Бесплатный фрагмент - Mopin and the Enchanted Stone

Backstory

In the quiet town of Friesland, where the biggest events were the Saturday fair and high-school basketball games, lived a perfectly ordinary teenager, Justin Johnson. His life was simple and predictable: school, homework, video games, and hanging out with friends. Everything changed one evening when a small green bundle with enormous ears rolled out from under his bed.

It was a Moplin — a furry runaway from the faraway magical land of Almazilat. Though already 136 years old, Roflin was still considered a mischievous youth among his kind. He had fled using an ancient relic — the crystal Almid.

From the moment he appeared in the Johnsons’ home, life turned into ceaseless chaos. Roflin adored games, but he played them in his own fashion: staging battles with crumpled paper in the middle of class, chasing chickens with a syringe instead of a net, launching a water war at the zoo, or nearly burning down the garage with the family car inside. Each of his days was a whirlwind of unpredictable mischief.

Justin’s parents, Mr. Nathan and Mrs. Adriana Johnson, were startled by the strange guest, but welcomed him into the family. Nathan, a firefighter with a sharp sense of humor, often teased their furry new friend, while Adriana, a physician, quickly became Roflin’s protector and chief doctor.

And so this odd household came to life under one roof: ordinary people and an otherworldly Moplin, whose antics and unbelievable adventures forever transformed the quiet rhythms of Friesland. With Roflin around, boredom was simply impossible.

Chapter 1. The Magical Almid

One cozy evening, Justin was lying on his bed, eyes fixed on the bright glow of his smartphone. Curled beside him, Roflin watched with fascination the images flashing across the big television. It had become one of his favorite pastimes — discovering the human world through this “magical window.”

Tearing his gaze from a breathtaking nature documentary, the Moplin looked at Justin with curiosity.

“Justin, why are you always staring at that glowing little box? Is it a tiny television?”

Justin set aside the phone with a smile.

“It’s not a box — it’s a phone. People use it to talk to each other across distances, to send messages. It works through the internet — through invisible wires coming from satellites. You can also watch videos, like on TV, and play all sorts of games.”

“Games?!” Roflin leapt with delight. “I love games! Listen, I should get one of those phones too. Then we could talk if you got lost, or if something happened. And you’ll teach me how to play!”

“Sure, why not,” Justin laughed. “I’ll teach you.”

Suddenly, Roflin’s face grew solemn, and he lowered his voice to a whisper.

“I have a secret. One I’ve never told you.”

“A secret?” Justin’s curiosity was instantly piqued. “What is it? Don’t tell me you’ve caused trouble again?”

“No, no,” the Moplin shook his head.

He slipped a paw into the pouch on his belly, kangaroo-like, and after a brief search drew out something extraordinary: a large crimson crystal glowing with a soft, pulsing light. Its fiery shades of scarlet and ruby shimmered in the lamplight, scattering strange, shifting reflections across the walls.

Justin’s jaw dropped. “Wow… it’s beautiful,” he whispered, entranced. “So bright… so huge! Let’s show Mom and Dad!”

“Why not,” Roflin agreed cheerfully.

The boys ran into the living room, where Mr. Nathan and Mrs. Adriana were watching their favorite show.

“Dad! Mom!” Justin cried. “Roflin and I have something to show you!”

“What now?” Nathan grumbled without looking up. “You two sound like you’ve discovered a black hole under your bed. Or maybe your friend Roflin turned into a girl!” he joked.

“Ha-ha,” snorted Roflin. “Looks like gorillas also enjoy watching TV and telling bad jokes.”

“Oh, stop it, both of you,” Adriana interrupted. “We’re listening. Go on, Justin.”

“Show them, Roflin,” Justin urged.

“Maybe Mr. Nathan should put on glasses first,” Roflin quipped. “Old gorillas lose their eyesight, and what I’m about to reveal might blind him forever!”

“Keep it up, green man,” Nathan retorted. “A red nose, rosy cheeks, a cap — you’d be perfect for the circus: clown and monkey in one. Two jobs, one paycheck! Sold out for years! What a talent we’re wasting at home.”

“Oh, enough already!” Justin cried.

“Fine, Mrs. Nathan, I forgive you,” Roflin said with exaggerated dignity.

“Diaper up while you’re at it — you’ll need it after what you’re about to see!”

“Oh, will you two stop?” Adriana pleaded. “We all know you adore each other.”

“Alright,” Nathan and Roflin answered in mock unison, shaking hands solemnly to seal their truce.

“Ready? Lights off!” commanded Justin.

The switch clicked. The room fell dark, save for the flicker of the television. Roflin lifted the crystal high. Almid blazed to life, flooding the room with warm, pulsing crimson light. Shadows danced upon the walls like ancient spirits.

Everyone froze. Nathan’s mouth hung open.

“This… this is incredible,” he whispered.

“This is the magical Almid from my homeland, Almazilat,” Roflin declared proudly. “The one I told you about.”

“Do you have many of these?” Nathan asked in awe.

“There are many crystals, but only nine are magical. This one is the most powerful. My uncle Redgar said it was the strongest of them all.”

“Listen, pal,” Nathan said slyly. “How about I buy you a box of chocolate bars tomorrow, and you give me this gem? Or at least lend it?”

“No, Dad!” Justin protested. “You forgot — this stone is the only way Roflin can get home! If you lose it, he’ll be trapped here forever.”

“Well, can I at least hold it?” Nathan asked, unable to hide his longing.

“Of course, Mr. Nathan,” Roflin said warmly, handing him the crystal.

Nathan cradled it with reverence, lost in its inner glow. “Here, Adriana,” he said, passing it to his wife. “I never gave you anything this beautiful — but I can at least let you hold it.”

Adriana gasped as the crystal’s light touched her hands.

“I’ve never held anything like this… My colleagues would die of envy! It must be priceless.”

“We don’t know,” Justin said. “But we can’t sell it.”

“I know!” Adriana exclaimed suddenly. “My friend Mr. Balagan is a jeweler. We could bring the stone to him.”

“To appraise it?” Nathan asked hopefully.

“No,” she said firmly. “To study it. Perhaps he can understand how it works, and help Roflin return home when the time comes.”

“Awesome!” Justin cried. “Let’s go to him!”

Bathed in the soft glow of the Almid, the family gazed at the stone with renewed hope. Perhaps this relic was not only the key to Roflin’s home, but also to wonders yet unseen.

Chapter 2. On the Bus

A new day had come, and the Johnson family set out to visit the jeweler, Mr. Balagan. His pawnshop, called Everything in Your Hands, was located in another district. Since the family car had burned to ashes, the journey had to be made by public transport.

They squeezed into a bus already bursting with passengers. Mr. Nathan and Mrs. Adriana managed to find a seat together, while Justin and Roflin settled in the back. The bus jolted forward, rattling over potholes.

Nathan was the first to break the silence. He turned toward the back seat and, raising his voice to be heard over the engine, declared:

“If it weren’t for a certain green orc, we’d have been there already.”

Roflin, who had seen the famous green orc on television, puffed up indignantly.

“For your information, I have hair — unlike him!” he retorted, shaking his furry head with pride.

“Hah! A whole grove of bushes, three birches at least!” Nathan laughed, his tone exaggeratedly mocking.

“Nathan, stop,” Adriana said firmly, her voice low but cutting as she nodded toward the other passengers. “People are already staring.”

“They’re not staring at us,” Nathan grumbled on, “they’re staring at the green giant who, instead of saving the world, managed to destroy my garage and my car!”

“I’ll buy you a new one when I grow up and earn money,” Justin promised solemnly, trying to shield his friend.

“A toy one, like the one in your room?” Nathan snorted. “Thanks, but I’d only be able to ride it around the yard with the chickens your green pal has already driven insane!”

“Nathan,” Adriana’s voice rang sharp, taut as a drawn bowstring, “I think it’s you who’s insane — and you’ll be in the hospital soon enough. Your jokes have gone far enough. If you don’t shut your mouth this instant, I’ll gag you. Keep it up, and you’ll start a fire in our marriage that you’ll never put out. Do I make myself clear?” She pinned him with an icy glare.

Nathan froze. The look in her eyes told him the time for jokes had ended.

“Clear, clear,” he muttered, turning to the window. “You could’ve just said so.”

Adriana’s gaze swept across the passengers, who were now openly gawking at the family quarrel.

“What are you all staring at?” she asked politely but loudly. “We’re not a signboard announcing the next stop.”

Her words sliced through the awkward silence, and people hastily turned away, pretending to study the ads along the bus walls.

“Oh, look — that’s our stop!” Justin cried with relief as he recognized a familiar alley through the window.

The brakes screeched, the bus lurched to a halt, and the Johnsons rose as one, stepping out into the street and leaving behind an oddly satisfied audience.

Chapter 3. Mr. Balagan’s Jewelry Shop

The street where the pawnshop stood was quiet and old. Shop signs had faded with time, and tall maples spread their broad branches over the cracked sidewalks. The workshop itself occupied a modest brick building. Behind the dusty window lay an assortment of peculiar antiques: gilt pendulum clocks, porcelain figurines, silver cutlery, and a few old rings under glass. Above the door hung a weathered but sturdy sign: Everything in Your Hands.

The family exchanged glances. The awkwardness of the bus ride was forgotten, replaced by a tingling sense of anticipation. Beyond that door might lie the answer — how to help their restless green friend.

Inside, the air smelled of old wood, polish, and metal. Tools and tiny scraps cluttered the counter in a kind of creative chaos. The Johnsons entered, gazing curiously at the treasures surrounding them.

Adriana rang the small brass bell above the register. Its delicate chime filled the quiet shop. Moments later, a man of about sixty-five appeared from behind a heavy curtain, wearing a protective apron and a jeweler’s loupe still perched on his eye. His face brightened at the sight of Adriana.

“Mr. and Mrs. Johnson! What brings you here today? Something wrong with the ring?” he asked, meaning Adriana’s wedding band, which he had recently repaired.

“No, no, the ring is perfect,” she replied. “This is… another matter.”

“Then tell me, and I’ll do what I can,” he said warmly.

“It’s a little awkward,” Adriana improvised quickly, “but very important to us. We have a family heirloom — a stone. It’s precious to us, but it was dropped and split. One half is missing, probably lost in a move. Could you make a matching piece and bind them together?”

“I’ll do my best,” the jeweler said with professional calm. “May I see it?”

“Of course.” Justin pulled the Almid from his pocket and carefully placed it in Mr. Balagan’s hands.