Aliyah Meirbek - The Adventures of Tim and Janik. The magic chest

Translator Xeniya Chshepina

Illustrator Arai Karimsakova

© Aliyah Meirbek, 2021

© Xeniya Chshepina, translation, 2021

© Arai Karimsakova, illustrations, 2021

ISBN 978-5-0053-1407-9

Created with Ridero smart publishing system

Tim was very surprised to hear that his grandmother Yenisaya was coming from the country to visit them. He knew she was not an ordinary woman, but it was rarely discussed in the family. No, Grandma was not crazy: quite the opposite. Everybody respected her wisdom and sought her advice, but the people were still a bit apprehensive of her. Tim knew from overhearing adult conversations that Grandma lived a secluded life and her neighbors tried to avoid her house. The rumors in the village were that Yenisaya, despite being small and delicate, could easily defeat an army of men. The rumors were, people disappeared in her house. Lastly, Grandma owned a huge purple dog. It was a Central Asian Shepherd Alabai that was 6 feet tall standing on four legs. The people in the village believed that the dog was once Yenisaya`s beloved, but when he broke her heart she turned him into a dog in anger.

Tim`s father always denied Grandma`s oddities. He kept telling everyone she`s just a normal woman who simply doesn’t enjoy daily commotion, and that society is always wary of the ones who are different.

Grandma`s country-house was in a picturesque place at the foot of the mountains. In the 12 years of his life, Tim had only visited there three times. The first time he was a baby, so naturally he did not remember anything. The second time he visited Grandma for a few days before going to school. Although Father insisted that his mother`s house was completely safe, Tim and his younger brother Janik, who often quarreled and fought, were forced to declare a truce at the grandmother`s place and went everywhere together.

The kids could not understand why their parents did not notice all the oddities of that house. Grandma, of course, strictly ordered all her things to behave hospitably with her grandchildren. But when Yenisaya was not around bored furniture was ready to mock at the visitors. The stairs could start dancing when walked on, and after Tim and Janik fell, the steps would roar with laughter.

The doors were fond of jokes as well. Sometimes the kids would open a door only to find another door, and another, and so on until the boys began to cry and beg the doors to let them pass. At times, they had to compliment the door for hours just to get from one room to another.

However, the children loved the windows. When the boys looked out, the windows would turn left and right so they could see more. This gave the children the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful nature of the foothills, the patterns drawn by hundreds of butterflies in the garden, and, of course, quickly find a purple Central Asian Shepard Alabai named Foggy.

The dog charmed the socks off the boys. Foggy himself was even more enraptured. Whenever he saw the kids he jumped and wagged his tail like a puppy. The boys loved playing with Foggy, he was a very kind and intelligent dog and loved giving his paw. They played, laughed, and filled the neighborhood with cries of joy until the sunset. Tim and Janik`s parents wondered how Foggy never accidentally hit the kids with his giant paws when they ran and played. Seemed like he could be as light as fog.

The most exciting thing for Tim and his brother was riding the dog. They tightly gripped the fur and the dog carried them into the fields, over the river and into the mountains. Sometimes they went very far from home, but the boys were not scared: Foggy always knew his way back. In a few days, they were best friends. That friendship made the kids wish to visit Grandma more often, but the secretive lady preferred solitude.

The third visit drastically changed the brothers’ opinion of their grandmother. Tim was ten at the time and Janik was eight. They were playing with Foggy in the yard when suddenly they heard an unfamiliar man`s voice coming from the house. The boys knew that there was no one else for a couple of miles around except them and their grandmother. They tiptoed in, crept to Grandma`s room, and peered through the crack of the slightly ajar door. A tall, thin, hook-nosed man, who appeared out of nowhere, was intensely arguing with Yenisaya.

“You were hiding your son from us. Now you have grandchildren.”

“I can’t sacrifice my grandchildren! They’re too young still,” said the old lady very quietly but firmly. She pointed at the man as if she wanted to stab him in the eye with her finger.

“Now is not the time to think of no one but yourself! We’re all in danger!” persisted the intruder.

Grandmother began to push the annoying visitor towards the wall. The kids saw an open chest there. Suddenly, with a quick movement Yenisaya grabbed the man by the throat with both hands and forced him into the chest! She closed the lid and fastened a heavy padlock. Grandmother turned to the door, and the children took to their heels at once. The stairs danced and tried to make them fall, but the boys were so scared they jumped down in an instant. At the bottom the younger brother took a second to stick his tongue out and make a face to the disappointed stairs. Tim hurried to open the front door, but it wanted to hear some praise first. Behind the door they found another door, and so on. The older brother then kicked the door in anger.

The door opened with an “ouch”. The kids ran outside and called Foggy. They jumped on his back and rode aimlessly until the dark.

The padlock was still on the chest. Every day and night until the end of their visit the children listened and watched to see if Yenisaya would let her captive go. However, Grandma seemed to have forgotten all about him. Back in Almaty, Tim and his brother secretly told all their friends about their grandma-enchantress and her purple dog. Nobody believed their stories, which made the boys sad. They hoped that one day Grandma would come to visit, and then all their friends would see the magic and be able to ride a giant dog.

Now the old lady has announced her visit, but this has caused everyone to worry. The parents had long discussions on why would Yenisaya choose to visit them all of a sudden. They were worried she was ill or in some other kind of trouble. The kids however remembered the odd conversation Grandma had with the stranger. They never mentioned it to anyone, but now they began to worry that Yenisaya was coming for them.

The secretive lady assured them she would get to the city on her own. From the early morning, the family was busy about the house. Mom was cooking something delicious in the kitchen. The children were arguing about which room Grandma should sleep in and which room she should use to do magic. The day before they had gotten hold of small knives and hidden them under their pillows, just in case Yenisaya decided to sacrifice them.

Father was watering the trees. The water sparkled in the sun and a beautiful rainbow appeared over the garden. All the flowers opened and turned their faces to the sun, as if on command. Dozens of colorful butterflies flickered around.

“She’s arrived,” said Father to himself.

He hurried to the gate, calling his wife through an open window. Mother called the boys to welcome the guest.

They did not wait long: in a few minutes, a taxi stopped in front of the house. A short, elderly woman in stiletto shoes stepped out of the taxi. She was wearing a black trouser suit. The stand-collar of her jacket accentuated her slender figure. Her jewelry also caught the eye: massive earrings, bracelets, and a chain with the Golden man 1 1 Golden Man – a Saka warrior in golden armor, found in the Issyk kurgan, in south-eastern Kazakhstan in 1969. Is considered one of the symbols of modern Kazakhstan. pendant. Her wavy hair looked like a white cloud around her head. A swarm of colorful butterflies flickered around Grandma. They seemed to have come with her in a taxi from the mountains. Tim and Janik closely watched old lady`s every move, so as not to miss any important sign.