Page 140 - СКАЗКИ СНЕЖНОГО ЭЛЬФА

‘Don’t peep!’ the Dog Snezhik grunted.
‘Why not?’
‘They may be in love.’ Snezhik’s teeth flashed diamond.
‘And you’re looking.’
‘How that?’
‘Nothing special: normal magic. Our sun is a great player
-it tickles the clouds’ sides; the clouds burst out laughing
and drop snowflakes down.’
‘Are you kidding?’ I asked suspiciously.
‘I may, of course. Or may tell the truth as well,’ Snezhik
replied enigmatically, then dispersed into a snow blur and
was carried away by the wind to the nearest forest.
I thought he didn’t remember the holiday as he didn’t
say a word of congratulations. Or he was not aware of those
odd human holidays. They are not clear to me either. March
8th , for one, is the Women’s Day, but I couldn’t feel less
than a woman on this day.
Snezhik flew away and there I was - beneath the rest-
less skies filled with that cloud and sun love. Such strange
weather! The skies are clear and cloudy at the same time.
Newly fallen snow rose under feet; it hopped like a bird on
the North Wind and they hurried away one around each.
‘The same game. Spring, isn’t it?’ I sighed and went
home to come to understanding with the aggressive snow-
drifts and fight for a path to my porch.
It’s March 10th. The sun had already tired the clouds and
they were rushing to avoid it; now the playful sun could
hardly catch them. Snowflakes were rare and slow. A wil-
low near the lake put forth its leaves and the branches of
birch-trees got pinkish.
Spring hesitantly touched Sakhalin.

128