A party popper named Khlopa 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.
Khlopa'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 Khlopa 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 cost a lot of money. Plus, fireworks always live in brightly painted boxes, several to a box! They never get bored.
The most cheerful items in the store are sparklers. They come in different shapes — like stars or hearts, and sometimes like little trees. These ignitable sticks never give anyone peace. They're always laughing and whispering to each other, lighting up one from another.
But Khlopa doesn't like firecrackers. She doesn't get along with them. They're mean and sneaky. They're always trying to scare someone or grab their fingers. You have to stay alert around them, or you might accidentally step on one! Firecrackers always explode unexpectedly and loudly, and people buy them very often.
Khlopa has been living in "Zateykino" for several years now, and many festive boxes have passed through her hands. When new ones arrive, Khlopa is always happy to give tours. But here's the problem — for some reason, nobody wants to buy her.
At night, when stars light up in the sky, Khlopa 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 Khlopa 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 to the store with her mom and dad. They spent a long time choosing fireworks, took some sparklers, but didn't take any party poppers.
Khlopa 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 Khlopa 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, Khlopa carefully observed everything around her. First, they lit the sparklers. Khlopa winked at her acquaintances; she knew they had been waiting for this holiday 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 father took on this important task.
Khlopa held her breath.
One — they pick her up.
Two — they make a wish.
Three — dad pulls the trigger on the party popper,
showering everyone with shimmering sparkles.
Khlopa 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!
