The History of House Six Read online

  The History of House Six

  Svetlana Dobychina

  Timofey Dobychin

  Illustrator Elizaveta Borisova

  Editor Tatyana Kuzmina

  Photographer Anton Arsenov

  Translator Anastasya Sankovskaya

  © Svetlana Dobychina, 2018

  © Timofey Dobychin, 2018

  ISBN 978-5-4493-1481-9

  Created with Ridero smart publishing system

  6000 kilometers away from Moscow, in the warm ocean there lies a Magic Island of Bodufinolhu, 200 meters wide and 600 meters long.

  The island where manta rays swim to the coral reef at the same time every day.

  The island where small sharks grow and blue spotted rays hide nimbly in the warm coastal waters.

  The island where flying foxes live on tree tops and coconuts lie proudly under the feet.

  The island that will forever live in the hearts of our family. Its heat, sun, and energy is always enough for us on a long autumn Moscow day.

  The island where Captain Boris, Baby Shark, and Crab were born, where we wanted everyone to meet the Sun and the Ocean.

  After seeing this island I was hugging my most expensive treasure on a long evening and created small worlds whispering words in his little ear.

  The worlds where most difficult questions had simple and magic answers.

  The worlds where happiness is infinite, and you can just sew a hole in the Cloud if it rains.

  The worlds where any hero began his life in the Magic Forest.

  The worlds where you can start an amazing journey riding Sunny Beams.

  The worlds where my little son and I could create, give warmth, help, believe in a miracle and make our wishes come true.

  The worlds gathered under the warm roof of House Six will always live in the hearts of my children.

  The worlds you can carefully pass along to live in the hearts of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

  The worlds that will make a simple bedtime story immortal, continuing it with every new birth.

  The worlds that will save most important and most precious.

  When I created our Magical World with my mom, I wanted:

  True and faithful friends to live in this world;

  Dreams of all girls and boys to come true;

  The Sun to be always by my side;

  To live with no evil;

  A fairy tale to live forever, keeping warmth and hope in the hearts of people.

  Listen to your heart. Create your tales and run them in your family.

  Website: www.ibelieveto.ru

  #housenumbersix

  #talesinthefamily

  #listentoyourheart

  The History of House Six

  In the Blue Land, on a mossy hill in the Magic Forest, there was a house called Six.

  It was once built by Giant Midgets in the silence and coolness of the Magic forest, away from stranger’s eye. Every Giant Midget had his own round bed in the House, but none of them had a bath or even a wash basin. Sometimes they washed up with the morning dew and summer rain.

  You might wonder why they were called like that and why they made their windows round? It’s a very interesting story: the fact is that they were the giants and had big hands and feet, but they built a very small House for themselves. They were bad at mathematics, so they failed to calculate the length of the timbers correctly.

  When the House had been already built, six Giants understood that they could not get into the House. Then the wisest Giant suggested visiting the Fairy, who gave them Blue Water to drink.

  From then on, as soon as the Giants approached the House they became very small and were able to get in.

  But the Fairy was old, so when she was giving the Giants Blue Water to drink, a little drop fell to the ground. That is why every time the Giants turned into Midgets, every part of their body became small except for the feet. They looked funny: no taller than your little finger, but with HUGE feet.

  After all, they cut the round windows to get into their House. There were many windows, six to be precise. Their bare feet showed out from the windows at night as they were sleeping in their small beds inside.

  The Giant Midgets lived in the House for a long time, but once the wisest Giant decided they should build a new House that would accommodate them.

  So they went away.

  The House waited for them to come for dinner or for breakfast. But they were gone.

  In the evening, a Cloud passing along leaked, so it started to rain hard. The House was happy to get clean, so it put its walls under the rain to bath them. But the Heavenly Master lost a needle for sewing the Cloud up and went to look for it to another Blue Land, so the Cloud kept on raining.

  The House was sad, it got wet and became a little frozen. It even wanted to cry, but then remembered the stories of the merriest Giant Midget about a big green hill where the Sun always shone that you could reach if you walk down a sand path for a long-long time.

  There was a magic flower growing on that hill – if you pick it and give it to your friend, a new flower would grow in the same place next day. Its name was Golden Tulip.

  You could see an endless blue sea from the top of the hill. There were also little frogs living down the hill that liked having fun and swimming in the sea.

  The House decided to go and look for the sandy path and the big green hill while its green meadow is not a bog yet.

  Ноuse Six, the Dwarf and His Friend Mouse

  The Dwarf loved his House very much. He was very kind and lovely. A long, long time ago the Dwarf met the House on a sandy path when she was looking for the Sun.

  At that time, the Dwarf and his family were hiding under a big penny bun cap. It was constantly raining from the Сloud, and the Heavenly Master was still in the Blue Land to get golden threads and sew up the Cloud.

  The House was trying to escape from the rain as it got soaking wet, and even its gumboots were tired to keep it safe from the flows of water. It was very bored to travel alone and got almost sad. Then it suddenly noticed four Dwarfs under the mushroom. That’s how they met. The House told that its name was “Six”. The House made up this name in order not to forget his friends, Giant Midgets, who built it.

  House Six was very strong and kind, that is why it invited four Dwarfs indoors so that they didn’t get wet under the leaky cloud. They continued their trip together. They had plenty of adventures on the way but finally found the magic hill with the Golden Flower.

  The Dwarf loved his family very much, but when his relatives were getting ready for a long journey, he decided to stay on the hill with his friend House Six. Soon a small, but very brave Mouse joined them.

  Every morning the Sun woke the Dwarf up passing through the round window and tickled his feet. He opened his eyes and saw the Sun sitting on a big dining table and dangling its feet. Then the Sun usually woke up Dwarf’s best friend Mouse who lived in a mink under the plinth, hugging with its warm rays.

  The Mouse did not have her own small round window for the Sun to come. That is why when the Dwarf got up, the Sun usually got off from the dining table, tiptoed to a little mink and all its rays glinted inside.

  While the Sun was waking up the Mouse, the Dwarf usually climbed the magic hill to get his friend a golden Tulip. At first, the Mouse got embarrassed like a little girl, but then she took the most beautiful vase, filled it with the crystal water from the stream running near the House, and put a magic flower in water.

  It was slowly blossoming in the vase all day, and by the evening it turned into the golden pollen and went around the House dancing, filling it with the evening light and reflecting evening glows of the
Sun. All of them: House Six, the Dwarf and their friend Mouse loved this time of day very much. It seemed that they were filled with the magic light and became a little (just a little bit) of wizards.

  The Dwarf, his friend Mouse and House Six began every morning with the Sun and the Magic Golden Tulip.

  Sleepyhead Sun

  The Sun was a late sleeper and loved to nap wrapping itself into cozy white clouds. Clouds loved the Sun very much and always covered and sheltered it from unimportant things. One day, the Sun woke up and looked down on the Earth stretching itself. At first, he thought that he was still asleep: from the skies, people looked like gloomy snowmen wrapped in fur. There were huge snow banks along the roads, all merry rivers were hidden, and the forest stood silent.

  The Sun thought for a minute and found out, to its deep shame, that it had been asleep for too long and Winter ran over time. The Winter itself was tired: everyone was eagerly waiting for it on Christmas Eve. After holidays, children were sliding on their sledges while adults admired sparkling show cover. But now everything was different, and no one was happy with frost patterns and severe cold any longer…

  The Sun got to work immediately. First, it sent a long beam to melt the frozen lakes and rivers. But the ice was so thick that Sunny had to send a whole beam army to melt it a little bit. When the first pools of melting water appeared, fish started to get warm and swim to the surface, waving their fins joyfully.

  The next army was sent to the forest to tickle treetops of frozen firs and pines until the snow mantels covering them turned into dripping water. Soon there came merry streams running into holes and waking animals from their winter sleep.

  The Bear had been trying to wake up in his lair for a long time: he tossed from side to side waiting for the warmth to come. His dreams became disturbing, and he started feeling hunger already. When the Bear sensed the first brook, he finally opened his eyes and stretched. He put his nose out of the lair, and suddenly smelled dried apples. It turned out that they were brought by a smart Hedgehog who knew that Bear would be very, very hungry…

  Having melted ice in the forest, the Sun began to warm people, slowly forcing them to change their warm fur coats to spring clothing. Merry brooks have already been running across each path. The Sun smiles were shimmering in their waters. Beauty-Spring embracing her girlfriend Winter, was seeing her off to the far North Pole, where she could take a break from the lengthy worries.

  Travelling Friends

  It was a wonderful summer day when the Mouse and the Dwarf went on a small trip through their magic land. Being a very caring girl, the Mouse packed a basket with her favourite treats for the trip and gave it to the Dwarf who was supposed to carry it. He was very proud that the Mouse entrusted him to carry her basket.

  The weather was fine, and the path looped through huge trees and high blueberry bushes. Friends were laughing gaily, playing hide and seek with the Sun. Suddenly, they met a sad Bunny round the corner.

  The Sun frowned and asked him: “What happened?” Shedding his tears, the Bunny told them that carrots were not growing, so he was afraid he was going to have no harvest and would stay hungry in winter.

  “Why?” – friends were very much surprised.

  “Because the Cloud has fallen asleep and forgot that it’s time to water the carrots,” said Bunny crying. Now when he met his friends, he was crying even more.

  The Sun flushed. All inhabitants of the magic country remembered how they waited for the Sun to wake up through this long and cold winter and were a little afraid that this sleep could last for years. Only the Hedgehog knew that the Sun should wake up and that he needed to prepare some dried apples and bring them to Bear’s house through the snowstorm. Mistrustful inhabitants of the magic country laughed at him. But the Hedgehog confidence gradually passed to everyone, and they began to believe that the Sun was definitely going to wake up. And now daydreamer Cloud has suddenly fallen asleep. Last time when the Cloud started wondering it accidentally turned a neat meadow into a squelching swamp, forcing House Six to search for the Magic Hill.

  The Sun stretched out its beam high and reached the Cloud. The Cloud was dreaming blissfully. Then The Sun sent a million beams, and they warmed the Cloud so much that it started to turn from side to side, laid on the side with a hole in it and warm rain poured onto the carrot rows.

  Happy carrots began to grow rapidly; by the evening the Bunny, the Mouse, and the Dwarf harvested all the carrots.

  Tired but satisfied, friends stayed at Bunny’s house, with the Sun snuggling comfortably on the windowsill.

  In the morning friends put their gifts, the most delicious carrots in the world, to the basket, said goodbye to the Bunny and continued their journey. They were walking for a long time since the Mouse liked to run and jump into the high and soft moss, and the Dwarf couldn’t stop his girlfriend as he loved her sonorous merry laughter.

  Moving from one meadow with dark-green dense moss to another one, with bright lime-green moss growing in small bunches, they accidentally wandered into the windfall where they met the Bear. The Bear was very sad because the bees were angry with him!

  And there was nothing sadder than angry bees that only buzzed menacingly instead of giving tasty honey.

  “Why are bees so angry with you?” the Dwarf asked.

  The Bear was silent because he was ashamed. He was a little lazy by nature and did not care for bees houses and the meadow around them. Soon bright and fragrant flowers disappeared from the meadow, leaving only branches which had turned into a real windbreak.

  Friends scolded the lazy Bear. The Dwarf and the Bear went off to sort the branches and trash, while the Mouse took her basket full of seeds of the most magical, wonderful and fragrant flowers and sowed them on the cleaned field. The Cloud and the Sun also found a work to do: neat droplets together with warm beams created a real miracle. By the evening, the whole meadow smelled of wonderful magic flowers.

  The bees forgave the Bear, and their queen brought a gift of fragrant honey to friends. The Mouse was very proud that she took a basket big enough for these nice gifts.

  Friends stayed at Bear’s house. In the morning they decided that this journey was too long, and it was time for them to return home to House Six so that it would not be upset with such a long separation.

  Old Dwarf and the Great Journey

  Once upon a time, there was an old and gloomy Dwarf living in a house at the forest edge. In front of the house, there were paths neatly covered with dry fir needles, and a fence built with dry twigs. The sun never got to the house, and no one actually knew what was inside.

  The Dwarf wore a warm green coat year round. Elderly people often get cold, so the Dwarf was buttoned up and wore a belt even on a hot day. The buttons were his great pride: round and iron, they glittered perfectly in the sun.

  He spent long winter months inside and went out only to clean the snow. In winter the unusual color of his eyes became very noticeable – they were like blue sky. None of the forest dwellers couldn’t get through to him – the grouchy spiny old Dwarf wasn’t very charming. It seemed that only the Hedgehog could earn his trust. Perhaps, they came together because of the needles: one had needles inside, while the other one had them outside.

  During short summer months old Dwarf, on the contrary, spent all his time outside, making supplies for winter. He picked blueberries and lingonberries carefully in a basket. Sometimes he went to the distant swamps for cranberries, leaning on a large dry stick. This trip could take him the whole day, but still, he brought the same little basket. You can’t take much, especially if you are a dwarf.

  Sometimes he picked herbs and dried them around his house or on the roof like hay. Sometimes forest dwellers sent the Hedgehog to ask for herbs or tincture if someone got ill. Dwarf never said no, but was also not very interested in the health of those who asked him for help.

  The Hedgehog felt sorry for the old man, he could not understand why Dwarf was so gloom and lonely. One day he brought a
large and beautiful summer bolete on his needles. Since then they always went for mushrooms together. After all, you can carry far more mushrooms on the hedgehog than in a small basket. Old Dwarf had a special love to summer boletes, with red caps or brown caps and stalks resembling birch trunks. The old and lonely Dwarf lived a quiet life, trying to be invisible, but one day everything changed…

  The Dwarf and his girlfriend Mouse went for a walk in the forest. The bosom friends were running cheerfully along the path while Sunny Beam looked after them so that they would not get into some sort of trouble. As the path led them to a small and cozy meadow, they decided to lie on the grass and play around a little. To their surprise, this meadow was well-groomed, its berry bushes were trimmed, and its paths were covered with fir needles and twigs. But, as we know, our friends simply can’t rest quietly. Soon forest dwellers appeared to see them, attracted by their squealing and laughter. Their fun was also noticed by the old Dwarf, who was furious with such invasive behavior around his house. He grabbed his stick, the one he brought to the marshes, jumped out and rushed off to turn the uninvited guests away, trembling with anger.

  The Dwarf and the Mouse were paralyzed with surprise when an old shaggy man jumped out of the blue, shouting and waving his stick. Sunny Beam, which was supposed to look after friends, was chasing the squirrel at that time and missed the beginning of the drama…

  “Run!” – the Dwarf yelled. And they ran, getting in each other’s way. At that time the great Sun, which knows everything about us better than we do, had forgotten about its routine tasks and, having realized the situation, began to fix it quickly. First thing, it pushed two small clouds together, got a non-dangerous lightning and launched it gently into the old man… At that moment the old Dwarf suddenly recalled all his life and recognized his grandson in one of the uninvited guests. He hadn’t seen him for years. He remembered that once he took offence at his relatives, left to the forest with annoyance and lost his way back; no matter how hard he tried to return home, it did not work. So he decided to stay in the forest. And since old Dwarf was extremely stubborn, holding a grudge against his relatives, he did not ask any of the forest dwellers for help. Time went by, and he forgot why he was so offended, but his pride didn’t allow him to ask for help. He became more and more gloomy and gradually turned into an old grumpy man.