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 hardly afraid of anything at all. Well, he was a little bit scared of the neighbor's dog, a doberman named Graf. When Graf strutted importantly on his walk next to 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 Liza from the third entrance when she took him for walks. Ilyusha loved to play with him. Tag. They happily raced each other through the autumn park, tumbled together in the autumn leaves, and played with a ball.
Ilyusha would throw, and Nordic would find it and bring it back to him. And Mama and Grandma Liza sat on a bench and admired their friendly game.
But then it happened that Ilyusha caught a cold and got sick. 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 get shots, or he wouldn't get better.
But what Ilyusha was afraid of was shots. As soon as he saw a needle, he was unrecognizable. Usually obedient and agreeable, 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 get shots.
And this time it was the same. After an unsuccessful attempt to give him a shot, 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 over her sick son. They whispered something to each other and, apparently coming to an agreement, climbed out of the box and 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 so merry,
We'll sing and be so cheery,
We'll celebrate together with care,
For there's no reason to fear or despair!
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 get scared and cry when he heard a little voice behind him calling his name. Ilyusha turned around and saw a beautiful evergreen Twig next to him. She was extending her little needles to him and smiling.
Hello, Ilyusha! Were you invited to the ball too?
she asked.
Hello, Twig! 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 they're celebrating the birthday of the Very First Needle, the Ancestress of all Needles on earth! That's why there are so many guests here. Look for yourself, who isn't 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 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 little holes, for which they adapted sharp bones.
This happened 35,000 years ago. And now she lives in a museum in the city of Cela, which is in Yugoslavia. The evergreen Twig told Ilyusha all of this while the First Needle, amid applause, walked to her chair, which stood on a raised platform in the center 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—pine, spruce, fir, needles from arborvitae and saxaul, acacia and cactus. Even Roses sent their thorns to congratulate the Bone Needle. Then came 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 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 such a needle to sew harnesses for their horses. Behind her came other sewing needles, arranged by size.
After all, each sewing needle had its own size, so that needlewomen would know which needle to use for which fabric. The procession was completed by golden thin 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. He had no idea 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 rang out. "Wait, hold on before we start the celebration!" she waved her hand toward the orchestra.
The music stopped and everyone whispered, not understanding what had happened, why the ball had stopped. The master of ceremonies froze, waiting for orders.
I don't understand—why aren't there any medical Needles at the ball?!
exclaimed the Eldest Needle.
Did they not think it necessary to come to the celebration?!
And she frowned, displeased. The ball's organizer ran over and whispered something in her ear.
Who is the boy Ilyusha here?
she asked.
Let him come to me!
The evergreen Twig nudged Ilyusha.
Go, don't be afraid.
she whispered. They're calling you.
Ilyusha hesitantly came out from behind the column where he was hiding.
Greetings, Madam Needle!
the boy said politely.
Were you calling me?
Yes, Ilyusha, I was calling you. Is it true that you're afraid of shots?
I am.
Ilyusha admitted honestly.
Well, you see, because you're afraid of shots, my most devoted great-granddaughters couldn't come to my ball! Medical Needles save people and animals by giving them healing injections, which you call shots, thereby returning health, and sometimes even life itself.
And it makes them very upset and hurt that people are afraid of their shots, and don't want to understand that they do this not for their own pleasure, but to help a sick body heal faster and continue to live and rejoice. So what do you like to do?
I really love to play with Nordic in the park, Ilyusha admitted. I miss him so much!
He almost cried.
But then why don't you let yourself be helped? If you just got a few shots, you'd get better quickly and could play with your friend again and go back to kindergarten!
And she looked at him intently, waiting for an answer.
Ilyusha thought about it. After all, he was already so big and brave, yet he was afraid of a tiny little needle. And he promised the Very First Needle that from now on he would not be afraid to get shots.
Everyone applauded, and the Medical Needles immediately entered the hall. They surrounded Ilyusha and all together happily spun in a dance. The ball continued for a long time, everyone had fun, Ilyusha danced a lot, met almost all the Needles, and tired out, fell asleep right in the chair where he sat to rest with the evergreen Twig in his hand.
In the morning, when Mama came to his room, Ilyusha's first request was for her to give him a shot. Mama's surprise knew no bounds, and she called the nurse. When the nurse approached Ilyusha, he saw how the little Needle winked at him and whispered:
Hi, I'm glad to see you! Wasn't it great how we had fun yesterday?
And she gave him a quiet shot that didn't hurt at all.
Ilyusha quickly recovered and soon was playing with his friend Nordic in the park again. And he was never afraid of shots again. True, Mama never did find out what happened to her son that night. But that doesn't matter, because little children can have their own little secrets too.
