A Fairy Tale about Small Umbrella and Big White Bird
There was the City of Umbrellas. Many different Umbrellas lived there. Big and Black, very important and serious walked slowly on the streets and bow to each other when they passed one another. Light and Silly had no work to do and were having fun all day long, flying over the streets, rushing through the City, flying out of it and back again. There were many Umbrellas in this City, but no matter what they did, they cared the most about one thing - that the Strong Wind would not take them away from the City.
Light Small Umbrella lived in this City. He was very young and all other Umbrellas considered him silly because he liked to bother them with very silly questions. Well what may be sillier than asking “Who lives far, far from our City?”, or “Can the Strong Wind lift me up and carry me around the whole World?”.
He liked to go out of the City and watch clouds. He was looking in the Sky trying to imagine what he would see, if he were flying in this blue Height?
And because he did not look under his feet, he was bumping in other Umbrellas, which were very busy doing their errands. So, other Umbrellas frequently scolded him for his empty and useless imagination. “Become engaged in something useful”, other Umbrellas told him, “or you will grow up with just useless pictures in your head, and no respectable Umbrella will ever give you a bow”.
Days were passing by, Small Umbrella looked at the Sky and dreamed, but nothing has changed in his life.
Once upon a time, when Small Umbrella has again left City to get to his dreams, he noticed in the Sky several small black dots. “What are those black dots?!”, he wanted to ask other Umbrellas, and even almost ran back to City to ask this question, but then he stopped. “Why would I annoy Big Umbrellas with another silly question?”. When he looked up again, he saw that the black dots became closer, and then even closer, and Small Umbrella suddenly understood, that those dots are flying on the Sky, flying directly to him!
Small Umbrella closed his eyes trying to imagine himself as a Black Dot flying in the Sky.
And when he opened his eyes again, there was something strange in the row of flying Dots. All Dots but one were flying forward in a straight line keeping the same distance from each other. But the last Dot was slightly lagging behind the others. Suddenly Small Umbrella realized, that this last Dot also was becoming bigger and bigger.
“She is falling!”, suddenly Small Umbrella understood. “If I wait a little bit longer, the Black Dot will fall on the other side of my City!”
Never in his life Small Umbrella ran so fast as that day.
On his run through the City he was bumping into many Big and Important Umbrellas. Many angry words followed him on his run. But he did not see and did not hear anything. Only one thought was flashing in his mind “The Citizen of the Sky is flying to me! The Citizen of the Sky is flying to me!”
And Small Umbrella found the Citizen of the Sky. He was standing afar and looking at the Big White Citizen of the Sky who was lying on the ground, motionless, and only light breathing would show that she was a living being and not a big white fluffy stone.
At last Small Umbrella dared to make a small step forward, then one more, and finally he quietly approached to Fallen Dot. “Hi, Big White Citizen of the Sky”, said Small Umbrella. “I am Small Umbrella, I live in this City of Umbrellas. Did you fly here to visit me?”
The big White Citizen of the Sky slowly lifted her head and looked at Small Umbrella with her big deep eyes.
“No, Small Umbrella. I didn’t fly here to visit you. I am just a bird fling with my drove. But I have become too weak and I fell”. “If I could have some rest, I could catch up with my drove. But the Strong Wind flies right behind us. He will catch me here very soon and will bring cold and rain, and I will become even weaker than I am now”.
What she said was the truth. Small Umbrella was already feeling the approach of the Strong Wind.
“I shall help you, Big White Bird!”, proudly said Small Umbrella.
“I shall close you from the Strong Wind!”. Shivering, whether because of the coming cold strong wind, or because of his fear he would be blown away, he covered the Bird with himself.
“Dear Mom, help me”, Small Umbrella thought, and at this moment the Strong Wind struck him with the first punch. Then again, and again. It was just a miracle that Small Umbrella kept himself in his place. “I must do it, I must do it”; the only though Small Umbrella could think off.
Finally, the Strong Wind moved away.
“I am tired, I am so tired”, Small Umbrella quietly said to himself and sit on the ground. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
When he woken up, the Sun has already dried up his clothes.
He opened his eyes, and saw Big White Bird, strong again and ready to fly.
“You helped me, lovely Small Umbrella”, she said. “You saved me from the Wind. Thank you, my Friend. And now I should be hurry up to catch my drove”, and Big White Bird spread her wings, waved them and flew up in the Sky.
Many days and night have passed since the day when Small Umbrella met Big White Bird. Once in a while Small Umbrella still looked in the Sky, but in time he was almost forgetting his visitor. And he looked up less and less.
“Look at our Small Umbrella”, told Big Umbrellas to each other, “It looks like he’s growing up. Soon he becomes a normal average Umbrella”.
One day, without any reason, Small Umbrella looked in the Sky. Suddenly he saw there one small black dot. It was becoming bigger and bigger. “Big White Bird falls again!”, thought Small Umbrella, and rushed through the City. “Lunatic!”, shouted again Big Umbrellas, “never come to us again!”
But Small Umbrella saw nothing and did not hear a thing.
He was running again as fast as he could.
He had to help his Friend! His Friend was falling again and need his help!
“Hi, Big White Bird!”, he shouted. “I shall help you again and cover you from the Strong Wind!”
But this time Big White Bird stood calmly and smiling.
“Hi, Small Umbrella”, said Bird. “Today I am strong and healthy. I flew here to see you. When you saved me from the Wind you became my Friend, and I wanted to see you again”.
Small Umbrella felt himself very happy. He has a Friend - the Citizen of the Sky is his Friend!
“I want to show you my World” said Bird; “Get on my back, and we will fly together, and see how big and beautiful World is”.
“Thank you, Big White Bird”, laughed Small Umbrella, he felt so happy, he could not speak. He walked to Big White Bird, stroked her fluffy feathers and cautiously climbed on her back. Big White Bird spread her wings, waved them and soared up in the Sky.
They flew above the World and laughed in happiness. Rivers and seas, fields and forest, Cities and mountains had been laying down under them. The glorious beauty of the World opened to Small Umbrella. He felt, like he himself was flying in the deep blue Height, and his Friend was by his side, the Friend who will always help him if he gets in troubles, and the Friend who he, Small Umbrella, will always cover even from the Most Strongest Wind.
When they returned to the City, there was night. No one noticed that Small Umbrella was not in the City a long time.
When they were again on the ground they didn’t say much to each other.
“Thank you, Big White Bird”, whispered Small Umbrella to Big White Bird.
“Thank you, Small Umbrella”, whispered Big White Bird to Small Umbrella.
And with one strong move of her wings, she rose in the Sky and flew away.
The Bird has flown away.
But the feeling of joy, pride and happiness staid with Small Umbrella because he knew - they will meet again.
You see, true friends will never abandon each other.
Light Small Umbrella lived in this City. He was very young and all other Umbrellas considered him silly because he liked to bother them with very silly questions. Well what may be sillier than asking “Who lives far, far from our City?”, or “Can the Strong Wind lift me up and carry me around the whole World?”.
He liked to go out of the City and watch clouds. He was looking in the Sky trying to imagine what he would see, if he were flying in this blue Height?
And because he did not look under his feet, he was bumping in other Umbrellas, which were very busy doing their errands. So, other Umbrellas frequently scolded him for his empty and useless imagination. “Become engaged in something useful”, other Umbrellas told him, “or you will grow up with just useless pictures in your head, and no respectable Umbrella will ever give you a bow”.
Days were passing by, Small Umbrella looked at the Sky and dreamed, but nothing has changed in his life.
Once upon a time, when Small Umbrella has again left City to get to his dreams, he noticed in the Sky several small black dots. “What are those black dots?!”, he wanted to ask other Umbrellas, and even almost ran back to City to ask this question, but then he stopped. “Why would I annoy Big Umbrellas with another silly question?”. When he looked up again, he saw that the black dots became closer, and then even closer, and Small Umbrella suddenly understood, that those dots are flying on the Sky, flying directly to him!
Small Umbrella closed his eyes trying to imagine himself as a Black Dot flying in the Sky.
And when he opened his eyes again, there was something strange in the row of flying Dots. All Dots but one were flying forward in a straight line keeping the same distance from each other. But the last Dot was slightly lagging behind the others. Suddenly Small Umbrella realized, that this last Dot also was becoming bigger and bigger.
“She is falling!”, suddenly Small Umbrella understood. “If I wait a little bit longer, the Black Dot will fall on the other side of my City!”
Never in his life Small Umbrella ran so fast as that day.
On his run through the City he was bumping into many Big and Important Umbrellas. Many angry words followed him on his run. But he did not see and did not hear anything. Only one thought was flashing in his mind “The Citizen of the Sky is flying to me! The Citizen of the Sky is flying to me!”
And Small Umbrella found the Citizen of the Sky. He was standing afar and looking at the Big White Citizen of the Sky who was lying on the ground, motionless, and only light breathing would show that she was a living being and not a big white fluffy stone.
At last Small Umbrella dared to make a small step forward, then one more, and finally he quietly approached to Fallen Dot. “Hi, Big White Citizen of the Sky”, said Small Umbrella. “I am Small Umbrella, I live in this City of Umbrellas. Did you fly here to visit me?”
The big White Citizen of the Sky slowly lifted her head and looked at Small Umbrella with her big deep eyes.
“No, Small Umbrella. I didn’t fly here to visit you. I am just a bird fling with my drove. But I have become too weak and I fell”. “If I could have some rest, I could catch up with my drove. But the Strong Wind flies right behind us. He will catch me here very soon and will bring cold and rain, and I will become even weaker than I am now”.
What she said was the truth. Small Umbrella was already feeling the approach of the Strong Wind.
“I shall help you, Big White Bird!”, proudly said Small Umbrella.
“I shall close you from the Strong Wind!”. Shivering, whether because of the coming cold strong wind, or because of his fear he would be blown away, he covered the Bird with himself.
“Dear Mom, help me”, Small Umbrella thought, and at this moment the Strong Wind struck him with the first punch. Then again, and again. It was just a miracle that Small Umbrella kept himself in his place. “I must do it, I must do it”; the only though Small Umbrella could think off.
Finally, the Strong Wind moved away.
“I am tired, I am so tired”, Small Umbrella quietly said to himself and sit on the ground. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
When he woken up, the Sun has already dried up his clothes.
He opened his eyes, and saw Big White Bird, strong again and ready to fly.
“You helped me, lovely Small Umbrella”, she said. “You saved me from the Wind. Thank you, my Friend. And now I should be hurry up to catch my drove”, and Big White Bird spread her wings, waved them and flew up in the Sky.
Many days and night have passed since the day when Small Umbrella met Big White Bird. Once in a while Small Umbrella still looked in the Sky, but in time he was almost forgetting his visitor. And he looked up less and less.
“Look at our Small Umbrella”, told Big Umbrellas to each other, “It looks like he’s growing up. Soon he becomes a normal average Umbrella”.
One day, without any reason, Small Umbrella looked in the Sky. Suddenly he saw there one small black dot. It was becoming bigger and bigger. “Big White Bird falls again!”, thought Small Umbrella, and rushed through the City. “Lunatic!”, shouted again Big Umbrellas, “never come to us again!”
But Small Umbrella saw nothing and did not hear a thing.
He was running again as fast as he could.
He had to help his Friend! His Friend was falling again and need his help!
“Hi, Big White Bird!”, he shouted. “I shall help you again and cover you from the Strong Wind!”
But this time Big White Bird stood calmly and smiling.
“Hi, Small Umbrella”, said Bird. “Today I am strong and healthy. I flew here to see you. When you saved me from the Wind you became my Friend, and I wanted to see you again”.
Small Umbrella felt himself very happy. He has a Friend - the Citizen of the Sky is his Friend!
“I want to show you my World” said Bird; “Get on my back, and we will fly together, and see how big and beautiful World is”.
“Thank you, Big White Bird”, laughed Small Umbrella, he felt so happy, he could not speak. He walked to Big White Bird, stroked her fluffy feathers and cautiously climbed on her back. Big White Bird spread her wings, waved them and soared up in the Sky.
They flew above the World and laughed in happiness. Rivers and seas, fields and forest, Cities and mountains had been laying down under them. The glorious beauty of the World opened to Small Umbrella. He felt, like he himself was flying in the deep blue Height, and his Friend was by his side, the Friend who will always help him if he gets in troubles, and the Friend who he, Small Umbrella, will always cover even from the Most Strongest Wind.
When they returned to the City, there was night. No one noticed that Small Umbrella was not in the City a long time.
When they were again on the ground they didn’t say much to each other.
“Thank you, Big White Bird”, whispered Small Umbrella to Big White Bird.
“Thank you, Small Umbrella”, whispered Big White Bird to Small Umbrella.
And with one strong move of her wings, she rose in the Sky and flew away.
The Bird has flown away.
But the feeling of joy, pride and happiness staid with Small Umbrella because he knew - they will meet again.
You see, true friends will never abandon each other.