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Лось
The Moose
By Stanislav Vostokov
Translated by Dalia Roshal
At night, a moose left the forest and entered a village. He walked along the street, turned into an overgrown alley and into the yard of Anna Peterson. He drank water from the rain barrel, chewed on the laundry that was hanging out to dry on a clothesline, and licked the shovel that was leaning against the wall of the house. Then, the moose stuck his head through the open window, right into the kitchen. He treated himself to some oatmeal, using his tongue to scoop the oatmeal into his mouth, straight from the pot. Once he finished all the oatmeal, he started on some bread.
Suddenly, he accidentally hit a teapot with his left antler. The teapot fell and rolled across the floor, making a racket. The moose wanted to run, but his antlers were stuck and he couldn’t back out of the window. He was trapped.
In the morning, Anna Peterson woke up and went downstairs to the kitchen to see a moose in her window!
At first, she grabbed the rolling pin, ready to defend herself, but then she realized that the moose didn't want to hurt her, and she felt sorry for him. So Anna called the neighbor, Matthew, for help.
She went outside and shouted over the fence, “Matthew, come quick! There's a moose stuck in my window!”
Matthew had just woken up and was still sleepy, so he didn't really understand what was going on as he asked, “What do you mean, what moose?”
“A huge one, with antlers! He stuck his face through the kitchen window and he can’t get out.”
Matthew walked over to Anna’s house and saw that, indeed, there was a moose that had put its head through her kitchen window. “Woah,” he said, “How on earth can we get him out?”
“I have no idea, but just get him out for me, please, Matthew. I don’t want to spend my entire life sharing my kitchen with a moose.”
Matthew walked around the moose, not knowing what to do. He mumbled,“Maybe it can live here after all?”
“You’re talking nonsense,” replied Anna, angrily, “Just get the animal out of my house!”
Matthew agreed reluctantly, “Well, alright. I’ll try.” He took a saw and started carefully cutting off the window sill.
The moose stood calmly, just twitching his ears. He didn’t like the buzzing sound that the saw made. Finally, Matthew finished sawing and freed the moose, giving him a light push out of the window. The moose stood in the yard, the blue curtain tangled around his antler.
Anna yelled, “Hey, Matthew, the curtain! Get it off him! What am I supposed to cover the window with?”
Matthew approached the moose, clicking his tongue to get the moose to come closer to him. It didn’t work, because the moose just backed away from him.
“STOP THAT MOOSE!” Anna screamed, “Get me back my curtain!” She started running after the moose, but he was gone. The moose had returned to his home in the forest.
“It’s alright,” said Matthew as he nailed the windowsill back to the wall, fixing it, “It’s a small loss. If the moose had come into my yard, he would have eaten all the strawberries I’ve been growing in my garden.”
People from the village often saw the moose in the woods. The moose walked around with a blue curtain hanging from its antlers until he shed them and grew a new pair.
By Stanislav Vostokov
Translated by Dalia Roshal
At night, a moose left the forest and entered a village. He walked along the street, turned into an overgrown alley and into the yard of Anna Peterson. He drank water from the rain barrel, chewed on the laundry that was hanging out to dry on a clothesline, and licked the shovel that was leaning against the wall of the house. Then, the moose stuck his head through the open window, right into the kitchen. He treated himself to some oatmeal, using his tongue to scoop the oatmeal into his mouth, straight from the pot. Once he finished all the oatmeal, he started on some bread.
Suddenly, he accidentally hit a teapot with his left antler. The teapot fell and rolled across the floor, making a racket. The moose wanted to run, but his antlers were stuck and he couldn’t back out of the window. He was trapped.
In the morning, Anna Peterson woke up and went downstairs to the kitchen to see a moose in her window!
At first, she grabbed the rolling pin, ready to defend herself, but then she realized that the moose didn't want to hurt her, and she felt sorry for him. So Anna called the neighbor, Matthew, for help.
She went outside and shouted over the fence, “Matthew, come quick! There's a moose stuck in my window!”
Matthew had just woken up and was still sleepy, so he didn't really understand what was going on as he asked, “What do you mean, what moose?”
“A huge one, with antlers! He stuck his face through the kitchen window and he can’t get out.”
Matthew walked over to Anna’s house and saw that, indeed, there was a moose that had put its head through her kitchen window. “Woah,” he said, “How on earth can we get him out?”
“I have no idea, but just get him out for me, please, Matthew. I don’t want to spend my entire life sharing my kitchen with a moose.”
Matthew walked around the moose, not knowing what to do. He mumbled,“Maybe it can live here after all?”
“You’re talking nonsense,” replied Anna, angrily, “Just get the animal out of my house!”
Matthew agreed reluctantly, “Well, alright. I’ll try.” He took a saw and started carefully cutting off the window sill.
The moose stood calmly, just twitching his ears. He didn’t like the buzzing sound that the saw made. Finally, Matthew finished sawing and freed the moose, giving him a light push out of the window. The moose stood in the yard, the blue curtain tangled around his antler.
Anna yelled, “Hey, Matthew, the curtain! Get it off him! What am I supposed to cover the window with?”
Matthew approached the moose, clicking his tongue to get the moose to come closer to him. It didn’t work, because the moose just backed away from him.
“STOP THAT MOOSE!” Anna screamed, “Get me back my curtain!” She started running after the moose, but he was gone. The moose had returned to his home in the forest.
“It’s alright,” said Matthew as he nailed the windowsill back to the wall, fixing it, “It’s a small loss. If the moose had come into my yard, he would have eaten all the strawberries I’ve been growing in my garden.”
People from the village often saw the moose in the woods. The moose walked around with a blue curtain hanging from its antlers until he shed them and grew a new pair.
