In one small wonderful little town lived a family: a mother, father, and their little daughter Arina. The town was wonderful because no one else lived there. There was no store, no school, no kindergartens. Arina studied at home with her mother: learning letters and numbers, dancing to songs on old records.
Mother took care of the house: cooking meals, creating comfort. Father brought food to the house. Once a week he would leave the town and go to the neighboring village, where there was only one store. That's how the family lived, without friends and without communication.
One dark evening, there was a knock at the door.
Who's there?
Mother asked in surprise.
Please open up! We're lost and can't find our way home!
A child's voice was heard.
Arina almost fell off her chair with happiness! She couldn't believe she would be able to talk with other children, learn something new and interesting, play fun games with them, and share her dreams.
The door opened and on the other side stood two people—a little girl about six years old and a woman—her mother.
We're lost and can't find our way home. Can we stay with you for the night? There's only a dense forest and wild animals around.
The guest asked.
Of course, of course, please stay! Come on, I'll show you my room. I did everything and arranged it all myself.
Arina said joyfully, addressing the girl.
The girls disappeared down the long hallway.
What's your name?
Arina asked the girl.
My mother calls me Annie.
Ah, so Annie. Can I call you Annie too?
Of course.
And that's how the girls became friends.
The adults settled comfortably in the living room. The woman told them that they actually had nowhere to go. They once lived in a big beautiful city, the woman went to work, and her daughter—Annie—went to school. But one terrible day a hurricane rushed into the city and swept away everything in its path. The houses were blown away by the terrible wind and now they had nowhere to live.
Arina's father listened carefully to this terrible story. He offered the woman and her daughter to stay overnight, and in the morning announced that he wanted to help them. Opening his old shed, father began taking out tools: hammers, a saw, a pile of nails, and much more that was needed to build a new beautiful house.
Several days passed. Annie and her mother lived with Arina's family, while father slowly built a new home for the new residents of the tiny town.
A week passed and the new beautiful house was ready. Annie and her mother moved there and began living next door to Arina. Thus the town grew bigger.
Cold autumn arrived. The new residents of the town often visited Arina and her family. The mothers shared new recipes with each other, father told funny stories, and the girls shared dreams about how more children would come to town, and all together they would play and have fun.
And suddenly, one beautiful sunny day, there was a knock at the door.
Who's there?
Arina's father asked.
Please open up.
A frightened boy's voice was heard.
Father hurried to open the door and saw before him a very small boy and a little girl.
Where are your parents?
We got lost. A terrible thunderstorm happened in our town, lightning struck our house and now we have nowhere to live. We ran away, and mom and dad were at work. We were so scared that we ran headlong wherever our eyes led us and here we are—we ran to you.
Well then, come in, stay for the night. And tomorrow I'll go look for your mom and dad, they're probably worried and looking for you.
The next day they did just that. Father set off to search for the unexpected guests' parents, and the children stayed behind to wait.
Arina's father walked for a long time, left in the morning, and only reached the children's town by evening. There he quickly found the boy and girl's parents and brought them to his house.
Thank you so much! What would we have done without you? We had already lost hope of finding our beloved children.
The children's mother cried out.
That evening everyone gathered around the table and had a real celebration. Both Annie and her mother were grateful to Arina's family, and the parents of the little children who had been frightened by the lightning and ran away from town.
And suddenly a terrible rumble sounded. Everything around became pitch dark, and the terrible sound approached at the speed of light.
Everyone hide in the cellar! Open the hatch and get down quickly!
Arina's father shouted.
Finding themselves all in the dark, cold underground cellar, everyone heard the house collapsing, the house where just moments ago they had all been sitting and drinking delicious tea with cookies. Cabinets fell, chairs flew around the rooms, dishes fell to the floor and shattered.
Several hours passed, and the rumble subsided. Arina's father was the first to emerge from the cellar. Finding himself outside, he couldn't believe his eyes—their house was completely destroyed. Not a single intact wall remained. Such a terrible hurricane had swept through and destroyed everything around.
Where will we live now?
Arina's mother asked.
Don't worry! You helped us when we had trouble, and we won't leave you without help in your situation.
The father of the boy and girl who had gotten lost suddenly shouted.
Annie and her mother picked up the idea too. And within a few days, through their own efforts and as a united team, a new beautiful house was built for Arina, her mother, and father.
Thus the wonderful little town slowly transformed into a big friendly settlement called Kind Light.
