«Вперед, Котенок!» и другие... Сказки для театра [С иллюстрациями]

THE MOTH. I'll fly to high pine-trees!

THE OLD BOOT. I can't remain on my feet!

THE POT. I'm boiling with life!

THE OLD BOOT (suddenly). Let's take the field!

EVERYBODY. The field! The field!

THE OLD BOOT. We are marching together!

EVERYBODY. Together!

THE POT. We are singing our song loudly!

EVERYBODY. Our song!

THE LITTLE CARP. We'll try to catch the sunshine!

EVERYBODY. The sunshine!

THE MOTH. We'll be jumping over the thistle!

EVERYBODY. Over the thistles!

They sing their song.

THE OLD BOOT. We are marching together!

EVERYBODY. Together!

THE POT. Go on, music!

EVERYBODY. Music!

THE LITTLE CARP. Hello, Sunshine!

EVERYBODY. Sunshine!

THE MOTH. Our beautiful dream has got the wings!

EVERYBODY. The wings!

They leave singing.

The Smart Cat and The Fly.

THE SMART CAT. How silly they are! They'll never get over the thistles!

THE FLY. The sun will set by the evening, they'll lose their way!

THE SMART CAT. They can't see anything in the darkness!

THE FLY. They can't see anything in the darkness!

THE FLY. They'll step on each others feet! They'll beat each other up! They'll quarrel!

THE SMART CAT. They'll attack each other!

THE FLY. They'll quarrel!

THE SMART CAT. They'll beat each other!

THE FLY. They'll return back. They won't get over the thistles!

THE SMART CAT. The sun will set! They'll lose their way!

THE FLY. They'll deceive themselves.

THE SMART CAT. They'll return! Quarrel! That's it!

THE FLY. They'll quarrel! This way…

They start beating each other.

THE SMART CAT. Oh' They'll tease each other!

THE FLY. They'll attack!

THE SMART CAT. Hide!

THE FLY. Bite one another!

THE SMART CAT. My only eye!

THE FLY. My only sixth leg!

Stop beating each other.

THE SMART CAT. Smart Cat is nice, shrewd, clever, cowardly! Calm down, take away your paw. drop your tail, hide your claws, open your eye. You can't open it! Well, purr then… Mrr… How silly they are!

THE FLY. You see now, our first plan didn't work. We thought it over for nothing!

THE SMART CAT. I see! I can't see anything! How dark it is!.. They can't see in the darkness! Neither do I now! Why did you bite me?

THE FLY. Night will soon fall. Sun will set. Still we have the time to start the quarrel between them. We should steal their friendship.

THE SMART CAT. I'm always ready to steal something.

THE FLY. Then, listen. I am small, so I'll follow Little Carp, Moth, Old Boot and Pot. I'll attack then in the darkness and make them quarrel. Their friendship is so small, that I'll be able to steal it. And you, Smart Cat, stay here with Kitten and Dandelion. They've got the large friendship.

THE SMART CAT. I'm fond of stealing large things.

THE FLY. See you then! (Disappears.)

THE SMART CAT. Off away with you! I'll get along myself! What shall I begin with? First of all, I'll attack them. I'll steal up to them and attack. But Kitten has got a keen ear, he'll hear me approaching. I'd rather try to overhear, what they are talking about. Oh, I hear something, what shall I do then? I should be clever. I'll lie to them. But they will realize that I'm lying. And I must lie so that they could believe me. What shall I tell them? Oh, I'll tell then the truth. I think I,m the first to lie like that. Well, I'll steal up to them and tell a lie. No, I'd rather attack them and tell a lie! No, it would be better to deceive them and then tell a lie! I'll steal up to them… I'll attack them… I'll tell them a lie… Mm… No, I'd rather come up to them, without stealing up. I'll come up and… tell a lie. So they won't understand, that I'm lying. Oh, what a Smart Cat I am! Fly could never even imagine this. So, I'll go. I'm already going!

The Dandelion and The Kitten, The Smart Cat.

THE SMART CAT. Hey! I'm not going to make friends with you! I'm not interest in it! It is so dull! (I shouldn't mix anything and tell them a lie, otherwise they'll understand everything). While you making plans and whispering, Little Carp and Moth has already gone to get their fins and wings. (Oh, I'm telling the truth for the first time in the whole life. I'm excited! The truth appears to tickle my nerves.) Well. While you are making plans, malicious Fly has followed them. She'll make them quarrel. And she'll steal their friendship. They've got small friendship, and it'll be easy to steal it. The Sun will set, they'll lose their way. They won't see their Happinness, as one can't see his own tail! (I seem to have told a lie. Here is my tail. What if they don't believe me?.)

THE KITTEN. Oh, Golden fins!

THE DANDELION. Wings?

THE SMART CAT. They'll be lost! They'll lost their way!

THE KITTEN. Lost their way!

THE DANDELION. They'll be lost!

THE SMART CAT. Night has fallen. It has Honest!

THE DANDELION. Honest! We gave the promise!

THE SMART CAT. Sun is setting. They can't see in the darkness.

THE KITTEN. But I can!

THE SMART CAT. They'll lose their way!

THE KITTEN. But I won't lose it!