Бесплатный фрагмент - Mopin from Almazilate

Chapter 1. A Mopin from Almazilat

In the quiet, cozy town of Frizzland, where life flowed smoothly and predictably like the river by the old mill, an unbelievable story took place. In Frizzland everyone knew each other, news flew faster than the wind, and the biggest events were the Saturday markets and the school basketball games. It was the perfect place for a not-so-boring life — at least until one moment.

The main character of this story was a boy named Justin Johnson. He was fourteen, finishing ninth grade, and standing on the threshold of the most difficult summer of his life — the summer of final exams and choosing his path forward.

He studied at the most ordinary middle school in Frizzland — a big brick building with worn steps and noisy hallways. The school had a life of its own: teachers scolded you for being late, kids copied in algebra tests from strict Mrs. Brown, notes were passed in secret, and everyone dreamed of the next break. For Justin, school was the place he spent time with his loyal friends: Daniel, the girls’ favorite; kind William; and William’s best friend, Keaton.

One evening, as Justin sat in his room looking over his textbooks, he heard a strange rustle. «Another mouse,» he thought with mild annoyance and decided to chase the uninvited guest away.

Creeping carefully toward the sound, he froze. From behind the wardrobe something unthinkable stared back at him: a small green creature with huge ears, an orange nose, and big, kind eyes.

Justin’s heart pounded. He jumped back instinctively, grabbed a thick textbook from the bed, and, hands shaking, held it like a shield. Bits of horror movies and comics flashed through his mind.

«W-w-who are you?» he stammered, feeling his knees wobble.

The creature didn’t answer. It simply looked at the boy without a trace of malice, its eyes glowing with curiosity. Then it smiled sweetly, and Justin’s fear began to ebb, giving way to burning curiosity.

«You won’t hurt me?» the stranger finally rustled in a thin voice.

«No,» Justin answered at once, lowering the book. «And you… you won’t bite me?»

The creature laughed — a bright, bell-like sound.

«No! I don’t bite. My name is Roflin. I’m a Mopin from the magical land of ALMAZILAT. I’m 136 years old — still young for a Mopin.»

«Wow, that many?» Justin was amazed.

«We Mopins live for a thousand years!»

«I’m Justin. I live here, in this house. This is my room,» the boy introduced himself, still bewildered. «And what is ALMAZILAT?»

The Mopin crawled out from behind the wardrobe, dusted himself off, and straightened up.

«It’s a magical land. We Mopins are the keepers of the Almids,» Roflin said proudly. «Almids are magic stones. But the evil Lozartan from Windrotor wants to steal them. Mighty warriors from Kolkhin protect us — but we’re no pushovers either!» He pretended to flex his muscles, making Justin smile despite himself.

«How did you get here?» the boy asked.

«It was… awkward,» Roflin muttered, lowering his eyes. «I was helping the elder Mopins hide the Almids. I tripped over a rock and fell. One of the crystals slipped out, cracked, glowed brightly, and transported me here… into your drawer.»

«That’s called a wardrobe!» Justin couldn’t help laughing.

«Amazing. You’ve also got five fingers, two arms, two legs. But you’re not a human, not a dog, not a cat…»

«Maybe you’ll call me a rabbit next?» Roflin snorted.

Both laughed.

«Can I touch you? I’ve never seen a Mopin,» Justin asked carefully.

«You can — just gently,» Roflin nodded.

The boy reached out, and suddenly the Mopin barked loudly, «WOOF-WOOF!»

Justin jumped in fright. «Great joke… I nearly peed my pants!»

«I just pranked you,» Roflin giggled. «You called me a dog first.»

They laughed again, and then the Mopin hugged Justin. «Hug me too,» he said.

And that’s how their true first meeting happened.

«What do you eat? You must be hungry,» Justin remembered.

«Ohhh, I love to eat!» Roflin brightened.

The boy took an apple and a chocolate bar from his school backpack. Roflin greedily tried the bar and froze in delight.

«This is the tastiest thing I’ve ever eaten!» he exclaimed. «My mother made sweets — Kogens — but this… this is incomparable!»

And so, among scattered textbooks and evening quiet, began the incredible friendship of a boy named Justin and a little Mopin from the faraway magical land of ALMAZILAT.

Chapter 2. School

The next morning Justin woke with the feeling that last night’s arrival of the furry alien had been a dream. He immediately looked under the bed. Empty. With a sigh of relief he turned to the wardrobe — and nearly yelped: Roflin sat on his chair, dangling his furry legs and finishing an apple with gusto.

«Good morning, Justin! What are we doing today?» the Mopin sang happily, waving the core.

«I’m going to school,» Justin said.

«I want to see where you spend your days!» Roflin burst out.

«Only students can go to school,» Justin sighed, pulling on a T-shirt. «People will see you!»

«Don’t worry, I’m a master of disguise!» Roflin puffed out his chest. «Besides, we Mopins bring good luck!»

«Good luck, huh?» Justin snorted skeptically.

Half an hour later Justin walked the familiar path to the red-brick middle school of Frizzland. His backpack heaved on his shoulders more than usual and wriggled from time to time. Inside, nestled among textbooks, sat Roflin, commenting on everything through the zipper.

School greeted them with its usual buzz: creaking doors, laughter from the cafeteria, shouts from the gym, and the authoritative voices of teachers trying to restore order.

During the big break, when Justin went to his locker, Roflin couldn’t hold back. He unzipped a little and, seeing the bustling kids, was overwhelmed with glee.

«So much room for mischief!» he whispered, and with astonishing speed tore a few pages from Justin’s notebook, crumpled them into tight balls, and fashioned a makeshift sling from an elastic band.

There was a soft «pff!» The first paper ball hit a boy in the back of the head; he turned around in confusion. The second stuck in a classmate’s ponytail. And the third… The third arced perfectly and landed on Mrs. Smith’s glasses just as she came out of the teachers’ lounge with a stack of papers.

In literature class, the room fell deathly silent. Mrs. Smith, usually kind and calm, removed her glasses and slowly wiped them with a hanky. Her gaze fell on Justin, who was trying to turn invisible.

«Justin Johnson,» her voice cracked like a whip. «To the board, please. Let’s hope you’ve learned the poem.»

Justin went cold inside. After yesterday he hadn’t just failed to learn the poem — he hadn’t even opened the book.

«I… I’m not quite ready, Mrs. Smith,» he mumbled, ears burning.

««Not quite ready’?» The teacher folded her hands. «Instead of preparing, you prefer throwing paper at teachers? Is that a new study method?»

«But it wasn’t me!» Justin cried in despair.

Mrs. Smith raised an eyebrow, her gaze icy. «Sit down. F.» And then, more quietly: «I insist your parents come to school. I need to speak with them.»

Justin trudged back to his seat under the sympathetic and mocking looks of his classmates. He unzipped the backpack a crack and hissed, «Thanks a lot! An F, and my parents called in… Where’s that luck you were talking about?»

From the depths of the backpack came a guilty snort: «Well, you know… It was fun?»

«Fun?» Justin barely restrained himself. «I’ll have no fun for the rest of the year! When we get home — we’re having a serious talk. For now — sit still and don’t move!»

Roflin sighed, but the spark of mischief still smoldered inside him. He was already planning a new scheme.

Chapter 3. Our Yard and Street

The next morning Justin woke because his pillow felt strangely empty. He sat up and looked for his friend. «Roflin? Where are you? Wake up — it’s ten already!»

A sleepy whine came from under the blanket. The green Mopin with tousled ears crawled onto the pillow, stretched, and yawned.

«U-u-u-ah… Morning, Justin. What are we doing today?» he rasped.

«I’ve got a day off!» Justin announced happily. «And my parents promised to take me to the zoo and the amusement park!»

Roflin pricked up his ears. «What’s a zoo?»

«A place with lots of different animals. They live in enclosures, and people come to see them and sometimes give them treats.»

«Treats? Candy bars?» Roflin brightened, eyes sparkling. «I want to live in a zoo too — so they feed me candy bars!»

«No,» Justin laughed again. «They don’t feed them that kind of treat. Herbivores get grass and fruit, predators get meat. You’ll like it!»

«Wow! Then let’s go! What are we waiting for?»

Suddenly Roflin tilted his head, ears twitching. «Shhh… I hear someone. Someone’s coming.»

«Who? I don’t hear anything,» Justin listened.

«We Mopins have great hearing. We hear everything from afar! I’ll hide!»

He darted under the pillow. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later Mom walked in. «Good morning, Justin! Get dressed, wash up, and come eat. Today, as promised, we’re going to the zoo and, if we have time, the amusement park. Your father and I both have the day off.»

After she left, Justin sighed. «How am I going to hide you? I need to wash. Will you stay here or come with me?»

«I’ll go with you!» Roflin said at once, crawling out.

Justin grabbed his school backpack, gently sat the Mopin inside, and carried him to the bathroom.

Roflin, head poking out of the backpack, watched with curiosity as Justin washed his hands with soap, rinsed his face, and brushed his teeth. «What are you doing? Why are you poking at your teeth with a stick with white liquid?» he blurted.