Chapter 1
“Oh!” exclaimed Clorinda after reading the last letter. “It turns out that I was invited for a dinner party tonight! What a pity… And I’ve already put chicken into the oven…”
“Shall I inform them that you don’t feel well today, Madam?” suggested Lina.
“Oh please, Lina! Be a darling! I am really not in a going-out mood.”
Lina left her doll desk and spread her transparent wings. Sometimes her little size disturbed her too much. It was quite weird as her employer was so huge compared to her. Especially then when Clorinda in her wrapper sat there in her chair in the most unstrained by etiquette pose and looked just monstrous. But why should she sit in some other way? That was her own house and her own desk and chair and that was quite a late hour.
The tiny fairy sighed as she was just an assistant and could not judge her employer. But what a name she herself had she thought. Lina… Often she was called Thumbelina by bigger representatives of her kind, which she simply hated. But nevertheless these were just thoughts of complaint and she as usual waved her wings to fly home.
Clorinada put away all her writings and fell on her chair’s back. Having folden her hands behind her head, she enjoyed the pleasant moment completely.
“Sometimes I do really regret that I am a famous writer,” thought the woman.
Then she lazily stretched her arms and back and turned her face in the direction of the fireplace.
“By the way, Lazy! What do you think?” she called, addressing her cat. “Should I prepare the kettle now or a bit later?”
The big mass of white fur just groaned and turned on its other side. Why was someone disturbing him? His cushion under him was so soft and the fire near him was warm. He set himself so cosily and that crazy two-legged creature was asking him questions again…
Clorinda looked at him smiling and sparkled with her playful cunning eyes. She left her chair and approached her pet.
“What a nasty grumpy little beast!” she said in that voice, making faces. “This evening is free and I am going to stay at home…” this time she spoke dreamily rather to herself. “And we are going to eat the whole chicken without sharing it with someone else… I will drink cocoa with marshmallows and cuddle my sweet fluffy pie.”
The cat with an expression of his displeased muzzle showed that he was against cuddling.
“Yes!” she laughed meanly. “Why then do I keep you here?”
She headed towards the kitchen but suddenly she heard Lina’s voice behind her.
“Madam!” squeaked tiny soprano.
“Lina? I thought you were already gone.”
“I was to… But very likely, Madam, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor?” Clorinda became amazed.
“Yes. There is a figure in a cloak approaching your house. I cannot tell who it is as the head is covered by a hood.”
“No…” the big fairy got such a disappointment. Farewell the paradize of cosy hearth destroyed so boldly by a stranger!
“And now we’ll need to share the chicken…” thought Lazy.
The doorbell morosely rang predicting more to come.
“Here!” Lina exclaimed.
“Alright, Lina, go. I will meet my guest myself.”
The little fairy like a fly in no time disappeared behind a window and the owner of that house went to see who came at such an indecent hour.
“Who is there?” the lady of her possessions uttered in a firm voice looking out of the window right above the door.
“Clorinda, let me in! And don’t freak out!”
“My ears seem to know this voice but my memory is sleeping… Who are you?” she said in the same demeanour.
“Clorinda! Only don’t feed me with that!”
“But why can’t I? The world’s my stage and I can’t speak theatrically even at my own home!”
“Clorinda, would you let me in after all?”
“Alright, dear stranger, here I come.”
The head in the hood shook from side to side and deeply sighed.
“Here, you with that creativity of yours eventually went mad,” the visitor said after getting in at last.
“So who are you?”Clorinda asked.
“Clorinda, only don’t try to fool me that you don’t know me,” the stranger threw back her hood with an expressive gesture. Before the fairy there was a face covered with wrinkles and framed by black hair with silver strands in them.
“Forgive me, it rings no bell…”
“Clorinda! Use your noodles or are you too of that kind of blondes?”
“Don’t judge me by my hair! Wait…”
Clorinda started back absolutely shocked.
“No! Eugenia? Is that really you?”
“As juicy as an apple picked in August.”
“You have changed so much since we last met. And it was quite recently… I really didn’t recognise you.”
“Then will I be rich? Eh… After I let free my magic wolf I started getting old so fast. Ah… So that’s how you live,” said Eugenia looking around. “You have a cosy nest.”
“Here come and wash your hands.”
“What a tasty smell!” Eugenia exclaimed.
“Come. We are going to have roasted chicken with potatoes.”
“I wouldn’t refuse a morsel.”
The cat lost his last hope and disappointment depicted itself on his muzzle.
“What a cutie is here?” the second two-legged creature came up to him. “What is your name?”
“Lazy,” Clorinda answered instead of him.
“So sweet and so grumpy… Let me hug you.”
“No!!!!” the cat shrieked, bending his back. “Don’t touch me!!!”
“Is it your work or your husband’s?” Eugenia asked after a pause.
“Of us both,” Clorinda smiled. “He gave him the physical ability to speak and I taught him to.”
“He was as crazy as her! These two tortured me! A poor unfortunate cat!” Lazy complained.
“Would you like to stay without your dinner?” his mistress asked.
“Nope.”
“Then be a good boy.”
Lazy became as grumpy as ever.
“I wonder why I have never been here before,” said Eugenia, eating a very yummy dish.
“You had a very interesting life so full of adventures,” Clorinda remarked while serving dessert.
“You can be such a viper…”
“Would you drink cocoa?”
“Do you have something stronger?”
“Liqueur.”
“Give it here.”
“Alright, then I’ll have it too.”
Clorinda filled two little glasses with a coloured liquid and passed one of them to her companion.
“For us, two lonely old hags,” Eugenia gave the toast and two women clinked the glasses to empty them afterwards.
“It’s so peaceful here…” the guest set herself comfortably in her armchair. “Only imagine.. I did everything to live in a grand palace to spend hours getting from one room into another.”
“Dreams differ…” Clorinda said and looked at her pet.
The cat lay on its cushion with a full tummy and slept soundly.
“What one needs to feel happy!” the fairy laughed and turned to her companion. “So, Geny, would you tell me after all the story?”
“Can you be more specific?”
“You promised me that you would give me the material for my future book in full detail.”
“Ah… yes… But it’s pretty long…”
“We have a lot of time before us. Now you are not a queen.”
“That’s true… So listen…”
