Юстасия Тарасава - The Magic Cheese

It happened so abruptly that Vovka didn’t even have time to get surprised, when he saw a green meadow with bright flowers, a house made of yellow stones not far away, a wooden well and a mouse that was pulling the water out of it. It was the mouse from the cheese wrapper – the one that winked at Vovka. The boy saw the wells similar to this one in the country and even tried to take water out of them himself. At first you had to tie a bucket to a chain or a rope and then throw it down, turning the handle until the bucket came up. This work wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t too difficult either. With some training everyone could easily do it, but – a mouse?! A little grey mouse with a thin tail? Even if it were dressed up like that – in a fine scarlet pinafore embroidered in gold threads, still it wouldn’t be able to do it. Vovka decided that it was some kind of a trick. And then the mouse turned around and said not very politely, “There is no shame, you know, when one is bowing low. You can show respect by bending your back.”

Vovka was taken aback and didn’t even say ‘hello’ to her. He had never seen talking mice before. And also no one had taught him how to bow. He could shake hands or say ‘hello’ all right, but bowing?! Still, he remembered seeing it either in a book or in a movie and bowed low to the mouse. He had no idea how to behave properly to talking animals and decided to be as much polite as possible – just in case.

“Hello! Will you pardon me, please, but I’ve never seen talking animals before. Is it really you talking or is it a trick of some kind?”

The mouse grew kinder and grumbled quite friendly, “Well, live and learn, you know. Are you trying your luck and here got stuck? What fairy-tale are you from, dear?”

“I am not from a fairy-tale. I am from a city district. The only thing is that I have no idea how I’ve got here and which bus I should take to get back.”

“Good heavens!” exclaimed the mouse and clasped her paws. “If you have no place to go, welcome to the old mouse’s home! Once we have a seat, we can talk and have some tea.”

The mouse ran to the house, but she hadn’t forgotten the bucket. Vovka wondered how she was able to carry it.

“Let me help you with the bucket,” he offered.

The mouse gave it to him and said, “Thank you for your help. The one who is kind to the rest will surely be blessed.”

With these words they approached the little house made of yellow stones with a little bit of orange in them. It didn’t appear small at a closer look. Vovka liked it at first glance. Everything was so nice and cozy that you had a feeling of having been here already. The porch was painted blue, there were flower pots on window-sills, embroidered curtains and bells made of clay, hanging over the door.

Vovka came into the house, following the mouse, took his shoes off (he didn’t want to make crocheted rags dirty) and went to the kitchen. In spite of the warm spring day there was fire in a big Russian stove. It smelled of fresh cheese, the ‘Magic cheese’ Vovka had tried at home before he found himself in the meadow. Near the stove there stood a huge red cat in a colourful apron and a chef’s cap. He stirred something that was cooking in a pot.

Without paying Vovka any attention, the huge cat grumbled at the mouse, “I told you, stop br-ringing str-rangers home. He wasn’t called, so he shall go away. I have my hands full without him. Even if a fr-riend is ver-ry dear-r, I cannot stop making cheese her-re. Why are you not at wor-rk?” he asked Vovka rather sharply.

“I do not work yet.” Vovka got embarrassed. “I go to school.”

“See that?” The cat turned to the mouse. ”Some people have it tough; other-rs can affor-rd to laugh. Mer-rily he lives and has no gr-riefs. He doesn’t wor-rk yet! That I can see for myself. Then tell me, my dear-r fr-riend, who let you wander-r ar-round fair-ry-tales in wor-rking hours and distur-rb others? Didn’t Sister Aljonushka look pr-roperly after her Br-rother Ivanushka again? You are too big for Ivanushka, though. Too young for the Pr-rince, too clean for the Dir-rty Boy from Moidodir. Are you Phjodor from Pr-rostokvashino? Chr-ristofer Robin and Car-rlsson with his Little Boy live too far away, it will take two days for them to get her-re. So, dear-r guest, if you had to call, tell us, wher-re you came fr-rom.” The cat frowned and stared at Vovka.

“Actually, I am from home. I bought some food, came home, laid the table and then found myself in the meadow,” tried to explain Vovka, feeling that his words were not very convincing.

“Poor thing!” The mouse took pity on him.

“You laid the table and found yourself here?” The cat was doubtful.

“Why, yes! First I had a slice of cheese and then went here.” Vovka sighed. He realized that it was the most unbelievable explanation in the world. If all this hadn’t happened to him, he would have never believed such stories.

“Cheese?! What cheese? Wer-re there any holes in it? How did it appear and why did it vanish her-re?”

“The cheese was so delicious! Like the one you have in your pot on the stove. It smells the same. I have never seen such cheese before, but today, when I was helping that old lady in the store…”

“The old lady? The old lady!” The cat interrupted Vovka and quite unexpectedly gave him a hug. “My dear-rest, my sur-rely best! So, she has been found! Our Gr-randma fr-rom the dair-ry, the Cheese Fair-ry has been found! Where is she?”

“But…I don’t know.” Vovka had no idea what to say. “She vanished! Right there, in the store!”

“Vanished at once, left us no chance…” The cat became sad again.

“Let’s give our guest something to eat at first, Curdfritter. He is still not sitting, so how can he be further speaking? See in people no vice – when they visit, please, be nice. Better look into your pot, or you’ll have your cheese all burnt,” grumbled the little mouse. “Have a seat!” She led Vovka to a table and made him sit down to a wide wooden bench. “You must be hungry after your walk, and meanwhile let us talk.”

Vovka obeyed and got ready to listen. He was really hungry by that time. The only thing he hadn’t decided about yet was whether he should wash his hands. On the one hand, he always washed his hands at home. On the other, he didn’t believe that there could be any bacteria in a magic place like that. And Vovka had no doubts that the place he had got at was really magic.

“My name is Cheese-eater, the cat is Curdfritter, and the mistress of the dairy is the Cheese Fairy. First eat the porridge, then listen to our story. You need to eat more to grow strong. If you put in porridge some butter, it will only make you smarter. The strength of a mill comes from the wind, a man’s – from what he can eat.” The mouse was talking and at the same time putting on the table wooden plates, clay jars and pots. Curdfritter brought hot pots and pans from the stove.

“Why are you eating nothing?” asked Vovka. Somehow he didn’t feel right having all the food for himself.

“When you’ve got many dishes to make, you won’t car-re what’s on a plate,” purred Curdfritter. “Since our Gr-randma the Cheese Fair-ry disappear-red, I have had no r-rest or appetite. Befor-re that I always ate with pleasure, but it’s not like that now.” Curdfritter sighed.

“Don’t listen to his complaints; let me fill again your plates. Eat and drink our bread and milk. But I’ll surely have no rest, if you don’t say that our cheese is the best,” said Cheese-eater.

“Thank you, I just love cheese, and you have the most delicious kind of it!” exclaimed Vovka.

“Cheese is cer-rtainly our best, and we gladly shar-re it with our guest. Fr-rom the sunr-rise we are awake, for there is always mor-re cheese to make. Do you know The Crow and the Fox fable?” asked Curdfritter.

“Of course, I do,” smiled Vovka. “Everybody does.”

“But not ever-ryone understands. Have you r-read it? R-remember how the Fox cheated the Crow and r-ran away with the cheese? But when you r-read it next time, the Cr-row has cheese again. How did it appear, if the Fox had stolen it?”

“But…this is a fairy-tale!” Vovka was confused. “You may read it a hundred of times and it will always be the same.”

“And so it can be said, but not in this land,” said Cheese-eater gently. “The Cheese Fairy, Curdfritter and I are making special magic cheese here. It’s for all fairy-tales – for the Crow and the Fox, for the Cheshire cat or the Greedy Little Bears, if they happen to drop in. We work for all the fairy-tales where there is cheese, milk, butter or sour-cream. You can’t make dough for the Round Loaf without sour-cream, or pan-cakes without milk, so what would the old man with his old wife do? You can think for yourself how many fairy-tales won’t do without our help.”

“We have special cows, sheep and goats. They gr-raze in a magic meadow, that’s why the milk is magic, too. The cows have gr-rass but the milk is for-r us. Oh, how well it was with our Gr-randma fr-rom the dair-ry, the Cheese Fair-ry! Making cheese for all, having no gr-rief at all… We used to have so much cheese that we didn’t know what to do with it. And now with the Cheese Fairy gone everything went wrong.” Curdfritter wiped his tears with a red paw.

“And out of the sheep’s wool the Cheese Fairy and I were spinning yarn to knit socks, mittens, hats, scarves and shawls. When your hands and feet are warm, don’t be afraid of cold,” said Cheese-eater. “Sheep grow wool not only for themselves. Do you know how cold it can be in our winter fairy-tales? If the Stepdaughter went looking for snowdrops without warm clothes, what would become of her? Or the girl that met Father Frost – remember she was left under the tree all alone. And also the old man that took the Fox in his sleigh… Whatever fairy-tale you read, the Cheese Fairy takes care that everyone can be warm in it.”

“Whatever she does, ever-rything is so nice. Only the one who has a special gift can make magic por-ridge and cheese. And now the old lady is gone as if she has never been befor-re. And our gift of making cheese is not the same without her-r. Besides, our sheep keep disappear-ring…”

“What gift? What sheep?” Vovka was puzzled.

“Talk business and not about our miseries,” reproached the cat Cheese-eater. “I will explain it all and you, Vova, eat some more. Many men, many minds, one head is not the same as many ones.”

And Vovka began to listen.

“We lived happily, worked not lazily. The cheese-maker was the Fairy and we helped her at the dairy. A fairy-tale is fast to flow; the story itself is rather slow. We had to work hard to provide all the fairy-tales with milk, cottage cheese, sour-cream, cheese and butter, warm clothes and felt boots made of our sheep’s wool. The sun rises early, and so did we in the morning. When you’ve got cows, goats and rams, there is no time for idle hands. Our herds are magic, of course. Still, we’ve got a lot to do. All the cows, goats and sheep need to be fed and watered. If you spare the food, you’ll have no milk. In summer you need to lead the animals to the pasture. Our sheep are so clever that they go all by themselves early in the morning and are in stalls by night. In winter it’s quite different, though. Summer gets, winter spends. Hay-makers prepare hay and then cart-drivers from all the fairy-tales bring it to this place. And then, when summer comes again, everything goes in its usual way. All the animals go to the pasture and graze there.