THE FLY. Friendship that soon will appear between them!
THE SMART CAT. I can't understand it. What are you buzzing about?
THE FLY. What do you want to steal?
THE SMART CAT. Everything!
THE FLY. You are greedy!
THE SMART CAT. I'm excited!
THE FLY. Their friendship is still a very small one, that is why you can't catch it. It always falls through your claws.
THE SMART CAT. Ah, through my claws… I see…
THE FLY. Have some pity on yourself!
THE SMART CAT. Pity? On myself? I got excited by myself, and I'll calm down by myself. The Smart Cat is good, he is cunning, dexterous, cowardly. Calm yourself down, take off your claws, lower your tail, screw up your eyes, purr… All you are fools!
THE FLY. You have to be more cunning.
THE SMART CAT. I can't be more cunning than I am. Teach me.
THE FLY. Okay. But first let's overhear what they are talking about…
THE SMART CAT. I am an expert at eavesdropping!
The Kitten and The Dandelion.
THE KITTEN. I don't know how to be friends. Teach me.
THE DANDELION. To be friends? — You must stretch out your hand.
THE KITTEN. I only have a paw.
THE DANDELION. Give me your paw.
THE KITTEN. And what else?
THE DANDELION. Now you must say that yo-uu need me so-o much.
THE KITTEN. I need you so-o much, I need you so-o much. And what else? Well, then?
THE DANDELION. Now you give me your word of honour. Tell me that you will never leave me.
THE KITTEN. I will give it to you. I am able to leave. The Fly taught me. If you like. I can teach you too! You must turn your back on me. Well? You don't want to? Then I'll turn.
THE DANDELION. Kitten!
THE KITTEN. What?
THE DANDELION. Where are you going to?
THE KITTEN. Now I must go and not glance back. Bye!
THE DANDELION. Farewell… Stop!
THE KITTEN. I can't stop. Farewell!
THE DANDELION. Doesn't it mean that if I suffer you won't come to save me? It's so strange… Well, Okay, bye!
THE KITTEN. Adieu.
Goes off.
THE FLY. They have parted. That's great! This means that it works! I know that friendship strengthens when apart. They say it becomes even stronger. What a pity! But those who make friends posses all the world. Oh, sorry, garbage dumps!
THE SMART CAT. Our garbage dumps!
THE FLY. Yes, those who are friends, can withstand all adversities!
THE SMART CAT. Our adversities!
THE FLY. They say, that friendship can destroy a lie!
THE SMART CAT. Our lie!
THE FLY. Cowardice can be lost because of friendship!
THE SMART CAT. Our cowardice!
THE FLY. Indifference!
THE SMART CAT. Our Indifference!
THE FLY. Stupidity!
THE SMART CAT. Stupidity!
THE FLY. Flattery!
THE SMART CAT. Flattery!
THE FLY. Envy.
THE SMART CAT. Envy!
THE FLY. Selfishness.
THE SMART CAT. Selfishness.
THE SMART CAT. Selfishness! Oh, will selfishness be lost too? Well, I can't agree with you. Fly, bite my tail, try to tease me.
THE FLY. You'll do a lot of harm to yourself. You should be careful.
THE SMART CAT. I will be careful. I'm good at sneaking up.
THE FLY. You should be patient…
THE SMART CAT. I'm always very patient, while I'm waiting.
THE FLY. You should be more cunning!
THE SMART CAT. Oh, I'm cunning enough, you know.
THE FLY. Then… we'll wait! Let their friendship grow up and then…
THE SMART CAT. And then what?..
THE FLY. Then you'll seize it with all your paws.
THE SMART CAT. Oh, Fly!..
THE FLY. Well, Smart Cat!
THE SMART CAT. They are all fools.
THE FLY. Ha-ha-ha!
Disappear. The Kitten.
THE KITTEN. I'll!.. I'll!.. I'll scamper about! I'll! I'll! I'll get worked up! I'll become playful! I'll! I'll! How dull it is… Oh! There's somebody here!
The Boot and The Pot.
THE OLD BOOT. Good evening!
THE POT. Good evening!
THE OLD BOOT. What I told you! Even the sun is worn out. Everything wears out…
THE POT. Fins…
THE OLD BOOT. Wings…
THE POT. Everything is worn out, everything is over.
THE OLD BOOT. How dark it is!
THE POT. Dark! What is it, there?
THE OLD BOOT. The moon has risen.
THE POT. It'll wear out by the morning.
THE OLD BOOT. It is not worth thinking about it. It will certainly be warn out.
THE POT. And stars will be worn out.
THE OLD BOOT. Only we won't be worn out.
THE POT. We'll remain.
THE OLD BOOT. Yes…
THE POT. Yes…
THE OLD BOOT. See you soon!
THE POT. Let's meet in the morning, after the night is worn out.
THE OLD BOOT. In the morning, when the night is worn out.
They part.
THE KITTEN. They've gone away. And I'm alone! Oh, I feel upset! It is so boring. Who is here?
The Moth, The Little Carp.
THE LITTLE CARP. I've nearly become the Goldfish forever…
THE MOTH. And I've nearly become a Butterfly!..
THE LITTLE CARP. Now I've got only gold dreams, left for me…
THE MOTH. Sometimes I still fly in my dreams…
THE LITTLE CARP. I'll go and have my dream…
THE MOTH. I may fly over the thistles in my dream…
Go away. The Smart Cat.
THE SMART CAT. I can't get asleep. I'm fond of walking under the Moon! I'll tell you a secret: it's easier to steal something by moonlight. Because then you can see everything. I mean, one can see nothing. My only eye is shining brightly, isn't it? As if it were a green glow-worm! And my hair is so bright! My second eye was catapulted. What an eye it was! Much better than this one! They couldn't even be compared! How I could look at the world then! What a keen eye I had! And now… When one looks at the world with his only eye, everybody seems to be an enemy. I hear somebody approaching. Who is that? Oh, it's you!… And there's somebody else… I'm leaving!
leaves. The Fly.
THE FLY. How quiet it is! How silent! Everybody is sleeping. Everything is in order. The night moonlight is useful only to cats.
Leaves. The Kitten and The Dandelion.
THE KITTEN. Where did everybody hide from me? Hey! Is there anybody here? Hey! Here you are!
THE DANDELION. I'm sleeping. Children should go to bed at night.
THE KITTEN. But I am bored! Well… Listen… Look… the Moon is so bright!
THE DANDELION. Moon! (Opening slightly). I like looking at the Moon!
THE KITTEN. As for us, cats, it's the best time for walks.
THE DANDELION (half-open). Walks! I am fond of walks!
THE KITTEN. Well, get out!
THE DANDELION. What for?
THE KITTEN. Let's do something.
THE DANDELION (getting out). Let's do.
THE KITTEN. Let's admire the Moon!
They admire the Moon.
Well, we have admired enough. Let's do something else.
THE DANDELION. Let's listen.
THE KITTEN. Well, let's listen.
They listen.
We've listened. What else? Well, let's smell.
THE DANDELION. But I can't.
THE KITTEN. Neither can I. We Cats have a poor nose. We'd rather look.
THE DANDELION. How clever you are.
They look.
THE KITTEN. Well, What did you see?
THE DANDELION. You.
THE KITTEN. And I saw you. It's Wonderful. Let's continue looking.
They look.
What else did you see?
THE DANDELION. The Moon.
THE KITTEN. Oh, so did I! Well, wait a minute. I've already seen it before. When we were admiring it. And you? THE DANDELION. I had seen it before too. Do you know, what we are doing now?
THE KITTEN. What?
THE DANDELION. It seems to me, that we are recalling. Let's recollect.
THE KITTEN. Let us.
They recall.
What are you recalling?
THE DANDELION. I think, I'm recalling you.
THE KITTEN. How nice it is! And what am I like?
THE DANDELION. You are young in my recollections.
THE KITTEN. And you know, I'm recalling you. And you are young too. How nice it is! Well, let's recall something else. It is not very interesting — you recall only me, you look at me… Try to recall something else.
THE DANDELION. What should I?
THE KITTEN. Try to recall, how we admired the Moon.
THE DANDELION. Oh, I recall it.
THE KITTEN. And that's all?
THE DANDELION. I think it is.
THE KITTEN. I know what we shall do. But it's difficult.
THE DANDELION. What?
THE KITTEN. We'll dream.
THE DANDELION. But how?
THE KITTEN. It means to speak about something, that will never happen.
THE DANDELION. But I can't.
THE KITTEN. Little Carp taught me to dream. Well… So, when I become The Goldfish…!
THE DANDELION. Do you want to become The Goldfish?
THE KITTEN. Of course, not. Little Carp does. And I only dream. Listen… When I become a Goldfish again… and I get golden fins!
THE DANDELION. Will you get golden fins?
THE KITTEN. Well, not. Little Carp will. Don't interrupt. When I get golden fins…!
THE DANDELION. Well?
THE KITTEN. That's all. Little Carp would tell nothing more. And now it's your turn.
THE DANDELION. Well, I'll try… So… When I become The Goldfish again…!
THE KITTEN. Well?
THE DANDELION. When I get golden fins!
THE KITTEN. Well? What else?
THE DANDELION. But you didn't teach me anything else!
THE KITTEN. Oh! How I wish I could learn what will happen to these fins. I think we aren't good at dreaming.
THE DANDELION. Let's peep into the future.
THE KITTEN. Let's, but what is the future?
THE DANDELION. That's something that will certainly happen.
THE KITTEN. Well, let's try…
They peep into the future.
Well?
THE DANDELION. Ooh, it is wonderful!
THE KITTEN. It's wonderful! Now, you'll try to learn what's in store for me, and I'll do it for you.
They peep into the future of each other.
Your future seems better than mine.
THE DANDELION. Do you like it? So I give it to you.
THE KITTEN. So do I! I give it to you.
THE DANDELION. What do you want to give me?
THE KITTEN. Everything!
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!