In the Museum of Russian Fun under the open sky, created specifically for the revival of the Russian folk game, local historians have collected games that Vyatka peasants played a century or more ago. We bring to your attention some of them:

Malechina-kalechina

Malechina-kalechina - old folk game. The game consists in placing the stick vertically on the tip of one or two fingers of the hand (you cannot support the stick with the other hand) and, turning to the little one, pronounce the rhyme in recitative:

"Malechina-kalechina,
how many hours till evening?
One two Three..."

They count as long as they manage to keep the stick from falling. When the stick sways, it is picked up with the second hand, preventing it from falling. The winner is determined by the value of the number to which he counted.

grandmother

In Rus', "Babki" were widespread already in the 6th-8th centuries. and were my favorite game. Grandmas are taken for the game - specially processed bones of the joints of the legs of cows, pigs, sheep. The Russians have the greatest respect for cow pasterns: they are larger and can be hit from a great distance. Each player should have their own bat and 3-10 money. The largest and heaviest headstock is taken as a bit (its inner cavity is often filled with lead or tin). Grandma games themselves are divided into countless types. Here is an example of one of them. Players bet out of the blue on the nest on the cue ball. Then they determine the conditional distance - horses. To whom to start the game first - to beat and to whom after, they draw lots about that. Players, standing on the line, beat with cue balls according to seniority. If the grandmas that are at stake are knocked down, then they are considered their winnings. When they have all struck, then each goes over to his cue ball and beats from the place where his cue ball lies; whoever lies further, he first starts and beats, and the rest finish the game according to the distance of their cue balls.

Rope

Rope - an old wedding game, amuses married and family people at conspiracies, at gatherings and young girls, alone, without men. But this has happened before; now all wedding conspirators amuse themselves with a rope indiscriminately. The matchmaker brings a rope into the room, the ends of which the matchmaker or boyfriend are tied in one knot. Players grab this rope with both hands, forming a circle around it. In the middle of the circle becomes a matchmaker or matchmaker for the beginning. Going around everyone, the matchmaker - to whom he says a red word, to whom he sings a saying or envies a fairy tale, trying to express in it the characters of the conspirators. Her words, although sometimes quite offensive, are answered with praise, a smile and good youth. Circular - this is the name of the matchmaker, standing in the middle of the players - among the stories, notices: someone is looking around, and, after watching, immediately beats him on the arm. The blunderer stands in a circle, with general laughter, and starts his tales. Sometimes, instead of fables, the players sing wedding songs.

turnip

Fun based on Russian folk tale"Turnip". All players stand one after another, clasping the previous one around the waist. The first player grabs a small tree trunk or post. "Grandfather" begins to pull the last player, trying to tear him away from the rest. There is another version of the game: Players sit opposite each other, resting their feet on the opponent's legs. Hands hold on to a stick. On command, they begin, without getting up, to pull each other towards themselves. The one who pulls the opponent wins.

Fun "Cherry"

This game is intended for young boys and girls of marriageable age. Everyone becomes shoulder to shoulder in two lines opposite each other at arm's length (or a little closer). Participants put their hands in front of them at a level just above the waist with palms up or clasp their hands in a lock for a stronger connection. It turns out a corridor. Volunteer (cherry), runs up and jumps like a fish on his hands at the beginning of the corridor. The task is to throw a cherry to the end of the corridor. Cherry should stretch his arms forward and keep his legs together. The corridor should crouch a little and at the same time as shouting "Eeeh-x" toss the cherry up and forward along the corridor. The main thing here is to scatter more and fly higher and further away, and after that the hands of the comrades will bring the player to the girl who needs to be kissed. After rolling over the waves from your hands for a couple of tens of meters, the kiss turns out to be very sensual. The main thing in the game is to slow down in time, otherwise you will fly past the desired addressee.

Burners

Old Russian fun. Burners were played by girls and single young men. A guy was always chosen as the driver, and he could only catch a girl, so the game made it possible to get acquainted, communicate, choose a bride. “Single guys and girls are installed in pairs in a long row, and one of the fellows, who gets to burn by lot, stands in front of everyone and says:

- "I'm burning, I'm burning a stump!"

- "What are you burning for?" a girl's voice asks.

- "I want a red maiden."

- "Which?"

- "You, young!"

At these words, one couple scatters in different directions, trying to get back together with each other and grab their hands; and who was on fire - he rushes to catch his girlfriend. If he manages to catch the girl before she meets her mate, they stand in a row, and the one who remains alone takes his place. If he fails to catch, then he continues to chase other couples, who, after the same questions and answers, run in turn. A.N. Afanasiev

Brook

Not a single holiday in the old days was complete for young people without this game. Here you have a fight for your beloved, and jealousy, and a test of feelings, and a magical touch on the chosen hand. The game is wonderful, wise and extremely significant. The players stand one after another in pairs, usually a boy and a girl, join hands and hold them high above their heads. From clasped hands, a long corridor is obtained. The player who did not get a pair goes to the "source" of the stream and, passing under clasped hands, looks for a pair. Holding hands new couple sneaks to the end of the corridor, and the one whose pair was broken goes to the beginning of the "brook". And passing under clasped hands, he takes away with him the one he likes. This is how the “stream” moves - the more participants, the more fun the game is, it is especially fun to play with music.

Kubar

AT Ancient Rus' head over heels were among the most common. Already in the X century. Kubar had such a perfect form that it almost did not change to this day. The simplest kubari were carved with an ax and a knife from a wooden cylinder by squeezing it lower end to the shape of a cone. An obligatory accessory for head over heels games is a whip (rope on a short stick) or just a rope, with which head over heels spin up to a fast and steady rotation. Kubar starts in different ways. Sometimes it is untwisted between the palms, and more often a rope is wound head over heels and pulled with force at its end. This gives the head over heels a rotational movement, which can then be maintained by whipping head over heels with a whip or string. Kubar at the same time does not fall, but only slightly bounces “as if alive” and begins to rotate even faster, moving gradually in a certain direction. Skilled players compete by driving head over heels in an agreed direction, often winding, maneuvering between various obstacles or overcoming an obstacle.

Chizhik

Chizhik is a children's game, it amuses children successfully and saddens by accidental beatings. The eldest of the children outlines on the ground with chalk or a sharp stick a square - a “cage”, in its middle he sets a stone, on which he puts a stick - a “chizhik”. Everyone takes turns approaching the “cage” with another long stick and hitting the “chizhik”, which flies up from the blow. Then other players beat the "chizhik" on the fly, trying to drive him back into the "cage". The game continues until then, until one of the players with broken face and with a cry begins to search for the guilty. But since the beatings are soon forgotten by the children, the Chizhik game will soon resume.

Dawn

The players stand in a circle, hold their hands behind their backs, and one of the players - “dawn” walks behind with a ribbon and says:

Dawn - lightning,

red maiden,

Walked across the field

Dropped the keys

golden keys,

blue ribbons,

entwined rings -

Went for water!

With the last words, the leader carefully places the tape on the shoulder of one of the players, who, noticing this, quickly takes the tape, and they both run in different directions in a circle. The one who is left without a place becomes a "dawn".

Petushki

The boys love to bully, push, even fight - in a word, cock. But real boyish fights were not carried out somehow, but according to the rules. For the game, a small circle was drawn, and two players stood in its center. The rules were strict - the guys had their hands behind their backs, you couldn’t stand on two legs, just jump on one leg. The guys could push with their shoulders, chest, back, but not with their heads and not with their hands. If you managed to push your opponent so that he stepped on the ground with his second foot or jumped out of the circle, you won.

Slaps in the face

Good old fun for guys. Two fellows sit on a bench opposite each other, cross-legged under the bench, and inflict “slaps” on each other. A narrow bench and crossed legs make it difficult to deliver strong blows with a tense arm. Once one of the guys tried to hit harder, and even with his fist, which was against the rules, but he got worse - he became a victim of his own outstanding inertia and a narrow bench and flew to the ground.

Bag fight

Two good fellows get up or sit down on a log, take a bag in their hands and, on command, begin to beat the opponent with a bag, trying to throw him off the log to the ground. For complexity, you can keep one hand tightly pressed to the lower back, and act with the other hand. Here, the ability to move, to feel the movement of the enemy, to use his inertia becomes more important.

Pole riding

This folk winter fun was once widespread in the provinces of Russia. On the slope of a mountain or mound, two even, smoothly planed poles (poles) 15-20 m long are placed under a slope parallel to each other at a distance of about 1 meter. Two smooth rails are obtained, along which you can slide down the mountain. The poles are repeatedly poured with water so that they freeze solid and become slippery. Whoever wants to ride on the poles picks up a partner of similar height and weight. Partners stand on poles facing each other, supporting each other with their hands by the shoulders or waist. However, the methods can be very different, if only to resist the rapid slide down. The coordination of actions, the ability to maintain balance, ingenuity, courage allow some to ride in the most remote and comic poses.

Cradle

For this fun, you need a rope 2-3 meters long. The rope is held by two, or you can tie one of the ends to a tree. The rope is not twisted, but only swayed above the ground at different heights - from 10 centimeters and above. Guys and girls one by one (or in pairs) scatter and jump over a swinging rope or start jumping different ways: with closed legs, on one leg, with crossed legs, with a turn when jumping, etc. Jump until they make mistakes. The one who makes a mistake replaces one of the rope swingers. A mistake is considered not only an unsuccessful jump, but also any touching of the rope.

Spillikins

Spillikins are small straws (or sticks - wooden, reed, bone or from any other, even artificial material) 10 centimeters long, and in number from sixty to one hundred. The beam is thrown on the table, or any flat surface, so that the spillikins lie in a chaotic disorder one on top of the other and side by side. The playing participants of the fun strictly alternately remove them one at a time - as it is more convenient: with their fingers or with a special wire hook mounted on a stick. Whoever just moves the neighboring spillikin, immediately passes the hook to the next player. This continues until the entire pile is completely disassembled. The winner is the participant who has accumulated the largest number of flawlessly taken spillikins. Heads are attached to some spillikins, calling them: king, general, colonel, etc .; you can also give the sticks the appearance of a spear, knife, saw, spade, etc. For such special spillikins, more points are awarded.

Zhmurki

The driving player is called a "blind man".

Blindfolded is blindfolded (usually with a scarf or handkerchief). They untwist it and then ask:

- Cat, cat, what are you standing on?

- At the pot.

- What's in the pot?

“Catch the mice, not us.

After that, the players scatter, and the blind man's blind man catches them. Blind Man's Buff should catch any other player and identify him. If successful, the one caught becomes a blind man's buffoon. Players can run, freeze in one place, “tease” the driver in order to attract his attention and, perhaps, thus save the player to whom the driver or “blind man’s blind man” came too close.

Bells

This is an old Russian game. The players stand in a circle. Two people go to the middle - one with a bell or a bell, and the other is blindfolded. Everyone else sings:

Tryntsy-bryntsy, bells,

The daredevils called:

Digi digi digi dong

Guess where the call is coming from!

After these words, the blindfolded player must, by the sound of the bell, catch the participant dodging him. When a participant with a bell is caught, he becomes the leader, and the second player becomes in the general circle.

Golden Gate

In this game, two players stand opposite each other and, holding hands, raise them up. Get the "gate". The rest stand one after another and put their hands on the shoulders of the person in front, or simply hold hands. The resulting chain should pass under the gate. And the "gates" at this time pronounce:

Golden Gate

They don't always miss!

Saying goodbye for the first time

The second time is forbidden

And for the third time

We won't miss you!

After these words, the “gates” abruptly lower their hands, and those players who were caught also become “gates”. Gradually, the number of "gates" increases, and the chain decreases. The game ends when all players become "gates".

Swan geese

Having chosen two or one wolf, depending on the number of players, they choose the leader, the one that starts the game. All the rest become geese. The leader stands at one end of the site, the geese at the other, and the wolves hide to the side. The leader paces, glances, and, noticing the wolves, runs to his place, claps his hands and shouts:

Geese-swans, go home!

- Run, fly home, there are wolves behind the mountain!

What do wolves need?

- Pinch gray geese and gnaw bones!

After these words, the geese should have time to run to the leader before the wolves grab them. The captured geese are out of the game, and the remaining players repeat the game again until the wolves have caught all the geese.

Easter egg rolling

Egg rolling is a competitive game, its goal is to get the eggs of other players. A track (also called a skating rink or tray) is installed on a flat area, which is a chute made of cardboard or wood, at the end of which painted eggs are laid out, as well as toys and other trinkets. The track can be inclined, and its shape varies. Sometimes they do without a special track, while eggs are rolled on the floor or on the grass. Each player rolls their egg along the path. If it hits any of the items, that item is won. If the egg does not touch any object, it is left on the site, and it can go to another player as a prize.

Elephant

Elephant is an old Russian game, which is especially loved by boys, as the game brings out the strongest and most enduring. The players are divided into two equal in strength and in the number of team members. One of the teams is an elephant, the other jumps on it. The strongest and strongest player stands in front facing the wall, leaning against it, bending over and lowering his head. The next participant grabs him by the belt and hides his head, followed by the third, fourth, and so on. They must hold tightly to each other, depicting an elephant. The members of the other team take turns running up and jumping on the back of the elephant so as to sit as far forward as possible, leaving room for the next. The task of the players is to stay on the elephant with the whole team and not fall off for 10 seconds. After that, the team members switch roles.

Kiss, girl, well done

The game will require many participants - girls and boys. The players stand in a circle, and one becomes in the center. Then everyone starts moving: the circle rotates in one direction, the one in the center in the other. The player in the center spins with their eyes closed and their arm outstretched in front of them. Everyone sings:

Matryoshka walked along the path,

Lost two earrings

Two earrings, two rings,

Kiss, girl, well done.

With the last words, everyone stops. The player pointed to by the leader's hand goes to the center. Players stand with their backs to each other and turn their heads to the left or right at the expense of "three"; if the sides match, then the lucky ones kiss!

ringleader

First, all players stand in a circle facing the center. The driver moves away from the players, who, in turn, choose the "ringleader". The ringleader shows all the other players different moves, and the players repeat these movements, keeping up with the ringleader. The driver must guess who is the "ringleader". If after 20 seconds he does not succeed, the driver is out of the game, and the players choose a new driver for themselves.

ring-ring

Everyone is sitting on a bench. The leader is chosen. He has a ring or other small object between his palms. The rest keep their hands closed. The driver with the ring goes around everyone and, as it were, puts a ring on them. But to whom he put it, only the one who got the ring knows. Others must observe and guess who has this item. When the driver says: “ring, ring, go out onto the porch,” the one who has it should jump out, and the rest, if you guessed it, detain him. If he managed to jump out, he starts driving, if not, the one who delayed him drives. Moreover, you can only hold it with your elbows, since the palms remain closed.

Folk game - it is a game that is widespread in the national community in a specific historical period, reflecting the characteristics of this community. Folk games reflect the culture and mentality of the nation, therefore, they undergo significant changes under the influence of economic, social, political, and other processes. The game is an unproductive activity, its motivation lies in the gameplay itself. But no matter how the gameplay is built, and no matter how complex or simple the rules of the game are, it remains not only entertainment or physical training, but also a means of psychological preparation for future life situations. Without a game, the formation of a person as a full-fledged personality is not conceivable. And the culture of the Slavs is one of the best examples of this, because. is one of the richest in the world in terms of the number and variety of folk games.

It is unlikely that we have ever seriously thought about who and when made the first snowball, who invented sledding down the hill; or how old are the Cossacks-robbers. These games have lived with us since childhood and were taken for granted by us. But almost all active children's games have their own history, which is closely intertwined with the history of our country, we just do not pay attention to it. If you take a closer look at the emergence, history and development of folk games, you will notice that the games themselves did not arise from scratch, but real events, both everyday and cultural and historical, served as a prototype for them.

For convenience of consideration, folk games can be divided into several types:

games that reflect the relationship between man and nature

games that reflect the daily activities and life of our ancestors

religious games

games for resourcefulness, speed and coordination

strength and skill games

war games

Games that reflect the relationship between man and nature

Human life in the old days was much more closely connected with nature than it is today. The forests were full of animals. Field work, hunting, crafts were subject to natural cycles and weather conditions. In many ways, it depended on nature whether the community would be fed and live in abundance or people would have to starve. It is natural that this connection is reflected in the culture, customs, traditions and holidays of the Slavic peoples. Children, in their desire to imitate adults in their affairs, did the same in a playful way. Thus, a whole layer of games of the game arose, in which the attitude of man to Nature is reflected. In many of them, forest predators: a bear, a wolf, a fox are the main characters. For games, you can also make masks of animals.

Wolves in the ditch A corridor is drawn on the ground, about a meter wide indicating moat. It could be made different in width and zigzag. In ditch drivers are located, wolves. There are few of them, two or three, and they have no right to leave moat. The rest of the players hares. Hares trying to jump over moat and not be upset wolves. If before hare touched, he is out of the game or becomes wolf.

Details: Hares moat do not run over, but jump over. If leg hare touched the territory moat, which means that he fell into the ditch and in this case is also out of the game.

Wolves and sheep On the playing field, areas are separated, having 3 - 4 steps in width and called paddocks. The players nominate one of the participants shepherd, another - wolf, and the rest remain in the role sheep. space between paddocks, is called field. On one side it is separated by a small space - lair wolf. Thereafter sheep located in one of paddocks, And you shepherd becomes in the field near paddock. Wolf, offers shepherd drive the herd sheep in the field, and at this time he himself tries to grab one of them and drag him into his lair. Shepherd trying to protect sheep heading in the opposite direction paddock, from wolf. Caught wolf become his assistants. Assistants cannot catch sheep, but they can delay them in every possible way, preventing them from returning to paddock. After another capture wolf revisits shepherd with words: " drive the herd into the field' and the game continues. Number of assistants wolf gradually increases, and each time he continues to go hunting for sheep.

Details: Wolf should not leave lairs until sheep won't get out of their paddock and will not move in the opposite direction. Wolf can catch sheep only in field.

lame fox One player is chosen to be lame foxes. The rest of the players become ducks. At the place chosen for the game, a pretty circle is drawn. large sizes - poultry yard which includes everything but lame foxes. On signal ducks rush in a circle, and limping Fox at this time he jumps on one leg and tries to tarnish one of the fleeing ducks, i.e. touch it with your hand. When fox it succeeds - she joins ducks, and caught duck becomes new fox.

Details: ducks not allowed to leave poultry yard. Fox catches them, always jumping on one leg.

Bear and leader To play, you need a rope 1.5-2 meters long. One of the participants is nominated bear, other leader. They pick up opposite ends of the rope, and the rest of the players are grouped 4-6 steps away from them. On the signal given leader, the game starts and everyone rushes on bear trying to stain it. Leader, guarding the latter, in turn, tries to tarnish each approaching the bear before the bear receives 5-6 light blows. If a leader it succeeds, the player stained by it becomes bear. And in the same case, if bear will receive the above number of hits, and leader does not have time to stain someone, then he himself becomes bear and the one who dealt the last blow? leader.

Details: Spotting bear they must announce aloud the strike, and the strikes can only be delivered alternately, and not simultaneously by two or more players. At the beginning and during the game, with each change of central actors: leader and bear? the rest of the participants should not come closer than 4-6 steps to them until leader will not signal. For violation of the last rule, the punishment is the role bear.

Russian folk games

1. Green turnip
All the players stand in a circle, hold hands, sing a song:
Green turnip, hold on tight
who breaks, he will not return.
One two Three.
On the count of “three”, everyone turns around themselves as they please, but their hands try not to disengage. Whoever breaks his hands enters the circle, the rest repeat the song. And so several times.

2. On a chair
One of the players sits in a circle on a chair or on a stump. Everyone stands around him and pronounces the words:
I am sitting on a chair
I myself sit on the painted.
Who loves me,
he buys me.
Who buys me
kiss three times!
One two Three!
On the count of three, everyone runs to the seated one. Whoever runs up to him first and kisses (or touches) three times on the cheek, he sits in a circle and everything repeats from the beginning.

3. Zarya-Zarenitsa
In the center, a pole is strengthened (or one of the players holds) on which multi-colored ribbons are fixed (about2 m). A leader is chosen, who stands or walks around the players, the rest take hold of the ends of the ribbons and begin to walk around the pole with a song:
Dawn-Zarenitsa - Red Maiden
I walked across the field, dropped the keys,
golden keys, blue ribbons.
One, two - do not crow,
run like fire!
On the word “fire”, the leader touches the one who was opposite him (or whom he looked after himself in advance), he throws the end of his tape and they run in different directions around the players. Whoever grabs the free tape first, he becomes in a circle, the latecomer remains to drive.

4. Dudar
Dudar is selected, stands in a circle. Around him there is a round dance and sings a song:
Dudar, Dudar, Dudarishche
old, old old man.
His under the deck, his under the raw,
him under the rotten one.
- Dudar, Dudar, what hurts?
Dudar shows and names what hurts him (arm, head, back, knee, etc.), everyone puts their hands to each other in this place and again begins to walk in a circle with the song.
Dudar, Dudar, Dudarishche
old, old old man. etc.
When he gets tired of playing, Dudar says: “I recovered!”

5. Cabbage
Everyone joins hands and begins to sing a song:
Ah, cabbage, my seating arrangement,
only one annoyance to the dear one.
Oh, cabbage, it spreads easily -
two walk - the third is angry.
Ah, cabbage, golden spine,
and my dear golden fiance!
With the words: Wind, wind, curl the circle in one place (near the leader) breaks and everyone starts to twist like a spiral around one of the ends (where there is no leader).
Then with the words: Wind, wind, develop, the leader begins to quickly unwind the spiral (you can - quickly, with a snake and a figure eight, in jerks).

6. Snake
"Snake" walks in front of the players with the words:
I am a snake, snake, snake
I'm crawling, crawling, crawling.
Suitable for one of the players:
Do you want to be my tail?
- Want!
- follow me!
They go together:
I am a snake, snake, snake
I'm crawling, crawling, crawling.
Approach another player:
Do you want to be my tail?
- Want!
-Crawl!
The player must crawl between the legs of the "snake" and become its "tail". And so on, until everyone is gathered.

7. Option Zhmurok.

ZhMURKA and BELL are selected.

They are inside the round dance. Blind man's blind man's buff is tied with a bandage, Bells are given a bell in their hands! Someone spins Zhmurka, everyone chants in unison:
Tryntsy-bryntsy bells
Gold plated ends
Who plays bells
That blind man's buff will not catch!
After that, Zhmurka catches Bubenets. The rest keep the circle and actively "cheer" for someone and give hints "" Then Bell Becomes Zhmurka and chooses (possibly according to the counting rhyme) a new Bell. If there are a lot of people, then you can probably launch several bells at once.

8. Frying pan

Two teams. The players stand one from each team facing the center of the circle they form. They join hands and run in a circle. At the same time, you can’t run into the center of the circle, that is, step on the “frying pan”, you will burn yourself, depriving the team of one point.

Hearing the command: "Plant!", Everyone stops and begins to pull inside the circle - "plant in the pan" - their neighbors-opponents. You need to do this, resting your feet, so as not to get there yourself.

On command: “Give fire!” Everyone is running in circles again. This is repeated until everyone in one of the teams is “baked”. Sometimes lumps of snow are placed on the "frying pan" - "fritters". Then you can step on the circle, the main thing is not to step on the "fritters".

9. The game "In circles"

The leader is chosen. The players form a circle. The driver stands in the center with closed eyes. Everyone walks around him and sings:

Then they stop, and the driver feels everyone's head. The one whom he correctly calls by name goes into the circle of the leader.

10. Game "Honey or Sugar"

The players are divided into two teams: they choose who to be - honey or sugar. Then take a stick and pull it at both ends. They compete to see which side has more honey or sugar.

11. The game "Gardener and Sparrow"

According to the counting rhyme, "gardener" and "sparrow" are selected. The rest join hands, forming a circle, the "gardener" sings:

Hey sparrow, don't peck the cannabis
Not theirs, mine, or neighbors.
I'll break your leg for this cannabis.

The "gardener" runs to catch the "sparrow". Children let the sparrow in and out of the circle. Having caught the "sparrow", the "gardener" changes places with him or new drivers are selected.

12. The game "Sun"

According to the counting rhyme, they choose the driver - “The Sun”. The rest of the children stand in a circle. "Sun" stands in the middle of the circle, everyone sings:

Burn, sun, brighter!
Summer will be hotter
And the winter is warmer
And spring is sweeter!

The first two lines go in a round dance, on the next two they turn to face each other, bow, then come closer to the "Sun", it says "HOT!" and chases the kids. Having caught up with the player, touches him, the child freezes and leaves the game.

SILVER BELL. (Foreword by Stepan Teshipov, anticipating the diaries of debutants) *

DIARY of MSTISLAV, Zalessky thief and buffoon, son of Lykovich, serf of Prince Vsevolod Vlastovsky *

DIARY OF APEXIOS, Prince Vyshgradsky *

DIARY OF DANILA, master vognik from Morom *

DIARY of MSTISLAV, the faithful companion of two divine masters, the owner of the magic boot (continued) *

DIARY OF ALEXIOS, Prince of Vyshgradsky, Oporevsky and Zhirobregsky, Kalika of the Guardian of the Chain (continued) *

DIARY OF DANIL, the hero Kazarin, chosen from the warriors, and the lord of the iron crow (continued) *

CHRONICLE OF THE ZHIROBREG CONGRESS. (Afterword by Stepan Teshilov, temporarily acting pagan idol Trajan Holder, which is a brief report of the Zhirobreg (Velikosiskovsky) Congress) *

ACKNOWLEDGMENT LIST of individuals and subjects in general, in relation to which the authors of this collection of play studies at different times and for various reasons felt gratitude *

SILVER BELL.

(Foreword by Stepan Teshilov,

preview diaries of debutants)

On a restless evening on June 15, 199... - at the beginning of the third year of the Second Republic and at the very end of the summer session of Moscow University - a yellow tram ran through dense warm rain, not looking back at all at the crossroads. The low sun of the plague democracy was still young, and the trams knew how to be yellow, the rains - warm ... And I knew how to be lonely and lazy. So lazy that he went from the stop to the residential building through puddles, rails and steps without opening his umbrella. Honestly, warm rain.

I knew how to be lonely and therefore hated my student life: these evenings, lowered into a U-turn french book. I also painfully disliked coming home first. "House" was what the three of us then called a large room in the old building, where we had lived together for three years now. Now I was approaching the door with the number "702" and knew that it was dark and empty inside. If your girlfriend ran away from you, if there is no more profitable work in the evenings, there is not even access to the Infernet network, you will not go anywhere. You will be the first to enter a deserted room and put a cold kettle on the stove.

For a long time I did not start cooking potatoes in the hope that someone would appear and help separate the peel. But Mstislavka arose, of course, at the very moment when I removed the boiled potatoes from the stove and poured sour cream to languish in a saucepan. A booming kick on the door - and my neighbor M. Biserov entered, touching the surroundings with the skirts of his white cloak, proudly stretching forward both hands, each holding a bottle.

Hello, dear child! They greeted me and I smiled back. I do not at all look like a kind child, but Biser is forgiven a lot, because he is a good person. Today, too, he gently lowered the heavy glass objects onto the table and shook off his spattered cloak from his shoulders. In this invariably white raincoat, three years ago, he flew into the life of the capital as into the dirtiest and most crowded Moscow tram. Everywhere, in the most deadly crowd, there was a place for him, and from everywhere he came out clean and fresh, like the kiss of a child. Domestic dirt did not seem to stick to the snow fabric from Giulio Bersotti.

I repeat, I was glad to see him. Two Krystal water bottles - this is because the session ended today. Plus, the cherished vessel with "Beefeater" in my nightstand is a treasured gift to a runaway lover. The start of the holidays is a great excuse to let the genie out of the bottle.

I hope we have time to share your potatoes for two, - said Mstislav, approaching the pan. AT gray eyes his hunger was clearly cut through.

He hoped in vain. The lock crackled softly, and a man in black appeared on the threshold. Some people don't like people in black and get scared right away. We, on the contrary, were delighted, because A. Startsev is an extremely bright person, although he walks exclusively in black. When Alexei talks to a teacher about serious things, he often gets confused, because he thinks equally well in Russian, English and Greek - and mixes words of different languages ​​in one phrase. When he talks to us about frivolous things, on the contrary, he never gets confused, because he is always a little drunk. Like all students of history, he drinks inexpensive but high-quality red wine and is energetic and agile when drunk. A narrow face with deep hard eyes behind the glasses of golden glasses becomes completely enlightened, and the look, in contrast, darkens and loses its ascetic coldness.

On zhei chronia polla! - he expressed some Greek thought and waved his thin fingers in the air in greeting. Leaving his umbrella in the hallway, Alexis walked over to his desk, smiling mysteriously. Opening a black diplomat gleaming with rain, he slowly pulled out a small magazine. Threw it on the table in a circle yellow light, falling from the lamp, turned around - and mysteriously flashed at me with spectacle lenses.

Walk, gentlemen students! Alexis snapped his fingers, and a bottle of champagne appeared in his other hand, snatched from under the jacket hem. Squinting mockingly for a moment, he immediately gave his face a solemn expression. Mstislav grimaced, and I also realized that Startsev was going to make a speech.

Quousque tandem