Page 29 - СКАЗКИ СНЕЖНОГО ЭЛЬФА
P. 29

Then I realized why her eyes had such a cold and
          mysterious  look.  She  could  see  only  a  dream  world,
          HER dream world. We made friends; she was my first
          friend among people. Now I saw how wonderful people
          could be with their emotions: like fine wine that makes
          you feel dizzy, then dying and reborn. I got an ability
          to FEEL.
             The girl’s name was Anastasia. She was fourteen. I
          could  hear  the  music  she  was  playing  for  hours,  sit-
          ting at her magnificent white grand piano.  Her small
          fingers were creating the notes that made all my entire
          swirl up like a tornado. Once Anastasia asked me what
          I looked like and I asked her back to describe my looks
          the way she saw them. And this is the image she gave
          me: a marvellous fluffy kitten. She also said the name
          of  Snelf  did  not  agree  with  me,  Snezhik–  that’s  my
          name. Here am I, Snezhik, the one she saw me. I adored
          accompanying  her  snowflakes,  the  most  beautiful  I’d
          seen since the first day of Snow. And what incredible
          songs she was singing! When she went back into for-
          ever, I couldn’t help crying. I nearly melted down. Then
          I flew to my mum to make it up with her. I must’ve be-
          come an adult then. It’s about three hundred years I’ve
          been  like  the  one  you’ve  met  and  I’ve  been  keeping
          Anastasia in mind all the while. A few snowflakes born
          by her breath belong to Eternity. Don’t ask me ques-
          tions about eternal snowflakes, that’s another story.’
             I came up to the window, opened it wider and kissed
          Snezhik’s  cold  hard    nose.  ‘Thank  you,’  I  whispered

                                        25
   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34