understand that I must run. Someone is hunting me! Nearby there is a hole, a strong smell of damp earth. My body is clumsy, but I quickly dive into the hole, and only someone's sharp claw slightly scratches my fur.
I am underground, and this is my home! I must find the dragon's thorn, where can it be?! There are many tunnels here, all of them end in storerooms. I rustle along the long corridors: here is a dead end, there is a strong smell of dried earthworms. This is the winter store. I must find another tunnel.
This tunnel ended in a small room covered with autumn leaves. This is my bedroom. I turn round and find another passage by its smell.
I crawl along it for a long time and suddenly I sense a strange smell: someone unknown is ahead. Here the tunnel ends, and I fall into emptiness. My back itches badly, an unbearable itch and pain.
And suddenly I'm not just tumbling head over heels somewhere, I'm flying, beating my wings. Light dazzles my eyes, and I see an enormous valley bathed in sunshine, and in the centre a black mountain, like a dragon's thorn.
I glide on the currents of air. How wonderful it is to be a bird! An incredible feeling of lightness and freedom! Suddenly I hear the chime of a bell, it reminds me of the sorceress's task. I must hurry!
I swoop towards the mountain, and now I am above it. The lower I descend, the smaller it becomes. Suddenly long flexible stalks with enormous palms rise out of the ground. They have seven fingers each with pink claws, and they try to catch me like a fly.
When the palms spread apart for another clap, threads of grey-brown-crimson slime hang between them. By some miracle I manage to avoid their sticky embrace. And now I can grasp the thorn with my claws. The hunter plants, having lost me as prey, vanish. But the thorn won't yield, it is firmly rooted in the earth!
Buyan, please help me! I cry.
And then the thorn wobbled in the earth like a milk tooth, I grabbed it and began to fly up.
At the Sorceress's
Dina is standing in front of the sorceress's house again, in her hands is the dragon's thorn, the owl weathervane stirred and grumbled "Oo-oo-oo". Out of the house came the sorceress, with a lacy lilac shawl draped over her shoulders.
Thank you, Dina, for returning the dragon's thorn to me. Now you must bring Tonya and Tonni home. Come in.
Duffy, as soon as he saw Dina, ran to her with a joyful bark, put his front paws on the girl's chest and licked her on the cheek.
Duffy, how glad I am to see you!
Everyone went into the sitting room. The table with the samovar and the sofa with the pillow had vanished. On the wall where there had been no door before, a tall double door appeared.
"The library", Dina guessed. There on the shelves stand dolls. The door flew open with a clang, and the sorceress said:
Dina, come in. There is little time left, the sun will set soon. If you succeed, we will never see each other again. Just in case, goodbye!
And if I don't succeed? asked the girl, with a tremble in her voice.
The sorceress shrugged her shoulders and did not answer.
In the Library
Dina, and Duffy after her, went through the welcomingly opened doors. They slammed shut with a crash. From nowhere, with a deafening noise, a heavy bolt fell, and a large padlock was fastened onto it. There is no way back!
If you do not return with Tonya and Tonni home before the sun sets, a place on a shelf in the cupboard will be waiting for you! rang out the sorceress's thunderous voice.
In the library a column of dust whirled up, and at once it grew dark, as it does when the sun sets. Dina's eyes also darkened, tears welled up. But there was no time for crying, something had to be done.
Duffy licked the girl's hand and ran ahead, inviting Dina to follow him. The bracelet with the tiny horseshoe, a gift from Buyan, glowed in the dusk, and at once Dina's heart grew lighter.
Rows of bookcases rose up before the travellers. And then on one cupboard a fiery inscription appeared: "Dina". As soon as the girl opened the doors, it began to burn. On the shelf stood a lonely box, covered in dust, and the fire had already spread to the shelf. Dina, without a second thought, snatched up the box, the flames flared white, and from the cupboard only a little heap of ash remained, and a moment later that too vanished.
The box was carved, made of cherrywood, and smelt very pleasant. Dina opened it: on emerald velvet lay a mother-of-pearl button from a Wobbly Doll and a tiny pirate arrow.
What am I to do with them? whispered Dina. How will they help me?
Duffy was already calling the girl, barking loudly beside another cupboard. Dina put the button and the pirate arrow into the pocket of her yellow jumper, and the box into the rucksack.
She went over to the cupboard beside which Duffy would not stop barking, and opened it. On the single shelf stood two dolls , Tonya and Tonni. There was a crack, the whole cupboard was covered in fine cracks, as if it were crazing. Dina managed to snatch the dolls from the shelf, and the cupboard turned to dust, which a moment later also vanished.
Suddenly the dolls slipped from Dina's hands, struck the floor with a terrible crash, and turned into Tonya and Tonni! The children hugged and wept, and Duffy ran round them, barking loudly.
An owl hooted, and before the astonished children's eyes appeared a clock, floating in the air. On the dial, constantly changing its shape from circle to oval and back, at the top, at 12 o'clock, a pink sun was painted, at three a yellow sun, at six a crimson one, and at nine the moon.
The minute hand, sometimes going beyond the edge of the oval, rushed round the circle, and the hour hand was approaching the crimson sun. Time was relentlessly running out...
Then the bracelet unfastened and fell from Dina's wrist. It turned into a bow. The girl took the pirate arrow from her pocket. The boy seized it, drew the string of the bow and let fly at the clock. It hit the minute hand right in the middle, it trembled, stopped, as if wondering what to do, jerked sharply and reluctantly crept backwards. Then the little hand on the clock stopped too. The children breathed a sigh of relief. The bracelet with the horseshoe settled back onto Dina's wrist. There was no time for talking, they had to hurry!
Dina took off her rucksack, in it lay two rhubarb pasties. She gave one half of a pasty to Tonya, the other to Tonni, and divided the second pasty between herself and Duffy. The children felt an unusual rush of strength, as if they had drunk a magic potion!
From Dina's pocket the mother-of-pearl button fell out, it rolled under a cupboard full of books. Duffy dashed after the button and at the last moment managed to seize it in his teeth. And then everyone froze in fear: out from under the cupboard came a snake. How could it have fitted there? It grew bigger and bigger and soon reached up to the ceiling. It was a cobra, it spread its huge multicoloured hood and, leaning forward, looked into Dina's eyes.
Duffy opened his jaws in astonishment, and the button dropped to the floor. It began to grow in size, its edges curled up, and it turned into a mother-of-pearl bowl.
The owl hooted again, the children looked at the clock floating in the air. The minute hand stopped, trembled and swiftly ran in the opposite direction, bringing the sunset closer. Dina went up to the cobra and stroked its smooth, warm skin. She remembered the flower bed in the sorceress's garden, where the cobra-plants had been so kind to the sparrows, and said:
Please help us get home!
Drink, hissed the snake.
Dina took the little bottle of spring water from her rucksack and poured the water into the mother-of-pearl bowl. Until the bowl was filled with water, it kept running out of the little bottle and running. The cobra drank the spring water and said:
Everyone stand in a tight circle. The boy must pick up the dog in his arms.
The children did so. The cobra covered the children with its hood, and they all heard the piercing voice of the sorceress:
In one minute the sun will set!
Return
The cobra's hood wrapped the travellers closely. Inside it was warm and dark. And then they were all whirled through a multicoloured tunnel: Tonya, Tonni and Duffy flew off in one direction, and Dina in the other. The bell in Dina's rucksack began to play a victory tune.
In a flash Dina was in the shed where Buyan stood. The girl hugged her friend, kissed him on the forehead and rushed into Granny's house. In the kitchen Anna-Maria-Rose and Granny were drinking tea with pasties.
I'm back! Dina shouted from the doorway.
Granny hugged her granddaughter, tears of joy ran down her cheeks.
And did you save the children? asked Anna-Maria-Rose.
Yes, we all flew out through the coloured tunnel. They must have got home together with Duffy, answered the girl.
Let's go to their house, suggested Anna-Maria-Rose.
Since the children had disappeared, their house had sunk into gloom. Nobody had lit a light there. The gate and fence had once been lime green, but the paint had peeled off them, grass had grown up under the fence, and nobody mowed it.
But then everyone saw that the fence was lime green again. The gate was flung open, and from the yard came loud laughter. On the abandoned flower beds pink and red geraniums had bloomed.
Dina and the grannies went into the yard. Half the village had rushed to the noise. Mum hugged her Tototshki (that is what she used to call them), crying and laughing with happiness.
The neighbours began to carry tables out into the street and cover them with white tablecloths. The housewives brought whatever they could, and the whole village celebrated the return of the children from the Enchanted Forest all day long.
Everyone thanked Dina and marvelled at her bravery. Of course, Dina knew that without Duffy and Buyan, Granny and Anna-Maria-Rose she could never have saved her brother and sister.
When Dina and her granny came home, she took the carved box from her rucksack and opened it. On the emerald velvet lay a watch. It was small, just the right size for Dina's wrist. On the face there was a tiny cobra and an inscription in the same calligraphic hand as in the book with the silver buttons: "Dina".
The girl put on her watch, and the little snake winked at her from the face, although, as everyone knows, they cannot blink.
