Page 26 - СКАЗКИ СНЕЖНОГО ЭЛЬФА

me away. But before going, she’d made the pond my
daddy dwelt in, freeze over. Daddy, the Water Sprite as
he was, used to be a strong man and came off with just
a running nose, but his mermaidfriends were hit hard.
Yeah, my mum is spiteful indeed. So, Mum raised me in
her own image and likeness, like any mother tries to,
whatever she is. At that time I was called differently
– Snezhel, Snow elf. I was unable to reshape yet, so I
looked like this.’
Now, instead of the cute fluffy creature, on my win-
dowsill was sitting a splendid young man. Slim and
slender, with white- blond long hair swirling about
him, he had small pointed ears, a straight, rather big
nose and capriciously twisted at the corner pale pink
lips. I screamed and pulled the blanket tighter around
my body, desperately trying to remember whether I
had brushed my hair before going to bed or it stood
up in a picturesque disorder. Then I noticed Snezhik’s
proud pale face and sad eyes and relaxed.
‘Snezhik, you used to look splendid, why not this
now?’
‘And would you give me a kiss then? Would you
stroke my back or scratch behind my ear? Females,
when seeing me, sprang away, making ornaments on
their way. And all those monsters that assaulted from
behind! I lacked Mum’s restraint, but had fickleness
and a great desire to communicate taken after Dad.
Well, listen then. While growing up, I showed the be-
ginnings of an individual. When I turned ten hundred, I

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