A party popper named Klopa lives in a large store called "Zateykino". She doesn't remember how she ended up there, only knowing that she was brought in a wooden box full of colorful party poppers just like her.
Klopa's neighbors told her that through a small crack in the box, they saw themselves floating across the sea and riding in the back of a truck. That's all Klopa knows. She really enjoys living in the store — it's populated by other festive items.
The most important items in the store are fireworks. They are very beautiful, but also dangerous. You can't just buy them, and they're very expensive too. And fireworks always live in brightly painted boxes, several at a time! They never get bored.
The most cheerful items in the store are sparklers. They come in different shapes — like stars or hearts, and sometimes even like little trees. These ignitable sticks never give anyone peace. They're always laughing and whispering to each other, lighting up from one another.
But Klopa doesn't like firecrackers. She's not friends with them. They're mean and sneaky. They're always trying to scare someone or grab their fingers. You always have to be careful around them, or you might accidentally step on one! Firecrackers always explode unexpectedly and loudly, and people buy them very often.
Klopa has been living in "Zateykino" for several years now, and many festive boxes have passed through her hands. When new ones arrive, Klopa always happily gives tours. But here's the problem — for some reason, no one wants to buy her.
At night, when stars light up in the sky, Klopa dreams that sooner or later she'll be the center of attention at some very important celebration. She so wants to burst with a loud sound, scattering her sparkles in all directions to bring joy to people.
But years pass, and Klopa just keeps gathering dust on the shelf. So she decided it was time for her to get to a celebration herself. One day, on New Year's Eve, a girl came into the store with her mom and dad. They spent a long time choosing fireworks, took some sparklers, but didn't buy any party poppers.
Klopa waited for the girl to pass by, then jumped off the shelf right into her hands. The girl carefully examined the large beautiful party popper and ran to her mom and dad to ask them to buy it. They agreed, and Klopa finally found herself outside the store. The whole way home, she imagined how she would shine at the celebration. She was proud of herself for coming up with such a clever plan.
When evening came and all the guests gathered at the New Year's table, Klopa carefully observed everything around her. The sparklers were lit first. Klopa winked at her acquaintances — she knew they had been waiting for this celebration just as much as she had.
The moment came to hand out gifts, guests bustled about, taking beautifully wrapped boxes from under the tree. And suddenly, the girl said: "Let's open the party popper!". Everyone supported her idea, and the dad took on this important task.
Klopa held her breath.
One — she's taken in someone's hands.
Two — they make a wish.
Three — dad pulls the party popper,
showering everyone with shimmering sparkles.
Klopa laughs, scattering throughout the apartment. She lands on the television, flies under the carpet, and settles on the New Year's tree. Now that's a celebration!
It was worth waiting so long for this!
