» » A pipe and a jug. Kataev Valentin Petrovich

wild strawberries fell asleep in the forest.

Dad took a mug, mom took a cup, the girl Zhenya took a jug, and little Pavlik was given a saucer.

They came to the forest and began to pick berries: whoever picks them up first. Zhenya's mother chose a better clearing and says:
- Here's a great place for you, daughter. There are a lot of strawberries here. Go collect.

Zhenya wiped the jug with burdock and began to walk around.

She walked and walked, looked and looked, found nothing and returned with an empty jug.

He sees - everyone has strawberries. Dad has a quarter cup. Mom has half a cup. And little Pavlik has two berries on a silver platter.

Mom, why do you all have, but I have nothing? You probably chose the worst clearing for me.

Did you search well?

Good. There are no berries, only leaves.

Have you looked under the leaves?

Didn't look.

Here you see! We must look.

Why doesn't Pavlik look in?

The peacock is small. He himself is as tall as strawberries, he doesn’t even need to look in, and you are already a pretty tall girl.

And dad says:
- Berries - they are cunning. They are always hiding from people. You need to be able to get them. Watch how I do.

Then dad sat down, bent down to the very ground, looked under the leaves and began to look for berry after berry, saying:

Okay, Zhenya said. - Thank you, daddy. I will do so.

Zhenya went to her clearing, squatted down, bent down to the very ground and looked under the leaves. And under the leaves of the berries, apparently invisible. Eyes run wide. Zhenya began to pick berries and throw them into a jug. Vomiting and saying:
- I take one berry, I look at another, I notice the third, and the fourth seems to me.

However, Zhenya soon got tired of squatting.

Enough with me, he thinks. “I must have gained a lot anyway.”

Zhenya got to her feet and looked into the jug. And there are only four berries.

Quite a few! Again, you need to squat down. Nothing to do about.

Zhenya sat down again on her haunches, began to pick berries, saying:
- I take one berry, I look at another, I notice the third, and the fourth seems to me.

Zhenya looked into the jug, and there were only eight berries - even the bottom had not yet been closed.

“Well,” he thinks, “I don’t like to collect at all. Bend over and bend over all the time. Until you pick up a full jug, what good, and you can get tired. I'd better go look for another clearing."

Zhenya went through the forest to look for such a clearing, where strawberries do not hide under the leaves, but climb into their eyes and ask for a jug.

I walked and walked, I didn’t find such a clearing, I got tired and sat down on a stump to rest. He sits, from nothing to do, takes out berries from a jug and puts it in his mouth. She ate all eight berries, looked into an empty jug and thought: “What should I do now? If only someone could help me!"

As soon as she thought this, the moss stirred, the ant parted, and a small, strong old man crawled out from under the stump: a white coat, a gray beard, a velvet hat and a dry blade of grass across the hat.

Hello girl, she says.

Hello, uncle.

I'm not an uncle, but a grandfather. Al didn't know? I am an old boletus man, a native forester, the head of all mushrooms and berries. What are you sighing about? Who hurt you?

Offended me, grandfather, berries.

Don't know. They are meek. How did they hurt you?

They don’t want to be seen, they hide under the leaves. You can't see anything from above. Bend over bend over. Until you pick up a full jug, what good, and you can get tired.

The old boletus, the indigenous forester, stroked his gray beard, grinned into his mustache and said:
- Sheer nonsense! I have a special pipe for this. As soon as she starts to play, so now all the berries from under the leaves will appear.

An old boletus, a native forester, took out a pipe from his pocket and said:
- Play, darling.

The pipe began to play by itself, and as soon as it began to play, berries peeked out from under the leaves from everywhere.

Stop it, motherfucker.

The pipe stopped, and the berries hid.

Zhenya was delighted:
- Grandpa, grandpa, give me this pipe!

I can't donate. And let's change: I'll give you a pipe, and you give me a jug - I really liked it.

Good. With great pleasure.

Zhenya gave the jug to the old boletus, the indigenous forester, took the pipe from him and quickly ran to her clearing. She ran, stood in the middle, said:
- Play, darling.

The pipe began to play, and at the same moment all the leaves in the clearing stirred, began to turn, as if the wind had blown on them.

First, the youngest curious berries, still quite green, looked out from under the leaves. Behind them, the heads of older berries were stuck out - one cheek is pink, the other is white. Then the berries came out quite ripe - large and red. And finally, old berries appeared from the very bottom, almost black, wet, fragrant, covered with yellow seeds.

And soon the whole clearing around Zhenya was strewn with berries, which shone brightly in the sun and reached for the pipe.

Play, darling, play! Zhenya screamed. - Play faster!

The pipe began to play faster, and even more berries poured out - so many that under them the leaves were not visible at all.

But Zhenya did not let up:
- Play, pipe, play! Play even faster.