Knight Caterino

The boy loved animals very much and he was terribly envious of children whose home had a dog, a cat, or any little beast. He and his sister repeatedly asked their parents to let them get something. Nothing helped. Once, the children even promised their parents that they would live in peace and harmony if they could have a dog. Their parents did not believe them.

Gene got to the zoo but the gates were still closed. Time was dragging along very slowly. It even seemed to the boy that time had stopped completely. There was nothing left to do but be patient and wait.

“Nasty kid!” Kate cursed when she woke up and saw that her brother was not at home. “Ran off.” She was certain that Gene was running in the courtyard and therefore did not begin to worry. Mama and Papa forbade the boy to go out onto the street alone unaccompanied by an adult or his sister. Kate should run and get Gene home but she did not because she thought, “Why did we remain alone? In order not to interfere with each other. If I tell him to come home, he won’t listen. We’ll fight. Better let him play. When he gets hungry, he’ll come running like a good kid.”

Two hours passed and Gene did not return. Kate began to worry. She really did not want to go out but there was nothing else to do. She decided to give her brother a good dressing down. The boy, however, was not in the courtyard and Kate became very frightened. She ran along the street while glancing into all the secluded corners in vain. Kate sat on a bench and gave the situation some thought. Did Gene actually run off to the zoo? Apparently so, Kate decided and ran in the direction of the zoo. Passers-by looked at her with surprise.

When Kate got to the zoo, she discovered that she did not have any money at all. Would she really have to return home? The girl got even angrier with her brother. Her anger grew with each second. When Kate got angry, she became very obstinate. The girl decided to get into the zoo at any cost. Without thinking, she went along the fence in search of any hole.

Is it really possible there can be holes in normal zoo fencing? Of course not or else all the beasts would scatter. Kate was tired and found nothing. If she were to meet her brother now, without a moment’s hesitation, she would throw him into the lion cage. Poor Gene did not know what clouds were darkening over him!

Kate turned the corner and saw boys playing a trading card game right on the asphalt. Trading card games had become most popular among children very recently and resembled adult card games. The rules were different everywhere but one thing was essentially the same – instead of playing cards, they used bubblegum cards. In her class, Kate was the champion of this game. She groped in her pocket for her pack of cards and approached the boys. There were four of them and all were a year or two younger.

 “Let’s play?” Kate proposed. The boys uttered not a word. “What, afraid?” the girl asked maliciously. “We don’t play with girls,” answered the oldest who wore a yellow T-shirt. “Why is that?” Kate was indignant. “Because when girls lose, they squeal and howl so you have to give them back their loss. And what game is that?” said another boy. “Right, Ted?” The boy in the yellow shirt nodded with an air of importance. Obviously, he was Teddy.

“No,” Kate grunted, “You won’t beat me.” Such words greatly offended the boys. “Okay!” they yelled in eager rivalry. “You have to play something. Probably saved up five cards…” “Like hell!” Kate showed them her wealth. A whole pack of the finest cards flickered before their eyes. “Well?” Kate asked with a challenge. “Will you play?”

In fifteen minutes the boys were standing with downcast faces and Kate stuffed her pockets with their cards. She won with ease but this was only half the work. “Do you want to win them back?” Kate asked. She knew perfectly well that they had nothing to bet. The kids kept quiet and watched with melancholy as the girl shoved their wealth into her pockets. She specifically did this slowly and carelessly. The boys’ hearts broke when they saw how their cards with cars, airplanes, supermen, and toys were crushed.

“You know where to go!” Teddy muttered sullenly. “Took all away and says: win them back. How will we do that?” “You will redeem them from me and try to win,” proposed Kate. “How’s that?” Teddy did not understand. “Very simple.” Kate mentally divided the price of a ticket to the zoo by the cards won. The ransom was ridiculous. Kate was almost ready to sell the cards for a song. The boys shouted excitedly, expressing their agreement. The transaction took place; a satisfied Kate very quickly counted the money, and her partners retrieved their cards.

“Well, shall we play still?” Kate asked this just in case, for clear conscience. “No way!” the boys who had been taught a bitter lesson answered. “Okey-dokey!” Kate agreed with pleasure. “Bye then!” She ran to the zoo entrance. Her mood had improved noticeably. Winners are magnanimous. Her anger had disappeared by itself. The girl even decided not to punish her little brother but merely to chide him slightly.

Kate went through the gate with the alluring inscription and ran to the cashier, bought a ticket, and handed it to the old lady with the red band. After a minute, she was by the cages with animals but was not interested in them. Kate searched for Gene. In the zoo it was easier to find a camel or an orangutan than a seven-year-old boy. In fact, signs were hanging in the cages about where certain beasts or birds could be found. There was no sign where to search for Gene Constantinov and one cannot make the rounds of the entire zoo in a day.

Kate first rushed to the lion cages, then to the monkey cages. Gene was nowhere. The girl rushed about from side to side. She asked visitors whether they had seen a little boy in dark blue shorts and an orange short-sleeved shirt. She heard different answers; some positive, some negative, but no one could say anything specific.

Please do not think that Kate did not know that one could go into the broadcasting centre of the zoo and ask to announce over the PA about a lost boy named Gene. She was just so bewildered that she did not think of doing this. Sometimes even adults are at a loss in difficult situations.

Time passed. There were fewer and fewer people; the zoo visitors were moving one after the other to the exit but Kate was still running from one cage to another, from one enclosure to another. “Perhaps Gene isn’t in the zoo?” Kate posed the question to herself once again. Right then she saw her brother. The boy was standing in the pond with waterfowl and watching spellbound as ducklings played. He nearly fell into the water from surprise when his sister’s hand grabbed him by the collar.

“Gotcha!” Kate announced triumphantly. “Let me go!” the boy desperately struggled to break loose. “Now we’ll go home,” the girl said with threat in her voice. “I’ll have a talk with you there, an appropriate chat.” Then Gene bit his sister’s finger. “Ouch!” Kate yelled and let go of her brother. “There!” Gene bounced to a safe distance and stuck out his tongue at his sister. Kate rushed to him. Gene moved to the side but the girl managed to seize her brother’s hand. She dragged him to the exit.

“I still haven’t seen everything!” Gene yelled. “Enough for today.” “No! I want to stay!” “You can manage without,” Kate cut him off. She was barely restraining herself from delivery a good slap to the back of her obstinate brother’s head. To drag a resisting and struggling boy was difficult. To argue with him was even more so. The rare remaining visitors looked over at the children and disapprovingly shook their heads.

“You have no right to deprive me of cultural leisure in a public place!” Gene shouted. He knew many clever words and expressions and loved to use them on occasion. “Besides, you promised me!” “Yes, I did,” agreed Kate. “But who let you run away from home? Who? Disgusting boy!”

 “Not my fault that you sleep like a sick monkey.” He should not have said this. “You’re a monkey!” the girl was angry, downright mad with this comparison. Yes, she had this small fault; she loved lying in bed in the mornings but she let no one laugh at her, not even her own brother.

The boy continued to call her by other offensive nicknames. “Sleepyhead!” he shouted. “I saw this beast today. The spitting image of you! ” “Shut up!” Kate was ready to cry with mortification. There was no stopping Gene. He understood that at long last he had found his sister’s weak spot and decided to make full use of it. “No, you’re more like a sloth. It sleeps even when hanging on a branch. If you hang upside down, you’ll also sleep as if nothing has happened. ”

“Is that so?!” Tears escaped Kate because of her resentment. She broke down and, forgetting about everything in the world, encircled her brother with her left arm, turned him around with his back to her so that he could not break away; the immediate surrounding was filled with resounding slaps.

Hitting was a forbidden action. Their parents had never lifted a finger to either Kate or Gene in their whole lives; it was just not done. There was a law in their family: capital punishment was forbidden. In a fit of temper, Kate spanked Gene. This happened near the giraffe cage. The animals looked at the children with surprise.

When the stung boy finally broke loose from his sister’s hold, he leaped to the side, with both hands on the injured place and started to cry loudly. Kate looked stunned at her brother. She understood that she had done something terrible but did not know what she should do now. “Gene…” she muttered, “I didn’t mean…”

The insulted child, shaking with sobs, broke into a run. He had not experienced such humiliation for three years since Kate had done the same to him the first time. Then he had had a real fit. Their parents had been barely able to calm their son down and severely punished their daughter. They did not talk to her for a week. Kate vowed never to do this again.

Today she broke two oaths at once. She spanked Gene and quarrelled with him. The girl was so at a loss that she did not immediately run after her brother. When she came to her senses, he was nowhere to be seen. The search had to begin anew, only this time her mood was completely different. Kate was dispirited and downcast.

Gene hid in the bushes which grew by the water of one of the canals and cried bitterly. He wept with resentment, humiliation, and guilt. The boy squatted down, hugging his knees with his arms, and, after burying his face in them, quietly howled like an offended wolf cub. Tears fell on the sand and left dark specks on it. Suddenly through his tears, he heard someone hailing him by his name. The voice was low, deep, and unusual. “Gene. Little boy Gene,” the voice called.

Gene raised his head, wiped the tears with his fists, and looked around. There was nobody beside him; however, someone continued to call him non-stop. The boy turned his head in perplexity. Five swans were floating in the water so close to the shore that one could stretch a hand out to them. It could not really be them talking to him! Gene looked more attentively at the birds and unexpectedly realized that it was precisely them addressing him in a human tongue. “Who’s here?” he asked just in case. “Who’s calling me?” “We are,” answered the largest and the most beautiful swan. Gene stopped crying and plopped down onto the ground in surprise.

Chapter Three THEFT

“Did you call me?” Gene asked timidly, addressing the swan. “Yes.” “How do you know my name?” “We know everything in the world.” Gene was at a loss and did not know what to say. The swan continued, “We saw how your relatives treated you and we were very indignant for you, Gene. How can you let a girl hit you?” “She’s my sister.” Gene again recalled how Kate spanked him and his eyelashes began to tremble from anger and resentment. “She always gets me angry.”

“Poor boy,” the swan sighed sympathetically. “You probably would be glad to be rid of her?” “Of course! I’m sick of her, as everyone knows! But how can I get away from her?” “How?! Fly with us to the Country of Frozen Time. There will be neither a sister who bugs you nor parents who constantly lecture you, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that!’”

“I don’t want to run away from Mama and Papa,” Gene shook his head. “But indeed they’re not home now,” insisted the swan. “How do you know?” the surprised boy asked. “Silly, I told you, we know everything. When you again show up at home, Mama and Papa will still not have time to return. But then your intolerable sister will grow wiser in this time. Let her worry, cry, run searching for you. When you return, she won’t lay a finger on you anymore. Imagine how scared she’ll be, realizing that you’ve disappeared, and what she’ll get for this from your parents.” “Yes,” sighed Gene, “it would be great.” All the time he still had not decided whether to accept the proposal of the fairytale bird, although it sounded so tempting.

“Have no fear. However much time you spend in our country, only a little time would pass here,” the swan continued to persuade him. “And we urgently need a boy like you.” “Why?” Gene was on guard. “In order to rule over our country. Our king is very old and he needs a successor. Do you want to be a prince?” “I do,” Gene nodded. “But I can’t. I must return home very soon. I can’t stay with you for long.” “No need. You return whenever you want.” “Really?!” “Certainly,” promised the swan. “Then let’s go!” Gene finally agreed.

The swan got up onto the shore. Gene took a long time making himself comfortable on the back of the leader. All the time the swan endured submissively and did not move. Finally, the boy settled down.

Kate suddenly appeared. On seeing what was happening, she froze on the spot, unable to utter a word. “Quick!” Gene yelled. “Danger below!” The swan awkwardly tottered to the water. The remaining birds followed and soon they were gliding on the smooth watery surface of the canal.

It dawned on Kate that something inconceivable was happening. “Gene!” she shouted mournfully. “Where are you going? Come back!” Gene turned in her direction and shouted also, “Good-bye, Kate! Now I’ll be a prince!” “What prince?” Kate sat right down on the sand. But Gene was no longer looking at her. The swans picked up speed and were already far away. Suddenly they broke away from the water and took off. “Where are you going?” the girl could only ask.

The birds circled in the sky and again flew towards Kate. She was just about to be glad, thinking that they had decided to return. But no. All the time the swans were flying higher and higher. It was already difficult to make out a little boy among them. A minute later, they had disappeared from sight.

Now it was Kate’s turn to wail at the top of her lungs. She had difficulty understanding what had happened.

A passer-by stopped beside her. “What happen, girl?” he asked sympathetically. “Did someone treat you badly?” “My brother had disappeared,” Kate howled through her tears, “My little brother.” “So we’ll look for him!” the passer-by proposed. “He flew away.” Kate again burst out sobbing. “How did he fly away?” the man was surprised. “On a goose,” Kate sobbed. “On what goose?” “I don’t know. He sat on it and flew away.” “For shame, girl, spinning such a yarn!” The passer-by shook his head reproachfully and went on his way.

Kate looked at him from behind and thought that it is impossible for children to fly on birds! This only happens in fairy tales. What will she tell her parents when they return? Indeed this is all her fault. Kate began to cry even more.

Suddenly something fell next to her. Kate looked at the sand and saw Gene’s sandal. The boy, as always, did not do up his sandals; here one of them fell down from the sky. Kate picked up the sandal, pressed it against her chest, and started thinking. Something improbable had happened. In a modern city, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, a child was kidnapped in broad daylight. By whom? Swans! Like in a fairy tale or a terrible dream.

Pondering non-stop over what had happened, Kate ran to the exit. Well, a child had been abducted. Kate tried to think about this as calmly as possible. What had happened was like madness. It means it would be useless to appeal to the police. No one will believe her, even worse, they will think that she is mocking the law enforcement. Being made fun of is what the police like least of all in the world. The rest of the adults will also behave for sure like that passer-by in the zoo. What could she do? Turn to friends? But who will take her story seriously. They will say, “She let her brother slip away. She lost him. Now she’s making up a cock-and-bull story to justify herself.” How can they even help? Kate needed someone who would actually believe in what happened.

Here Kate brightened up. Yes, there is such a person! His name is Nick. He is a student. Kate made his acquaintance a year ago at summer camp. Nick was the leader of Kate’s group. He was the best leader in the camp and the kids of the other groups envied Kate and her friends very much. They went on trips, went fishing, sang songs at campfires, and wrote verses with him. Nick was a tireless inventor and the children never had a boring time with him. How many interesting stories he knew! When the session ended, the children did not want to leave camp. The girls even cried. (They were all secretly in love with Nick.) In September, Kate arrived in school and, to her great amazement and happiness, met her former leader there. Nick, it seemed, studied in teachers’ college and came to them for a practicum for a whole two months. Only Nick could help Kate now. The girl ran to get him. If only he is home!

The pilot Speechmaker almost pressed the eject button when a flock of swans again emerged from the nearest cloud. Now they were flying towards him. The Captain quickly calmed down. When you encounter something unusual the second time, it no longer seems as improbable as the first time.

On the largest and the most beautiful swan sat a little boy in dark-blue shorts and an orange short-sleeved T-shirt. The main thing that struck the pilot was that the boy only had on one shoe. The birds flew with dignity past the super-fast fighter. The boy sitting on the back of the leader looked at Ivan Ivanovich, smiled, and waved at him. Speechmaker quickly went into a spin.

Definitely, there was nothing for Speechmaker to do in the sky once ordinary boys are flying here already. What will the commander say when he hears the report of what is going on in the airspace?!

Chapter Four ON THE WAY 

With a sinking heart, Kate pressed the doorbell. There was silence behind the door. The girl had already made up her mind to leave when she heard footsteps. “Kate?” Nick was very surprised to see the girl at so late an hour. “Come in; don’t stand at the door. What happened?” Kate entered and burst into tears instead of answering. Nick stood and waited for the girl to calm down and recount the gist of the matter. Finally, Kate stopped crying and began to tell her story… Nick listened very attentively and never interrupted her.

“Indeed like a fairy tale,” he said when Kate finished her sad story. The girl stood and sobbed. There was neither disbelief nor mockery in Nick’s eyes. This soothed her. “You never said that you have a brother,” Nick remarked while attentively examining Kate, who until now had been pressing Gene’s shoe against her chest. “And what is this?” “It’s his sandal,” Kate sobbed loudly. “He never does up his shoes; now he has lost one.” “Well, let’s have a look.” Nick thought hard.

Using the fact that Nick was not paying her any attention, Kate sat down on the couch and closed her eyes. A minute passed and Kate fell asleep. Nick, however, did not let her sleep. “Kate!” His hand shook the girl mercilessly. She did not immediately understand what was happening. At first Kate thought that she was dreaming all the time – the zoo, the fight with her brother, and the goose-swans – but no, she returned quickly to reality.

“Now’s not the time to sleep,” said Nick. His eyes sparkled triumphantly. “Great deeds await you.” “Great deeds?” a half-awake Kate repeated like an echo. “Well, not great, but important,” Nick corrected himself. “Very important! I found something while you were sleeping. And I don’t need a violin at all like Sherlock Holmes for this. Even this great detective couldn’t solve your case. Must admit I’m also completely powerless here.” Kate was at a loss, “But who then?” “You.” “Me?” “Only you alone will be able to find your little brother.”

“But how?” Kate questioned in desperation. “Perhaps I know where to search for him now?” “No, you don’t. Neither do I. No one knows. But I discovered something while you were sleeping. See what I found in your brother’s sandal.” He handed Kate the ill-fated shoe. The girl took a good close look but saw nothing except a bird feather stuck between the leather strips of the shoe.

“There’s nothing here,” she said, looking wonderingly at Nick. “What do you mean nothing? What do you think this is?” “A feather,” Kate said hesitantly. “A feather!” Nick mimicked her. “Perhaps it’s a simple feather? No, not a simple one. But what?” “What?” Kate did not understand what he wanted from her. “This is a feather from one of the birds that abducted your brother. This is proof that it happened. You didn’t dream it; it didn’t just seem so to you; you didn’t make it up at a moment of despair. Everything happened for real. Understand?” “I understand. But how will the feather help us find Gene?”

 “The whole point is that it will help!” Nick rubbed the bridge of his nose. He always did this when he was troubled. “You fell asleep but I was busy examining this godsend. At first glance there’s nothing unusual. A feather is a feather. But as soon as I put it on the table and turned on the lamp, it immediately flew to the window. Good that I managed to close the window in time. The feather, as if alive, hit against the window trying to overcome the obstacle. I switched off the lamp and it obediently fell to the floor.” Kate listened spellbound to the student’s story.

Nick continued, “I again switched on the lamp. The feather again slowly rose and flew to the window. I caught it. The feather, like a small bird, began to break away from my palm, weakly at first, then stronger and stronger so I even began to hold it with difficulty. Then I covered it with a half of a globe which is sufficiently heavy. The half globe stayed in place for a while, then began to tremble, slowly rose up in the air, and flew to the window. I was afraid that the globe would smash the glass and the feather would fly away. I put the half globe back onto the table and weighed it down with a pile of the books. Imagine, this contraption also took off and moved to the window. I don’t know how to explain this. Fantastic! Be that as it may, but now I finally was convinced of the truthfulness of your words.” Kate smiled for the first time this day.

“I started to experiment. How many kilos can this unusual feather carry? It seems it can lift into the air a weight up to fifty kilos! This both pleased and distressed me.” “Why?” “Because you have only one magic feather.” “But what is it about the feather?” Kate did not understand. “Most likely, the feather is seeking its owner. The swan,” explained Nick. “And we need this. We must catch the swans, take the abducted child away from them, and make the kidnappers answerable. Do you agree with me?” “Yes,” nodded Kate.

 “So you, Kate, have to set off in pursuit. I’m very sorry but you will fly alone. I won’t be able to come with you.” “Why?” Kate was scared. “The fact is that I weigh sixty-three kilos. Likely not so much, but the feather won’t be able to lift me up. But you, I think weigh no more than forty.” “Thirty-five,” Kate clarified. “There, you see,” Nick sighed sadly, “It means only you can save your brother.” “How only me?” “The feather can only transfer you to where Gene is in all probability.”