Cheerful locomotive Chu-Chukhin and his friends. Good fairy tales with fantasy elements

002. How the little locomotive Chu-Chukhin saved Kolobchuk

– Hello, Kolobchuk! – the Chu-Chukhin locomotive trumpeted as Kolobchuk ran past.

Kolobchuk was very busy with something and therefore only nodded to the engine, continuing to explain something to Maslenka the cat as he walked. Maslenka did not agree, constantly purred with displeasure, sometimes even hissed, but some numbers in the papers that Kolobchuk carried in an unfolded form and constantly pointed at them made Maslenka fall silent.

Kolobchuk wore a rumpled white cap with a dark visor, was engaged in office work and accounting at the depot, was constantly frowning and did not let anyone down. At the same time, Kolobchuk remained a classic kolobok – a ball of dough, but very important and solid, which is why he no longer rolled along the road as before, but only bounced up and forward.

– Oh, and Maslyonka will get it today! – someone said.

– What happened then? – asked Chu-Chukhin.

– Yes, Yesterday Maslenka inserted some spare part into our faucet incorrectly. It was twisted and the tap broke.

– Happenes. Business?! – one of the newcomers was surprised that he had not yet fully understood the rules at the depot.

This is the case here, – they explained to him. – This breakdown is unplanned and therefore the expenses are also above the plan, and Kolobchuk really doesn’t like these above-plan expenses! Everything must work for him as written in the plan and break down strictly according to the technical conditions and scheduled repair schedules. That’s why he’s now going to give the bungler Maslenka a problem. Oh he’ll ask!! – the old locomotive Literny shook his head sadly, having worked all his life in government transportation and now, in his old age, he decided to live for his own pleasure in this depot.

– And where did he come from here? – the Newbie did not let up. – Is it really impossible to do without him?

– Well, we somehow managed before, – Chu-Chukhin entered the conversation again. – Only with the advent of Kolobchuk did we have more order. Again, it works better with the telegraph than the Oil Can. And he distributes outfits in a timely manner. So now we have a better situation with spare parts, and with everything else. And I’ll tell you how he came here. I brought him to us! – Chu-Chukhin smiled, remembering how it happened.

– I remember something like that, – old Literny frowned. “Back then you arrived covered in dust and soot, and half of the front end was dented!” – he finally remembered.

– So it was. – Chu-Chukhin agreed.

– But I don’t even remember what else was there. Remind me. – suggested old man Literny.

– Yes, tell me, tell me. – the locomotives moved closer. Riding behind the hangar during the morning or evening rest was a favorite pastime of the depot residents.

– There’s nothing to tell here,” Chu-Chukhin began. – In general, everything was like that.

I was traveling loaded then. If my memory serves me right, I was carrying either pipes or fittings. In a word, something metal for the neighboring metal warehouse. The load was heavy and uncomfortable. I constantly fidgeted in the carriages and every time I had to make extra efforts at turns so as not to tip over.

And the day turned out to be the most beautiful. There is not a single cloud in the sky, the sun is cheerful, warming your sides, the breeze is light and favorable. The railway tracks are clear, not a single oncoming traffic and not a single delay at the stops. Only the load is heavy, but otherwise it’s a pleasure to ride.

I had already left the main road and turned onto our western branch, and there, after three kilometers, I had to turn west again, unload at the base, and return to our branch again.

And somewhere, in this gap, I noticed Kolobchuk. More precisely, not quite his. First the stationmaster’s house appeared. The same houses that used to be numerous on the roads and where the railway workers lived, who watched the switches, monitored the track and other railway communications. For example, behind telegraph poles.

Now there are very few of these houses left, they have been replaced with something else, but we were lucky, we still have a few of them left. And in one of them live an old man and an old woman. They have a granddaughter who comes to them for the summer, a cat Vredina and a dog Bobanka.

I met Kolobchuk at the very height of the story, so I will retell the first part of it from his words.

And so, as described in the cookbook on cooking Kolobchuk, one day the grandfather and grandmother decided to eat. But, as usual, they immediately had nothing. The grandfather recommended that the grandmother place the floor, shake the bags, scrape the bottom of the barrel, and look into the cellar. Yes, he recommended doing all this so threateningly that they immediately found flour, salt, sugar, and something else that is put into the dough in such cases.

They kneaded the dough and made a bun. They preheated the oven and placed it there to bake. Yes, they covered it with a flap. And themselves, and the grandfather, and the grandmother, and the granddaughter, and the cat and dog, sat down on the bench and began to wait. Some time passed, the grandmother even began to doze, when from the other side, from the side of the stove, there was a knock on the damper. They knocked so loudly that after the third time the door jumped to the side, and out of the heat a baked, smiling Kolobchuk jumped out into the light.

– Yeah! – he shouted. – I know what you want to do with me! You want to eat me! Only I’m against it. – he blurted out, and while everyone was confused and didn’t understand what to do, he jumped onto the floor, rolled to a chair, jumped onto the chair, from there onto the table, then onto the windows, and then jumped out through the window and out into the street.

So Kolobchuk jumped out into the street and rolled. But it was not there. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the Hare, Wolf, Bear and Fox immediately ran out to meet him. As soon as they saw smoke coming from the chimney and smelled the smell of fresh bread, they immediately realized that koloboks were being cooked and, judging by the cookbook about koloboks, they would definitely keep them away from the old people. That’s why they didn’t wait for him on the path until he ran around them all, deceiving them and laughing, but decided to come to the house themselves and play ahead, so to speak.

Kolobchuk was even confused and therefore lost precious time, because his grandfather and grandmother, their granddaughter Alenka, the cat Vredina and the dog Bobanka were already running out of the house into the street.

– Hold him! – the granny screamed. And her cry became a command for Kolobchuk. He came out of his stupor and, as quickly as he could, pulled away from them along the railway tracks, escaping from pursuit.

– And here I appear, – Chu-Chukhin finally moved on to his part of the story. – As you remember, I was traveling laden then, transporting metal to a metal depot and enjoying the weather, nature and the opportunity to travel. This is where I noticed Kolobchuk. He tried his best to break away from his pursuers, but they, raising clouds of dust, rushed after him. Kolobchuk caught up with me, and I quickly asked:

– What’s happened?

– They wanted to eat… – he explained, breathing heavily.

– Jump in! – I commanded, slowing down next to him.

Kolobchuk jumped in and immediately hid in my cabin, and I began to accelerate as best I could. The pursuers did not immediately understand what had happened and even ran past me, still raising clouds of dust. And when we figured out what was what, Kolobchuk and I were already rolling at full speed and Kolobchuk sang his song to them, how he left his grandmother and left his grandfather…

– And then you brought him here and he became a clerk and accountant here. – Thinking that the story was over, the new engine said.

– And then I brought him here and he became a clerk and accountant here, – Chu-Chukhin agreed. – But that’s later. This is not the whole story yet, and I would say that it is just beginning.

– Yes? – the locomotive was surprised. “Then I won’t interrupt.”

– Kolobchuk and I were glad that we broke away from our pursuers so easily. He introduced himself, I also said that my name was Chu-Chukhin. He told me his story, I told him that I live in an interesting place – in an abandoned depot, and now I am fulfilling an order, transporting cargo to a metal depot. After that I can drop him off with us. He was happy and thanked. And after this conversation we arrived at the metal depot itself.

We spent at least three hours at the base. While all the documents were completed, then the crane was occupied, then they unloaded it, everything was weighed, recorded, and only after that they were put into special stackers – where rolled metal products are stored.

I was nervous – I really don’t like all this red tape, but apparently I couldn’t do without it. As for me, there is nothing better than a tailwind and rails running into the distance, but Kolobchuk really liked it all. He carefully followed everything that was happening, from time to time he even entered into an argument with the receiver, and one day he even jumped to the ground and there he proved and showed something.

Three hours passed, or maybe even four, we were finally unloaded, the cargo transportation order was closed, and we were free to go about our business. Kolobchuk took some documents, said that this was important, and we went.

As I already said, we deviated from the route and now returned to it, drove half a kilometer and reached the path that leads across the western bridge to our depot. We were in no hurry, I even wanted to go for a ride, but Kolobchuk protested, saying that we needed to come to the depot and report. True, there was no one to report to – we lived on our own, but Kolobchuk insisted, and I succumbed to his persuasion.

The bridge, as you know, has long been abandoned, the paint from the truss-fences has long peeled off, and it presents the spectacle of an old rusty giant, still full of strength, but long ago lost its youthful prowess. We approached this bridge, and then an unpleasant surprise awaited us. We stopped…

At the opposite end of the bridge, right on the tracks, lay a huge boulder. So huge that if I tried to do something with it on the fly, I would definitely fly off the rails and roll into the river. The bridge fences made it impossible to get around this boulder from the side. I was taken aback. And first of all, because the Fox, Wolf, and Hare stood near the boulder, and behind us, behind Kolobchuk and me, the Bear and granddaughter Alenka were moving the shooter. So, if I had decided to give up, I would have ended up in a dead end, and I certainly wouldn’t have gotten out of it.

– Give us Kolobchuk! – Granny shouted from somewhere under the bridge.

– Give it back! – shouted the Hare. – He’s ours!

And then I understood everything. While we were unloading at the metal depot, they slowly, sitting on a handcar – there it is, standing at a dead end – made it to the bridge. Somehow they dumped a huge boulder on the way and hid, waiting for us to arrive and, without understanding anything, fall into a trap on the bridge.

– I won’t give you up. – I quietly said to Kolobchuk, who was standing on the ladder and leaning on one of the pegs of the fence.

– You are in vain! – it was clear that Kolobchuk was up to something. He was already a cunning man even then. – We’re locked here. You might still be able to move the boulder, but this takes time and you need to act carefully. And while you do this, they will definitely get in here and all your efforts will be in vain. Therefore, I’d better give up, and you’re here… – and Kolobchuk shouted with all his might. – I give up! I give up!!! – and jumped onto the bridge.

Piteously, limping as only koloboks can limp, rolling from side to side, he rolled towards the stone, rolled up to the Fox herself, and when she bent down to grab him, he immediately jumped up, landed on the bent back of the fox, jumped over her and again, like It’s happened before, he rushed at full speed along the railway tracks.

Naturally, everyone forgot about me, leaving me standing locked in the middle of the bridge. There is a stone in front, translated arrows behind, bridge trusses to the right and left… And then I remembered what Kolobchuk told me, they say, it is possible to move the stone, but it just takes time and you need to be careful. Over time, I seem to be feeling better now, and I don’t need to be careful at all. Therefore, I slowly drove up to the boulder, rested my nose against it and gradually began to move it. The boulder did not immediately move, but I still managed to move it to the side, from where it had a direct path into the river, but then I lost my vigilance – I still wanted to help Kolobchuk – and pressed too hard and sharply on the stone. The stone flew along the slope into the river, but I crumpled badly, as if I had hit a rock while running.

But the job was done, I rushed forward. For the first half a kilometer I saw nothing, and only then, somewhere in the distance, I saw small moving dots and the dust that was raised by them. I picked up the pace and within a minute I caught up with the grandmother, then I passed the grandfather, the granddaughter, the cat and the dog were running together, and the dog seemed to think that this was a game and was constantly getting in the way of Alenka’s granddaughter’s feet. Surprisingly, the last of the animals to run was the Hare. He was not tired, he was just so cowardly that he was afraid to get ahead, fearing even Kolobchuk.

The Wolf and the Bear ran shoulder to shoulder and in front, fifty meters away, Kolobok was running and the Fox was practically following him.

I overtook them all, slowed down near Kolobchuk, and without hesitation he jumped onto my ladder, ran around the bMaslenka, and jumped into the cabin from the other side. Naturally, I immediately closed the cabin, because before I had time to accelerate, the Fox, who was pursuing Kolobchuk, immediately jumped up the steps onto the ramp and rushed in and then chased Kolobchuk.

– How are you there? – I asked him, picking up speed. Meanwhile, the fox tried to break into the cabin, but the rest of the pursuers were already far behind.

– It’s normal, – Kolobchuk answered, breathing intermittently. – I barely escaped.

– Well, then hold on, there’s one last thing left and after that we’ll definitely go to the depot.

Kolobchuk didn’t answer anything, trying to hide more comfortably in a corner, and I kept gaining momentum. He turned near the Dead Forest and rushed towards the Swampy Swamps and the Swamp of Old Steam Locomotives. The fox growled all the time and tried to open the cabin with its paws, clanged its teeth and every minute threatened me with the most terrible punishments. But I didn’t stop and didn’t give up Kolobchuk. He didn’t stop until the very turn near the Swamp of Dead Locomotives, and only then did he brake on all wheels at once. I was dragged about fifty meters, and I almost flew into the forest, but what I wanted happened – the evil Fox could not resist and, when braking, was thrown out by inertia in the direction of travel. She soared above the fir trees, screamed in surprise and disappeared somewhere in the direction of the swamps, flying over the entire forest.

– And Kolobchuk and I safely reached our depot, where he immediately began to restore order, conduct office work and accounting. – Chu-Chukhin finished the story. – And now I’ve taken on the repair service.

– What happened to Fox? – the same Newbie asked. – What with her?

– Yes, everything is fine with her, – Chu-Chukhin waved him off. “She flew over the forest and landed in a swamp. She raised such a cry that even Baba Yaga in her hut heard it. She pulled the Fox out of the swamp and now the Fox lives with her, together in the swamp they create magnetic and mechanical magic. They cook decoctions and fly in mortars under the moon. But they don’t bother us anymore. We taught them a lesson.

003. The story of the Ghost Engine and how Baba Yaga wanted to get to Chu-Chukhin

After Chu-Chukhin slipped away from Baba Yaga, her affairs went very badly. Not a single new engine came into her network. She, however, tried to get metal from the swamp, melt it down and make spoons, but even here she was plagued by failures.

Firstly, the metal was heavy, dirty, all corroded and covered with a rusty coating. The fox seemed to be helping her, but more and more her paw turned out to be sick, or she had a runny nose when she had to climb into the water, or even unknown illnesses occurred, which went away on their own after half an hour. In a word, she was a useless assistant.

And, secondly, even if they managed to catch something and melt it down, the spoons turned out to be all defective, with impurities, with rust, sometimes they even broke and it became more and more difficult to sell them.

That day Baba Yaga returned from the city in a very bad mood. Not only did she not manage to sell anything of what she brought to the market in Poltava, but former buyers came to her and returned everything that she had sold the previous time. Spoons bent, broke, their chipped edges with signs of rust threatened the health of customers.

Baba Yaga heard such things from Poltava customers that she was ready to scatter the entire forest in her path out of anger, and if she had gotten her hands on Chu-Chukhin, then he would have been in trouble.

– How did you go?! – the Fox emerged from behind the warm stove.

– What did you bring? – the stupid cat Peach immediately came running. Little Blackie immediately realized that this was the case, that it was better for him to sit somewhere far away, and quietly slipped out the window.

Baba Yaga cursed very strongly, and when she calmed down a little, the cunning Fox immediately sat down on the bench.

– Eh, our affairs are not honey! – she sighed. “And it seems to me that they need to be corrected.”

– It’s clear to Peach that our affairs are bad! – the old woman snapped. – But how can I fix them?

– Don’t get excited, don’t get excited, – Fox reassured her. – Here a completely different approach is needed. You need to understand the reasons…

– What is there to understand about them?! – Baba Yaga exploded again. Although it has calmed down a little, the inner fire has not completely died out. “It all started with Chu-Chukhin,” she explained. “After he managed to escape, they just sprinkled salt on the road to us for the locomotives.” None of them are coming. No one gives in to persuasion. And the magic of the swamp, it begins to seem to me that it used to pull steam locomotives into itself, began to weaken. The magic of mechanical locomotives does not entice you to climb up to the chimney in swampy places.

– So maybe the solution lies on the surface? – the Fox winked at Baba Yaga.

– How is that?

– It all began with Chu-Chukhin and everything must end with Chu-Chukhin. And if his escape somehow affected the swamp itself, then the swamp should return everything to its place.

– You speak wisely, – the old woman grinned. She understood little of what Fox said, but she still realized that she was saying something worthwhile. – So what needs to be done?

– It’s very simple, – Fox smiled. – I read in your books that there are spells for summoning ghosts. So, if you summon several ghosts from the swamp and…

– And let them attack the engines! – Baba Yaga jumped up. “Let them scare them away and disperse this entire depot.”

– We could do it that way, – Fox stopped her. – But the engines will quickly figure out what’s what and everything will go back. – Yes, and it’s somehow straightforward. This requires a more sophisticated approach.

– Which one is this? – Baba Yaga did not understand.

– We will perform a ceremony, – explained the Fox. – We’ll call a few spirits of locomotives that are lying in the swamp, we’ll tell them that we wanted to rescue everyone, but we don’t have enough strength.” And we’ll ask them to go to the neighboring depot and call a locomotive named Chu-Chukhin for help.

– And they will tell you that Chu-Chukhin won’t even want to go from us… – croaked the old woman, always doubting everything.

– I don’t exclude that such a possibility exists, – Fox continued meanwhile. “But we will warn them not to mention us in conversation with him.” Because he is a proud locomotive and if they call him to help, he may be offended and not go.

– And when he comes to us, we’ll push him into the oven this time! – Baba Yaga rubbed her hands. For the first time that day she was in a good mood.

– Exactly! – Fox smiled slyly at her.

***

That evening the fire flared up, only the first star appeared in the sky. The sun had not yet completely set and therefore the glow of the fire blocked even the sunlight.

Dry dead wood, marsh grass, charcoal, for which the cat Chernysh was responsible, burned with a bright fire, piled in a certain way in the middle of the clearing. The trees, as soon as they saw the first flames, tried to move their branches further away, and some even moved to the sides.

Baba Yaga fussed around the fire, now throwing something into the fire, now adding multi-colored liquid tinctures and all the time reciting some spells. With these spells, she scared away all the living creatures that lived nearby, the cat Peach hissed and growled loudly, arching his back, and Chernysh, like a smart cat, this time tried to hide somewhere and wait out all this action.

Somewhere closer to midnight, when the fire, although it began to subside somewhat, it seemed that its entire heat had shifted downwards, forming a dense fireball, a strange fog began to creep through the forest. It began right next to the fire, from there it moved towards the swamp, spreading along the sides along the way and there, mixing with the swamp fog, it formed a luminous mass, under which the surface of the swamp began to ripple. At first, easily, with small splashes, the swamp was marked by movement. The entire contents of the swamp began to move – the buried locomotives creaked, their rusty parts crackled, their sides hit and rubbed, the swamp mass, gray and impenetrable, staggered from side to side, and huge waves appeared on its surface, splashing tens of meters into the forest.

The earth shook, the swamp began to boil, the wind rose, forming a tornado just above the surface and breaking trees.

Some trees collapsed into the swamp, where they were immediately swallowed up by the abyss, the rest rushed to run away, like other forest inhabitants.

The trees crowded together as far as they could from the epicenter itself, forming a strip of emptiness around it. And from all this, under the howling of the wind and the trembling of the earth, from the depths of the funnel that formed in the center of the swamp, a train flew up.

The locomotive was not an ordinary one. It was not material, did not have iron sides and its chimney did not smoke. He emerged from the raging Swamp of old steam locomotives, was surprised by what was happening and suddenly realized that he was attracted by the fire that was burning in the forest. He beckons, calls, wants to tell him something.

The engine passed through a tornado that was just gaining strength, trying to take out of the swamp what was there, rushed past the frightened giant trees darting from side to side and sat down a few meters from the fire.

If he were a real locomotive, made of cast iron and steel, his sides would immediately feel the incredible heat emanating from the fireball into which the fire turned. But he was not quite an ordinary locomotive – he was a ghost, the spirit of an old locomotive that had long since died at the bottom of the swamp, and therefore had forgotten what the world was and what rules existed here. In fact, for this world, he was young and naive.

– Why alone? – the old woman and Fox whispered.

– Why do I know, – Fox snapped. – Maybe there’s no one left there at all. – Maybe the swamp is so ancient that…

– Or maybe the fire was lit incorrectly? – the old woman tried to convict the Fox. – Or did you read something wrong in the book?

– What kind of proceedings have they staged here! – suddenly the cat Chernysh appeared out of nowhere. – Then there will be time. We have a steam locomotive. Even if it’s just one. Even better. He will say that one got out, and the rest are sitting there. – he suggested a solution.

– Oh, who do we have here?! – Baba Yaga suddenly transformed. – Who came to us?!

The Ghost locomotive, and it was he, froze, not understanding what to expect from this trio – Peach had singed his tail and was now sitting on the top of a tree, watching all this from there.

– Don’t be afraid of us, little engine, – the old woman said with the greatest kindness and sincerity. – We are your friends!

– Many locomotives are languishing in the swamp, nicknamed the Swamp of Old Locomotives, – added the Fox. – Yes, you know about it yourself. And so we came to help them.

– But we didn’t have enough strength to cope on our own, – purred the cat Chernysh. – This is a difficult matter. Only you have been rescued so far.

– Oh, this is not an easy matter, – Baba Yaga nodded.

– Not easy, not easy! – Peach the cat drawled from somewhere above, having, as always, sensed the ringing, but not understanding what it was about.

– And I… – the Ghost Engine hesitated.

– We need help,” the cat Blackie interrupted him. – We can’t do it alone. – And you can no longer leave. The process has started and if the fire goes out, the cat pointed to the fire. – Then we won’t be able to do anything.

– I’ll help, – the Ghost Engine offered sincerely. – What should be done.

Pushing the cat and Baba Yaga aside, the Fox stepped forward. She moved so gracefully and spoke so slowly that the engine was even confused.

– Here, very close, – said the Fox. – There is an old depot. As old as the steam locomotives that live in the swamp. And now steam locomotives have settled in this very depot. There are several of them, but the main and most important among them is the Chu-Chukhin steam locomotive. He is such an important and significant locomotive that his help alone would be enough for us. – Fox came almost close to the Ghost Engine. – If only he were called here alone, and if he agreed to help the other locomotives, then we would help everyone in an instant!

– I’ll call him! – the Ghost Engine perked up. – I’ll find him right away and tell him…

– Oh, dear! – Baba Yaga stopped him. – You shouldn’t be in such a hurry. – You don’t know at all what this Chu-Chukhin is. This is not exactly a simple locomotive. This is a locomotive that may or may not want to help. Therefore, you need to communicate with him carefully. You need to say it in such a way that he himself wants to help, and so that he considers that this is only his merit.

– That’s why you find him, little engine,” continued the cat Chernysh. – Find it and tell him the following. Yes, remember everything word for word and don’t say anything else, but answer all questions: “You’ll see everything on the spot!” You will tell him the following: “I escaped alone from the Swamp of Old Locomotives. He broke out to tell us that we needed help. We have heard about you in the swamp and know that only you can help us! Help us. You just need to do it now, because soon this opportunity will disappear!”

– Do you remember everything? – Baba Yaga asked.

– All! – the Ghost Steam Locomotive nodded and immediately set off.

He knew approximately where the depot was located. All locomotives in the swamp, no matter what they say about them, at least somehow navigate what is happening around them. And we also heard that Baba Yaga lives on the outskirts of the swamp. But for someone to want to help them and rescue them from the swamp – this was the first time, and this probably discouraged the Ghost Engine. And he rushed to Chu-Chukhin to ask him for help, which, if he had thought carefully, the inhabitants of the Swamp of Old Steam Locomotives might not have needed. They had been in this swamp for decades, they had all gotten used to their environment long ago, and few people were already thinking in the categories that were inherent to them when they were steel giants roaming across endless expanses. It even seemed to them that there was nothing better than a swamp in the world, which is why Baba Yaga, the Fox and the cats were not lucky enough to snatch more locomotives out of the swamp with their magic than they managed. One Ghost Engine, who wanted it, escaped. The rest of the locomotives did not want this. And they didn’t need help at all.

***

The depot lived its own life, despite such a late hour. Most of the locomotives had already gone to the hangar to sleep. Kolobchuk was counting something in his office, spending electricity on lighting, Maslenka the cat was inspecting and repairing locomotives, and those who had not yet gone to bed were still standing there, behind the hangar, talking about something.

Hello, – the Ghost Engine greeted them. -Where can I find Chu-Chukhin’s locomotive?

– There? – someone pointed towards the workshop, not having time to notice that in front of them was a real ghost.

– Thank you, – answered the Ghost Engine and wanted to ask something else, but by that time they had already looked at him and, frightened, ran away in all directions. It’s not every day that an unfamiliar Ghost Steam Engine arrives at the depot and looks for one of its inhabitants.

Maslenka the Cat was sitting with his back to the Ghost Engine and therefore did not see who had approached him. Maslenka was digging into one of the mechanical parts of the locomotive, which was standing in a semi-disassembled state at a repair site, and was of little interest to what was happening around him.

– Good night! – Greeted the Ghost Engine.

– Good, good… – Maslenka answered without turning around.