One lovely afternoon Turtle Anya was going for a walk when she crossed paths with Olena the Cucumber Princess. Olena was looking very confused and sad.
"What's wrong, Lena?" asked Turtle Anya.
"I just realized something. I don't have any crab friends," replied Olena.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I don't have a single friend who is a crab. And that makes me sad," explained Olena.
"Um...interesting," said Anya. And then she walked away.
Olena decided she should do something about this problem. So she took a marshrutka to Odesa so she could be introduced to a crab. When she reached the beach, she found one.
"Hello, crab. My name is Olena. I am the princess of cucumbers. I also like tomatoes sometimes."
The crab looked at her, but didn't respond.
"I think we will become the best friends ever!" declared Olena.
"Okay. Whatever," said the crab. It would be the only words he would speak during this entire story.
Olena joined the crab and they went to the bottom of the sea. Olena became very excited about this adventure. First, the crab was swimming and then he stopped to eat something. Then he swam some more. Then he stopped to eat some more things. Also, he buried himself in the sand to avoid dangerous animals. Olena waited for him to come out of the sand so the adventure could continue. Two hours later, her crab friend came out. I guess it was safe to continue swimming. Olena began to realize that maybe she wasn't really missing anything special when she didn't have a crab friend. The crab didn't appear to have any interesting hobbies besides eating and hiding. He didn't listen to music, he didn't watch movies. And most importantly, he really didn't have anything to say. Finally, Olena shook the crab's hand and said, "It was very pleasant to meet you. I must be going now."
The next day, Turtle Anya was going for a walk when she saw Olena again. Olena was looking very happy and content.
"Why are you so happy, Lena?" asked Turtle Anya.
"I just realized something," answered Olena. "Crabs don't make very interesting friends."
"Yes, Lena. This is true. I'm glad you know the truth. Now let's go to a cafe and eat some cucumber sandwiches and drink tomato juice."
Olena agreed that this was a fabulous idea.
THAT'S ALL I'VE GOT HERE
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Bunny Vika Studies Anatomy
Once upon a time, Bunny Vika was studying for an anatomy exam when suddenly she began to feel a little sad.
"What's wrong, Bunny Vika? Why do you have such a gloomy expression on your face?" asked Bohdan the Beaver.
"Well, I have a very important exam at my medical university academy tomorrow. It's for my anatomy class. But it is very difficult. It's not fun at all." Vika wanted to cry.
Suddenly Bohdan had an excellent idea. He grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper and began to draw.
After he finished, he gave a sheet of paper to Vika and asked, "Vika, what does this look like to you?"
Vika looked at the drawing for a moment, concentrated, and replied, "Um...a nose?"
"Exactly! And what about this???" Bohdan showed her another drawing.
"Those look like ears. Oh, and you also drew a hand!" Vika was feeling happier.
"That's right, Bunny Vika! And what do you notice in that hand?"
Vika looked carefully at the drawing and said excitedly, "Ого! It's a strawberry!!!"
"Indeed it is! So what did you learn today?" asked Bohdan.
"I learned that studying anatomy is the best ever!" Vika gave Bohdan a hug. And then she passed her anatomy exam the next day.
TRUE STORY
"What's wrong, Bunny Vika? Why do you have such a gloomy expression on your face?" asked Bohdan the Beaver.
"Well, I have a very important exam at my medical university academy tomorrow. It's for my anatomy class. But it is very difficult. It's not fun at all." Vika wanted to cry.
Suddenly Bohdan had an excellent idea. He grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper and began to draw.
After he finished, he gave a sheet of paper to Vika and asked, "Vika, what does this look like to you?"
Vika looked at the drawing for a moment, concentrated, and replied, "Um...a nose?"
"Exactly! And what about this???" Bohdan showed her another drawing.
"Those look like ears. Oh, and you also drew a hand!" Vika was feeling happier.
"That's right, Bunny Vika! And what do you notice in that hand?"
Vika looked carefully at the drawing and said excitedly, "Ого! It's a strawberry!!!"
"Indeed it is! So what did you learn today?" asked Bohdan.
"I learned that studying anatomy is the best ever!" Vika gave Bohdan a hug. And then she passed her anatomy exam the next day.
TRUE STORY
A Short Story About a Cabbage Named Christina
Once upon a time in a garden in Western Ukraine, a little cabbage began to grow. Her name was Christina. She had a tomato friend named Vasylyna and a cucumber friend named Oleh.
Oleh said, "I'm the best vegetable ever because I'm green."
Christina said, "Whatever. I'm green too."
Vasylyna said, "I'm the best vegetable ever because I grow on a vine."
Christina replied, "Whatever. Tomatoes are actually considered fruits, not vegetables."
It was clear that Christina was a very intelligent and observant cabbage.
IT REALLY WAS SHORT, BUT YOU WERE WARNED
Oleh said, "I'm the best vegetable ever because I'm green."
Christina said, "Whatever. I'm green too."
Vasylyna said, "I'm the best vegetable ever because I grow on a vine."
Christina replied, "Whatever. Tomatoes are actually considered fruits, not vegetables."
It was clear that Christina was a very intelligent and observant cabbage.
IT REALLY WAS SHORT, BUT YOU WERE WARNED
Olena the Princess of Cucumber Garden Grows a Tomato For a Change
Once upon a time, Olena the Princess of Cucumber Garden looked at her garden and decided it was boring. "Too many cucumbers. Not enough other vegetables. In fact, there are no other vegetables!" This made her feel kind of sad, so she decided to grow a tomato.
"But Olena, if you grow a tomato in the cucumber garden, it will no longer be just a cucumber garden," pleaded Lilia the Cucumber. Olena realized that Lilia was right!
"Now I don't know what I should do! I'm so scared right now..." said Olena. Before growing a tomato, Olena decided she should become acquainted with one. And so she went on vkontakte and searched for a tomato friend. Once she found one who looked normal, she added her as a friend.
"Hello, Oksana the Tomato! Thank you for adding me as a friend. Tell me something about yourself. Do you think I should grow a tomato in my cucumber garden?" wrote Olena.
Oksana the Tomato wrote back: I'm happy to have you as a friend. What can I say about myself? I am red. I can be turned into ketchup and tomato sauce. And even though I am treated as a vegetable, I am actually considered a fruit."
Olena found this information to be amazing. It occured to her that cucumbers couldn't be turned into ketchup and cucumber sauce probably would be as tasty as tomato sauce. And cucumbers aren't some magical fruit that is treated as a vegetable.
Olena said, "You know, maybe I shouldn't be the Princess of Cucumber Garden. I should become Princess of Tomato Garden."
And so she started planting tomatoes and stopped planting cucumbers. The next spring, she looked at her tomato garden. It was red. It was beautiful. But...something was missing.
"There are too many tomatoes and not enough cucumbers. In fact, there are no cucumbers at all!"
So Olena decided to grow both tomatoes and cucumbers, even though it required her to become Princess of Tomatoes AND Cucumbers.
Several years later, Olena thought about her decision to grow tomatoes and cucumbers at the same time. She realized it was the best decision ever. And she probably learned some very important lessons. But she can't remember what they were.
THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO SAY
"But Olena, if you grow a tomato in the cucumber garden, it will no longer be just a cucumber garden," pleaded Lilia the Cucumber. Olena realized that Lilia was right!
"Now I don't know what I should do! I'm so scared right now..." said Olena. Before growing a tomato, Olena decided she should become acquainted with one. And so she went on vkontakte and searched for a tomato friend. Once she found one who looked normal, she added her as a friend.
"Hello, Oksana the Tomato! Thank you for adding me as a friend. Tell me something about yourself. Do you think I should grow a tomato in my cucumber garden?" wrote Olena.
Oksana the Tomato wrote back: I'm happy to have you as a friend. What can I say about myself? I am red. I can be turned into ketchup and tomato sauce. And even though I am treated as a vegetable, I am actually considered a fruit."
Olena found this information to be amazing. It occured to her that cucumbers couldn't be turned into ketchup and cucumber sauce probably would be as tasty as tomato sauce. And cucumbers aren't some magical fruit that is treated as a vegetable.
Olena said, "You know, maybe I shouldn't be the Princess of Cucumber Garden. I should become Princess of Tomato Garden."
And so she started planting tomatoes and stopped planting cucumbers. The next spring, she looked at her tomato garden. It was red. It was beautiful. But...something was missing.
"There are too many tomatoes and not enough cucumbers. In fact, there are no cucumbers at all!"
So Olena decided to grow both tomatoes and cucumbers, even though it required her to become Princess of Tomatoes AND Cucumbers.
Several years later, Olena thought about her decision to grow tomatoes and cucumbers at the same time. She realized it was the best decision ever. And she probably learned some very important lessons. But she can't remember what they were.
THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO SAY
Nobody Could Come to Bunny Vika's Party and That's Sad
Bunny Vika decided she wanted to have a party at her house, so she sent invitations to her bunny friends Masha, Tanya, Olya, Andriy, and Vasya. The invitation said: “You are invited to Bunny Vika’s party on July 16th. There will be tasty food, music, dancing, and games. It will be the best day ever and then you will feel so tired that you will fall asleep.”
When her friends read the invitation, they became sad because they realized they would all be too busy that day to come. Masha had to attend a wedding. Tanya was supposed to babysit her little brothers and sisters. Olya was scheduled to take part in a dancing competition. Andriy had tickets to a football match. Vasya had a very important chemistry exam.
“We should go to Bunny Vika’s house and tell her the sad news that we cannot come to her party,” suggested Masha. Everyone agreed, so they all got into Vasya’s Lada and drove to Bunny Vika’s house.
“We have some terrible news, Vika. We cannot come to your party on the 16th because we have other commitments. We feel really bad about it because we know it would have been the best party ever,” said Andriy.
“Aww. That makes me feel very sad. I was looking forward to hosting this party,” said Bunny Vika, almost in tears. “My strawberry cake would have been the best.” Bunny Vika brought everybody into the kitchen and gave them a piece of cake to eat.
“Wow! That’s soooooo tasty,” exclaimed Olya. “You’re right.It would have been so amazing to eat this at your party. I’m sorry that we cannot come.” Everybody agreed that it sucked that they wouldn’t be at the party to eat this cake.
“We also would have played interesting games,” said Vika, “For example, ‘Hide the Carrot.’ I would hide a carrot in the backyard and whoever found it would be able to eat it.”
“Such an interesting game! Can we play? Please, please! Bud laska!!!!!!!” begged Tanya. Everybody agreed that they wanted to play ‘Hide the Carrot’ because it sounded like the most interesting game ever. So Vika hid a carrot in the backyard while her friends closed their eyes. Well, except for Masha. She kept her eyes open so she could see where Vika was hiding the carrot. She won the game and ate the carrot.
Vika’s friends wanted to know what music they would have listened to if they had been able to come to her party. Vika played some music on her computer and everybody started dancing. Everybody agreed that this was the best party music ever. It made them sad that they wouldn’t be able to come to the party. :(
After dancing for about 5 hours, it was getting late and everybody decided they should go home. Olya began to cry. “Why did we have to make other plans on July 16th?” she asked. “This party would have been the best. We would have eaten such a tasty strawberry cake, played an amazing game of Hide the Carrot, and we would have danced for hours and hours.”
“I have an idea,” said Bunny Vika. “Let’s have a party on July 26th. It can also be amazing. We will eat ice cream, play a game of ‘Jump Really High,’ and watch interesting films.”
The other bunnies became excited…and then they realized they would be busy that day. Masha had to attend another wedding. Tanya had lessons to fly an airplane. Olya had a singing competition. Andriy had tickets to a hockey match. And Vassya had a very important physics exam. Everybody was so sad!!!
After Vika gave everybody some ice cream to show them what it would have been like if they had been able to come to the party on July 26th, she asked, “Is everybody ready for a game of ‘Jump Really High?’” Everybody cheered.
FIN
When her friends read the invitation, they became sad because they realized they would all be too busy that day to come. Masha had to attend a wedding. Tanya was supposed to babysit her little brothers and sisters. Olya was scheduled to take part in a dancing competition. Andriy had tickets to a football match. Vasya had a very important chemistry exam.
“We should go to Bunny Vika’s house and tell her the sad news that we cannot come to her party,” suggested Masha. Everyone agreed, so they all got into Vasya’s Lada and drove to Bunny Vika’s house.
“We have some terrible news, Vika. We cannot come to your party on the 16th because we have other commitments. We feel really bad about it because we know it would have been the best party ever,” said Andriy.
“Aww. That makes me feel very sad. I was looking forward to hosting this party,” said Bunny Vika, almost in tears. “My strawberry cake would have been the best.” Bunny Vika brought everybody into the kitchen and gave them a piece of cake to eat.
“Wow! That’s soooooo tasty,” exclaimed Olya. “You’re right.It would have been so amazing to eat this at your party. I’m sorry that we cannot come.” Everybody agreed that it sucked that they wouldn’t be at the party to eat this cake.
“We also would have played interesting games,” said Vika, “For example, ‘Hide the Carrot.’ I would hide a carrot in the backyard and whoever found it would be able to eat it.”
“Such an interesting game! Can we play? Please, please! Bud laska!!!!!!!” begged Tanya. Everybody agreed that they wanted to play ‘Hide the Carrot’ because it sounded like the most interesting game ever. So Vika hid a carrot in the backyard while her friends closed their eyes. Well, except for Masha. She kept her eyes open so she could see where Vika was hiding the carrot. She won the game and ate the carrot.
Vika’s friends wanted to know what music they would have listened to if they had been able to come to her party. Vika played some music on her computer and everybody started dancing. Everybody agreed that this was the best party music ever. It made them sad that they wouldn’t be able to come to the party. :(
After dancing for about 5 hours, it was getting late and everybody decided they should go home. Olya began to cry. “Why did we have to make other plans on July 16th?” she asked. “This party would have been the best. We would have eaten such a tasty strawberry cake, played an amazing game of Hide the Carrot, and we would have danced for hours and hours.”
“I have an idea,” said Bunny Vika. “Let’s have a party on July 26th. It can also be amazing. We will eat ice cream, play a game of ‘Jump Really High,’ and watch interesting films.”
The other bunnies became excited…and then they realized they would be busy that day. Masha had to attend another wedding. Tanya had lessons to fly an airplane. Olya had a singing competition. Andriy had tickets to a hockey match. And Vassya had a very important physics exam. Everybody was so sad!!!
After Vika gave everybody some ice cream to show them what it would have been like if they had been able to come to the party on July 26th, she asked, “Is everybody ready for a game of ‘Jump Really High?’” Everybody cheered.
FIN
Наша Маша (Our Masha) and Пан банан (Mr. Banana)
Once upon a time there was a Ukrainian named Маша. I called her Наша Маша because, really, everybody should have a friend like her. She was funny, kind, pretty, and she liked apples.
But what if Наша Маша wasn't a Ukrainian who studied in Kyiv? What if she had been born an apple? Well, I guess that's what this story is about. If Наша Маша had been born an apple, she would be shiny and red. Her leaves would be green. And she would grow on a tree. But not a lemon tree or an orange tree. She would grow on an apple tree because apples usually grow on them. Well, sometimes rebellious apples grow on cherry trees and it often makes the cherries feel confused and scared, but Наша Маша wasn't a rebellious apple. Cherries were her friend.
One warm afternoon, Наша Маша was hanging from a tree when a squirrel came up to her.
"Hello, Наша Маша. What are you doing?" asked the squirrel.
"Hello, білoчка friend. I'm just hanging from the tree. And growing. I dream that someday I will be tasty. And maybe I will even be made into tea," replied Наша Маша.
"Interesting. Bye." The squirrel had a busy day of eating nuts, so he had to go.
Наша Маша liked everybody in the village including Пан банан, even though she was jealous of him.
"Наша Маша, why are you jealous of me?" asked Пан банан.
"Well, if you want to know the truth, I am jealous because you wear such a beautiful yellow sweater. It is quite fashionable. And also, you have such an interesting shape. I mean, my round shape is boring and that makes me sad," explained Наша Маша.
"Awww, Наша Маша. You shouldn't feel jealous. It's amazing to be round. You are the same shape as a ball, as the planet, and other round things, including other types of apples. But look at me. I am a very silly shape. I am...simply shaped like a banana."
Suddenly Наша Маша felt very happy again. "You are so right, Пан банан!!! You look absolutely ridiculous. I feel so much better now. You are the best!"
And so Наша Маша gave Пан банан a hug. And they danced. Or at least they tried to. But it can be hard for apples and bananas to dance because they don't have legs. But that's okay.
THAT COMPLETES THIS TALE
But what if Наша Маша wasn't a Ukrainian who studied in Kyiv? What if she had been born an apple? Well, I guess that's what this story is about. If Наша Маша had been born an apple, she would be shiny and red. Her leaves would be green. And she would grow on a tree. But not a lemon tree or an orange tree. She would grow on an apple tree because apples usually grow on them. Well, sometimes rebellious apples grow on cherry trees and it often makes the cherries feel confused and scared, but Наша Маша wasn't a rebellious apple. Cherries were her friend.
One warm afternoon, Наша Маша was hanging from a tree when a squirrel came up to her.
"Hello, Наша Маша. What are you doing?" asked the squirrel.
"Hello, білoчка friend. I'm just hanging from the tree. And growing. I dream that someday I will be tasty. And maybe I will even be made into tea," replied Наша Маша.
"Interesting. Bye." The squirrel had a busy day of eating nuts, so he had to go.
Наша Маша liked everybody in the village including Пан банан, even though she was jealous of him.
"Наша Маша, why are you jealous of me?" asked Пан банан.
"Well, if you want to know the truth, I am jealous because you wear such a beautiful yellow sweater. It is quite fashionable. And also, you have such an interesting shape. I mean, my round shape is boring and that makes me sad," explained Наша Маша.
"Awww, Наша Маша. You shouldn't feel jealous. It's amazing to be round. You are the same shape as a ball, as the planet, and other round things, including other types of apples. But look at me. I am a very silly shape. I am...simply shaped like a banana."
Suddenly Наша Маша felt very happy again. "You are so right, Пан банан!!! You look absolutely ridiculous. I feel so much better now. You are the best!"
And so Наша Маша gave Пан банан a hug. And they danced. Or at least they tried to. But it can be hard for apples and bananas to dance because they don't have legs. But that's okay.
THAT COMPLETES THIS TALE
Bunny Vika's Lazy Day
Once upon a time, there was a bunny named Lazy Vika. She liked to eat carrots, hop in the forest, and watch television. But she was very, very lazy on weekends. She was very curious to know how else she could be described besides "lazy" and so she decided she would look at a thesauras to find synonyms. If she had actually opened the book, she would have discovered these synonyms: faineant, indolent, otiose, slothful, work-shy, apathetic, careless, comatose, dallying, dilatory, drowsy, dull, flagging, idle, inattentive, indifferent, indolent, inert, lackadaisical, laggard, languid, languorous, lethargic, lifeless, loafing, neglectful, passive, procrastinating, remiss, shiftless, slack, slow, slow-moving, snoozy, somnolent, supine, tardy, tired, torpid, trifling, unconcerned, unenergetic, unindustrious, unperserving, unready, weary, backward, behindhand, delaying, deliberate, late, lax, leisurely, lingering, loitering, moratory, negligent, puttingoff, snail-like, tarrying, time-wasting, unhasty, unhurried, lulling, nodding, restful, sluggish, slumberous, soothing, and soporific.
But actually, before she opened the book she decided she was too lazy to read. So she went to sleep. THE END. 0___o
But actually, before she opened the book she decided she was too lazy to read. So she went to sleep. THE END. 0___o
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