THE DANDELION. I give you everything too!
THE KITTEN. Hurrah! You've given to me, and I give to you! I wish Little Carp could hear our words. He's fond of giving too. Let's give him something.
THE DANDELION. Well, what?
THE KITTEN. We'll give him everything too. Well… He doesn't need everything. He wants his fins. Let's give him the fins.
THE DANDELION. Well, let's.
THE KITTEN. Little Carp, we give you golden fins.
THE DANDELION. And we give Moth his wings.
THE KITTEN. Little Carp!
THE DANDELION. Moth!
THE KITTEN. I think, they can't hear our words. They're sleeping. Let's call them!
THE DANDELION and THE KITTEN. Moth! Little Carp!
The Moth and The Little Carp.
THE KITTEN. Moth and Little Carp! Listen, we give you your fins and wings.
THE LITTLE CARP. Thank you.
THE MOTH. I'm so happy.
THE LITTLE CARP. Well… You say… How could it be! I'll get my golden fins again!
THE MOTH. It seems to me… new wings?!
THE LITTLE CARP. Moth, wake up!
THE MOTH. Wake up, Little Carp!
THE LITTLE CARP. My fins!
THE MOTH. My wings!
THE KITTEN. So, we've made them a present! Let's give something to somebody else.
THE LITTLE CARP. Why… But where are my fins?
THE MOTH. And what about wings? Give me them!
THE KITTEN. But should one give anything, while making a present?
THE LITTLE CARP. Oh, look at him!
THE KITTEN. But we can't do it yet. We can only make presents.
THE MOTH. How would you like it! Well, Little Carp, listen to what they are talking about!
THE LITTLE CARP. Well, Moth! They seem to be deceiving us!
THE KITTEN and THE DANDELION. Deceive you?!
THE MOTH. I was just flying over the thistles… in my dream, of course…
THE LITTLE CARP. And you?..
THE MOTH. And I was woke up?
THE KITTEN and THE DANDELION. Who woke you?
THE LITTLE CARP. I don't know how to put it… They promised to give me the fins…
THE MOTH. Oh, I was awaken at the same moment — they promised to give me my wings…
THE KITTEN and THE DANDELION. Who promised that?
THE MOTH. There are two know-it-alls. Am I right, Little Carp?
THE DANDELION. Well, Kitten, we happen to be these know-it-alls, we promised…
THE KITTEN. How could it be? I don't know how to promise. I did it accidentally! Please forgive me!
THE DANDELION. Forgive me too! Please!
THE LITTLE CARP. Well, we'll forgive you, but…
THE MOTH. It can't be helped — one should keep his promise.
THE KITTEN. But I… We can't keep promise!
THE MOTH. So you should learn!
THE LITTLE CARP. So you'll have to learn! And I'll go and see my dream up to the end. I want to know, how it ended.
He leaves.
THE MOTH. I may have time to fly over those thistles by the morning. (He leaves.)
THE KITTEN and THE DANDELION. Don't get upset about it! We'll keep our promise! Honest!
THE KITTEN. Why didn't you warn me? I wouldn't have promised then. We made a present to our own misfortune. What shall we do?
THE DANDELION. You know, I seem to know what to do. Let's… invent something!
THE KITTEN. Hurrah! Let us! But let's whisper at first.
THE DANDELION. Let's whisper!
They whisper.
THE KITTEN. It's a secret!
THE DANDELION. It's our secret!
THE KITTEN. Let's whisper a little more!
THE DANDELION. Let's whisper then.
They continue whispering.
ACT 2
The Smart Cat and The Fly.
THE FLY. Have a good rest, sleepy-head?
THE SMART CAT. I didn't have a wink of sleep. I was lying in wait. Do you think, it's very interesting? Give it a try!
THE FLY. What's the news?
THE SMART CAT. Bad news. I didn't have enough sleep.
THE FLY. That's a good boy. You don't have to tell everything they said. I'm sure they talked nonsense. Report on what you heard.
THE SMART CAT. I'm reporting: I didn't understand a word. I was lying in wait.
THE FLY. What for then?
THE SMART CAT. What for? We, cats, have this habit.
THE FLY. So you didn't hear a word?
THE SMART CAT. Pains me to hear it! We cats have a keen ear… But my memory…
THE FLY. Can you remember at least one word?
THE SMART CAT. Mm… We often repeat it.
THE FLY. «Promise»?
THE SMART CAT. Another one… One says, when he's lying.
THE FLY. «Honest».
THE SMART CAT. That's right. That's what they were talking about.
THE FLY. How interesting! Could you even imagine it? Such a little but harmful seed has flown here from behind these thistles!
THE SMART CAT. What are you talking about?
THE FLY. Wait, you'll see what the things will be like!
THE SMART CAT. I don't like anybody, saying contradictions. I can't understand it!
THE FLY. It's quite easy — As you sow, you shall reap.
THE SMART CAT. What shall one sow?
THE FLY. Sow the wind…
THE SMART CAT. And what shall one reap?
THE FLY. And reap the whirlwind. As you sow you shall reap!
THE SMART CAT. But why does one reap not, what he's sown?
THE FLY. Nobody knows, what grow on our ground!..
THE SMART CAT. What will grow?
THE FLY. Well, Smart Cat!..
THE SMART CAT. Oh, Fly!.. Well… We need a plan! How to save ourselves from it!
THE FLY. How nice of you to understand it! Let's think it over.
They are whispering.
THE SMART CAT. Hush! Who is coming here?
They disappear. The Old Boot and The Pot.
THE OLD BOOT. How are you?! Still rattling, aren't you?
THE POT. I am. Well, is the night over?
THE OLD BOOT. Of course, it is. And the day will certainly be over. Everything passes: morning, day, evening, night…