Цвета времен года

The Forest Boy

When the rain stopped, little Peri darted out of the house and headed into the depths of the forest. Her father was a forester and guarded the forest territory from poachers and other uninvited guests. She smiled, recalling how he had chased away tourists who had lit a campfire in the forest. He had looked very formidable, holding a hunting rifle in his hand.

Raising her head, she looked at the clear sky and closed her eyes, inhaling the scent of the forest. She loved the smell of the earth and the forest after the rain. She also enjoyed listening to the birds singing. The delightful sound of the forest seemed to caress her ears.

Opening her eyes, Peri looked around. She needed to hurry; otherwise, her mother might start looking for her. Suddenly, she noticed a hidden mushroom near a lonely fir tree. Smiling joyfully, she put it in the pocket of her dress. If she collected enough mushrooms, her mother might make mushroom stew for lunch, which Peri loved. So, she began searching for mushrooms in the forest. When her little pockets were already full, Peri unexpectedly noticed some very beautiful mushrooms under thick grass. They were the same color as her dress: red with white spots. She was about to pick them when someone shouted, "Don't take them! They're poisonous!"

Surprised, Peri looked up and saw a boy standing behind a pine tree. He was looking at her with disapproval.

"Didn't they tell you at school not to pick those?" he said, shaking his head as he approached her. "Show me what else you've collected."

He spoke in such a way that Peri immediately obeyed him.

"This won't do, nor this," the boy muttered to himself as he sorted through the mushrooms. Throwing away the last mushroom, he looked at her mockingly.

"In that dress, you look like a fly agaric yourself."

"I am not a fly agaric!" Peri exclaimed indignantly.

"Why do you need mushrooms?" the boy suddenly asked, more seriously.

"I wanted my mom to make stew out of them."

He looked around and then back at her thoughtfully.

"Come on, I'll show you where the edible mushrooms are," he said, extending his hand.

Peri trustingly placed her small hand in his. Grasping her delicate fingers, the boy led her deeper into the forest. The girl had never gone so far from her home before, so she followed him with both fear and curiosity. They stopped in a forest glade where various mushrooms were growing all around. Peri clapped her hands in delight.

"So many! There are so many!" she marveled.

"I'll collect them, and you stand here," the boy instructed, then noted mockingly, "You don't know how to tell edible mushrooms from poisonous ones, so just watch me."

Peri pursed her lips in annoyance but said nothing since he was right. She had only just started first grade and didn't know much about plants except what her father had told her.

"This is a boletus, this is a chanterelle, these are champignons," the boy explained each time he approached Peri with another mushroom. "Remember what they look like," he instructed.

Soon, all her pockets and the hem of her dress were filled with various mushrooms. Peri smiled happily, holding the hem of her reddish dress.

"Are you satisfied?" the boy asked.

"Yes!" she nodded and smiled at him.

"Good, then we need to hurry back home. Your mom is probably worried," the boy said, looking around anxiously. The sun was already setting, and evening was approaching.