Синяя птица / The blue Bird. Уровень 1

Here we are! Here we are! Granddad! Granny! It’s we! It’s we!

Grandfather. There! Do you see? What did I tell you?

Grandmother. Tyltyl! Mytyl! It’s you! It’s she! I can’t run! I’ve still got the rheumatics!

Grandfather. No more can I.

Grandmother. How tall and strong you are, Tyltyl!

Grandfather. And Mytyl! Just look at her. What pretty hair, what pretty eyes!

Grandmother. Come and kiss me again! Come on to my lap. How are Daddy and Mummy Tyl?

Tyltyl. Quite well, granny. They were asleep when we went out.

Grandmother. Lord, how pretty they are and how nice and clean! Is it mummy who washes you? And there are no holes in your stockings! I darned them, you know. Why don’t you come to see us oftener? It makes us so happy! We see nobody here.

Tyltyl. We couldn’t, granny; and today it’s only because of the Fairy.

Grandmother. We are always here. We are waiting for a visit from those who are alive. They come so seldom! The last time you were here, let me see, when was it? It was on All-hallows[20 - on All-hallows – в День Всех Святых], when the church-bells were ringing.

Tyltyl. All-hallows? We didn’t go out that day, for we were ill.

Grandmother. No; but you thought of us.

Tyltyl. Yes.

Grandmother. Well, every time you think of us, we wake up and see you again.

Tyltyl. Really?

Grandmother. You know that.

Tyltyl. No, I don’t know.

Grandmother (to Grandfather). It’s astonishing. They don’t know anything.

Grandfather.

Tyltyl. Do you sleep all the time?

Grandfather. Yes, we sleep a lot. We are waiting for a thought of the Living. It wakes us. Ah, it is good to sleep when life is over. But it is pleasant also to wake up from time to time.

Tyltyl. So you are not really dead?

Grandfather. What do you say? What is he saying? Now he’s using words we don’t understand. Is it a new word?

Tyltyl. The word “dead”?

Grandfather.

Tyltyl. Why, it means that one’s no longer alive.

Grandfather. How silly they are!

Tyltyl. Is it nice here?

Grandfather. Oh, yes; not bad, not bad.

Grandmother. Not bad, yes. But please come and see us oftener. Do you remember, Tyltyl? The last time I baked you a lovely apple-pie.

Tyltyl. I ate apples last year. There are no apples this year.

Grandmother. Don’t talk nonsense. Here, we have them always.