|
Жили Были Сеня и Даня
Marina Aromshtam - "Sam and Dan" (translated by Alexander Suponya
In a huge city, in an apartment on the tallest story of a newly built building, there lived a tiny boy named Sam. Sam’s house faced a marvelous view of the beautiful large hills outside and the sea shimmering behind them.
Sam lived in the new apartment with his mom, dad, and pet cat - a kitten named Fluff, to be exact. He ended up living with Sam on the very day that they moved to the apartment. Fluff ran around the still-empty rooms and smell their corners and the fresh air that filled then, and then Mother began to unpack her belongings and set the dishes away while Sam played with his kitten. He was enjoying the fact that he just moved into a new place.
However, Sam’s happiness withered away. He grew sad at the thought that he idn’t know anyone in the new apartment, and that there weren’t many others like him who had moved to the new building. So Sam decided to look at the tower cranes outside of the apartment’s window, how they rotated and moved their grips and hooks and cables, as they built more apartment buildings. But even the tower cranes got tired in the evening, and stopped moving.
Suddenly, Sam saw a tiny but really bright star, comfortably positioned on the jib of one of the tower cranes. He narrowed his eyes, and the star blinked back. Is it blinking back at me? thought Sam. Or is it meant for someone else? “What if it grants me one of my wishes? Oh… I wish that another boy, just like me, will move into one of the new apartments that are being built by the tower cranes. The two of us can meet and become close friends. Closest friends!”
The star blinked once more before it disappeared. “How unfortunate,” sighed Sam.
In another part of the in the city, in an apartment on the lowest story of an old, crumbling building, there lived a tiny boy named Dan. Right behind the house, one could see an abandoned lot filled with piles of trash.
Dan lived with his mom and his dog, named Dick. Dick and Dan often played together, because Dan didn’t have anyone else with whom he could play. All the children moved away long ago from the aging house next to the landfill, but Dan and his mother didn’t have enough money to move.
It would have been so great to see Dad come back! But Dad left to work far, far away…
Through the window of his tiny room, Dan would see an old tree. It was a pine tree that grew here long before it was surrounded by a landfill, and even before the house was built next to it. But one time, a large star came to shine on one of the pine branches.
The star was simply humongous. It comfortably positioned itself on the long pine needles and flashed through the darkness.
Dan narrowed his eyes for a moment, and the large star blinked back at him.
It’s such a special star, I should make a wish on it, thought Dan. “I want… for Father to come back. And I also want to live in a new house, and I really want to have a friend.”
The large star blinked once more before it disappeared. “Oh well,” sighed Dan.
Suddenly, it was morning, and excited voices woke him from his sleep. “Dan! Father’s back!”
“Son, you’ve gotten so heavy!” Dad exclaimed as he hugged Dan and tried to lift him up into the air. “How have you been? How’s Dick? Is he happy? I found myself a new job!” Dad started laughing with joy. “We will soon move to a new, tall building in the big city, and we will finally see the view of the beautiful large hills outside, and the sea shimmering behind them! You hear that, Dan? There’s a sea behind the hills!”
Dan hugged his dad as tightly as he could, and closed his eyes. Then he opened his eyes and glanced outside of the window. The star still shone through the pine needles, even through the daytime brightness of the sun.
In a huge city, in an apartment on the tallest story of a newly built building, there lived a tiny boy named Sam. Sam’s house faced a marvelous view of the beautiful large hills outside and the sea shimmering behind them.
Sam lived in the new apartment with his mom, dad, and pet cat - a kitten named Fluff, to be exact. He ended up living with Sam on the very day that they moved to the apartment. Fluff ran around the still-empty rooms and smell their corners and the fresh air that filled then, and then Mother began to unpack her belongings and set the dishes away while Sam played with his kitten. He was enjoying the fact that he just moved into a new place.
However, Sam’s happiness withered away. He grew sad at the thought that he idn’t know anyone in the new apartment, and that there weren’t many others like him who had moved to the new building. So Sam decided to look at the tower cranes outside of the apartment’s window, how they rotated and moved their grips and hooks and cables, as they built more apartment buildings. But even the tower cranes got tired in the evening, and stopped moving.
Suddenly, Sam saw a tiny but really bright star, comfortably positioned on the jib of one of the tower cranes. He narrowed his eyes, and the star blinked back. Is it blinking back at me? thought Sam. Or is it meant for someone else? “What if it grants me one of my wishes? Oh… I wish that another boy, just like me, will move into one of the new apartments that are being built by the tower cranes. The two of us can meet and become close friends. Closest friends!”
The star blinked once more before it disappeared. “How unfortunate,” sighed Sam.
In another part of the in the city, in an apartment on the lowest story of an old, crumbling building, there lived a tiny boy named Dan. Right behind the house, one could see an abandoned lot filled with piles of trash.
Dan lived with his mom and his dog, named Dick. Dick and Dan often played together, because Dan didn’t have anyone else with whom he could play. All the children moved away long ago from the aging house next to the landfill, but Dan and his mother didn’t have enough money to move.
It would have been so great to see Dad come back! But Dad left to work far, far away…
Through the window of his tiny room, Dan would see an old tree. It was a pine tree that grew here long before it was surrounded by a landfill, and even before the house was built next to it. But one time, a large star came to shine on one of the pine branches.
The star was simply humongous. It comfortably positioned itself on the long pine needles and flashed through the darkness.
Dan narrowed his eyes for a moment, and the large star blinked back at him.
It’s such a special star, I should make a wish on it, thought Dan. “I want… for Father to come back. And I also want to live in a new house, and I really want to have a friend.”
The large star blinked once more before it disappeared. “Oh well,” sighed Dan.
Suddenly, it was morning, and excited voices woke him from his sleep. “Dan! Father’s back!”
“Son, you’ve gotten so heavy!” Dad exclaimed as he hugged Dan and tried to lift him up into the air. “How have you been? How’s Dick? Is he happy? I found myself a new job!” Dad started laughing with joy. “We will soon move to a new, tall building in the big city, and we will finally see the view of the beautiful large hills outside, and the sea shimmering behind them! You hear that, Dan? There’s a sea behind the hills!”
Dan hugged his dad as tightly as he could, and closed his eyes. Then he opened his eyes and glanced outside of the window. The star still shone through the pine needles, even through the daytime brightness of the sun.
