Have you ever seen an antique, antique wardrobe, blackened with age and decorated with carved curls and leaves? Such a closet - great-grandmother's inheritance - stood in the living room. It was covered with carvings - roses, tulips and the most intricate curlicues. Between them peeped out deer heads with branched antlers, and in the very middle a man was carved to its full height. It was impossible to look at him without laughter, and he himself was grinning from ear to ear - such a grimace cannot be called a smile. He had goat legs, small horns on his forehead, and a long beard. The children called him Ober-unter-general-kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatlonog, because it is difficult to pronounce such a name and not many are given such a title. But it is not easy to cut out such a figure, well, all the same, it was cut out. The little man looked all the time at the mirror table where a pretty porcelain shepherdess stood. Gilded shoes, a skirt gracefully pinned up with a crimson rose, a gilded hat on the head and a shepherd's staff in hand - isn't it a beauty!
Next to her stood a small chimney sweep, black as coal, but also made of porcelain, and as clean and sweet as all the others. After all, he only portrayed a chimney sweep, and the master could have made him a prince in the same way - all the same!
He stood gracefully, with a ladder in his hands, and his face was pink and white, like a girl's, and it was a little wrong, he could have been a little smarter. He stood very close to the shepherdess - as they were placed, so they stood. And if so, they took and got engaged. The couple went out anywhere: both are young, both made of the same porcelain and both are equally fragile.
Another doll, three times their height, was standing nearby - an old Chinese man who knew how to nod his head. He was also porcelain and called himself the grandfather of the little shepherdess, but he did not have enough evidence. He insisted that she should obey him, and therefore nodded his head to Ober-non-commissioner-general-Kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatman, who was wooing the shepherdess.
- You will have a good husband! Said the old Chinese. - Looks like even mahogany. With him you will be Oberunter-General-Kriegscommissar-Sergeant. He has a whole cupboard of silver, not to mention the one in the secret drawers.
“I don’t want to go to a dark closet!” - answered the shepherdess. - They say he has eleven china wives there!
- Well, you will be twelfth! - said the Chinese. - At night, as soon as the old closet groans, we'll play your wedding, otherwise I won't be Chinese!
Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.
And the shepherdess burst into tears and, looking at her dear, porcelain chimney sweep, said:
- Please, let's run away with me wherever our eyes look. We can't stay here.
- For your sake, I'm ready for anything! - answered the chimney sweep. - Let's leave now! Perhaps I will be able to feed you with my craft.
- If only to get down from the table! - she said. - I will not breathe freely until we are far, far away!
The chimney sweep calmed her down and showed her where it was better for her to step with his porcelain foot, on which ledge or gilded curl. His ladder also served them well, and in the end they safely descended to the floor. But, looking at the old cabinet, they saw a terrible commotion there. The carved reindeer stretched their heads forward, put out their horns and twisted them in all directions, and the chief sergeant-general of the Kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatman jumped high and shouted to the old Chinese:
- They're running away! Run away!
The shepherdess and the chimney sweep were frightened and darted into the window sill.
Here lay scattered decks of cards, a puppet theater was somehow installed. There was a performance on the stage.
All the ladies - diamonds and hearts, clubs and spades - sat in the first row and fanned themselves with tulips, and behind them stood jacks and tried to show that they too have two heads, like all the figures in cards. The play depicted the suffering of a couple in love who were separated, and the shepherdess burst into tears: it so reminded her own fate.
- My strength is gone! She said to the chimney sweep. - Let's get out of here!
But when they found themselves on the floor and looked at their table, they saw that the old Chinese man woke up and swayed all over - after all, a lead ball was rolling inside him.
- Ay, the old Chinese man is chasing us! - cried the shepherdess and in despair fell to her porcelain knees.
- Stop! Invented! - said the chimney sweep. “Do you see over there, in the corner, a large vase of dried fragrant herbs and flowers? Let's hide in it! We'll lie there on pink and lavender petals, and if the Chinese man gets to us, we'll fill his eyes with salt.
- None of this will come of it! Said the shepherdess. - I know that the Chinese and the vase were once engaged, but something always remains from the old friendship. No, we have one road - to set off across the world!
“Do you have the guts to do this?” - asked the chimney sweep. - Have you thought about how great the light is? That we’ll never go back?
- Yes Yes! - she answered.
The chimney sweep looked at her intently and said:
- My path leads through the chimney! Do you have the courage to climb into the stove with me, and then into the chimney? There I already know what to do! We will rise so high that they will not reach us. There, at the very top, there is a hole, through which you can get out into the white light!
And he led her to the stove.
- How black here! - she said, but nevertheless she crawled after him into the stove and into the chimney, where it was dark, even though her eyes were gouged out.
- Well, here we are in the pipe! - said the chimney sweep. - Look look! A wonderful star is shining directly above us!

A star was indeed shining in the sky, as if showing them the way. And they climbed, climbed the terrible road higher and higher. But the chimney sweep supported the shepherdess and suggested where it was more convenient for her to put her porcelain legs. Finally they got to the very top and sat down to rest on the edge of the pipe - they were very tired, and no wonder.
Above them was the sky strewn with stars, under them all the roofs of the city, and around on all sides, both in breadth and in the distance, a free world opened up. The poor shepherdess never thought that the light was so great. She bent her head to the shoulder of the chimney sweep and cried so hard that the tears washed away all the gilding from her legs.
- This is too much for me! Said the shepherdess. - I can’t bear it! The light is too big! Oh, how I want to go back to the mirror table! I will not be calm for a minute until I return there! After all, I followed you to the ends of the world, and now you will accompany me back home if you love me!
The chimney sweep began to admonish her, reminded her of the old Chinese and the chief sergeant-general of the Kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatlonog, but she only sobbed inconsolably and kissed her chimney sweep. There was nothing to do, I had to give in to her, even though it was unreasonable.
And so they went back down the pipe. It was not easy! Once again in the dark oven, they first stood at the door, listening to what was going on in the room. Everything was quiet and they looked out of the oven. Ah, the old Chinese man was lying on the floor: chasing them, he fell off the table and broke into three parts. The back flew off completely, the head rolled into a corner. Ober-non-commissioned general-kriegskommissargeant stood, as always, in his place and thought.
- Horrible! - exclaimed the shepherdess. - Old grandfather crashed, and we are to blame! Ah, I won't survive this!
And she twisted her tiny hands.
- It can still be fixed! - said the chimney sweep. - It can be repaired perfectly! Don't worry! He will be glued to the back, and a good rivet will be driven into the back of his head, and he will again be just like new and will be able to tell us a bunch of unpleasant things!
- You think? Said the shepherdess.
And they scrambled onto their table again.
- We have gone far with you! - said the chimney sweep. - Not worth the trouble!
- If only the grandfather was repaired! Said the shepherdess. - Or will it be very expensive? ..
The grandfather was repaired: they glued his back and drove a good rivet into the back of his head. He became like new, only he stopped nodding his head.
- You have become proud of something since you crashed! - said the chief sergeant-general-kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatlonog to him. - But why would it be? So, give me your granddaughter for me?
The chimney sweep and the shepherdess looked pleadingly at the old Chinese man: they were so afraid that he would nod. But he could no longer nod, and explaining to strangers that you had a rivet in the back of your head was also little joy. So the porcelain couple remained inseparable. The shepherdess and the chimney sweep blessed grandfather's rivet and loved each other until they crashed.

Story. Illustrations.

Have you ever seen an antique, antique wardrobe, blackened with age and decorated with carved curls and leaves? Such a closet - great-grandmother's inheritance - stood in the living room. It was covered with carvings - roses, tulips and the most intricate curlicues. Between them peeped out deer heads with branched antlers, and in the very middle a man was carved to its full height. It was impossible to look at him without laughter, and he himself was grinning from ear to ear - such a grimace cannot be called a smile. He had goat legs, small horns on his forehead, and a long beard.

The children called him Ober-unter-general-kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatlonog, because it is difficult to pronounce such a name and not many are given such a title. But it is not easy to cut out such a figure, well, all the same, it was cut out. The little man looked all the time at the mirror table where a pretty porcelain shepherdess stood. Gilded shoes, a skirt gracefully pinned up with a crimson rose, a gilded hat on the head and a shepherd's staff in hand - isn't it a beauty!

Next to her stood a small chimney sweep, black as coal, but also made of porcelain, and as clean and sweet as all the others. After all, he only portrayed a chimney sweep, and the master could have made him a prince in the same way - all the same!

He stood gracefully, with a ladder in his hands, and his face was pink and white, like a girl's, and it was a little wrong, he could have been a little smarter. He stood very close to the shepherdess - as they were placed, so they stood. And if so, they took and got engaged. The couple went out anywhere: both are young, both made of the same porcelain and both are equally fragile.

Another doll, three times their height, was standing nearby - an old Chinese man who knew how to nod his head. He was also porcelain and called himself the grandfather of the little shepherdess, but he did not have enough evidence. He insisted that she should obey him, and therefore nodded his head to Ober-NCO-General-Kriegskommissar-Sergeant Goatlonog, who was wooing the shepherdess.

You will have a good husband! said the old Chinese. - Looks like even mahogany. With him you will be Oberunter-General-Kriegscommissar-Sergeant. He has a whole cupboard of silver, not to mention the one in the secret drawers.

I don't want to go to a dark closet! - answered the shepherdess. - They say he has eleven china wives there!

Well, you will be the twelfth! - said the Chinese. - At night, as soon as the old closet groans, we'll play your wedding, otherwise I won't be Chinese!

Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.

And the shepherdess burst into tears and, looking at her dear, porcelain chimney sweep, said:

Please, let's run away with me wherever they look. We can't stay here.

I’m ready for anything for you! - answered the chimney sweep. - Let's leave now! Perhaps I will be able to feed you with my craft.

If only I could get off the table! - she said. - I will not breathe freely until we are far, far away!

The chimney sweep calmed her down and showed her where it was better for her to step with his porcelain foot, on which ledge or gilded curl. His ladder also served them well, and in the end they safely descended to the floor. But, looking at the old cabinet, they saw a terrible commotion there. The carved reindeer stretched their heads forward, put out their horns and twisted them in all directions, and the chief sergeant-general of the Kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatman jumped high and shouted to the old Chinese:

They're running away! Run away!

The shepherdess and the chimney sweep were frightened and darted into the window sill.

Here lay scattered decks of cards, a puppet theater was somehow installed. There was a performance on the stage.

All the ladies - diamonds and hearts, clubs and spades - sat in the first row and fanned themselves with tulips, and behind them stood jacks and tried to show that they too have two heads, like all the figures in cards. The play depicted the suffering of a couple in love who were separated, and the shepherdess burst into tears: it so reminded her own fate.

My strength is gone! she said to the chimney sweep. - Let's get out of here!

But when they found themselves on the floor and looked at their table, they saw that the old Chinese man woke up and swayed all over - after all, a lead ball was rolling inside him.

Ay, the old Chinese is after us! - cried the shepherdess and in despair fell to her porcelain knees.

Stop! Invented! - said the chimney sweep. “Do you see over there, in the corner, a large vase of dried fragrant herbs and flowers? Let's hide in it! We'll lie there on pink and lavender petals, and if the Chinese man gets to us, we'll fill his eyes with salt.

None of this will come of it! said the shepherdess. - I know that the Chinese and the vase were once engaged, but something always remains from the old friendship. No, we have one road - to set off across the world!

Do you have the guts for that? - asked the chimney sweep. - Have you thought about how great the light is? That we’ll never go back?

Yes Yes! - she answered.

The chimney sweep looked at her intently and said:

My path leads through the chimney! Do you have the courage to climb into the stove with me, and then into the chimney? There I already know what to do! We will rise so high that they will not reach us. There, at the very top, there is a hole, through which you can get out into the white light!

And he led her to the stove.

How black it is! - she said, but nevertheless she climbed after him into the stove and into the chimney, where it was dark, even if you gouge out an eye.

Well, here we are in the pipe! - said the chimney sweep. - Look look! A wonderful star is shining directly above us!

A star was indeed shining in the sky, as if showing them the way. And they climbed, climbed the terrible road higher and higher. But the chimney sweep supported the shepherdess and suggested where it was more convenient for her to put her porcelain legs. Finally they got to the very top and sat down to rest on the edge of the pipe - they were very tired, and no wonder.

Above them was the sky strewn with stars, under them all the roofs of the city, and around on all sides, both in breadth and in the distance, a free world opened up. The poor shepherdess never thought that the light was so great. She bent her head to the shoulder of the chimney sweep and cried so hard that the tears washed away all the gilding from her belt.

This is too much for me! said the shepherdess. - I can’t bear it! The light is too big! Oh, how I want to go back to the mirror table! I will not be calm for a minute until I return there! After all, I followed you to the ends of the world, and now you will accompany me back home if you love me!

The chimney sweep began to enlighten her, reminded her of the old Chinese and the chief sergeant-general of the Kriegskommissar-Sergeant Kozlony, but she only sobbed inconsolably and kissed her chimney sweep. There was nothing to do, I had to give in to her, even though it was unreasonable.

And so they went back down the pipe. It was not easy! Once again in the dark oven, they first stood at the door, listening to what was going on in the room. Everything was quiet and they looked out of the oven. Ah, the old Chinese man was lying on the floor: chasing them, he fell off the table and broke into three parts. The back flew off completely, the head rolled into a corner. Ober-non-commissioned general-kriegskommissargeant stood, as always, in his place and thought.

Horrible! - exclaimed the shepherdess. - Old grandfather crashed, and we are to blame! Ah, I won't survive this!

And she twisted her tiny hands.

It can still be fixed! - said the chimney sweep. - It can be repaired perfectly! Don't worry! He will be glued to the back, and a good rivet will be driven into the back of his head, and he will again be just like new and will be able to tell us a bunch of unpleasant things!

You think? said the shepherdess.

And they scrambled onto their table again.

We have gone far with you! - said the chimney sweep. - Not worth the trouble!

If only the grandfather was repaired! said the shepherdess. - Or will it be very expensive ?. ...

The grandfather was repaired: they glued his back and drove a good rivet into the back of his head. He became like new, only he stopped nodding his head.

You have become proud of something since you crashed! - said the chief sergeant-general-kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatlonog to him. - But why would it be? Well, how can you give your granddaughter for me?

The chimney sweep and the shepherdess looked pleadingly at the old Chinese man: they were so afraid that he would nod. But he could no longer nod, and explaining to strangers that you had a rivet in the back of your head was also little joy. So the porcelain couple remained inseparable. The shepherdess and the chimney sweep blessed grandfather's rivet and loved each other until they crashed.

• • Russian folk tales Russian folk tales The world of fairy tales is amazing. Is it possible to imagine our life without a fairy tale? A fairy tale is not just entertainment. She tells us about extremely important things in life, teaches us to be kind and just, to protect the weak, to resist evil, to despise cunning and flatterers. The tale teaches us to be faithful, honest, ridicules our vices: bragging, greed, hypocrisy, laziness. For centuries, fairy tales have been transmitted orally. One person came up with a fairy tale, told another, that person added something from himself, told the third and so on. Each time the fairy tale became better and more interesting. It turns out that the tale was invented not by one person, but by many different people, people, therefore they began to call it - "folk". Fairy tales have arisen in ancient times. They were stories of hunters, trappers and fishermen. In fairy tales, animals, trees and herbs talk like people. And in a fairy tale everything is possible. If you want to become young, eat rejuvenating apples. It is necessary to revive the princess - sprinkle her first with dead and then living water ... The tale teaches us to distinguish good from bad, good from evil, ingenuity from stupidity. The tale teaches you not to despair in difficult times and always overcome difficulties. The tale teaches how important it is for every person to have friends. And the fact that if you do not leave your friend in trouble, then he will help you ...
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  • Tales of Valentin Kataev Tales of Valentin Kataev Writer Valentin Kataev lived a great and beautiful life. He left books, reading which we can learn to live with taste, not missing the interesting things that surround us every day and every hour. There was a period in Kataev's life, about 10 years, when he wrote wonderful fairy tales for children. The main characters in fairy tales are the family. They show love, friendship, belief in magic, miracles, relationships between parents and children, relationships between children and people who meet on their way, which help them to grow up and learn something new. After all, Valentin Petrovich himself was left without a mother very early. Valentin Kataev is the author of fairy tales: "A pipe and a jug" (1940), "Flower - seven-flower" (1940), "Pearl" (1945), "Stump" (1945), "Dove" (1949).
  • The Tales of Wilhelm Hauff Wilhelm Hauff's Tales Hauff Wilhelm (11/29/182 - 11/18/1827) is a German writer, best known as the author of fairy tales for children. It is considered a representative of the artistic literary style of the Biedermeier. Wilhelm Hauf is not so famous and popular world storyteller, but Hauff's fairy tales must be read to children. In his works, the author, with the subtlety and unobtrusiveness of a real psychologist, put a deep meaning that prompts thought. Hauf wrote his Märchen - fairy tales for the children of Baron Hegel; they were first published in the "Almanac of Fairy Tales of January 1826 for the Sons and Daughters of the Noble Estates". There were such works by Hauff as "Caliph-Stork", "Little Muk", and some others, which immediately gained popularity in German-speaking countries. Focusing at first on oriental folklore, later he begins to use European legends in fairy tales.
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  • Tales of Gennady Mikhailovich Tsyferov Tales of Gennady Mikhailovich Tsyferov Gennady Mikhailovich Tsyferov is a Soviet writer-storyteller, screenwriter, playwright. Animation brought the greatest success to Gennady Mikhailovich. During cooperation with the studio "Soyuzmultfilm" in collaboration with Henrikh Sapgir, more than twenty-five cartoons have been released, including "The Little Engine from Romashkov", "My Green Crocodile", "How the Frog Was Looking for Daddy", "Losharik", "How to Become Big" ... Tsyferov's sweet and kind stories are familiar to each of us. The heroes who live in the books of this wonderful children's writer will always come to each other's aid. His famous fairy tales: "There lived an elephant in the world", "About a chicken, the sun and a bear cub", "About an eccentric frog", "About a steamer", "A story about a pig" and others. Multicolored Giraffe "," The Engine from Romashkovo "," How to Become Big and Other Stories "," The Diary of a Bear ".
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  • Tales of Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy Tales of Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy (1828 - 1910) is one of the greatest Russian writers and thinkers. Thanks to him, not only works that are included in the treasury of world literature appeared, but also a whole religious and moral trend - Tolstoyism. Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy wrote many instructive, lively and interesting fairy tales, fables, poems and stories. He also wrote many small but beautiful fairy tales for children: Three Bears, How Uncle Semyon told about what happened to him in the forest, Leo and the dog, The Tale of Ivan the Fool and his two brothers, Two brothers, Worker Emelyan and empty drum and many others. Tolstoy was very serious about writing little fairy tales for children, he worked a lot on them. Tales and stories of Lev Nikolaevich are still in books for reading in elementary school.
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Fairy tale shepherdess and chimney sweep

Hans Christian Andersen

The tale of the Shepherdess and the chimney sweep summary:

Andersen's tale "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep" is a fairy tale about two porcelain figurines in love - a shepherdess and a chimney sweep. They stood side by side on a shelf next to the china toy of an old Chinese grandfather who could shake his head. And opposite them was a wardrobe with a carved figure of a Goatman. This military Goatman wooed the granddaughter of a Chinese shepherdess. And grandfather nodded in agreement. But the shepherdess did not want to marry him. And then she decided to run away with the chimney sweep. At night they went downstairs and tried to get out through the pipe, but the old Chinese grandfather rushed after them. When the chimney sweep and the shepherdess climbed out through the chimney onto the roof and saw what a huge world around, the shepherdess got scared and asked to come back. The chimney sweep had to lower it down and climb back onto the shelf. And the Chinese crashed, trying to catch up with the lovers, and after the repair he could no longer nod his head, which means he did not respond to the Goatman's proposal, which the porcelain couple were very happy about.

The tale shows that love always wins, and that there is no better place than home.

The tale of the Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep read:

Have you ever seen an antique, antique wardrobe, blackened with age and decorated with carved curls and leaves? Such a closet - great-grandmother's inheritance - stood in the living room. It was covered with carvings - roses, tulips and the most intricate curlicues. Between them peeped out deer heads with branched antlers, and in the very middle a man was carved to its full height. It was impossible to look at him without laughter, and he himself was grinning from ear to ear - such a grimace cannot be called a smile. He had goat legs, small horns on his forehead, and a long beard.

The children called him Ober-unter-general-kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatlonog, because it is difficult to pronounce such a name and not many are given such a title. But it is not easy to cut out such a figure, well, all the same, it was cut out. The little man looked all the time at the mirror table where a pretty porcelain shepherdess stood. Gilded shoes, a skirt gracefully pinned up with a crimson rose, a gilded hat on the head and a shepherd's staff in hand - isn't it a beauty!

Next to her stood a small chimney sweep, black as coal, but also made of porcelain, and as clean and sweet as all the others. After all, he only portrayed a chimney sweep, and the master could have made him a prince in the same way - all the same!

He stood gracefully, with a ladder in his hands, and his face was pink and white, like a girl's, and it was a little wrong, he could have been a little smarter. He stood very close to the shepherdess - as they were placed, so they stood. And if so, they took and got engaged. The couple went out anywhere: both are young, both made of the same porcelain and both are equally fragile.

Another doll, three times their height, was standing nearby - an old Chinese man who knew how to nod his head. He was also porcelain and called himself the grandfather of the little shepherdess, but he did not have enough evidence. He insisted that she should obey him, and therefore nodded his head to Ober-non-commissioner-general-Kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatman, who was wooing the shepherdess.

- You will have a good husband! Said the old Chinese. - Looks like even mahogany. With him you will be Oberunter-General-Kriegscommissar-Sergeant. He has a whole cupboard of silver, not to mention the one in the secret drawers.

“I don’t want to go to a dark closet!” - answered the shepherdess. - They say he has eleven china wives there!

- Well, you will be twelfth! - said the Chinese. - At night, as soon as the old closet groans, we'll play your wedding, otherwise I won't be Chinese!

Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.

And the shepherdess burst into tears and, looking at her dear, porcelain chimney sweep, said:

- Please, let's run away with me wherever our eyes look. We can't stay here.

- For your sake, I'm ready for anything! - answered the chimney sweep. - Let's leave now! Perhaps I will be able to feed you with my craft.

- If only to get down from the table! - she said. - I will not breathe freely until we are far, far away!

The chimney sweep calmed her down and showed her where it was better for her to step with his porcelain foot, on which ledge or gilded curl. His ladder also served them well, and in the end they safely descended to the floor. But, looking at the old cabinet, they saw a terrible commotion there. The carved reindeer stretched their heads forward, put out their horns and twisted them in all directions, and the chief sergeant-general of the Kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatman jumped high and shouted to the old Chinese:

- They're running away! Run away!

The shepherdess and the chimney sweep were frightened and darted into the window sill.

Here lay scattered decks of cards, a puppet theater was somehow installed. There was a performance on the stage.

All the ladies - diamonds and hearts, clubs and spades - sat in the first row and fanned themselves with tulips, and behind them stood jacks and tried to show that they too have two heads, like all the figures in cards. The play depicted the suffering of a couple in love who were separated, and the shepherdess burst into tears: it so reminded her own fate.

- My strength is gone! She said to the chimney sweep. - Let's get out of here!

But when they found themselves on the floor and looked at their table, they saw that the old Chinese man woke up and swayed all over - after all, a lead ball was rolling inside him.

- Ay, the old Chinese man is chasing us! - cried the shepherdess and in despair fell to her porcelain knees.

- Stop! Invented! - said the chimney sweep. “Do you see over there, in the corner, a large vase of dried fragrant herbs and flowers? Let's hide in it! We'll lie there on pink and lavender petals, and if the Chinese man gets to us, we'll fill his eyes with salt.

- None of this will come of it! Said the shepherdess. - I know that the Chinese and the vase were once engaged, but something always remains from the old friendship. No, we have one road - to set off across the world!

“Do you have the guts to do this?” - asked the chimney sweep. - Have you thought about how great the light is? That we’ll never go back?

- Yes Yes! - she answered.

The chimney sweep looked at her intently and said:

- My path leads through the chimney! Do you have the courage to climb into the stove with me, and then into the chimney? There I already know what to do! We will rise so high that they will not reach us. There, at the very top, there is a hole, through which you can get out into the white light!

And he led her to the stove.

- How black here! - she said, but nevertheless she crawled after him into the stove and into the chimney, where it was dark, even though her eyes were gouged out.

- Well, here we are in the pipe! - said the chimney sweep. - Look look! A wonderful star is shining directly above us!

A star was indeed shining in the sky, as if showing them the way. And they climbed, climbed the terrible road higher and higher. But the chimney sweep supported the shepherdess and suggested where it was more convenient for her to put her porcelain legs. Finally they got to the very top and sat down to rest on the edge of the pipe - they were very tired, and no wonder.

Above them was the sky strewn with stars, under them all the roofs of the city, and around on all sides, both in breadth and in the distance, a free world opened up. The poor shepherdess never thought that the light was so great. She bent her head to the shoulder of the chimney sweep and cried so hard that the tears washed away all the gilding from her legs.

- This is too much for me! Said the shepherdess. - I can’t bear it! The light is too big! Oh, how I want to go back to the mirror table! I will not be calm for a minute until I return there! After all, I followed you to the ends of the world, and now you will accompany me back home if you love me!

The chimney sweep began to admonish her, reminded her of the old Chinese and the chief sergeant-general of the Kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatlonog, but she only sobbed inconsolably and kissed her chimney sweep. There was nothing to do, I had to give in to her, even though it was unreasonable.

And so they went back down the pipe. It was not easy! Once again in the dark oven, they first stood at the door, listening to what was going on in the room. Everything was quiet and they looked out of the oven. Ah, the old Chinese man was lying on the floor: chasing them, he fell off the table and broke into three parts. The back flew off completely, the head rolled into a corner. Ober-sergeant-general-kriegskommissar-sergeant stood, as always, in his place and thought.

- Horrible! - exclaimed the shepherdess. - Old grandfather crashed, and we are to blame! Ah, I won't survive this!

And she twisted her tiny hands.

- It can still be fixed! - said the chimney sweep. - It can be repaired perfectly! Don't worry! He will be glued to the back, and a good rivet will be driven into the back of his head, and he will again be just like new and will be able to tell us a bunch of unpleasant things!

- You think? Said the shepherdess.

And they scrambled onto their table again.

- We have gone far with you! - said the chimney sweep. - Not worth the trouble!

- If only the grandfather was repaired! Said the shepherdess. - Or will it be very expensive? ..

The grandfather was repaired: they glued his back and drove a good rivet into the back of his head. He became like new, only he stopped nodding his head.

- You have become proud of something since you crashed! - said the chief sergeant-general-kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatlonog to him. - But why would it be? Well, how can you give your granddaughter for me?

The chimney sweep and the shepherdess looked pleadingly at the old Chinese man: they were so afraid that he would nod. But he could no longer nod, and explaining to strangers that you had a rivet in the back of your head was also little joy. So the porcelain couple remained inseparable. The shepherdess and the chimney sweep blessed grandfather's rivet and loved each other until they crashed.

Have you ever seen an old-antique wardrobe, blackened from time and all decorated with carvings in the form of various curls, flowers and leaves? This is exactly the closet - inheritance after the great-grandmother - and stood in the room. It was covered with carvings - roses, tulips and the most bizarre curlicues. Between them protruded small deer heads with branchy antlers, and in the very middle a whole man was carved. It was impossible to look at him without laughing, and he himself bared his teeth in an amazing way - such a grimace cannot be called a smile! He had goat legs, small horns on his forehead, and a long beard. The children called him Ober-NCO-General-Commissioner-Sergeant Goatlonog! It is difficult to pronounce such a name, and few are awarded such a title, but it took a lot of work to carve such a figure. Well, yes, they did cut it out! He always gazed at the mirror table where the lovely china shepherdess stood. Her shoes were gilded, her dress was slightly raised and pinned up with a scarlet rose, a golden hat was adorned on her head, and in her hands was a shepherd's staff.

Well, just lovely! Next to her stood a small chimney sweep, black as coal, but, incidentally, also made of porcelain, and in itself is as clean and pretty as any porcelain figurine; After all, he was only portraying a chimney sweep, and the master could have made a prince out of him in the same way - all the same!

He graciously held his ladder in his hands: his face was white, and his cheeks were pink, like a young lady's, and this was a little wrong, he should have been blacker. He stood next to the shepherdess - as they were put, so they stood; stood, stood, and got engaged: they were a great couple, both young, both made of porcelain, and both equally fragile.

There was also another doll three times their size. It was an old Chinese man who nodded his head. He was also porcelain and called himself the grandfather of the little shepherdess, but it seems he could not prove it. He claimed that he had power over her, and therefore nodded his head to the chief non-commissioner-general-commissar-sergeant Goatman, who was wooing the shepherdess.

- That's how you will have a husband! The old Chinese man said to the shepherdess. - I even think that it is made of mahogany! He will make you Ober-NCO-General-Commissioner-Sergeant! And he has a whole cabinet of silver, not to mention the one in the secret drawers!

- I don't want to go to a dark closet! Said the shepherdess. - They say he has eleven china wives there!

- So you will be the twelfth! - answered the Chinese. - At night, as soon as it crackles in the old closet, we will play your wedding! Yes, yes, I'm not Chinese!

Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.

The shepherdess cried and looked at her darling.

“Really, I’ll ask you,” she said, “to run with me wherever you look. We can't stay here!

- Your desires are mine! - answered the chimney sweep. - Let's go right now! I think I can feed you with my craft!

- If only we could get down from the table! - she said. “I won’t rest until we’re far, far away from here!”

The chimney sweep calmed her down and showed her where it was better to step with his foot, on which ledge or gilded curl of the carved table legs. His staircase, too, did them no small service; thus they safely descended to the floor. But, looking at the old cabinet, they saw a terrible commotion there. The carved deer stretched out their heads with horns far, far and turned them in all directions, and the chief non-commissioner-general-commissar-sergeant Goatman jumped high and shouted to the old Chinese:

- They're running! They're running!

The fugitives got scared a little and quickly darted into the box of the pre-window elevation (in Denmark, windows were quite high from the floor, so in front of one of them, sometimes, for those who like to look at the traffic, a wooden platform on which a chair was placed was arranged).

There were three or four incomplete decks of cards and a puppet theater; it was somehow installed in a cramped box, and a performance was on the stage. All the ladies - both diamonds, hearts, clubs, and spades - sat in the first row and fanned themselves with their tulips. Behind them were jacks and each had two heads - above and below, like all cards. The play depicted the suffering of a couple in love who were separated. The shepherdess began to cry: it was exactly their own story.

- No, I can’t bear it! She said to the chimney sweep. - Let's get out of here!

But when they found themselves on the floor again, they saw that the old Chinese man was awake and was swaying all from side to side - a lead ball was rolling inside him.

- Ay, the old Chinese man is chasing us! - shouted the shepherdess and in despair fell on her porcelain knees.

- Wait, a thought occurred to me! - said the chimney sweep. “Do you see over there, in the corner, a large vase with dried fragrant herbs and flowers? Let's get into it! There we will lie on roses and lavender, and if a Chinese comes up to us, we will fill his eyes with salt.

- No, that won't do! - she said. - I know that the old Chinese man and the vase were once engaged, and in such cases, good relations are always preserved! No, we just have to go all over the world wherever our eyes look!

- Do you have the courage to follow me everywhere? - asked the chimney sweep. - Have you thought how great the world is? Have you thought about the fact that we will not be able to go back?

- Yes Yes! - she answered.

The chimney sweep looked at her intently and said:

- My road goes through the chimney! Do you have the courage to climb into the stove with me and climb the elbows of the pipe? There I already know what to do! We will climb so high that we will not be reached! At the very top there is a hole, through which you can get out into the white light!

And he took her to the stove.

- How black here! - she said, but nevertheless she climbed into the stove and into the chimney after him, where it was dark as at night.

- Well, here we are in the pipe! - he said. - Look look! A wonderful star is shining directly above us!

A star was indeed shining in the sky, as if showing them the way. And they kept climbing and climbing, higher and higher! The road was terrible. But the chimney sweep supported the shepherdess and pointed out where it was more convenient and better for her to put the porcelain legs. Finally they reached the edge of the pipe and sat down - they were very tired, and there was something!

The star-studded sky was above them, and all the house roofs were below them. From this height, a huge space opened up to their eyes. The poor shepherdess never thought that the light was so great. She bent her head to the shoulder of the chimney sweep and wept; tears rolled down her chest and at once washed away all the gilding from her belt.

- No, this is too much! - she said. - I can’t bear it! The light is too big! Oh, if I were standing on the mirror table again! I won't rest until I get back there! I followed you aimlessly, now take me back, if you love me!

The chimney sweep began to persuade her, reminded her of the old Chinese man and the chief sergeant general-commissar-sergeant Goatlonog, but she only sobbed and kissed her darling hard. What could he do? I had to give in, although I shouldn't.

And so they with great difficulty went down the pipe back down; it was not easy! Finding themselves again in the dark stove, they first stood outside the doors for several minutes, wanting to hear what was happening in the room. It was quiet there, and they looked out. Oh! An old Chinese man was hanging on the floor; he fell off the table, about to chase after them, and broke into three parts; my back flew away all over, and my head rolled into a corner. Ober-non-commissioner-commissioner-sergeant Kozlonog stood, as always, in his place and thought.

- Oh, what a horror! - exclaimed the shepherdess. - Old grandfather broke into pieces, and we are to blame! Ah, I will not survive this!

And she twisted her tiny hands.

- It can be repaired! - said the chimney sweep. - It can be repaired perfectly! Just don't be upset! He will be glued to the back, and a good rivet will be hammered into the back of his head - he will be just like new and will still have time to cause us a lot of trouble.

- You think? She asked. And they again climbed onto the table where they had stood before.

“That's how far we've gone! - said the chimney sweep. - It was worth worrying!

- If only the grandfather was repaired! Said the shepherdess. - Or will it be very expensive?

And grandfather was repaired: they glued his back and hammered a good rivet into his neck; he became like new, only he could no longer nod his head.

- You have become proud of something since you crashed! - said the chief sergeant general-commissioner-sergeant Goatlonog to him. - And it seems to me that there is nothing to be proud of! Well, will they give it up for me or not?

The chimney sweep and the shepherdess looked at the old Chinese with a supplication - they were so afraid that he would nod, but he could not, although he did not want to admit it: it’s not very pleasant to tell everyone that you have a rivet in the back of your head! So the porcelain couple remained standing side by side.

Shepherdess and chimney sweep blessed grandfather's rivet and loved each other until they broke.

Have you ever seen an antique, antique wardrobe, blackened with age and decorated with carved curls and leaves? Such a closet - great-grandmother's inheritance - stood in the living room. It was covered with carvings - roses, tulips and the most intricate curlicues. Between them peeped out deer heads with branched antlers, and in the very middle a man was carved to its full height. It was impossible to look at him without laughter, and he himself was grinning from ear to ear - such a grimace cannot be called a smile. He had goat legs, small horns on his forehead, and a long beard. The children called him Ober-unter-general-kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatlonog, because it is difficult to pronounce such a name and not many are given such a title. But it is not easy to cut out such a figure, well, all the same, it was cut out. The little man looked all the time at the mirror table where a pretty porcelain shepherdess stood. Gilded shoes, a skirt gracefully pinned up with a crimson rose, a gilded hat on the head and a shepherd's staff in hand - isn't it a beauty! Next to her stood a small chimney sweep, black as coal, but also made of porcelain, and as clean and sweet as all the others. After all, he only portrayed a chimney sweep, and the master could have made him a prince in the same way - all the same!

He stood gracefully, with a ladder in his hands, and his face was pink and white, like a girl's, and it was a little wrong, he could have been a little smarter. He stood very close to the shepherdess - as they were placed, so they stood. And if so, they took and got engaged. The couple went out anywhere: both are young, both made of the same porcelain and both are equally fragile.

Another doll, three times their height, was standing nearby - an old Chinese man who knew how to nod his head. He was also porcelain and called himself the grandfather of the little shepherdess, but he did not have enough evidence. He insisted that she should obey him, and therefore nodded his head to Ober-NCO-General-Kriegskommissar-Sergeant Goatlonog, who was wooing the shepherdess.

You will have a good husband! said the old Chinese. - Looks like even mahogany. With him you will be Oberunter-General-Kriegscommissar-Sergeant. He has a whole cupboard of silver, not to mention the one in the secret drawers.

I don't want to go to a dark closet! - answered the shepherdess. - They say he has eleven china wives there!

Well, you will be the twelfth! - said the Chinese. - At night, as soon as the old closet groans, we'll play your wedding, otherwise I won't be Chinese!

Then he nodded his head and fell asleep.

And the shepherdess burst into tears and, looking at her dear, porcelain chimney sweep, said:

Please, let's run away with me wherever they look. We can't stay here.

I’m ready for anything for you! - answered the chimney sweep. - Let's leave now! Perhaps I will be able to feed you with my craft.

If only I could get off the table! - she said. - I will not breathe freely until we are far, far away!

The chimney sweep calmed her down and showed her where it was better for her to step with his porcelain foot, on which ledge or gilded curl. His ladder also served them well, and in the end they safely descended to the floor. But, looking at the old cabinet, they saw a terrible commotion there. The carved reindeer stretched their heads forward, put out their horns and twisted them in all directions, and the chief sergeant-general of the Kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatman jumped high and shouted to the old Chinese:

They're running away! Run away!

The shepherdess and the chimney sweep were frightened and darted into the window sill.

Here lay scattered decks of cards, a puppet theater was somehow installed. There was a performance on the stage.

All the ladies - diamonds and hearts, clubs and spades - sat in the first row and fanned themselves with tulips, and behind them stood jacks and tried to show that they too have two heads, like all the figures in cards. The play depicted the suffering of a couple in love who were separated, and the shepherdess burst into tears: it so reminded her own fate.

My strength is gone! she said to the chimney sweep. - Let's get out of here!

But when they found themselves on the floor and looked at their table, they saw that the old Chinese man woke up and swayed all over - after all, a lead ball was rolling inside him.

Ay, the old Chinese is after us! - cried the shepherdess and in despair fell to her porcelain knees.

Stop! Invented! - said the chimney sweep. “Do you see over there, in the corner, a large vase of dried fragrant herbs and flowers? Let's hide in it! We'll lie there on pink and lavender petals, and if the Chinese man gets to us, we'll fill his eyes with salt.

None of this will come of it! said the shepherdess. - I know that the Chinese and the vase were once engaged, but something always remains from the old friendship. No, we have one road - to set off across the world!

Do you have the guts for that? - asked the chimney sweep. - Have you thought about how great the light is? That we’ll never go back?

Yes Yes! - she answered.

The chimney sweep looked at her intently and said:

My path leads through the chimney! Do you have the courage to climb into the stove with me, and then into the chimney? There I already know what to do! We will rise so high that they will not reach us. There, at the very top, there is a hole, through which you can get out into the white light!

And he led her to the stove.

How black it is! - she said, but nevertheless she climbed after him into the stove and into the chimney, where it was dark, even if you gouge out an eye.

Well, here we are in the pipe! - said the chimney sweep. - Look look! A wonderful star is shining directly above us!

A star was indeed shining in the sky, as if showing them the way. And they climbed, climbed the terrible road higher and higher. But the chimney sweep supported the shepherdess and suggested where it was more convenient for her to put her porcelain legs. Finally they got to the very top and sat down to rest on the edge of the pipe - they were very tired, and no wonder.

Above them was the sky strewn with stars, under them all the roofs of the city, and around on all sides, both in breadth and in the distance, a free world opened up. The poor shepherdess never thought that the light was so great. She bent her head to the shoulder of the chimney sweep and cried so hard that the tears washed away all the gilding from her belt.

This is too much for me! said the shepherdess. - I can’t bear it! The light is too big! Oh, how I want to go back to the mirror table! I will not be calm for a minute until I return there! After all, I followed you to the ends of the world, and now you will accompany me back home if you love me!

The chimney sweep began to enlighten her, reminded her of the old Chinese and the chief sergeant-general of the Kriegskommissar-Sergeant Kozlony, but she only sobbed inconsolably and kissed her chimney sweep. There was nothing to do, I had to give in to her, even though it was unreasonable.

And so they went back down the pipe. It was not easy! Once again in the dark oven, they first stood at the door, listening to what was going on in the room. Everything was quiet and they looked out of the oven. Ah, the old Chinese man was lying on the floor: chasing them, he fell off the table and broke into three parts. The back flew off completely, the head rolled into a corner. Ober-non-commissioned general-kriegskommissargeant stood, as always, in his place and thought.

Horrible! - exclaimed the shepherdess. - Old grandfather crashed, and we are to blame! Ah, I won't survive this!

And she twisted her tiny hands.

It can still be fixed! - said the chimney sweep. - It can be repaired perfectly! Don't worry! He will be glued to the back, and a good rivet will be driven into the back of his head, and he will again be just like new and will be able to tell us a bunch of unpleasant things!

You think? said the shepherdess.

And they scrambled onto their table again.

We have gone far with you! - said the chimney sweep. - Not worth the trouble!

If only the grandfather was repaired! said the shepherdess. - Or will it be very expensive? ..

The grandfather was repaired: they glued his back and drove a good rivet into the back of his head. He became like new, only he stopped nodding his head.

You have become proud of something since you crashed! - said the chief sergeant-general-kriegskommissar-sergeant Goatlonog to him. - But why would it be? Well, how can you give your granddaughter for me?

The chimney sweep and the shepherdess looked pleadingly at the old Chinese man: they were so afraid that he would nod. But he could no longer nod, and explaining to strangers that you had a rivet in the back of your head was also little joy. So the porcelain couple remained inseparable. The shepherdess and the chimney sweep blessed grandfather's rivet and loved each other until they crashed.