_
_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!
_
The Dandelion and The Kitten, The Smart Cat.
_
_THE SMART CAT_. Hey! I'm not going to make friends with you! I'm not interest
in it! It is so dull! (I shouldn't mix anything and tell them a lie, otherwise
they'll understand everything). While you making plans and whispering, Little
Carp and Moth has already gone to get their fins and wings. (Oh, I'm telling
the truth for the first time in the whole life. I'm excited! The truth appears
to tickle my nerves.) Well. While you are making plans, malicious Fly has
followed them. She'll make them quarrel. And she'll steal their friendship.
They've got small friendship, and it'll be easy to steal it. The Sun will set,
they'll lose their way. They won't see their Happinness, as one can't see his
own tail! (I seem to have told a lie. Here is my tail. What if they don't
believe me?.)
_THE KITTEN. _Oh, Golden fins!
_THE DANDELION. _Wings?
_THE SMART CAT_. They'll be lost! They'll lost their way!
_THE KITTEN_. Lost their way!
_THE DANDELION_. They'll be lost!
_THE SMART CAT_. Night has fallen. It has Honest!
_THE DANDELION. _Honest! We gave the promise!
_THE SMART CAT_. Sun is setting. They can't see in the darkness.
_THE KITTEN_. But I can!
_THE SMART CAT_. They'll lose their way!
_THE KITTEN_. But I won't lose it!
_THE DANDELION_. Kitten, you run after them! Find them and show them the way!
_THE KITTEN_. I shall! And what about you?
_THE DANDELION_. I'll light up your way! Kitten, you run, run without turning
back!
_THE KITTEN_. But it means to save myself!
_THE DANDELION_. Kitten, you run and don't lose the time!
_THE KITTEN_. But it means to leave!
_THE DANDELION_. Good bye, Kitten! Don't turn around! Run away!
_
The Kitten runs away.
_
_THE SMART CAT_. I feel ill at ease! I'm going to cry! Parting words! The
stolen friendship!
_
Night. The Kitten.
_
_THE KITTEN_. Now to turn around! I'll run! To save small friendship for the
sake of large one! To run! Forward! Not to turn around! Not to leave! Not to
save myself! Not to steal up! Not to deceive! To run forward! To run!.. To
run... I'm tired. Not to get tired! I'm in despair. Not to be in despair! To
run... Run.. I seem to be crying. Not to cry! To run.... To run...
_
Different voices in the darkness. Song is breaking down.
_
_THE OLD BOOT_. Together...
_THE POT_. Go on, music...
_THE LITTLE CARP_. Sunshine...
_THE MOTH_. Wings...
_
The Boot and then the others.
_
_THE OLD BOOT_. Together. Together. I'm the left boot. I'm going alone.
_THE MOTH_. They stopped on me.
_THE LITTLE CARP_. They pushed me.
_THE POT_. Somebody attacked me in the darkness.
_THE OLD BOOT_. We've lost our way!
_THE POT_. We didn't finish our song.
_THE MOTH_. Wings dropped.
_THE LITTLE CARP_. Sun has grown dark.
_THE OLD BOOT_. March together! Why should we march together, if nothing
could be seen in the darkness.
_THE POT_. Why should we sing our song in the darkness?
_THE MOTH_. How could we go after sun if it's set?
_THE OLD BOOT_. We shouldn't... march together.
_THE POT_. Our song... is sung.
_THE MOTH_. The wings... are crumpled.
_THE LITTLE CARP_. The sun has set.
_THE FLY._ Ha-ha! What a sad end! The army is depressed! Distant victory and
sad end! Ha-ha-ha!
_
The Kitten.
_
_THE KITTEN_. We'll march together again!
_THE POT_. Again!
_THE KITTEN_. A New sun has risen!
_THE LITTLE CARP_. A New sun!
_THE KITTEN_. Our dream's got the wings!
_THE MOTH_. Wings!
_
They sing their song again.
_
_THE KITTEN_. Together!
_EVERYBODY_. Together!
_THE KITTEN_. Our song!
_EVERYBODY_. Our song!
_THE KITTEN_. Sunshine!
_EVERYBODY_. Sunshine!
_THE KITTEN_. Wings!
_EVERYBODY_. Wings!
_THE FLY_. I'll follow them.
_
Thistles.
_
_THE OLD BOOT_. We have come at last. Thank you, Kitten. Here they are. I can
see them.
_THE POT_. We have come at last. Thank you, Kitten. Here they are. I can see
them.
_THE POT_. How frightful they are! Malicious! Thorny!
_THE LITTLE CARP_. Listen, friends! We must get over them today! Let's forget
our quarrels!
_THE MOTH_. Let's ask them to help us have our way. They may be kind in
reality. Perhaps they only try to look frightful! It happens, I know!
_THE KITTEN_. Thistles!
_THE LITTLE CARP_. I don't think, they hear our words. They are talking.
(Everybody tries to understand, what the thistles are talking about.)
_THE KITTEN_. But they keep silent! They can't understand our words!
_THE MOTH_. Another world is waiting for us there!
_EVERYBODY_. Another world!
_THE LITTLE CARP_. We'll get another way of living there!
_EVERYBODY_. Another way of living!
_THE OLD BOOT_. Let us have our way!
_THE POT_. Let us, please!
_
They listen.
_
_THE KITTEN_. They can't hear our words!
_THE OLD BOOT_. How quiet it is here!.. I am afraid.
_THE POT_. I feel cold.
_THE KITTEN_. Look, the light goes out. Let's go ahead!
_THE LITTLE CARP_. Let's gather all our strength.
_THE MOTH_. Gather the best we have!
_THE OLD BOOT_. Go ahead!
_
Mute scene. They attach. The Fly.
_
_THE FLY_. What are you doing! They are trying to get over. You won't get over
here! I can see everything.
_THE OLD BOOT_. Let's go ahead!
_THE FLY_. What are you doing! You'll be hurt all over! You'll be wounded,
you'll tear your clothes!
_THE MOTH_. Go ahead!
_THE FLY_. So, I won't disturb you. Well... I can't understand. Look back!
Look, what you've left! You've got used to such a way of living. And nobody
knows, what's in store for you. You, Little Carp, have used to your bog. And
Moth hasn't woven his cocoon to the winter yet. And what about you, Boot and
Pot. What are your reasons? Did you need anything here? You lived by
yourselves. And what are your reasons? And you, Kitten turn back, your best
friend maybe dying there!
_
Everybody stop.
_
_THE KITTEN_. Don't look back! Don't turn back! Don't doubt!
_THE FLY_. It's silly of you to do it. You haven't gone a half of the way
yet. Yes. I can see everything. And beside, behind these thistles there are
the others. They are more frightful and thorny! I warn you!
_THE MOTH_. The are thorny...
_THE LITTLE CARP_. Frightful...
_THE OLD BOOT_. Oh-Oh! I've hurt myself!
_THE POT_. I got scratched!
_THE LITTLE CARP_. I've caught on it.
_THE MOTH_. I've hurt myself.
_THE FLY_. Go back!
_THE KITTEN_. Ahead! Let's gather our strength. Just a few have left to us.
_THE OLD BOOT_. How do you know?
_THE POT_. Who told you this?
_THE LITTLE CARP_. Listen, Fly, would it be better for us to turn to one side
a little!
_THE FLY_. Turn to your right.
_THE OLD BOOT_. It's must easier here! Let's go here!
_THE FLY_. You'd better go to your right a little more!
_THE POT_. Go here! It's not so perilously here!
_THE FLY_. A little more once again!
_THE LITTLE CARP_. It's so easy to go right here! Go here, Friends!
_THE KITTEN_. Go ahead!
_THE MOTH_. We've got out!
_THE KITTEN_. It's the garbage dump!
_EVERYBODY_. The garbage dump!
_THE FLY_. Ha-ha-ha! Made sure? And now fall in and march in step. Let's sing
a song!
_THE OLD BOOT_. Together!
_THE POT_. Come on, music!
_THE LITTLE CARP_. Hello, Sunshine!
_THE MOTH_. Our beautiful dream has got the wings!
_
Damp. The Smart Cat and The Dandelion.
_
_THE SMART CAT_. I've kept watching over him for the whole night. I've been
lying in wait. I haven't had a wink of sleep for several nights. It fell to my
lot... But, what the results are! - He's turned grey. Not me, it's Dandelion,
that's turned grey. Any will turn grey, if your best friend leaves you. How
unjust it's everywhere! Everywhere! But where's Fly? What are the results?
Well, let's see... Dandelion... shone their way for the whole night. How can
one do everything at once? I warned him not to do it! - In vain. He shone for
the whole night. And here the results! I ask you to switch off the light, when
you are leaving (I'm approaching to the point, you know.) I can't look at him
- he's changed a lot for these 2 days: first he was green, then yellow and now
he's turned grey. I feel pity for him. How could he do that? When you leave,
please... Oh, I've already warned you about it. How awful it is! But that is
what I wanted, didn't I? Well, it's dangerous to tell the truth. And what if
this happens to me? Could I do it? Without having a wink of sleep... He shone
for the whole night... Well, I've already told you about it. Let's wait for
Fly to come. Let her look at him. But it's better not to look at him at all.
How awful it is! Well, it's dangerous to tell the truth... And I've told you
about it too! There's nothing unknown in this world. Everything has been told.
For the life of me! Well... the only thing, left for us is to live ourselves,
There is nothing to add. What happens to me? - I'm telling the truth, and
there's nobody to listen to it. I have to be so sophisticated. And this is my
life... Oh, my life... I was born. How was I born? - They simply threw me
away, and that of it? They made me home my own way. And I have.
But who won't have it? Will he? Nobody asked him or tried to persuade him.
Honest! What if you try to persuade me. Nobody knows, what will come of it...
I have my own way, and I can rely only on myself. I don't need to think of
anybody else... They'll get along without me. What a good boy I am! They'll
keep me in mind! But will they! They'll forget me immediately! As if I have
never lived here. Well, I'll get along without them! I shall! There are many
of us here. And there are just a few of them.
They seem to be returning. I can hear them approaching. I am leaving... But
