Solnishko and Maksim’s Friends’ Club
Susanna Arutyunyan
Anna Kazaryan
Mariya Kazaryan
“Solnishko and Maksim’s Friends’ Club” and “Games of Imagination” are the books of three authors of various generations. But they are connected to each other with a common approach towards forming of personality, family values, as well as social morality. The main characters of the book are persons still in their childhood, open to honest dialogue, deserving trust, careful attitude to themselves, to the fragile world of childish emotions, imaginations and creativity.
Solnishko and Maksim’s Friends’ Club
Susanna Arutyunyan
Anna Kazaryan
Mariya Kazaryan
Translated by Arsen Bobokhyan
Cover Design by Arabo Sarkissian
Typesetting by Ninetta Adamyan
© Susanna Arutyunyan, 2022
© Anna Kazaryan, 2022
© Mariya Kazaryan, 2022
ISBNВ 978-5-0056-7977-2
Created with Ridero smart publishing system
Dear reader!
Childhood. It happened so that inВ the XXI century children play mainly inВ Furby, Tamagotchi, Computer games, etc. And what are the consequences! Enclosing inВ own virtual space. Many children are even unable toВ articulate their thoughts verbally.
However, creativity helps toВ realize childish imaginations. You should believe inВ yourself and work hard. God will blessВ you.
Here are Solnishko and Maksim with their friends. Their games ofВ imagination, at least for aВ while, will get you back from the virtual world.
В В В В From the authors
Chapter 1. Creation of the website “Literary circle”
Two weeks passed. The children and even the adults continued toВ be inВ the euphoria from the holiday. There was only talk about the performance. After all, the holiday allowed everyone toВ look at each other from the other side and toВ reveal the possibilities ofВ each inВ extreme conditions. The conditions indeed were extreme. Not every day the children could appear on aВ real stage, toВ follow the course ofВ events inВ the performance which changed inВ an unpredictable way, not toВ get lost, not toВ panic but toВ continue calmly as if nothing had happened, toВ live on the stage within the image ofВ the own hero. The performance made it possible toВ reveal all the internal reserves ofВ children not only for the surrounding people but first ofВ all for themselves. They believed inВ themselves, they felt aВ kind ofВ rush ofВ new energy. Some ofВ them had already risen inВ their dreams toВ aВ person who was professionally engaged inВ theatrical art. Their self-esteem grew. As for the parents, many ofВ them reconsidered their attitude towards children, began toВ reckon with them more, toВ trust them more and accept them not just as their little sons and daughters but as persons inВ childhood age. Those who refused toВ participate inВ the performance regretted about their choice and asked Solnishko toВ engage them more and more inВ their games with Maksim.
During another day ofВ memories Granny said:
– My dear children, everything was wonderful, the holiday was glorious. Everybody was satisfied. But the holiday was over and work days came. Therefore I propose to distract from this topic and to move on. Otherwise we stomp in the same place. Each of you has a lot to do which should be taken seriously.
– Granny, why are you always so serious? You do not let Maksim and me rejoicing at our success, – Solnishko expressed dissatisfaction.
– You know darling, I listen to you and hear: “I’m flying and flying…”.
– Oh, Granny, it is impossible to dream with you, – the granddaughter was offended.
– So, you cannot dream with me?! – Granny resented.
– Okay, okay, you are right. I said, without thinking. You are saying everything right but what should we do with the children who want to play with us?
– You should think about it again! You had a wonderful idea in this regard, in my opinion, – answered Granny.
– What kind of idea? – the girl couldn’t remember.
– Unless you switch from the performance to anything else, new ideas will not arise. Maksim also doesn’t react in any way. But he approved your idea. And you discussed it for a while. Now, do you see that you need to return to the present day with all its problems and pleasures? – Granny answered her granddaughter.
A few more days passed. Life went on. Summer was in full swing. Many friends of our heroes parted somewhere: some to the camp, some to the summer cottage, some to the sea. Solnishko and Maksim were no exception as they were also getting ready for a trip. Vacation was especially important for Maksim. Indeed, with the first of September he had to go to school. The prospect of nearly two months of separation upset the children. They wanted to spend more time together, to communicate more. They decided that they needed to acquire their own Internet address and, while on vacation, write letters to each other. Maksim already read well and knew how to write. In addition, Maksim’s computer literacy allowed him to freely navigate the World Wide Web. He promised Solnishko to ask his computer class teacher to help him create an Internet address for himself and Solnishko. But there was a problem that upset the girl: she did not read fluently and did not know how to write. Her computer skills were at the level of a “teapot” as well. And, worst of all, she had to admit everything to Maksim. But Maksim was extremely kind. He promised before his departure to help Solnishko master the computer at a level sufficient for communication. She, in the meanwhile, would intensively read. As for writing, the work on the computer would help her to write more competently. After all, the program itself corrects errors or provides information about the error. So they decided. And it should be said, just in time. Every day, mother had to persuade, request, use various tricks to configure Solnishko to read another lesson. The reading itself took a little more than twenty minutes, but incredibly much was taken of mother’s energy. And here is such an incentive. Solnishko woke up and still in bed, began to read. Then she was already going to kindergarten. And after dinner, when the mandatory program scheduled for that day was exhausted, they were engaged in computer. Maksim kept his word, and a week later the children had their own Internet address.
Perhaps it was the closeness of separation that raised the idea of creating a club of friends of Solnishko and Maksim in the memory of the children. Discussions on this topic and discussions with adults, at the end, gave birth to the idea of creating their own website on the Internet under the name “Literary Circle”. Solnishko’s Granny suggested announcing a competition for the best novel, story and tale. Everyone liked this idea. And intensive work began on the realization of the dream. Parents of the children provided financial support, and also technical – the same computer class teacher. Thus the first story posted on the site was the celebration of Solnishko’s birthday. Fortunately, by the efforts of adults everything was filmed on video. Solnishko’s Dad was fond of photography and shot almost at a professional level, so the shots turned out to be very interesting and colorful.
Is it necessary toВ tell how enthusiastic the children were? How much strength, energy and emotions they put together with adults inВ implementation ofВ this project. But when the work on the site was basically completed, it was necessary toВ leave. The children were immediately sad. The only hope was that this was not for long.
Maksim left with his mother toВ his Granny inВ the village, and Solnishko went toВ the sea with her Mom and Larisa. Dads stayed inВ Moscow.
ChapterВ 2. Magic Power ofВ Love
2.1. Thirst for adventure
Every summer Maksim had his vacations inВ the village with his Granny. He liked toВ go with her toВ the forest for mushrooms and berries, toВ fish inВ aВ pond, swim, sunbathe and run across aВ meadow, simply toВ relax from the hustle and bustle ofВ Moscow, from endless employment, when the day is scheduled literally inВ minutes. He liked when someone read for him historical books about ancient civilizations, sailors, pirates, discoverers, he was fond ofВ popular science literature.
There is aВ lot ofВ work inВ the village. Maksim helped his Granny inВ everything. All this was enough for him toВ rest and recover, but not this summer. The boy was bored. Even chess and aВ computer could not saveВ him.
Maksim thirsted for adventure. At that time he did not know yet that our thoughts, words, emotions can be materialized. For much ofВ the day he was inВ dreams and illusions. Perhaps that is why his dreams were extraordinary and so exciting that it was possible toВ escape film watching. One day Maksim dreamed as if he found himself deep inВ the forest all alone. It was already late and he got lost. There was such silence all around that he could hear the beating ofВ his own heart. Fear seized the boy. Behind each tree he imagined either aВ hungry bear, eager toВ grab and drag him toВ his lair, or aВ lone wolf, fighting off the pack and scouring inВ search ofВ prey. The farther he went, the more terrible it became: behold the Leshiy, waiting for him behind each bush, and there is Zmey Gorynich, who went out for aВ walk through the forest inВ search ofВ fresh human blood and the thrill ofВ sensations.
Maksim literally became numb. He did not know what toВ do: toВ go further or go back? Meanwhile, it began toВ darken and get colder. It was necessary toВ make some decision as soon as possible. And Maksim decided toВ go on his way inВ search ofВ aВ night shelter. But, alas, inВ the dark he did not notice aВ tree fallen toВ the ground, apparently, byВ aВ strong wind. He stumbled, injured and dislocated his leg. The leg was swollen and each movement caused severe pain. The boy spent aВ lot ofВ time and energy looking for aВ stick on which he could lean and somewhat alleviate his suffering. Then it started toВ rain. When Maksim was completely exhausted, wet and lost hope ofВ finding shelter, dim light loomed ahead through the trees. The boy was delighted, and at that moment his only desire was that this light should not be aВ mirage, aВ figment ofВ his imagination.
The hope of finding shelter gave the boy new strength, and, overcoming the pain, he went towards the light. Soon all doubts disappeared in himself. The light came from a hut, sheltered in the thicket of the forest. Maksim’s heart pounded. So, there are people nearby who will help him. When the boy finally reached the hut, he knocked on the door. No one answered. He knocked again and again. There was no answer. Then the boy tried to open the door. The door succumbed and he entered the hut. It was illuminated through the light emitted by a candle. It was tidied up everywhere. A large mat was spread out on the floor, the stove was burning and something was boiling in the stove in a large clay pot, covered with a lid. Only now Maksim suddenly felt a strong hunger. But from the pot came a strange intoxicating smell, not conducive to food. There was not a soul around. It seemed that someone had just gone out of the hut for a short while. Approaching closer to the stove to warm up, the boy patiently began to wait for the owners of the hut. He took off his wet clothes and shoes, laid them on the stove to dry.
Quite aВ lot ofВ time passed, but no one appeared. Then the boy, exhausted from fatigue, pain and hunger, decided toВ eat aВ little. He took the pot out ofВ the oven, put some ofВ its contents inВ aВ smaller clay pot, took out aВ wooden spoon and began toВ eat aВ pottage soup, if only you could call like that the muddy liquid made possibly from leaves, roots and flowers ofВ different plants. The food was very tasteless, with aВ disgusting smell, but Maksim, forgetting the saying often repeated byВ his mother, that it was better toВ be hungry than toВ eat, whatever, continued toВ eat. Soon he felt that his body seemed toВ be filled with lead. Legs, hands, head, tongue hardly obeyed him. With the last spoonful ofВ food, he felt himself falling into aВ whirlpool. There was total darkness. It is not known how much the boy overslept. He woke up from severe pain inВ his leg and the touch ofВ aВ terrible monster, bending over him and carefully examining his leg. The monster was huge. It occupied almost the entire space ofВ the hut free from things. The monster resembled aВ two-headed snake with the body ofВ aВ crocodile. His eyes burned with fire. The boy was horrified and closed his eyes. But, strange thing, with such dimensions and terrible appearance, it spoke inВ aВ beautiful and soft human voice:
– Already better. Wait a while. I fixed your leg, healed the wound, now I will again rub it with ointment, I will change the bandage and you’ll feel better.
So it began carefully looking after the boy. Its movements were quick and agile. It was felt that the monster was able toВ handle wounds and heal. All this was so ridiculous that it seemed toВ Maksim that he was still sleeping. But the pain let go and fear left him with it. The boy suddenly realized that he trusted the monster and even rejoiced at his presence. AВ conversation ensued between them, from which it followed that Maksim slept for seven days. The pottage soup he ate was actually aВ terrible potion ofВ aВ witch, who had bewitched aВ noble prince and turned him into aВ monster. The boy was lucky that it was not yet completely ready. Otherwise, Maksim would fall asleep forever.
– The potion is prepared for a whole year, and this period expires today. Exactly at midnight the witch will return for it, – said the prince in the guise of a monster.
– Excuse me Your Majesty, but how can you talk so calmly about this?! – the boy was surprised. – How many other lives can the witch cripple?! – Let me destroy the potion, – said Maksim, heading for the stove.
– Wait! – the monster stopped him. – What are you doing? This potion is my only chance to regain my former appearance, – the monster shouted.
These words stopped the boy and made him think. It turned out that the witch needed the prince inВ order toВ prepare the potion. Threatening the prince with the death ofВ his parents, the witch took the word from him that he would strictly abide byВ all her instructions. During all this time, the monster kept fire inВ the furnace, every day at the same time it added the necessary number ofВ roots, leaves, flowers and fruits ofВ certain plants that it collected inВ the forest toВ the contents ofВ theВ pot.
– However I can not understand anyway why the witch chose me.
– But because you were born a prince, so, a man of honor. Then, educated and obviously you have something to lose. To inspire you to work hard, Your Majesty, the witch invented a spell:
– Be in the guise of a terrible monster until a beauty girl will not be fallen in love with you.
And the witch continued, byВ grinning:
– And if it’s not, it doesn’t matter either, you’ll wait for my death, maybe in a few years… in a thousand. My death is your deliverance.
– The year has passed. As soon as I appeared, all the girls scattered.
– Your suffering is in vain, Your Majesty. The beauty girl is an indefinite concept, – the boy tried to console the prince.
– Your truth, – the prince answered. – I really didn’t think about it. – As for death, then the witch was deceiving. Jesus Christ himself appeared to me in a dream and said:
– The witch’s death is in her potion. And if you manage to feed her all the potions at once, then she will fall asleep forever.
– All this year I have been carrying out a plan of salvation, but I haven’t come up with anything. And time remains less and less. The witch will appear, take away the potion and I will have to wait for my chance for another whole year. Yes, and it’s not safe for you to stay here. If the witch sees or smells you… then I can’t help you here, – the monster finished his story with sadness in his voice, – but because… your leg is almost healed, your swelling has gone down, you can return home before it gets completely dark.
– Let me take care of you in gratitude.
Maksim lay down on the mat, closed his eyes and tried to concentrate, as his mother often did when she was meditating. Mom was doing yoga. Many people among Mom’s friends were not serious about her hobby, but she said that it was thanks to Yoga that she was able to remove all stressful loads: physical and emotional. Yoga also helps her make the right decisions and, most importantly, on time.
“Mom, help me, don’t let me down,” – the boy begged, mentally addressing his mother and trying to relax as much as possible and concentrate on the problem that tormented him.
At first, nothing worked. Maksim could not throw off the burden of the past, all the emotions that fell on him. This prevented him from starting from scratch. It made it difficult to focus on the present. Then he tried to revive the image of his Mom, the dearest person to him. It seems to have worked. The tension subsided. Even a smile played on the boy’s lips. Gradually, he calmed down, plunged into the sweet dream of childhood memories, when in moments of disappointment, sadness and longing, Mom caressed him, indulged all his whims, and when he calmed down, as if instructing him meantime, she taught him about life. And all this was so unobtrusive, calm, without fuss, annoyance, in a quiet melodious voice, and, as a rule, before bedtime. He suddenly distinctly heard his Mom’s voice, calming, lulling. And the boy began to quietly sink into a nap. It seemed to him that his soul had separated from his body and began to wander around the hut, looking into every corner of it. Then it went somewhere down to the cellar, the entrance to which was hidden under the mat. It began to examine the shelves filled with bottles, buckets, jars of vinegar; on them lay various dried herbs, garlic, the remains of people and animals, skulls, bones, hair… In a word, the whole witchcraft set of the witch. Then, as if having finished the inspection, the soul returned to the body and an inner voice awakened him from sleep: “It is time, my friend, wake up! You know what to do. Hurry up.”
And Maksim, as if nothing had happened, got up from the mat, lifted it and went down toВ the cellar. Meanwhile, the monster which had been amazed at him all this time continued toВ remain silent. It could not go down due toВ its size and therefore began toВ wait for the boy upstairs. After some time, Maksim appeared with cans ofВ vinegar and aВ bunch ofВ garlic inВ his hands. He began toВ scatter garlic and sprinkle vinegar inВ the corners, on the floor ofВ the hut and cellar. Then he asked the monster toВ crush the garlic. As aВ result ofВ all these manipulations, the hut was saturated with the pungent smell ofВ vinegar and garlic, which interrupted even the terrible smell ofВ the potion.
– Maybe you can explain what do all this mean? – the monster was curious.
– I need to hide in the cellar. So that the witch did not smell a human smell, I had to make this mess, – the boy explained.
– What do you command to tell the witch? How to explain all this to her? – asked the monster.
– You will tell her that you accidentally touched with your tail cans of vinegar and a bunch of garlic, – Maksim explained. – And when the witch lies down to rest, replace the contents of the pot with a decoction, which we will now prepare. Then mix the potion with her lunch. She will not feel anything with hunger.
– But garlic and vinegar are in the basement. I can’t get there. The witch will guess that strangers have been here, – the monster objected with doubt in its voice.
– I apologize, Your Majesty, I could not come up with anything better, – the boy replied with a note of annoyance in his voice, caused by a misunderstanding of the prince. Thus he continued:
– It’s because you don’t get there, she, tired of the road further, will not suspect anything. In addition, you will be extremely polite and courteous with her, my prince. Although she is a witch but still a woman…
