PROLOGUE: THE FIRST SPARK OF WONDER
“Wonders begin where explanations end”
That morning I woke up to the smell of impossible.
Do you know how impossible smells? Like first snow and summer thunderstorm at the same time. Like a new book and old attic treasures. Like grandma’s pies and cosmic stars.
I knew right away - something important would happen today. Mom always says I imagine too much. And that at twelve years old, it’s time to stop believing in fairy tales. But she doesn’t know the main thing - some fairy tales believe in you.
I was sitting by the window, drawing with my finger on the foggy glass. Nothing special - just doodles. A sun with rays, a cloud, a bird. The kind all children draw when they’re bored in class or while riding the bus.
And suddenly... the sun winked!
“Oh!” - I pulled my hand back. My heart was beating somewhere in my throat.
“What did you expect?” - asked the sun in the most ordinary voice, as if drawn suns talk every day. “You drew me yourself!”
“But... but you’re not supposed to be alive,” - I whispered, feeling goosebumps the size of sparrows running down my spine.
“Supposed - not supposed...” - the sun rolled its drawn eyes. “That’s the whole problem! Everyone only thinks about what’s supposed to be and what’s not. But wonders happen exactly where someone forgets about these ‘supposed to’!”
It jumped on the glass, leaving a trail of tiny sparks:
“Do you know what’s most important about wonders?”
“What?” - I moved closer, mesmerized by the dancing sparks.
“That they only happen to those who...” - the sun paused, - “...who aren’t afraid to look silly!”
And it stuck its tongue out at me!
A real tongue! Pink as raspberry ice cream!
I burst out laughing - and at that moment, the first real wonder happened.
My laughter suddenly became visible! It swirled around the room in colorful bubbles, each the size of a tennis ball. In each bubble something amazing was reflected - here a dragon playing chess with a butterfly, there a whale swimming through the sky between clouds, and there a little girl teaching stars to waltz.
“There!” - the sun jumped happily. “Now you’re ready!”
“For what?”
“For a real adventure! For what you were born for! For what you dreamed of, even when you didn’t know you were dreaming!”
It suddenly jumped off the glass - right onto my palm. It felt ticklish and warm, like holding a piece of summer day.
“I hereby appoint you The-One-Who-Sees-Wonders!” - the sun announced solemnly.
“The what?”
“The-One-Who-Sees-Wonders!” - it repeated. “It’s a very important job! You need to find wonders in the most ordinary things and help others see them!”
It flew to my bookshelf, where textbooks suddenly started stretching and yawning, waking from a long sleep:
“Look! Even in the math textbook hide amazing stories! Here, between the formulas - see? - sleeps a constellation that no one has discovered yet!”
“What do I need to do?” - I came closer, and the algebra textbook friendly waved at me with its page corner.
“First, learn the three main rules of wonders!”
The sun spiraled around me in a golden helix, bending its drawn little fingers:
“Rule number one: trust your eyes, even when reason says ‘this cannot be’!
Rule number two: be amazed by everything, even if you’ve seen it a hundred times!
And rule number three...” - here the sun paused, - “rule number three is the most important...”
“What is it?” - I leaned forward.
“Ah, that you’ll have to find out yourself!” - the sun suddenly started melting in the air, turning into warm golden light. “Because the most important discoveries we must make on our own!”
Its voice became like the rustle of first spring leaves:
“And remember - you’re not just Lisa anymore! You’re The-One-Who-Sees-Wonders! And that means...”
The last words sounded from somewhere far away:
“...that the most amazing adventures begin exactly when we stop being afraid to be ourselves!”
And it dissolved completely, leaving behind only warm radiance and the smell of summer morning.
And I... I remained standing in the middle of my room, which now seemed like an entrance to a thousand new worlds. In my hand, I clutched a tiny golden spark - the last gift from the drawn sun.
And somewhere deep in my soul, I knew - this is just the beginning. The beginning of a story where everything is possible. You just need to remember the main thing:
Wonders begin where explanations end.
And continue everywhere where someone isn’t afraid to believe in the impossible.
And in the city at that moment, all clocks started showing different times.
And each was absolutely accurate.
For its own fairy tale.
