THE POT. It is an old custom.
THE OLD BOOT. But we shall never be worn out.
THE POT. We are inanimate objects.
The Moth and The Little Carp.
THE LITTLE CARP. I'll soon get my golden fins.
THE MOTH. And they promised to give me the wings!
THE OLD BOOT. Oh, as soon as you start dreaming of something they'll immediately interrupt you!
THE POT. They'll immediately interrupt you!
THE POT. They'll find and certainly interrupt! Certainly!
THE LITTLE CARP. Oh, Moth, if you ever could imagine, how these two old whimperers bother me!
THE MOTH. Little Carp, I'm bored to death with this lame Boot!
THE OLD BOOT. Come! Come! If you were more careful, you could notice long ago that I'm the left one!
THE POT. And I'm always right!
THE LITTLE CARP. And I'll get the fins!
THE MOTH. And I'll get the wings!
THE LITTLE CARP. I'll swim away!
THE MOTH. I'll fly away!
THE OLD BOOT. I say! We can dream better, can't we, Pot?
THE POT. We can! You can't even imagine!
THE LITTLE CARP. Well, try then and show us how you do!
THE MOTH. You can't!
THE OLD BOOT. Ah! Well… I… Mm…
THE POT (is prompting). I can dream… so…
THE OLD BOOT. Can dream so…
THE POT (is prompting). That…
THE OLD BOOT. That!..
THE MOTH. Is that all?
THE OLD BOOT. It is all!
THE LITTLE CARP. It is clear.
THE POT. Feel envious? Well, Boot, Tell them, how the day passes.
THE OLD BOOT. Day passes and…
THE LITTLE CARP. Stop talking! You are dreaming in the wrong way! One shouldn't dream as you do!
THE OLD BOOT. I am right!
THE MOTH. Try to dream of the most important thing.
THE OLD BOOT. That's what I'm doing: everything passes, everything goes to its end…
THE LITTLE CARP. Boot, tell me, do you have something valuable?
THE OLD BOOT. I have… My thoughts!
THE LITTLE CARP. No, the most important thing, you've got is your sole.
THE OLD BOOT. My sole!
THE MOTH. And what about you, Pot?
THE POT. My soul!
THE MOTH. No, Pot, it's your cover.
THE POT. Cover!
THE MOTH and THE LITTLE CARP. And you should dream of this!
THE POT. My Cover!
THE OLD BOOT. Sole!
THE LITTLE CARP. Oh, my fins.
THE MOTH. My wings.
THE LITTLE CARP. I'll swim to the black sea!
THE MOTH. I'll fly to high pine-trees!
THE OLD BOOT. I can't remain on my feet!
THE POT. I'm boiling with life!
THE OLD BOOT (suddenly). Let's take the field!
EVERYBODY. The field! The field!
THE OLD BOOT. We are marching together!
EVERYBODY. Together!
THE POT. We are singing our song loudly!
EVERYBODY. Our song!
THE LITTLE CARP. We'll try to catch the sunshine!
EVERYBODY. The sunshine!
THE MOTH. We'll be jumping over the thistle!
EVERYBODY. Over the thistles!
They sing their song.
THE OLD BOOT. We are marching together!
EVERYBODY. Together!
THE POT. Go on, music!
EVERYBODY. Music!
THE LITTLE CARP. Hello, Sunshine!
EVERYBODY. Sunshine!
THE MOTH. Our beautiful dream has got the wings!
EVERYBODY. The wings!
They leave singing.
The Smart Cat and The Fly.
THE SMART CAT. How silly they are! They'll never get over the thistles!
THE FLY. The sun will set by the evening, they'll lose their way!
THE SMART CAT. They can't see anything in the darkness!
THE FLY. They can't see anything in the darkness!
THE FLY. They'll step on each others feet! They'll beat each other up! They'll quarrel!
THE SMART CAT. They'll attack each other!
THE FLY. They'll quarrel!
THE SMART CAT. They'll beat each other!
THE FLY. They'll return back. They won't get over the thistles!
THE SMART CAT. The sun will set! They'll lose their way!
THE FLY. They'll deceive themselves.
THE SMART CAT. They'll return! Quarrel! That's it!
THE FLY. They'll quarrel! This way…
They start beating each other.
THE SMART CAT. Oh' They'll tease each other!
THE FLY. They'll attack!
THE SMART CAT. Hide!
THE FLY. Bite one another!
THE SMART CAT. My only eye!
THE FLY. My only sixth leg!
Stop beating each other.
THE SMART CAT. Smart Cat is nice, shrewd, clever, cowardly! Calm down, take away your paw. drop your tail, hide your claws, open your eye. You can't open it! Well, purr then… Mrr… How silly they are!
THE FLY. You see now, our first plan didn't work. We thought it over for nothing!
THE SMART CAT. I see! I can't see anything! How dark it is!.. They can't see in the darkness! Neither do I now! Why did you bite me?
THE FLY. Night will soon fall. Sun will set. Still we have the time to start the quarrel between them. We should steal their friendship.
THE SMART CAT. I'm always ready to steal something.
THE FLY. Then, listen. I am small, so I'll follow Little Carp, Moth, Old Boot and Pot. I'll attack then in the darkness and make them quarrel. Their friendship is so small, that I'll be able to steal it. And you, Smart Cat, stay here with Kitten and Dandelion. They've got the large friendship.
THE SMART CAT. I'm fond of stealing large things.
THE FLY. See you then! (Disappears.)
THE SMART CAT. Off away with you! I'll get along myself! What shall I begin with? First of all, I'll attack them. I'll steal up to them and attack. But Kitten has got a keen ear, he'll hear me approaching. I'd rather try to overhear, what they are talking about. Oh, I hear something, what shall I do then? I should be clever. I'll lie to them. But they will realize that I'm lying. And I must lie so that they could believe me. What shall I tell them? Oh, I'll tell then the truth. I think I,m the first to lie like that. Well, I'll steal up to them and tell a lie. No, I'd rather attack them and tell a lie! No, it would be better to deceive them and then tell a lie! I'll steal up to them… I'll attack them… I'll tell them a lie… Mm… No, I'd rather come up to them, without stealing up. I'll come up and… tell a lie. So they won't understand, that I'm lying. Oh, what a Smart Cat I am! Fly could never even imagine this. So, I'll go. I'm already going!