Stories about animals Perovskaya main characters. Sheila Barnford "The Incredible Journey"

* * *

I dedicate these childhood memories to the blessed memory of my dear parents.

Olga Perovskaya

Guys and animals

Dianka and Tomchik

In Central Asia, between two large rivers, there is a fertile, flourishing area. In Kazakh it is called Dzhety-Su, and in Russian - seven rivers, Semirechye.

There are many mountains, forests, green valleys and orchards in Semirechye. One city is especially famous for its large apple orchards. The name of this city is Alma-Ata, which means "Apple".

Now this "Apple" is famous not only for apples and orchards. It is a major cultural and industrial center of Kazakhstan. Express trains from Moscow itself regularly arrive at the majestic building of the Alma-Ata railway station.

Multi-storey palaces of academies, institutes, theaters and cinemas sparkle in the sun like snowy mountain peaks. And the mountains in their eternal calm beauty rise as before.

Trams pass along the wide paved streets, endless cars, trucks, trolleybuses scurry around, and many smartly tanned tourists are sent in special buses to picturesque country parks, mountain resorts and rest houses.

This is how the once provincial and quiet “Father of Apples” of my distant childhood has become in our days.

At the time when I was little, Alma-Ata stood six hundred miles from the railway. There were few people in the city, and if once a year a car appeared on the street, then everyone abandoned their business and ran to look at it as if it were a miracle.

The houses were then built one-story. In dense gardens, they were like mushrooms - you can’t see them right away.

We lived in Alma-Ata. We had a small house and a big garden. In the garden grew ... well, apple trees, of course! .. But the main thing is that our favorites grew up there with us: various domestic and wild animals.

My father constantly brought us live animals from hunting. We ourselves fed them, looked after them and raised them.

Each had her own pets: one had a nimble fox, the other had a donkey, and the smallest sister had a guinea pig.

“And I’ll bring you a wolf cub,” my father promised me.

- Wolf-onka? .. Well, this is perhaps too much. You can't really tame him. Bring someone better.

“Really, don’t even think about bringing a wolf cub!” - Mom was alarmed. - Bites everyone, scratches and runs away.

- Oh, you cowards! The little wolf was scared. And the jasal! Just the wolves are remarkably tamed.

And he told us about one tame wolf.

This wolf, like the most devoted dog, loved his master, followed him on his heels, protected him from enemies, guarded his horse on trips.

- And then what happened to him?

- After? Then the owner of the wolf had to leave. It was necessary to go very far - first in a wagon, then in a train. In addition, he did not know how else he would settle in a new place and whether they would want to accept him along with the wolf. Therefore, he did not dare to take it with him. He gave the wolf to his friends. The wolf did not want to live with them. Then the owner took him to the forest. The wolf found the way and even before the owner returned home. Finally - there was nothing left to do - they decided to poison him and poured poison into his porridge. The wolf ate; staggered to the bedding and stretched out dead. And the owner, very upset, got into the mail tarantass and left ... He looks through two post stations - the poor wolf hurries behind the tarantass, sticking out his tongue. The portion of the poison turned out to be too small: the wolf slept well and, as soon as he came to his senses, rushed after the owner. The whole long way, about a thousand miles to the railway, the wolf rode in a tarantass. Then he traveled by train, by boat. The owner everywhere passed him off as his dog, and the wolf behaved so well that everyone considered him a dog. The wolf lived with this owner until his old age, and they never parted again.

- That's good, great! we all said with one voice. - Well, tell me more about the wolves.

- Why should I tell? Here I will bring a wolf cub, you will bring it up yourself, and then not I will tell you, but you will tell me a lot of interesting things.

After that, there was not a day that I did not remind my father:

- Well, why don't you bring a wolf cub? Promised - so take it.

... One morning, near my bed, someone said loudly:

- Get up, bring it!

I immediately realized who they brought, jumped up, put on a dress and ran into the yard.

- Run to the forge! my father called after me.

At the end of the courtyard was an abandoned forge. All unnecessary rubbish was dumped there: broken sledges, rusty iron, broken dishes.

The door of the forge was tightly closed and nailed down with a heavy stone. I pulled her towards me. The door gave a little, and I squeezed sideways inside. It was dark there. After the bright light, I could not see anything.

Suddenly, under the stove, where the blacksmiths fanned the fire, there was a rustle. Four green lights lit up in the darkness. I shuddered and backed away. I would not be at all afraid of an ordinary wolf cub, but ... with four eyes ...

- Yes, he is not alone! There are two of them.

The cubs grumbled and, judging by the rustle, climbed even further under the stove.

I knew that the best way to win over an animal was to feed it better. I ran to the kitchen, poured milk into a bowl, crumbled bread into it, and returned to the smithy. She opened the door a little so that it was a little brighter, put the bowl on the dirt floor, and hid herself in the darkness.

The cubs were afraid to approach the food for a long time. But she smelled very tempting, and they were hungry.

And then one gray muzzle peeked out from under the stove. Behind her is another. The cubs crawled out into the light, looked around, and cautiously approached the bowl.

Here they forgot all fear. With their paws wide apart, they grabbed pieces, trembled, choked, pushed each other. Because they had to swallow and growl at the same time, they choked and coughed right into the bowl, so that the milk in it bubbled up.

They were so busy eating that they didn't notice me coming closer.

Continuing to quarrel, they, like the most ordinary bare-bellied puppies, rubbed each other with their shoulders. Like puppies, they had big bellies and paws, only their tails were thinner and shabbier, and their ears stuck up.

The food was over, but the cubs were not going to part with the bowl. One climbed into it with his feet and carefully licked the last crumbs. The other raised his head, shuddered, and stared intently into my face. I saw that the cub was confused, smiled and, so that he would not be afraid, I wanted to stroke him.

Click! I barely had time to pull my hand away. The wolf cub also jumped aside.

Here's the unfortunate bastard! Two inches from the pot, and also more, you can’t stroke it! Almost bit off my finger. And for what, it is asked: for milk and bread? Okay!

I didn't want to be friends with them anymore. But, in truth, I was offended.

The guys surrounded me in the yard:

- Well, what are wolves, what are they?

“Excellent wolves,” I answered without hesitation, “they immediately began to get used to me. Already listening to me. We just need to come up with names for them.

We sat on the logs right there, near the forge, and began to invent. Father said that the cubs were female and male, and we named them Diana and Tom.

At noon, I brought them food again and called, smacking my lips: “Way, way, way, way…”

The cubs got out and began to eat. While they were eating, I opened the door wide. The dogs entered the forge. I was afraid that they would fight with the cubs, and I wanted to drive them away. But the cubs themselves rushed to meet them, tucking their tails and smiling. They tried to lick their muzzles, rolled over on their backs, jerked their legs in the air - in a word, kowtowed before them like real puppies. Probably, they mistook dogs for wolves and therefore rejoiced so much.

The dogs snarled at them severely. The bowl of food was a hundred times more interesting to them than these two little lickers. They sniffed the bowl, ate what the cubs hadn't had time to finish, and went out of the smithy into the yard.

The wolf cubs were so jubilant at the sight of the dogs that they forgot all fear and caution and ran after them. They walked quite far, when they suddenly looked around and ... were horrified. They had never seen anything like it in the forest.

They saw a cart - they lay down on the ground and bared their teeth. We waited a little - the cart did not move. Apparently, it wasn't about to attack. They got bolder.

Stretching their necks and crouching in fear, they reached the middle of the yard.

The dogs had long since run away from them onto the porch, and the cubs were left alone. They whined plaintively, but the dogs did not want to come down to them. Then they got away.

Unfortunately, they had to pass by the barn. Under the barn lived the dog Lute with her newborn puppies. She imagined that the cubs were sneaking up on her children. She flew out, grabbed Tomchik by the collar and shook him thoroughly.

We rushed to rescue the wolf cub.

The lute released him from his teeth, and both of them - Dianka and Tom - ran into the forge, huddled under the stove and calmed down.

Here's poor Tom! Came out for the first time - and so he got it!

In embarrassment, we trampled around the forge, looked under the stove, spoke affectionately to the cubs, slipped them various delicacies.

They graciously ate the treat, and in response to persuasion, they only grumbled angrily.

But, no matter how great the resentment was, they did not sit long under the stove.

First, Diana leaned out. She got out, sat for a while, and darted back again.

Then Tomchik got out. His ear was covered in blood, his head was disheveled, scratched under his eye. He shook his head and tilted his sore ear to the ground.

Side by side, shoulder to shoulder, they sat down on the threshold of the forge and looked at the yard, offended and sad.

The next day went the same way, and on the third morning, when I came to feed them, they were already standing at the door and waiting.

Dianka went out into the yard and, unnoticed by herself, climbed up the steps of the terrace after me. And Tomchik remained below.

We noticed that Dianka was much more active than her brother. She was the first to get out at the call and, at the sight of a cup of food, licked her lips tenderly.

We were having tea on the terrace. Diana was well received. Nobody scared her. On the contrary, everyone tried to treat her with something. She threw a lot of tidbits. She ate and, very pleased, went downstairs to her brother.

Cowardly Tomchik sniffed her muzzle and immediately guessed that Dianka had eaten very tasty food. He licked his lips and started sniffing again. And Dianna was cheerful. Her eyes shone like beads, her tail bristled with satiety and did not want to cling to her body for anything. With all her appearance, she seemed to say: you see how good it is to be brave!

Then both wolf cubs went to get acquainted with the area.

This time they didn't look so scared anymore. They calmly looked around the yard, rounded the house and found themselves in the garden.

I slowly followed them. The garden reminded them of a forest. They somehow immediately straightened up, grew bolder, jumped into the bushes. Then they ran out into the clearing, began to play, and again disappeared into the depths of the garden. They sniffed every bush, got to know every tree. Having played enough, they collapsed to sleep in the thickets of cherry blossoms. There I left them. In these thickets I brought them lunch. But there was no one at the place where they fell asleep. I started calling them. She called for a long time and peered into the thick of the garden: were the wolf cubs coming?

I put the bowl of food on the grass and sat down beside it, stirring with a stick.

Where did they go?

I started to worry. And suddenly I see: in the bushes, at my very hand, muzzles! .. They crept up a long time ago and watched what I was doing. They must have thought: “Here’s a deaf black grouse, he can’t hear anything right under his nose!”

And how can you hear them when they are so fat, clumsy, and walk more silently than butterflies?

While the cubs were eating, I stretched out on the grass and pretended to be asleep. I don’t know whether the garden and freedom had such an effect on the wolf cubs or, perhaps, it’s true, they were already used to me, they only treated me very impudently: one breathed in my face, the other pulled at my dress, at the braid. Dianka stole my shoe and dragged it into the thickets. Tomchik set off to take it away. And when this new toy of theirs finally returned to my leg, it looked very shabby.

They spent the whole day in the garden and stayed in the garden for the night.

So several days passed. The cubs enjoyed complete freedom. I knew only one thing: to feed them better, so that it would not occur to them to go somewhere to prey.

The first time I fed them at dawn, at five o'clock in the morning. In order not to wake anyone up, I cooked food in the evening and hid it near my bed, and at sunrise I crawled out through the window into the garden, found wolf cubs and fed them. When they finished eating, I took the cup, and again climbed into the room through the window, and fell asleep again.

The cubs accompanied me to the window and remembered it so well that when I used to fall asleep and be late, they would come up to the window, stand on their hind legs, raise their heads and howl.

My bed was under the window. I looked out, and the cubs, seeing that I woke up, jumped for joy.

They have become quite tame. I also got used to them very much, and if I didn’t see them for several hours, I already missed them.

Often and for a long time I played with the cubs. We floundered in the grass and ran around the garden. And if I happened to come to the garden to read, they instantly looked for me, sat down opposite and, after waiting a little, began to bother me.

Once somehow Diana got bored that I was reading everything, and she, yawning loudly, sat down on the book. I pushed her, turned her over on her back and pulled her on the grass by her hind legs. And Tom at that time grabbed the book and, with particular pleasure, tousled it piece by piece.

The cubs had a funny habit. After eating, their bellies became like tight drums. They lay down on the grass and crawled, smoothing their stomachs on the ground.

Surprisingly, because they did not know medicine, but they understood that massage is a useful thing.

Once I wandered around the garden with them and decided to eat plums. You can’t get the plums from below - it’s high. I climbed a tree. I shake and hear the plums plump juicy on the ground. Shake it decently. I'm getting down. I search, I search under a tree and I do not find one. What is this strange phenomenon? She climbed again. I shook it again, and when I got down to the ground, I saw that Dianka and Tom were picking up and eating my plums in a hurry.

It turned out that they are very fond of fruits, they understand a lot about them and unmistakably select the most ripe ones.

I began to treat them often - I shook them plums, apricots and apples.

Dianka and Tom crawled all the nooks and crannies of the garden, but seldom approached the house. They were uncommunicative and did not like people. They knew and loved only me. They met me, caressed me, jumped with their front paws on my chest, licked my hands and face.

Once I boasted that the cubs know my voice and distinguish it from all others.

They made me laugh:

“You are making all this up! They do not distinguish anything, but simply approach for feeding. If you get hungry, you will probably go to anyone.

- No! I stood my ground. Let's try it, then you will see for yourself.

There were eight guys in attendance. Even the adults were interested.

Everyone crowded around the garden gate.

“Just give me a bowl of food,” said the sister.

She took the bowl, went into the garden and began to call. She called for a long time, but no one came out, and she returned in disgrace.

Went another, third ... Tried everything. Then I said:

“Well, I don’t even need a bowl, they will come running to me anyway,” and she entered the garden.

Frankly, I was very scared: what if Dianka and Tom let you down?

- Diana! Tomchik! I called the wolves. And my heart was beating with excitement.

And everyone saw how they rushed to me. The cubs immediately ran up, because they were close and were only waiting for my call.

Olga Perovskaya

Guys and animals

I dedicate these childhood memories to the blessed memory of my dear parents.

Olga Perovskaya

Dianka and Tomchik

In Central Asia, between two large rivers, there is a fertile, flourishing area. In Kazakh it is called Dzhety-Su, and in Russian - seven rivers: Semirechye.

There are many mountains, forests, green valleys and orchards in Semirechye. One city is especially famous for its large apple orchards. This city is called Alma-Ata, which means "Father of Apples."

Now this "Father of Apples" is famous not only for apples and orchards. It is now the capital of the wealthy Kazakh Republic, a cultural and industrial center. By the railway line - Turksib - it connects with the most important industrial cities of the entire Soviet Union. Express trains from Moscow itself regularly arrive at the majestic building of the Alma-Ata railway station.

Multi-storey palaces of academies, institutes, theaters and cinemas sparkle in the sun like snowy mountain peaks. And the mountains in their eternal, calm beauty rise as before.

This is how the once provincial and quiet “Father of Apples” of my distant childhood has become in our days.

At the time when I was little, Alma-Ata stood six hundred miles from the railway. There were few people in it, and if once a year a car appeared on the street, then everyone abandoned their business and ran to look at it as if it were a miracle.

The houses were then built one-story. In dense gardens, they were like mushrooms - you can’t see them right away.

We lived in Alma-Ata. We had a small house and a big garden. They grew in the garden ... well, and apples, of course! .. But the main thing is that our favorites grew up there with us: various domestic and wild animals.

My father constantly brought us live animals from hunting. We ourselves fed them, looked after them and raised them.

Each had her own pets: one had a nimble fox, the other had a donkey, and the smallest sister had a guinea pig.

And I will bring you a wolf cub, - my father promised me.

A wolf-onka? .. Well, this is perhaps too much. You can't really tame him. Bring someone better.

In fact, do not even think of bringing a wolf cub! - Mom was alarmed. - Bites everyone, scratches and runs away.

Oh you cowards! The little wolf was scared. It's a pity! Just the wolves are remarkably tamed.

And he told us about one tame wolf.

This wolf, like the most devoted dog, loved his master, followed him on his heels, protected him from enemies, guarded his horse on trips. He had only one drawback: he liked to drink. As soon as he smells wine, he searches, searches all over the house until he finds a bottle. Then he began to roll it with his paw, smash it and drink everything to the drop.

And when he got drunk, - we asked, - did he not rage like Timka Frolov? Didn't beat the dishes? Didn't fight?

No, he never did such things. He would just curl up in a corner and sleep.

Well, then what?

And then? As soon as he slept, he was again the same clever and hard worker, as always.

No, and then what happened to him?

After? Then the owner of the wolf had to leave. It was necessary to go very far - first in a wagon, then in a train. In addition, he did not know how else he would settle in a new place and whether they would want to accept him along with the wolf. Therefore, he did not dare to take it with him. He gave the wolf to his friends. The wolf did not want to live with them. Then the owner took him to the forest. The wolf found the way and even before the owner returned home. Finally - there was nothing left to do - they decided to poison him and poured poison into his porridge. The wolf ate; staggering, reached the bedding and stretched out dead. And the owner, very upset, got into the mail tarantass and left ... After two post stations, he looks - behind the tarantass, sticking out his tongue, the poor wolf hurries. The portion of the poison turned out to be too small: the wolf slept well and, as soon as he came to his senses, rushed after the owner. The whole long way, about a thousand miles to the railway, the wolf rode in a tarantass. Then he traveled by train, by boat. The owner everywhere passed him off as his dog, and the wolf behaved so well that everyone considered him a dog. The wolf lived with this owner until his old age, and they never parted again.

This is good, great! we all said with one voice. - Well, tell me more about the wolves.

Why should I tell? Here I will bring a wolf cub, you will bring it up yourself, and then not I will tell you, but you will tell me a lot of interesting things.

After that, there was not a day that I did not remind my father:

Well, why don't you bring a wolf cub? I promised, so take it.

One morning, near my bed, someone said loudly:

Get up, bring it!

I immediately realized who they brought, jumped up, put on a dress and ran into the yard.

Run to the forge! my father called after me.

At the end of the courtyard was an abandoned forge. All unnecessary rubbish was dumped there: broken sledges, rusty iron, broken dishes.

Yes, he is not alone! There are two of them.

The cubs grumbled and, judging by the rustle, climbed even further under the stove.

The cubs were afraid to approach the food for a long time. But she smelled very tempting, and they were hungry.

And then one gray muzzle peeked out from under the stove. Behind her is another. The cubs crawled out into the light, looked around, and cautiously approached the bowl.

They were so busy eating that they didn't notice me coming closer.

I barely had time to pull my hand away. The wolf cub also jumped aside.

Here's the unfortunate bastard! From the pot two inches, and also more, it is not given to stroke. Almost bit off my finger. And for what, it is asked: for milk and bread? Okay!

I didn't want to be friends with them anymore. But, in truth, I was offended.

The guys surrounded me in the yard:

Well, what are wolves, what are they?

Excellent wolves, - I answered without hesitation, - immediately began to get used to me. Already listening to me. We just need to come up with names for them.

We sat on the logs right there, near the forge, and began to invent. Father said that the cubs were female and male, and we named them Diana and Tom.

* * *

I dedicate these childhood memories to the blessed memory of my dear parents.

Olga Perovskaya

Guys and animals