Миляуша Еникеева
Shadows Around Us/Тени вокруг нас

Глава 1

The Keychain That Was Warm and Scary Брелок, который согревал и пугал

Asia was waiting for her sister after school, as always. She was standing at the school gate. Her sisters name was Alsou. She was only six years old. Suddenly Alsou ran out of the school. She was very happy. — Asia! We have a new girl! Her name is Masha! We became friends! She gave me a keychain! Look! Alsou showed a small keychain. It was like a little doll. It was warm and shiny. Asia touched it. It was very warm, but the weather was cold. — Its beautiful, — said Asia. — Who is Masha? — She is new! She is kind! She said I can wear it all the time. She said it will protect me. — Protect you from what? — Asia smiled. But Alsou did not answer. She just looked at the keychain. In the evening Alsou was very quiet. She didnt want sweets. She didnt want cartoons. She sat on the floor and looked at the keychain. — Whats wrong? — Asia asked. — I dont want to lose it. Masha said it can talk if I listen. Asia felt scared. But she didnt argue. The next day Alsou was very quiet again. She didnt laugh. She didnt talk. She said only one thing: — Masha said I must be quiet. Asia decided to find Masha. She went to the school and asked the teacher: — Hello, do you have a new girl? Masha? The teacher was surprised: — Asia, we dont have new students. There are no new girls in our class. Asia showed the keychain. The teacher looked at it and said: — This looks like an old museum toy. Its from our school museum. But nobody opened it for many years. Asia went home. She wanted to throw the keychain away. But Alsou screamed: — Dont touch it! Masha said if I tell anyone about her, she will take me to a country where there are no sweets, no cartoons, and nobody will find me! Asia was very scared. She waited until Alsou fell asleep. She took the keychain, put on old gloves, and ran outside. She buried the keychain under an old oak tree near the school. It was dark, but she did it. In the morning Alsou woke up and smiled: — Asia! Where is my keychain? Where is Masha? — You had a dream, — Asia said. — You lost the keychain. Alsou smiled and asked for cartoons. Asia felt better. But when she walked past the school museum, she saw a small figure in the window. It looked like Masha. It was smiling at her. Asia smiled back and went home.

Vocabulary – Словарь (Chapter 1) English Русский

to wait ждать

sister сестра

school gate школьные ворота

to run out выбегать

happy счастливый

keychain брелок

doll кукла

warm тёплый

shiny блестящий

kind добрый

to protect защищать

quiet тихий

sweet конфета

to fall asleep засыпать

to bury закапывать

oak tree дуб

dream сон

to lose терять

figure фигура, силуэт

Глава 2

The Green Fingers . Зелёные пальцы

Gleb was 14 years old. He thought he was brave. He liked horror films and scary stories. He often told his friends: Im not afraid of anything. But sometimes he left the light on in the hall. Just in case. One evening his parents went to a meeting. They said: Well be back late. Gleb was alone. He went to bed early. He covered himself with a blanket. He was almost sleeping when he heard a strange sound. Shhhh… It was coming from the wardrobe. Gleb opened one eye. The wardrobe door was a little bit open. He thought: Its nothing. But the sound repeated. Shhhh… Gleb turned to the other side. Then someone pulled his blanket. Strongly. The blanket fell on the floor. Glebs heart started beating fast. He sat up slowly and looked at the wardrobe. Green fingers were coming out of the wardrobe door. They were long and green. They were moving slowly. They were crawling on the floor towards his bed. One finger touched his hand. It was cold. But it was moving. Gleb screamed. He jumped up and turned on the light. The wardrobe was open. Inside — only old coats. But his blanket was on the floor. And there was a green mark on his hand. He didnt sleep that night.The next day Gleb wrote a note: If you are real — come when I am not looking at the wardrobe. He put the note inside and closed the door. At night he sat with a notebook. He started writing about his feelings. Then he started thinking about football, about summer, about holidays. And he understood: The fingers appeared only when he thought about them. When he thought about other things — they were not there. Gleb wrote another note: THANK YOU FOR THE LESSON. I AM NOT AFRAID ANYMORE. He put it in the wardrobe. The fingers never came back. But sometimes, when Gleb was scared, he whispered: — I know you are here. But I am not calling you.

--- Vocabulary – Словарь English Русский

brave смелый

scary страшный

wardrobe шкаф

blanket одеяло

to pull дёргать

green зелёный

finger палец

to crawl ползти

hand рука

cold холодный

to scream кричать

mark отпечаток, след

note записка

to appear появляться

to disappear исчезать

to whisper шептать

Глава 3

The One Who Comes in Dreams.Тот, кто входит в сны

Eva did not tell anyone about her dreams. At first they were just strange. She was in a big hall full of mirrors. A quiet voice called her name. It was kind and warm, like an old friend. — Do you want to be the best? — it asked. — I can help you with school. Just let me come to you. Eva agreed. Every night she saw this hall. The voice helped her with her homework. Her grades became better. Her mother was proud of her. But something was changing. Eva looked pale. She ate very little. She didnt laugh. Every morning she found black threads on her pillow. Thin, shiny, like metal. She told everything to her best friend Miray. — This is not a dream, — Miray said. — This is a demon. Your grandmother has an old book. She gave it to you. Eva brought the book. On the first page it said: Dont let him say your name three times. The demon tried to separate them. He came into Mirays dream and told her: Eva thinks you are stupid. Miray was angry for one day. But then she understood everything and forgave Eva. In the book there was a ritual. To stop the demon, Eva had to enter the dream, ask his name, then wake up and clap three times while saying the name. Eva closed her eyes. She entered the dream. — What is your name? — she asked. The demon screamed. — ZARATAN! — it hissed. Eva woke up. Together with Miray she clapped three times: — Zaratan! clap — Zaratan! clap — Zaratan! clap Cold wind blew through the room. The book closed. The black threads disappeared. Eva felt light and free. Her mother looked into the room: — You look better today, honey. Eva smiled: — Everything is good now, Mom. -

Vocabulary – Словарь English Русский

dream сон

mirror зеркало

voice голос

to help помогать

grade оценка