Three "evening tales" by Leo and Irina Tokmakov. Irina Tokmakova: “My fairy tales are written by themselves, I just watch. Irina Tokmakova’s work is all flying
Tokmakova I.
Chapter one
Alya wrote a letter to her mother. She tried very hard to write well, but everything went topsy-turvy: the letters did not obey, fell, changed places and did not want to hold hands for anything, as if they had all quarreled with each other. Well, it's just punishment!
Suddenly the letter “A” ran right into the middle of the page. She was waving her arms and shouting something.
What happened to you, what happened? - Alya said.
The letter “A” sat down on the line, wiped the sweat from her forehead and barely said:
Klyaksich!
I don't understand anything! - Alya said.
Yes Klyaksich! - exclaimed the letter “A”. “The disgusting Klyaksich made his way into the ABC!” He quarrels between letters, he hates them, he wants to replace them all with his relatives - blots. He has already kicked me out, and now in my place stands a fat blob - his niece.
Here the kind, hardworking letter “A” burst into tears.
Here you go! - Alya was amazed. “But calm down.” We need to come up with something. You can't give in to him! We must fight!
What can you come up with! - objected the letter “A”. “You can’t even sign your own letter!” Klyaksich, when he found out that you were writing a letter to your mother, boasted: “I have already kicked out the letter “A”, I will lock the letter “L”, and I will hide the letter “I” so that no one will find it. How then will Alya sign her letter? I am the master of the ABC!”
Alya thought about it. She really won’t be able to sign a letter without the necessary letters. And if you don’t sign it, how will mom understand who wrote her the letter?
I know, I know! - Alya suddenly shouted. “I’ll now take daddy’s ink eraser and blotter from the notebook.” And you and I will go to Azbuka, find Klyak-Sich and erase him. Right?
How right it is! - the letter “A” was happy.
Holding hands, Alya and the letter “A” headed straight to ABC.
At the very entrance, their path was blocked by a good-natured-looking letter “B”. She had a huge basket hanging from a belt over her shoulder.
Will you take bagels? - she asked.
“What kind of bagels are they?” the letter “A” protested. “We have an important matter.” Let us through please!
Drop it,” said the letter “B,” without moving from its place. “Take white bagels and bagels.” Faster.
The letter "B" was terribly thick. Alya and the letter “A” could not get around her. I had to buy bagels. They bought a whole line of them, like this...
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooyour you've have've've've'''''''''''B : But the letter "B" was still blocking their way and just shouted:
More! More!
But they didn't have any more free line. There was simply nowhere to put the bagels.
Dear readers, quickly take your pencils and buy as many bagels from the letter “B” as you can, otherwise Alya and the letter “A” will not get into the ABC, and that’s all. What will happen to all the letters then? It's scary to even think about it!
Chapter two
Well, finally the letter “B” has receded! Alya and the letter “A” entered the gate. Behind the gate the meadow turned green. Colons grazed on the grass. A question mark walked behind them, cracking his whip.
Have you seen Klyaksich? - the letter “A” asked him.
Klyaksich? - The question mark scratched the back of his head. - Of course. I saw Klyaksich. He left by train. Where? How should I know?
And the question mark looked at them questioningly. You won't get much use out of this shepherd! Hurry to the station! At the station, the letter “B” in a conductor’s cap with a red bottom shouted at passengers.
To the carriages! To the carriages! Get into the carriages! Are you in the first carriage? - she asked Ali. “Your things?”
It’s strange that she asked to see things, not tickets. But Alya had no time to be surprised. She presented a line with bagels.
Fabulous! - for some reason the letter “B” was happy. As soon as they entered the carriage, the train started moving. They
made yourself comfortable. The wheels clattered on the rails. Houses and trees flashed outside the windows.
But suddenly the train braked with a grinding sound and stopped. Passengers poured out of the carriages. Just think! There was no further way! It was Klyaksich (who else!) who took away the rails, dismantled the sleepers and even cut down all the trees!
The letter “A” immediately fell into despair. Alya began to console her:
You forgot: we have readers! All for track repairs! Lay down the sleepers! At the same time, fix the houses and plant more Christmas trees: the road needs a forest protection belt!
Chapter Three
The paths have been repaired. The train traveled for a long time without stopping. Alya dozed off. The letter “A” couldn’t sleep: she was worried. Finally the train approached the platform.
Alya and the letter “A” got out of the carriage. It was already getting dark.
The lanterns were burning. They decided to knock on the first house they came across. It was a blue house with blue curtains on the windows. Geraniums bloomed in clay pots on the windowsills.
Loud singing could be heard from the open windows:
The stupid gnome looked and looked, The loud bugle hummed, buzzed, The thunder crashed louder than the bugle, The gnome barked louder than thunder.
Can you guess whose house this is? Well, of course, the letter “G” lived in this house.
What is this stupid song? - Alya asked the letter “A”.
“Nothing surprising,” answered the letter “A.” “Stupidity begins with what letter?” You see - with a "G". This means that this letter may well turn out to be stupid.
They knocked and entered.
The letter "G" was wearing a blue robe and blue slippers.
Klyaksich? - she asked again when she found out what was being said. “Maybe I’ll tell you where Klyaksich is, just solve the problem first.” “If one passenger fell behind a train and one passenger fell behind another train, how many passengers were left behind?” Take the paper and decide, otherwise you won’t hear a word from me.
Alya realized that you couldn’t beat “G”, and instantly wrote 1 + 1 = 2. This was the most trivial task in the world.
“You are deeply mistaken,” said the letter “G.” “The answer does not add up.” It does not converge if you walk, and it does not converge if you travel by train. And since you don’t know anything about arithmetic, then there’s no point in you going around here and snooping about Klyaksich. I won't tell you anything.
And the letter “G” again sang its stupid song. They left without finding out anything. The letter “A” was upset again, and Alya tightly clutched the rubber band in her hands and hoped that everything would still be settled.
As they descended from the blue porch, the letter “G” leaned out of the window and shouted after them:
Zero! The answer will be zero! If a passenger falls behind the train, then he is no longer a passenger, but a bungler! Do you understand?
The moon has risen. The real night has come. It was necessary to settle down somewhere for the night. The lights in the windows went out. Only in one, the tallest house, a tiny window was burning under the very roof.
Let’s go and ask to spend the night,” Alya suggested. “Do you know who lives up there?”
“I know,” said the letter “A.” “The letter “D” lives there.” Her name is Good Dunya. She’ll let us spend the night, but her house doesn’t have an elevator and we’ll have to walk.
“It’s not a problem,” said Alya. “We will count the floors, and the readers will write them down so that we don’t lose count.”
They opened the old creaky door and moved up the dark stairs. 1st floor. 2nd. Have you written? 3rd, 4th, 5th, bth, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th.
We've arrived! They knocked. The letter “D” - Good Dunya - shouted from behind the door:
Come in, it's not locked! Hello, “A”, darling! - Dunya was delighted. “Who did you bring to visit me?”
Alya shook Dobry Dunya’s plump hand and introduced herself:
Dunya also shook Alina’s hand, smiled and sang a song:
Alya was surprised, but was embarrassed to ask what this song means. Therefore, you will have to guess for yourself.
The letter “A” began to tell Dunya about Klyaksich, but Dunya interrupted her.
“I know,” she said. “Klyaksich was here this morning.”
He threatened all the letters that he would replace them with blots if they let the letter “A” back into the ABC. He also boasted that he had already quarreled some letters among themselves. Klyaksich told this to his friends Pomarka and Opiska, and I went out onto the balcony and heard everything.
Where did they go afterwards? - Alya asked.
Then they went together to the letter “L” to grab her and lock her up. Some letters are afraid and obey Klyaksich. But not me. I know that the kindest thing in the world is friendship.
Didn't you notice which road they took? - asked the letter “A”.
In my opinion, along that road, through the forest, to the letter “L”. Rest a little, eat, I’ll treat you to melon now.
Alya and the letter “A” lay down on the sofa. Dunya went to the kitchen. She banged plates and knives and sang softly:
“What kind of strange songs does Dunya sing?” - Alya thought again, still not guessing what was the matter. Well, did you guess it? If not, read Dunina’s songs again and pay attention to the first letters at the beginning of each line.
Chapter Four
Early in the morning Alya and the letter “A” went straight across the field to the forest. At the edge of the forest stood an old hut, leaning on its side.
Two poor old women “E” and “Yo” lived in it. They were from birth terribly forgetful and absent-minded. They were always losing things, money, dropping wallets, forgetting bags. When someone found their goods and brought them to them, they no longer remembered anything. If you asked “E”: “Is this yours?” - She shook her head and said: “Probably hers.” They asked “Yo”: “Is this yours?” - She also shook her head and said: “Probably hers.” What was to be done? The neighbors took things for themselves, and “E” and “Yo” immediately forgot about it.
The travelers did not look at the scattered “E” and “Yo”. They walked and walked through the forest until they saw a very strange structure.
It was apparently a dugout, but the entrance to it was disguised - they did not find the door.
Who lives here? - Alya asked loudly.
Who are you?
Who are you today?
Today we are the Ground Beetle and the Shrew.
“What are these letters?” - Alya thought, but couldn’t figure it out right away.
“Come out, we need to talk,” she said, hoping that when she sees them, she will understand what letters they are.
We are shy.
Then at least tell me how to find the letter “L”?
Go right. Count down five steps. Then go left, count backwards. Then from five Christmas trees
right again. You will have to draw Christmas trees, because our forest is deciduous. Take ten steps. Find the gate in the fence/ Three letters live there. They will say.
“Thank you,” Alya said to these strange letters, and, turning to the right, she and the letter “A” began to count: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, then they turned left and began to count again: 5, 4, 3, 2 , 1.
Well, draw Christmas trees,” said Alya.
“I have nothing,” answered the letter “A.”
Oh, where's my pencil? - Alya was scared. - Well, of course! I forgot it at “G” when I was solving her stupid problem. What should I do now?
They sat down on a tree stump. The letter “A” immediately burst into tears. Ale, too, was somehow sad.
Maybe readers will help us out again? - she thought out loud. “It’s not so difficult to draw Christmas trees if you have a notebook and pencil at hand.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” the letter “A” sobbed. “Let’s wait.”
Chapter Six
Soon the Chernilka River appeared. It flowed between high wooded banks. Swallows circled above the purple waves. There was no bridge over which it was possible to cross to the left bank. There was a hurricane here yesterday. Apparently the bridge was demolished by a hurricane.
Ink's level has risen. There was no question of wading. It was also impossible to get across by swimming - the current in this place was very fast.
“Let’s cut down a pine tree,” suggested the letter “A.” “Let’s throw it to the other side.”
I wonder what you will cut with? - Alya asked in a malicious voice.
The letter “A” began to shout for someone to bring a boat from the other side. But no one responded. Alya figured out what to do.
“Let’s shake out the bagels,” she commanded. “We’ll throw a line from bank to bank and walk along it like a bridge.”
So they did.
The letter "A" quickly ran to the other side. But how
As soon as Alya stepped onto this makeshift bridge, the line under her swayed and sagged. Alya became scared.
We need to strengthen the bridge with chopsticks! - the letter “A” shouted from the other side.
What kind of chopsticks, since I don’t have a pencil? How should I write sticks? Oh! Oh! - Ali felt dizzy. The line is about to fail!
Hurry, hurry, without wasting a minute, everyone who has a pencil and paper - a whole line of sticks!
/////////////////////
Well, Alya moved to the other side. How much time has been lost! They started running. We reached a small, clean house with the letter “L”. But what is it? There is no one. The gate is wide open. The doors are open. There is no one in the house. The dog Ribbon just sits in the booth and doesn’t even bark. Traces of many feet lead from the gate to the left.
Alya and the letter “A” followed the tracks. The tracks led to a barn made of thick logs. At the barn door sat the letter “K” and the letter “M,” armed to the teeth. Alya immediately guessed everything. Of course, they are guarding poor “L” in the barn.
Where? - shouted the letter “K”.
We need to see “L,” said Alya. “I need this letter to sign the letter.” And she took another step towards the barn.
The letter "K" pulled out a revolver.
Not moving! Kira washed the frame. Kira has braids.
What are you raving about? “You better open the door,” Alya said.
“You can’t,” the letter “K” answered sternly. “Braids are good.” Kira is small.
What's wrong with her? - Alya asked “M”.
“M” smiled and did not seem as fierce as at first glance.
This letter “K” worked in the primer for a long time. And now the book-
var they wrote a new one. They took the younger letter “K” there. And this one was offended. She thinks that primer was better. So she mutters the words that were in the primer on her page.
Porridge. Horses. Bitch. Com, - confirmed the letter “K”.
Klyaksich promised her to put an ink on the new “K”. So she sucks up.
And you, what are you doing? - the letter “A” was indignant.
What about me? I'm not evil. Honey. Raspberry. Poppy. Marmalade,” added the letter “M” to confirm her kindness.
So help us. Let's release the innocent letter "L", and lock this evil letter "K" in the barn.
“You can,” said the letter “M.”
And before the feisty letter “K” had time to look back, it found itself in the barn, and the letter “L” joyfully ran out to meet Alya. Indignant cries came from the barn:
Porridge! Chickens! Kira went to the movies!
But no one listened to them anymore. Having persuaded the letter “M” to guard “K”, all three moved on in search of Klyaksich and to the rescue of the letter “I”.
Chapter Seven
Alya and the letter “A” quickly walked away from the barn, and behind them, barely keeping up, ran the letter “L”. Klyaksich did not order to feed her while she was locked up, and she became very weak.
A huge pole was dug in near the road, and an arrow, also huge, was nailed to the pole, and “NOP” was written on it.
What is it? - Alya asked.
Scientific-experimental point, explained the letter “A”.
Is this such an institution?
Certainly.
What are they doing there?
They conduct experiments. “N”, “O” and “P” work there. Arrows with NOPs began to come across more and more often, and soon
The travelers saw a gray brick house with light windows covering the entire wall.
They entered. A neat watchwoman - semicolon - led them into the laboratory. There, something was boiling and hissing on alcohol lamps, something was gurgling in test tubes.
Sorry... - Alya began.
Shh! - “N”, “O” and “P” shushed her. All three were in white coats and white caps. - Quiet! Experience in progress!
But we really... - the letter “A” timidly noted. "N", "O" and "P" waved their hands.
It's begun! - said the letter “N”.
Is it melting? - the letter “P” asked her comrades in a whisper.
It oxidizes,” the letter “O” whispered in response. “The reaction occurs with the release of heat... Unnecessary letters precipitate.
What are you doing here? - Alya couldn’t stand it.
Shh! - all three shushed her. “We are melting down words.”
What? What? - Alya was amazed.
Ready! - “N”, “O” and “P” shouted in unison.
They jumped up to some kind of flask, and the letter “N” solemnly announced:
The experience was brilliant. Here you are. Instead of the usual fragile, perishable poem, we
We obtained stable poems in the laboratory that are not afraid of either toxic substances or bad weather. Listen:
Once upon a time there lived a smart elephant. He had TelePON. The elephant walks - Top-top-top, The elephant TeleNOP is calling...
Wait, wait! - the letter “A” couldn’t stand it. “What are you doing?” You replace other letters with your own letters! Did Klyaksich put you up to it, or what?
Shh! - all three letters in white coats shushed again. - Shh! We continue the experience.
Let’s go,” Alya said. “We won’t get anywhere here anyway.”
Lived yes. light Smart elephant.
HIS TELEPHONE WAS HOWLING.
walks elephant - Top-top-top,
THE ELEPHANT TELENOPE is calling...
Chapter Eight
Alya, the letter "A" and the letter "L" went out into the street in complete confusion. Alya said:
Well, what are we going to do? Maybe we can go find the letter “R” and learn something from it?
It’s unlikely that she will tell us anything,” the letter “A” sighed.
You see, she is a dog. A very good dog, an interesting breed - a Giant Schnauzer, her name is Rozochka. She is kind and smart. When Klyaksich began to misbehave in ABC, she growled at him loudly: “Rrrrr!” He persuaded Opiska, who wrote on her booth - “Rosachka the Dog.” And now she's completely sick. She always gets sick when the word "dog" is misspelled.
What a pity! - Alya sighed. “I love dogs very much... Maybe let’s go find the letter “C”?”
Hello, sss!... - suddenly came from somewhere above. - Hello, I’m here, here!
Alya saw that the letter “C”—magpie—was sitting on the fence.
Do you know anything about Klyaksich? - asked the letter “A”. “Where did he go, did you hear anything?”
The magpie stared at her and started chattering!
A sleepy magpie sat on a pine tree. She dreamed of bullfinches and jays, “Hurry!” - the jays were angry. "We're in a hurry!" - the bullfinch whistled. Magpie hit him on the back, and the sleep flew away from her.
It turned out that he didn’t want to pronounce forty other words except those starting with “C”. Well, what was there to do?
Or maybe the letter “T” will tell us something? - Alya asked hopefully.
The letter "A" shook its head.
Sleepy magpie svd amp;sh, on a pine tree. Bullfinches and jays appear in her dreams. “Hurry!” - they got angry jays.“We’re in a hurry!” - the bullfinch whistled. \ Soros hit him on the back,
ANDSLEEP WITH HER
- “T” is a good letter, only it’s Tyutya.
What does it mean? - Alya didn’t understand.
Tyutya, that's all. Don’t you understand - “Tutya”?
She didn’t have time to explain to Alya what “Tutya” means, because someone started shouting and calling for the letter “A”. It was the letter "U". She rushed towards them across the pavement, not paying attention to the red light and the moving traffic.
Well, finally! - she shouted. “Letter “A”, I finally found you!
Shh, be quiet! - the letter “A” stopped her. “I returned to ABC secretly, because Klyaksich kicked me out, don’t you know?”
What a horror! When will this end? After all, this Klyaksich, disgusting, evil Klyaksich, was angry with my friend Fedya.
For what? - Alya asked.
Because he didn’t want to let him hide the letter “I” in his hollow.
And what did Klyaksich do with him? - the letter “A” asked with alarm.
The letter "U" wiped her eyes with a handkerchief.
“I don’t know,” she said. “He doesn’t fly to me anymore, and I couldn’t find him in the forest.” So I’m looking for you, letter “A”. I walk through the forest and can’t shout “Aw” without you. I say “Uh-oh,” but Fedya the owl probably thinks it’s just the wind and doesn’t respond. Come with me to the forest, please.
Alya and the letter “A” looked at each other. What to do? They are looking for the letter “I”; they have absolutely no time to go into the forest. But we have to help out Fedya the owl!
“Let’s go,” Alya said to the letter “A” and the letter “L.” “In which forest does Fedya the owl live?” - she asked the letter “U”.
“It’s not far,” the letter “U” began to fuss. “Over there, behind that street, the forest begins, that’s where he lives and always comes to me for tea, he really loves gingerbread.” But now, poor, poor...
There were many old hollow oaks growing in the Fedina Forest. Thick foliage blocked out the sun. The grass was wet.
Ay, ay! - the letters “A” and “U” shouted into the green twilight of the Fedino Forest.
Nobody answered them.
Ay, ay! - they shouted again.
It seemed to Alya that some unclear sounds were coming in response, but she couldn’t understand where from.
Fedya! Fedya! - the letter “U” strained.
Boo-boo... - came to them barely audibly.
Suddenly the letter “L”, which was wearily dragging behind everyone, saw the inscription carved on the root of an oak tree: “ten”. And on the other oak there is also “ten”. And next to it is “ten”. And on another one - “nilif”. What do these mysterious inscriptions mean?!
Everyone began to inspect the oaks and knock on the trunks. The oaks were thick. There were no knots below. It was almost impossible to climb the oak tree to view the top. And then, which one should you climb?
Understood! - Alya suddenly shouted. “Let’s stand on each other’s shoulders, and you, letter “U,” climb to the very top and look for the hollow.” With these words, Alya ran up to the oak tree with the inscription “nilif.”
The letter “U” climbed onto a thick branch and began to rummage around in the bark.
There is nothing! - she shouted from above. “There are only branches here!” Get me down!
Seek, search! - Alya insisted.
Oh! - the letter “U” screamed. “The branches are falling!” Yes, they don’t grow here! Hollow! It was blocked by branches! And covered in ink!
The letter “U” fiddled with the branches a little, and Fedya the owl was free.
Everyone moved in a joyful crowd back to the city.
How did you guess where Klyaksich hid Fedya? - the letter “A” asked Ali.
“It’s as easy as shelling pears,” Alya said, but didn’t finish...
Someone was rushing towards them, somersaulting and taking two steps, sometimes on their hands, sometimes on their feet.
Who is this? - Alya was surprised.
This is Tricky, the letter "X".
That's good! - Alya was delighted. “We’ll ask her now, maybe she knows where Klyaksich went.”
No, no,” said the letter “U.” “You don’t need to ask her.” She is very cunning. She will tell you that she is friends with you, and then she will meet your enemy, turn over, stand in her arms - and please, she is already his first friend. She looks the same, whether on her arms or her legs.
Have a good weather! - said the letter “X”, having caught up with them. “Where are you coming from?”
We were walking in the forest,” muttered the letter “U.” “We’re in a hurry.” Goodbye.
Goodbye, goodbye, although it would be nice to talk to you for at least a minute.” And the letter “X” smiled sweetly.
But the letter “U” quickened its pace.
“Thank you all,” said the letter “U.” “You helped me find Fedya.” Come and have tea with gingerbread with me.
But Alya refused for everyone:
Thanks, but we can't. We need to look for the letter “I”, some kind of trouble must have happened to it, since Klyaksich is hunting for it like that.
Alya, the letter “A” and the letter “L” accompanied “U” and “F” to the house and went on.
Chapter Nine
The sun rose and it became hot. They reached some dusty public garden with sparse bushes and burnt out flower beds. They sat down wearily on the bench. The letters “C” and “C” immediately plopped down on the next bench. They both laughed.
What's funny? - asked the letter “A” in an angry voice.
“We’re playing hide and seek,” said the letter “C.” “Look, can you find us?” - And they started chattering, interrupting each other:
Chaptia agt tsernzh, Ernsh.a. Cernal caps irksham iERTILA. Get ready to appreciate the thin shrtoets, If you stand upside down, you'll immediately take it apart!
“Very funny,” muttered the letter “A.” “Would you rather tell me where the letter “I” is?” Where is Klyaksich?
Nothing, that is, we know nothing. We played all the time. Ask the sisters “Sh” and “Sh”, they are serious.
Where do they live?
Yes, it's nearby.
But there was no need to go anywhere: the letter “Ш” came running into the park, upset, all in tears.
Trouble, trouble... - she wailed.
What's wrong with you? - Alya asked worriedly.
Not with me - with my sister. - Through tears, the letter “Sh” could barely pronounce the words. - Klyaksich pulled her away on hooks because she did not want to give out the letter “I”. He bewitched his little sister, and now the hooks will all be separate until someone writes the letter “W” a thousand times a hundred times. But no one can do this. My poor sister!
“Don’t kill yourself like that,” said Alya. “The letter “A” and I have been traveling for a long time, and readers have helped us out more than once. I am sure that each of them will first copy the hooks into a notebook and when they learn to write them completely correctly, they will write many, many “Sh” and send them to you. Now you have enough to break the spell.
The letter “Ш” calmed down a little.
Tell me, where did Klyaksich go?
“He went somewhere to the very end of the ABC,” said the letter “SH.” “I heard him swearing with hard and soft signs. Klyaksich was persuading them to do something. The firm sign did not agree, argued with Klyaksich and shouted: “I’m not scared! I’ll eat you and throw the leftovers to the dogs!” A soft sign begged: “Aren’t you sorry? Give it up! Leave it! Stop it!” - but I was so upset that I didn’t understand what they were talking about.
Where is the letter “I” now?
Don't know. The letter “SH”, my little sister, knew. But she didn’t want to tell: she was afraid that Klyaksich was planning something evil.
“Well, goodbye,” said Alya, and they went to the end of the ABC, to where the letter “E” lived.
The letter "E" had its own little house, covered
tiles. The letter “E” greeted them kindly, extended its hand to each and called itself:
Emma-Ella-Erna-Evelina.
“Fathers, what a long and complex name she has,” thought Alya.
Emma-Ella-Erna-Evelina was visiting with her friend letter “U”, whom everyone called Yulia in the Skirt, because she never wore dresses.
Don’t bother explaining, I know why you came,” said the letter “E.” “I’ll tell you everything I know.” But, unfortunately, I don't know that much. The letter “I” was hidden by the word “hare”. When Klyaksich finally guessed where the letter “I” was, he chased the hare. He would never have been able to catch up with the hare, but he ran so fast that the letter “I” was unable to hold on at such speed and jumped out of the word. Then Klyaksich grabbed her!
Oh! - burst out from the letter “A”.
And,” the letter “E” continued, “he composed some kind of enchanted inscription that is impossible to read. Whoever reads it will free the letter “I”. Yulia and I copied the inscription, but could not decipher it.
Where is this inscription? - asked Alya. - Show me quickly!
“Yes,” said Emma-Ella-Erna-Evelina.
Everyone was simply dumbfounded. What is this? Who can read these tricky twisted letters?
Nobody could say a word. Everyone silently looked at the enchanted inscription. Alya became completely gloomy. The letter "A" began to cry.
Suddenly a small bird, a robin, flew into the open window. It was the letter "3".
Mirror! Mirror! Mirror! - she shouted three times and fluttered out the window.
Wait, explain! - the letter “E” shouted after her, but the robin seemed to melt into the air.
What is "mirror"? What is "mirror"? Why "mirror"? - the letter “A” repeated endlessly.
I don’t know,” Emma-Ella-Erna-Evelina sighed.
“I have no idea,” said Yulia in Skirt, upset.
Alya went to the mirror - it showed her nothing but Ali herself.
What to do? - she asked thoughtfully. “Maybe the guys will help us again?”
“I don’t know,” the letter “A” responded sadly.
They will help, of course! - said Alya. “There are so many of them.” And they are all smart. They'll figure it out.
Chapter ten and last
Well, now that everything ended so happily... What? Of course, the guys figured out how to read the enchanted inscription, and the letter “I” was freed from its terrible captivity. And Alya wrote the following letter:
Dear mom! I'm so glad that you will come soon and take me to 1 th class. Come soon.
Your daughter Alya.
This is all great. But where did the villain Klyaksich go? Did Alya manage to defeat him?
Everyone would really like it to be like this. But... Klyaksich could not be caught. He escaped. He left ABC together with his friends Pomarka and Opiska. They now run together from notebook to notebook and play all sorts of dirty tricks on people on the sly.
This interview comes out 3 years late. Irina Petrovna Tokmakova has always been very sensitive and demanding about the word, and this time she wanted the text to have the “correct intonation.” But when the time came for final edits, Irina Petrovna’s health began to fail, and we postponed the approval of the material indefinitely. Unfortunately, during Irina Petrovna’s lifetime we never returned to our conversation. And the day before yesterday, April 5, at the age of 89, she passed away.
After hesitating, we nevertheless decided to publish this interview in memory of the wonderful children's writer, poetess and translator, author of the fairy tales “Maybe zero is not to blame?”, “Happy journey”, “Alya, Klyaksich and the letter A”, “Happy, Ivushkin!”, poems and plays, translations of English and Swedish poetry and prose, including “Alice in magical land"Lewis Carroll, "The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Grahame, "Moomintroll and the Sorcerer's Hat" by Tove Jansson, "Winnie the Pooh and His Friends" by Alan Milne.
We really hope that this conversation will become an occasion for all of us to open the books of Irina Petrovna Tokmakova together with our children and immerse ourselves in fairy world, to which she dedicated her entire life.
Irina Petrovna, why fairy tales?
But the children learned these songs and dances against the backdrop of terrible hunger. You know, the wooden bowls in the dining rooms had holes in them - not because the dishes were old, but because the kids scraped the bottom with spoons. And when my mother gave me some money, I would go to the market and buy them candy. What a joy it was for them! At that time, I helped my mother around the clock. I walked with them and put them to bed. I got very used to children and fell in love with them. Then I started making up fairy tales and telling them before bed. Children with early childhood entered my soul. I never had a desire to be an adult prose writer. And if I wrote lyrics, it was rarely, for the soul.
Did you already realize then that writing was your path?
Literature has always been easy for me. I wrote a great essay for the lesson both for myself and for my neighbor at my desk. She wrote poetry, of course. But then there was a breakdown. Lebedev-Kumach’s daughter, Marina, studied with me. I asked her to show my poems to my father. He read and wrote an adult review, addressing me as an adult author. He didn't like some of the images. He said that it couldn’t be like that and that I needed to write narrative poems. But this is such an authority. I followed his recommendations and that's when I broke down. Then I didn’t write anything for a long time.
It’s good that there was a good English teacher during the evacuation. I got carried away foreign language and began to prepare for the philology department. To enter without exams, I needed gold medal. And I studied all the time. Mom urged me to go for a walk, but I set myself a goal - a medal. I entered without exams, but completely abandoned poetry.
When did you return to fairy tales?
I returned to fairy tales through translations of English and Swedish poems. I am a linguist by profession and graduated from the Romance-Germanic department. She studied in graduate school of the Faculty of Philology at the Department of General and Comparative Linguistics. I had a small child, a tiny scholarship, and at the same time I worked part-time as a guide-translator. And in one of the international delegations of energy workers, Mr. Borquist, very well-known in his circle, approached me. We started talking and he was moved when I read him a poem by Gustav Freding in Swedish (my second language).
When Mr. Borquist returned to Stockholm, he sent me a volume of Freding's poems, and since I had a small son, he also included a book of children's folk songs. I really wanted to translate them. I translated, and my husband drew illustrations for them and took the songs to Detgiz (now the Children's Literature publishing house). And they were just thinking of publishing a series of folk songs. And they immediately took everything from me. I really liked this business and decided to continue. Then in Leninka, where I was working on my dissertation, I found Scottish folk songs. They seemed lovely to me. I transferred them, and they were taken right away too.
The translation is actually a new work. Have you had to adapt texts for young readers?
English fairy tales are very different from ours. They have more absurdity, while the Russians have more melodies, lulling, movement. They are dynamic, but not tricky, and in English folklore there is a lot that is incomprehensible, it is viscous. What I translated - Edith Nesbit's trilogy - is from the beginning of the 20th century. Nice tales, but there is some drag and old-fashionedness. I had to adapt, but without interfering too much.
Although sometimes the translation becomes more popular than the original. For example, a translation of the fairy tale “Winnie the Pooh” by Boris Zakhoder. Children really like him. But Zakhoder contributed a lot of his own, as he himself said, “added zest.” I made my own translation of “Winnie the Pooh”; in intonation it is closer to the author’s. But this translation was published once, and it is impossible to republish - all rights have been purchased, there is no way around it. What I translated word for word is “Mio, my Mio” by Astrid Lindgren. It is so wonderfully written, such wonderful language. But " Peter Pan" seemed to me complicated, drawn-out, unchildish, so there is a slight intervention. Also translated by Tove Jansson. The widely published translation seemed a bit dry to me. The translator knows the language, but he is a teacher and scientist more than a writer.
When did you start writing yourself?
At that time, I graduated from graduate school and began working as an English teacher at the Physics and Technology Institute in Dolgoprudny. The journey took a lot of time, and besides, I got sick. Then my husband insisted that I quit my job and start translating. And after these translations at the dacha in the summer, the poem “To the Apple Tree” suddenly appeared to me. And then I came up with the idea of writing a whole children's cycle about trees. It didn’t work out very smoothly right away, but with a lot of effort it worked out. And my husband, in addition to being an artist, was a good editer. He illustrated and edited these poems. Now the book “Trees” is published regularly.
Do the ideas for all works appear “suddenly”?
I was asked to write a whole educational series of fairy tales in Murzilka. The request from the editorial office of the magazine was that something about the Russian language should appear. I wrote a fairy tale “Alya, Klyaksich and the letter A” about the Russian alphabet. All the letters there are animated characters. Klyaksich banished the letter I, and the girl Alya could not sign the letter to her mother. And so Alya and the letter A traveled through the alphabet.
Then there was a second book - “Alya, Klyaksich and Vrednyuga” - the basic rules of the Russian language for first grade. Then “Alya, Anton and Pereput” is the second class. Another tale about numbers. There the character from the problem disappears, and it is impossible to solve it. And the last in a series of Ali's adventures - about English language. There, having become insolent, I wrote some poems in English. By the way, the name of the heroine - Alya, short for the full "Alexander" - came from Pakhmutova. We knew their family well.
Have real people often acted as prototypes for your heroes?
I take a lot from my life. For example, we had an Airedale Terrier. And so I wrote a fairy tale in which a dog understood human language if he spoke to it kind person, and the evil ones heard only barking. I based the main character on my pet. Later there was a book “And a cheerful morning will come” - this is a fairy tale where a girl finds herself in the post-war period in the city of Krutogorsk, the prototype of which was Penza during the time of our evacuation. And in the fairy tale “Marusya will return” main character I lived in a dacha, which I copied from mine. The fairy tale features a talking house, whose name was Green Klim. We still call our country house that way. In “Happy, Ivushkin!” The house is also real, we lived in this one in the Kostroma region. Almost everywhere where there is a description of a house, the interior of my dacha or the places where I lived appears. But the children's characters are fictional.
Did you write fairy tales for your son?
I didn’t write fairy tales for my son. True, I had to do one. As a child, he had very difficulty sleeping. And I came up with an “Evening Tale” in which the boy doesn’t want to sleep, so the owls decided to drag him away and turn him into an owlet so that he wouldn’t sleep at night. The play “Zhenya the Owl” was even written based on this fairy tale.
Do you think through instructive elements in a fairy tale in advance, for example, now there will be a fairy tale about friendship or now about how useful it is to go to bed early?
I don’t do this consciously: now I’ll write a moral. It comes from the subconscious, it comes out of the bins. For example, in the fairy tale “Happy Ivushkin!” I didn’t think: I should write that children should not doubt their parents. It just happened.
I write without thinking through the whole tale. This play is thought out action by action. When I write prose, I release characters onto the page and don’t know what will happen next. They begin to live. I just watch them. I never know in advance what they will do.
I highly appreciate Samuil Marshak. And recommendations depend on age. “Guys and Animals” - for the little ones, “How Grishka tore the books” - for schoolchildren. And I really love “A Quiet Tale” - a very nice, kind poem about hedgehogs. I love the works of Lev Kassil. For example, The Great Controversy is perfect for middle-aged children. Vitaly Bianchi has a lot of good prose for preschoolers and little ones - about nature, about animals. A witty and charming book “The Adventures of Captain Vrungel” by Andrei Nekrasov.
The secret of a good fairy tale is to always remember that a fairy tale is written for a child. When I watch some modern cartoons, I am annoyed because everything is there: the authors demonstrate themselves, their imagination and skill. There is only one thing missing - love for children.
What do you think is the secret to the success of your books?
Firstly, love for children. A children's writer must first of all love children. Secondly, knowledge of child psychology and a professional approach. Writing fairy tales is a serious profession. Compared to Marshak, Barto, Mikhalkov, many things now look amateurish. And my personal secret is this: I was very strict with myself and worked hard. I wrote a short poem about pine trees for two months. My husband helped, was an editor, he always sorted through a lot of options, achieving perfection. And I couldn’t afford an unclear rhyme or interruption of the rhythm. Demanding yourself is very important for real, not momentary success.
Interviewed by Ekaterina Lyulchak
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About the author
She graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, defended her dissertation in political science and studied at VGIK to become a screenwriter. She worked as a science journalist at RBC, wrote articles about unusual people for Ogonyok and social problems on Pravoslavie.ru. After 10 years of work in journalism, she officially confessed her love for psychology, becoming a student at the Faculty of Clinical Psychology at Moscow State University of Psychology and Education. But a journalist always remains a journalist. Therefore, at her lectures, Ekaterina gains not only new knowledge, but also topics for future articles. The passion for clinical psychology is fully shared by Ekaterina’s husband and her daughter, who recently solemnly renamed the plush hippopotamus Hippo Hypothalamus.
Children's poet, prose writer and translator of children's poems Irina Petrovna Tokmakova born in Moscow on March 3, 1929 in the family of an electrical engineer and a pediatrician, the head of the Foundling House.
Irina wrote poetry since childhood, but believed that she did not have writing abilities. She graduated from school with a gold medal and entered the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University. In 1953, after graduating, she entered graduate school in general and comparative linguistics and worked as a translator. She got married and gave birth to a son.
One day, a Swedish energy engineer, Borgquist, came to Russia and, having met Irina, sent her a book of children's songs in Swedish as a gift. Irina translated these poems for her son. But her husband, illustrator Lev Tokmakov, took the translations to the publishing house, and they soon came out in book form.
Soon, a book of Irina Tokmakova’s own poems for children, created together with her husband, “Trees,” was published. It immediately became a classic of children's poetry. Then prose appeared: “Alya, Klyaksich and the letter “A””, “Maybe zero is not to blame?”, “Happy, Ivushkin”, “The pines are rustling”, “And a merry morning will come” and many other stories and fairy tales. Irina Tokmakova also translates from many European languages, Tajik, Uzbek, Hindi.
Irina Tokmakova - laureate of the State Prize of Russia, laureate of the Russian literary prize named after Alexander Green (2002).
Irina Petrovna Tokmakova
And a cheerful morning will come
Poems, fairy tales, stories
"It's a fun morning..."
In order, it was like this.
Sing along, sing along:
Ten birds - a flock...
This one is a finch.
This one is a swift.
This one is a cheerful little siskin.
Well, this one is an evil eagle.
Birds, birds, go home!
And the two-year-old girl quickly lies down on the floor, funny shows horror on her face and deftly crawls under the bed...
This is how my acquaintance with the poetry of Irina Tokmakova began. My daughter crawled under the bed, and her mother read the poem “Ten Birds – a Flock” with expression.
Ten years later, I saw Tokmakova’s article in the Pravda newspaper. She wrote that modern children's literature, and especially that addressed to children, should first of all teach... an adult, teach him how to treat a child!
The writer was right, and I knew this from experience.
Irina Petrovna works for herself little listener and reader - for preschoolers and primary schoolchildren. Writes poems, songs, stories, fairy tales and plays. And in all her works, reality and fable go side by side and are friends. Listen, read the poems “In a Wonderful Country” and “Bukvarinsk”, “Kittens” and “Patter”, other works, and you will agree with me. ‹…›
Tokmakova's poems are simple, short, sonorous, and easy to remember. We need them as much as the first words.
Each of us experiences the world differently: for some, knowledge comes easily, for others it is more difficult. Some grow up faster, others slower. But in any case, none of us can do without our native language, without the simplest words and expressions. They miraculously unite into that strong thread that connects native words with each other, with the wisdom of fairy tales, and with the joy and sadness of our time. From the very early years Along with learning their native language, the child is immersed in a certain culture. That’s why they say: “The word, language is the whole world.”
With the help of words they recognize themselves and others. Words can be repeated, recited, sung, and can be played with in an interesting way.
How does Irina Petrovna, an adult, know children’s first words so well? Or does she invent them, make them up?
Good children's books come only from a writer who has not forgotten what it's like to be small among adults. Such a writer clearly remembers how children think, feel, how they quarrel and make peace - remembers how they grow. If I didn’t remember, I wouldn’t find words that you would immediately believe.
“How much do you have to remember!” – some of you may be surprised.
There really is a lot to remember. But he can’t even remember everything about his childhood children's writer. And then he composes, comes up with interesting stories, which could very well be real.
Like on a hill - snow, snow,
And under the hill - snow, snow,
And on the tree there is snow, snow,
And under the tree there is snow, snow,
And a bear sleeps under the snow.
Quiet, quiet... Don't make noise.
The sooner one awakens in human soul the feeling of love for one’s hometown, village, home, friends and neighbors, the more mental strength a person becomes. Irina Petrovna always remembers this. For more than half a century, she has not parted for a single day with poems, fairy tales, stories, and therefore with you, her readers.
We talked a little about special adults.
Now let's talk about special children. It's easier because children are all special. Only a special person plays doctors and astronauts, “mothers and daughters” and princesses, teachers and robbers, wild animals and salesmen. In such games, everything is as in reality, as in life - everything is “true”: serious faces, important actions, real grievances and joys, real friendship. This means that a children’s game is not just fun, but everyone’s dream about tomorrow. Child's play is the confidence to imitate better deeds and the actions of adults, this is the eternal childish desire to grow up as quickly as possible.
So Irina Petrovna helps children: she writes, composes books about everything in the world. But he doesn’t write just to entertain the child, no. She teaches you to think seriously about life, teaches you to act seriously. Her stories are about this, for example “The Pines Are Noisy”, “Rostik and Kesha”, the poems “I Heard”, “Conversations” and many, many others.
Everyone has their favorite toys. As you grow up, you don’t part with them for a long time: you place them on cabinets, shelves, sit them on the sofa, on the floor. And you're doing it right!
Favorite toys, especially dolls and animals, are part of childhood, children's world, the children themselves composed it around themselves. You can live in such a world as long as you like, because you have friends all around. This world is inhabited beautiful heroes– mischievous and obedient, funny and touching, honest and loyal. Why part with them!
Children’s books – your best friends and advisers – live exactly the same life. Ask a toy, such as Thumbelina or a bear, about something. You give them a moment to be silent and think, and you yourself answer for them. Interesting! But the book itself answers any questions we have in the voices of its characters. In my opinion, even more interesting! You are holding one of these books in your hands now.
Any famous work Tokmakova, included in the book “And a Merry Morning Will Come,” will definitely make you find and remember other poems and prose by Irina Petrovna, her translations of works for children from Armenian, Lithuanian, Uzbek, Tajik, English, Bulgarian, German and other languages. Tokmakova generally translates a lot - she helps writers from other countries bring their books to children who read in Russian. This is how readers and writers, with the help of books, learn good things from each other, understand better and faster that a person is born and lives for happiness - for peace, for people, and not for grief - for war and the destruction of all living things. And if a person does not understand this, his life is wasted and brings no joy or benefit to anyone. So, I was born in vain...
And yet, joys and sorrows often go hand in hand in our lives. Adults who have lived a long time say: “That’s how the world works.”
It’s interesting that writers and children, without saying a word, most often answer this like this: “We want to make the world a better place.”
Correct answer.
There is no such thing as someone else's grief, there shouldn't be. Therefore, children's writers are always looking for the reasons for the good and bad actions of adults and children:
I hate Tarasov:
He shot a moose cow.
I heard him tell
At least he spoke quietly.
Now a big-lipped elk calf
Who will feed you in the forest?
I hate Tarasov.
Let him go home!
When a person strives for better life, he wants justice not only for himself, but also for others. And “others” are not only people, they are all living things around. Irina Tokmakova writes a lot about nature, she knows how to make the personal state of her heroes - children and adults, trees and flowers, domestic and wild animals - interesting to every reader. Even in a short poem, she wisely humanizes nature, reveals the content of the daily worries of both the tree and the beast.
