THE LITTLE CARP. Oh, look at him!
THE KITTEN. But we can't do it yet. We can only make presents.
THE MOTH. How would you like it! Well, Little Carp, listen to what they are talking about!
THE LITTLE CARP. Well, Moth! They seem to be deceiving us!
THE KITTEN and THE DANDELION. Deceive you?!
THE MOTH. I was just flying over the thistles… in my dream, of course…
THE LITTLE CARP. And you?..
THE MOTH. And I was woke up?
THE KITTEN and THE DANDELION. Who woke you?
THE LITTLE CARP. I don't know how to put it… They promised to give me the fins…
THE MOTH. Oh, I was awaken at the same moment - they promised to give me my wings…
THE KITTEN and THE DANDELION. Who promised that?
THE MOTH. There are two know-it-alls. Am I right, Little Carp?
THE DANDELION. Well, Kitten, we happen to be these know-it-alls, we promised…
THE KITTEN. How could it be? I don't know how to promise. I did it accidentally! Please forgive me!
THE DANDELION. Forgive me too! Please!
THE LITTLE CARP. Well, we'll forgive you, but…
THE MOTH. It can't be helped - one should keep his promise.
THE KITTEN. But I… We can't keep promise!
THE MOTH. So you should learn!
THE LITTLE CARP. So you'll have to learn! And I'll go and see my dream up to the end. I want to know, how it ended.
He leaves.
THE MOTH. I may have time to fly over those thistles by the morning. (He leaves.)
THE KITTEN and THE DANDELION. Don't get upset about it! We'll keep our promise! Honest!
THE KITTEN. Why didn't you warn me? I wouldn't have promised then. We made a present to our own misfortune. What shall we do?
THE DANDELION. You know, I seem to know what to do. Let's… invent something!
THE KITTEN. Hurrah! Let us! But let's whisper at first.
THE DANDELION. Let's whisper!
They whisper.
THE KITTEN. It's a secret!
THE DANDELION. It's our secret!
THE KITTEN. Let's whisper a little more!
THE DANDELION. Let's whisper then.
They continue whispering.
ACT 2
The Smart Cat and The Fly.
THE FLY. Have a good rest, sleepy-head?
THE SMART CAT. I didn't have a wink of sleep. I was lying in wait. Do you think, it's very interesting? Give it a try!
THE FLY. What's the news?
THE SMART CAT. Bad news. I didn't have enough sleep.
THE FLY. That's a good boy. You don't have to tell everything they said. I'm sure they talked nonsense. Report on what you heard.
THE SMART CAT. I'm reporting: I didn't understand a word. I was lying in wait.
THE FLY. What for then?
THE SMART CAT. What for? We, cats, have this habit.
THE FLY. So you didn't hear a word?
THE SMART CAT. Pains me to hear it! We cats have a keen ear… But my memory…
THE FLY. Can you remember at least one word?
THE SMART CAT. Mm… We often repeat it.
THE FLY. "Promise"?
THE SMART CAT. Another one… One says, when he's lying.
THE FLY. "Honest".
THE SMART CAT. That's right. That's what they were talking about.
THE FLY. How interesting! Could you even imagine it? Such a little but harmful seed has flown here from behind these thistles!
THE SMART CAT. What are you talking about?
THE FLY. Wait, you'll see what the things will be like!
THE SMART CAT. I don't like anybody, saying contradictions. I can't understand it!
THE FLY. It's quite easy - As you sow, you shall reap.
THE SMART CAT. What shall one sow?
THE FLY. Sow the wind…
THE SMART CAT. And what shall one reap?
THE FLY. And reap the whirlwind. As you sow you shall reap!
THE SMART CAT. But why does one reap not, what he's sown?
THE FLY. Nobody knows, what grow on our ground!..
THE SMART CAT. What will grow?
THE FLY. Well, Smart Cat!..
THE SMART CAT. Oh, Fly!.. Well… We need a plan! How to save ourselves from it!
THE FLY. How nice of you to understand it! Let's think it over.
They are whispering.
THE SMART CAT. Hush! Who is coming here?
They disappear. The Old Boot and The Pot.
THE OLD BOOT. How are you?! Still rattling, aren't you?
THE POT. I am. Well, is the night over?
THE OLD BOOT. Of course, it is. And the day will certainly be over. Everything passes: morning, day, evening, night…
THE POT. It is an old custom.
THE OLD BOOT. But we shall never be worn out.
THE POT. We are inanimate objects.
The Moth and The Little Carp.
THE LITTLE CARP. I'll soon get my golden fins.
THE MOTH. And they promised to give me the wings!
THE OLD BOOT. Oh, as soon as you start dreaming of something they'll immediately interrupt you!
THE POT. They'll immediately interrupt you!
THE POT. They'll find and certainly interrupt! Certainly!
THE LITTLE CARP. Oh, Moth, if you ever could imagine, how these two old whimperers bother me!
THE MOTH. Little Carp, I'm bored to death with this lame Boot!
THE OLD BOOT. Come! Come! If you were more careful, you could notice long ago that I'm the left one!
THE POT. And I'm always right!
THE LITTLE CARP. And I'll get the fins!
THE MOTH. And I'll get the wings!
THE LITTLE CARP. I'll swim away!
THE MOTH. I'll fly away!
THE OLD BOOT. I say! We can dream better, can't we, Pot?
THE POT. We can! You can't even imagine!
THE LITTLE CARP. Well, try then and show us how you do!
THE MOTH. You can't!
THE OLD BOOT. Ah! Well… I… Mm…
THE POT (is prompting). I can dream… so…
THE OLD BOOT. Can dream so…
THE POT (is prompting). That…
THE OLD BOOT. That!..
THE MOTH. Is that all?
THE OLD BOOT. It is all!
THE LITTLE CARP. It is clear.
THE POT. Feel envious? Well, Boot, Tell them, how the day passes.
THE OLD BOOT. Day passes and…
THE LITTLE CARP. Stop talking! You are dreaming in the wrong way! One shouldn't dream as you do!
THE OLD BOOT. I am right!
THE MOTH. Try to dream of the most important thing.
THE OLD BOOT. That's what I'm doing: everything passes, everything goes to its end…
THE LITTLE CARP. Boot, tell me, do you have something valuable?
THE OLD BOOT. I have… My thoughts!
THE LITTLE CARP. No, the most important thing, you've got is your sole.
THE OLD BOOT. My sole!
THE MOTH. And what about you, Pot?
THE POT. My soul!
THE MOTH. No, Pot, it's your cover.
THE POT. Cover!
THE MOTH and THE LITTLE CARP. And you should dream of this!
THE POT. My Cover!
THE OLD BOOT. Sole!
THE LITTLE CARP. Oh, my fins.
THE MOTH. My wings.
THE LITTLE CARP. I'll swim to the black sea!
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!
THE DANDELION. Kitten, you run after them! Find them and show them the way!
THE KITTEN. I shall! And what about you?
THE DANDELION. I'll light up your way! Kitten, you run, run without turning back!
THE KITTEN. But it means to save myself!
THE DANDELION. Kitten, you run and don't lose the time!
THE KITTEN. But it means to leave!
THE DANDELION. Good bye, Kitten! Don't turn around! Run away!
The Kitten runs away.
THE SMART CAT. I feel ill at ease! I'm going to cry! Parting words! The stolen friendship!
Night. The Kitten.
THE KITTEN. Now to turn around! I'll run! To save small friendship for the sake of large one! To run! Forward! Not to turn around! Not to leave! Not to save myself! Not to steal up! Not to deceive! To run forward! To run!.. To run… I'm tired. Not to get tired! I'm in despair. Not to be in despair! To run… Run.. I seem to be crying. Not to cry! To run…. To run…
Different voices in the darkness. Song is breaking down.
THE OLD BOOT. Together…
THE POT. Go on, music…
THE LITTLE CARP. Sunshine…
THE MOTH. Wings…
The Boot and then the others.
THE OLD BOOT. Together. Together. I'm the left boot. I'm going alone.
THE MOTH. They stopped on me.
THE LITTLE CARP. They pushed me.
THE POT. Somebody attacked me in the darkness.
THE OLD BOOT. We've lost our way!
THE POT. We didn't finish our song.
THE MOTH. Wings dropped.
THE LITTLE CARP. Sun has grown dark.
THE OLD BOOT. March together! Why should we march together, if nothing could be seen in the darkness.
THE POT. Why should we sing our song in the darkness?
THE MOTH. How could we go after sun if it's set?
THE OLD BOOT. We shouldn't… march together.
THE POT. Our song… is sung.
THE MOTH. The wings… are crumpled.
THE LITTLE CARP. The sun has set.
THE FLY. Ha-ha! What a sad end! The army is depressed! Distant victory and sad end! Ha-ha-ha!
The Kitten.
THE KITTEN. We'll march together again!
THE POT. Again!
THE KITTEN. A New sun has risen!
THE LITTLE CARP. A New sun!
THE KITTEN. Our dream's got the wings!