– 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