1Sotir Gelev Penko Gelev

The Arab Slippers

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3The Arab Slippers

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The Arab Slippers© Text: Sotir Gelev, Penko Gelev

© Illustrations: Penko GelevTranslation: Marianna Hill

5The Arab SlippersText Sotir Gelev, Penko Gelev

Illustrations Penko Gelev

Sofia, 2011

6 Mr. Bill Berry was very fond of his Arab slippers. They had someupward pointing toes and were light and very comfortable. He was so fondof them that sometimes he went to bed still wearing them.

Miss Wild Straw-Berry hated those Arab slippers.�One day,“ she would often say to him, � you will trip over a root and

you’ll break your nose“.Miss Wild Straw-Berry was Mr. Bill Berry’s neighbor. She was irritated

by everything he did.�Don’t feed the lantern fireflies with cookie crumbs, will you!“ she

would tell him. �Their bellies will swell and they’ll stop glowing. You will besitting in the dark all night!“.

7�Big deal!“ replied Mr. Bill Berry. �I go to bed early anyway!“�Don’t water the buttercups so often!“ Miss Wild Straw-Berry would

shout over the fence. �Their roots will lose their taste!“�It’s hot and they get thirsty!“ he would smile at her and then would

add �I will put more spices on them.“�There are some milking ants in your garden!“ Miss Wild Straw-Berry

would holler, banging on his front door. �They will milk all your plant liceand there will be not a drop of milk left for you!“

�They will feed and then they’ll go away,“ Mr. Bill Berry would yawn�I was just about to have a cup of primrose tea. Would you like to come inand join me?“

She would never accept his invitation because of Hannah, Mr. BillBerry’s pet. Hannah was a fat and furry tarantula and Miss Wild Straw-Berry was arachnophobic.

8 Early one spring morning, Miss Wild Straw-Berry was collecting morningdew in the garden when a familiar voice startled her.

�I will bring you some fresh tadpoles for lunch!“ With his fishing rodover one shoulder and a fish basket over the other, Mr. Bill Berry waved ather and set off for the river, flipping and flopping with his Arab slippers.

�You better watch that no frog gobbles you up!“ Miss Wild Straw-Berrymumbled as she was carrying her jug of dew home.

9She thought of Mr. Bill Berry late in the afternoon when she wasfeeding mulberry leaves to the silkworms.

�Tadpoles for lunch, my foot!“, Miss Wild Straw-Berry shook her head.She took her umbrella and set off for the river.

Slowly, she headed for the bridge. The bridge was Mr. Bill Berry’sfavorite fishing spot. She was sure to find him squatting there, not havingcaught anything.

As she was walking along some wind came up and big gray cloudscovered the sun. �Good job I took my brolly“, Miss Wild Straw-Berrythought and started to walk quicker.

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When she reached the middle of the bridge, Miss Wild Straw-Berrysaw Mr. Bill Berry’s fish basket and his Arab slippers. There were sometadpoles and some little fishes in the basket. She bent over the edge andlooked down.

The water spirit Green Beard was sitting on a green stone and wastrying to bite off the head of a water-gauge bug he had just caught. Ashe saw Miss Wild Straw-Berry he hinted casually:

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11�Mr. Bill Berry fell into the river. He caught something big with his rodand it pulled him over the edge.“

�Didn’t you try to help him?“ Miss Wild Straw-Berry called, agitatedly.�Can’t you see I’m busy hunting water-gauge bugs?“, and Green Beard

started tearing off the legs of the beheaded bug. �And the current carriedhim away real fast.“

Miss Wild Straw-Berry grabbed the slippers and the basket and rushedback home.

�He is far too light to drown!“, the water spirit shouted after her andgulped the water-gauge bug down in one go.

12 It started raining and when Miss Wild Straw-Berry knocked on the doorof Mayor Blackthorn she was dripping wet. She never thought of openingthe umbrella she was squeezing under her armpit.

�I will summon all the men in the village and we will start a search andrescue operation!“ the Mayor exclaimed in excitement. �And you better gohome. You are so wet you will catch your death like this!“

Late at night, the doorbell rang. Miss Wild Straw-Berry opened the doorand saw Mayor Blackthorn wearing a mackintosh and holding a lantern inhis hand.

�We could not find him!“ he uttered in despair, �We trawled the river asfar as the water-chutes. Everybody is shattered and cold. We’ll continuetomorrow.“

The Mayor left. The rain lashed on his mackintosh.That night Miss Wild Straw-Berry could not go to

sleep. She sat and watched Mr. Bill Berry’s Arab slippersleft by the fire to dry.

Two days later, far beyond the water-chutes, theyfound Mr. Bill Berry’s fishing rod entangled in thebushes.

Mr. Bill Berry opened his eyes and saw the ceilingmade of strong twigs and leaves. He tried to turn tolook around but he groaned because he felt a splittingheadache.

He slowly got up and sat back in his bed. Theroom was tiny. It was made of twigs entangled withcane stems. He could hear some ripples and couldsee water shining through the cracks in thefloor. There was a huge stone plate in themiddle, which appeared to be used as afireplace.

He could remember nothing. Neither whohe was nor where he came from or how he hadgot here.

13Mr. Bill Berry crawled outside through the opening that served as adoor. He saw a banister, grabbed hold of it and stood up, painfully.

His eyes focused on several huts that looked like huge baskets full ofleaves. They were erected on thick pillars stuck in the middle of the swampylittle lake covered with water lilies. There was no one around.

He had never before seen such a thing, but had no strength to wonder.

14 �So you are awake at last!“ a voice behind him startled him.Mr. Bill Berry turned around slowly. There was a tousle-headed Kid on

the little plank bridge connecting two huts, staring at him.�You’ve been sleeping for three days like a frog in winter. We were

already thinking of burying you in the mud,“ the Kid went on.Mr. Bill Berry swallowed with pain and did not find anything to say.

The Kid was watching him without moving from the spot.�You seem to be dumb…“�I am not!“ Mr. Bill Berry assured him. �I feel dizzy…“�No wonder. You had a bump the size of a buttercup bulb on your

head when we found you!“�You found me? Where?“�In the lake under the waterfall… You were drifting like a dead water-

gauge bug!“Mr. Bill Berry felt his head and only now found out that it was all

covered in bandages.�What is your name?“ the Kid asked.�My name?“ Mr. Bill Berry looked up in stupefaction. � I don’t know!“And that was the very truth!�And what’s yours?“ Mr. Bill Berry asked in turn.�I don’t have a name. I’m still too young.“�So you’re a boy?“�I guess so.“ the Kid smiled uncertainly…�Do you live on your own?“�They all left early this morning to catch white fish down the river.

They will be back soon. Aren’t you hungry?“

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�You bet!“ Mr. Bill Berry admitted.The Kid jumped up, ran over the plank-bridge and vanished into the

hut. In a short while, he turned up carrying a wooden tray with somedried reddish fruit, a piece of marinated fish and some hazelnut flowermush. He stuck the tray in Mr. Bill Berry’s hands and returned to his spot.Mr. Bill Berry sat on the edge of the platform with his legs dangling downto the water and busied himself with destroying the contents of the tray.

He had not finished his breakfast yet when some boats full of peopleand the fish they had caught started slipping between the huts. Things gotloud and bustly.Everybody was shouting as they unloaded the boats. Some cleaned andsalted the fish then hung it under some special shelters to dry. Others cut it

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into pieces and placed it in special barrels to marinate. Some of the womenstarted mending the fishing nets and the kids ran around with their basketsand sacks.

Nobody took any attention of Mr. Bill Berry. He was looking aroundin embarrassment when somebody pushed him slightly.

�The elder wants to see you!“ the Kid was yanking at his uncombedhair.

He led him to the biggest hut over the creaky bridges.Water Rooster was a wrinkled old man. He was sitting in the dusk of

the hut, scratching his bare foot, carefully observing Mr. Bill Berry.�So, you don’t have a name, eh?“ said Silver Otter, the oldest lady in

the village.She was kneeling next to the elder poking in her ear.�I can’t remember it,“ replied Mr. Bill Berry and thought that his hosts

did not have the best of manners.

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17�We shall have to give you a name!“ Water Roster said abruptly.�I prefer to keep my own,“ announced Mr. Bill Berry, shaking his head.Water Rooster and Silver Otter did not take any notice of his words.

They got up and disappeared behind the ragged curtain that was used as adoor to the next room. They started discussing something but their voiceswere so soft that one could not understand what they were saying.

Mr. Bill Berry’s head still felt dizzy and he nodded off as he was sitting.�We shall perform the rite tomorrow!“ the voice of

Water Rooster startled him.The two old people were sitting opposite

him and their faces were glowing withtheir chipped smiles.

�Make sure you get some goodsleep,“ Silver Otter added.

The next morning Mr. BillBerry was still asleep when somepeople rushed into his hut,grabbed him and carried himoutside. They stuck a knife in hishand, slid him into a fish skin andstitched it together.

Then they threw him into the lake.The people from the village had gone out in front of their

homes and watched Mr. Bill Berry sink amongst the water lilies.The fish skin wrapped his body tightly. Stunned he did not understand

what was going on until water started leaking through the stitches, pushingthe air out and filling his nose and mouth. He felt the handle of the knifein his hand, squeezed it tightly and cut the skin open in one go.

18 Little fishes flickered under the rays of the early sun sneaking betweenthe leaves of the lilies. Fat tadpoles were loafing about and a frog half duginto the mud was watching him suspiciously.

Mr. Bill Berry swam to the surface, spat out a huge amount of waterand took a breath loudly.

Cheers welcomed him back, some strong arms lifted him up and pulledhim out onto a big boat. The men on the boat patted him on his backin approval, and all he was capable of doing was blinking in shock.

19Water Rooster was standing on one of the little bridges just opposite theboat. When he held his arms up, his people went silent.

�You won the challenge!“ shouted Water Rooster. �We will call you Corkfrom now on.“

On the evening of that day a big party was thrown. By the light ofhundreds of torches everybody was singing, dancing and stuffing themselvessilly with fish.

Away from the lights and the racket, Mr. Bill Berry was leaning againstthe banister in front of his hut and watching the full moon. The Kid wassquatting next to him, splashing the water with a long stick.

�Lucky you“, he said, �You already have a name.“�I ought to go home“, replied Mr. Bill Berry, �Ought to find out who I

am and get back my real name.“�Where is that?“�Don’t know. Somewhere up the river.“�No way you can climb up the waterfall. No one has ever managed to

do that“ said the Kid.�I will go around it!“The Kid thought for a moment and decided to warn him:�If you take the right bank, you will get to the swamps. And they are

oozing with giant mosquitoes and spitting frogs.�I’ll take the left bank!“ Mr. Bill Berry looked at his friend

interrogatively.The Kid saw this look and shrugged his shoulders.�I can help you cross the river,“ he said.�Really?“The Kid nodded, jumped up onto his feet and ran away into the

darkness.Mr. Bill Berry listened to the song that the people from the village were

singing.Something crunched along the pillars of

the hut and it started shaking.

20 �Come on, jump in!“Mr. Bill Berry bent over the banister. The Kid was sitting in a small

boat and waving at him.�Come on, jump in. What are you waiting for? I will take you to the

other side!“�What, right now?“ There was a hint of hesitation in Mr. Bill Berry’s

voice.�Everyone is at the party! Nobody will notice I have nicked a boat!

Come on then! What are you waiting for?“�O.K. then, I’m on my way“, Mr. Bill Berry mumbled unwillingly and

clumsily jumped into the boat.�Quiet!“ the Kid warned him.�I have no shoes!“ Mr. Bill Berry whispered.�There!“The Kid handed him a pair of sandals made of bast. Then he pushed

the boat with the oar and they quietly set off.

21 The moon was hiding behind a cloud and the darkness embracedthem from all sides. The Kid was confidently rowing, as if he could see inthe dark.

�I did not say Good bye to anyone“, thought Mr. Bill Berry, �They willthink I was ungrateful…“

Suddenly he heard a scrunch and the boat stopped.�We are here!“ the Kid announced.Mr. Bill Berry sighed, stepped overboard and waded in the water.�Will you take me with you?“, the Kid’s eyes twinkled inquisitively.�No way!“ Mr. Bill Berry replied firmly.�I knew it. Take this!“The Kid handed a crammed leather bag over to him and said

resignedly:�Some food for the way.“Mr. Bill Berry slung the bag over his shoulder and climbed

ashore. He heard a quiet splash and turned around, but theboat had gone.

�Thank you!“ Mr. Bill Berry shouted.�You take care of yourself, Cork!“ the Kid’s

voice reached his ears.Mr. Bill Berry was wondering which way to go,

when the moon came out of the cloud and shoneon a narrow path fading behind the hills.

Miss Wild Straw-Berry did not like Summer. The heat made her sweat,and she hated walking around with wet round patches under her armpits.

The heat was unbearable this year and she had twice as many things todo. Three months had passed since Mr. Bill Berry had disappeared in theriver and Miss Wild Straw-Berry started taking care of his house and hissmall farm.

�I can not let everything go wild.“

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She believed that one day her neighbor would come back. The waterspirit Green Beard had said that Mr. Bill Berry was far too light to drown,and he was an expert on those things.

She kept watering the buttercups, but not much, so that their bulbsbecame spicy and tasty. She kept chasing the ants away from the gardenand milked the plant-lice regularly. She made cheese from the milk in somespecial strainers. She fed the mole cricket and dug the dandelion patches.She cleared the stables of the horn beetles and did not miss anyopportunity to send them grazing with the village herd.

She had the most difficult time getting used to Hannah, Mr. Bill Berry’shuge hairy tarantula. She hesitated for two days before she could gain thecourage to enter the house and tidy it up. Hannah did not emerge at allfrom the dark corner of the house where she lived. Miss Wild Straw-Berryleft her a plate with some wine-fly pate mixed in water.

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23She found the plate empty the next day. A week later the tarantula waswaiting for Miss Straw-Berry at the doorstep and confidently brushedherself against her leg. That made her shiver a bit at first but then she gotused to it and started liking it.

The path had come to an end a long time ago but Mr. Bill Berry keptwalking. Gradually the hills disappeared. Before he knew, he found himselfcrossing a rocky valley stretching further than the eyes could see in alldirections.

The sun hung directly above his head, scorching mercilessly.The water in his leather flask was about to finish and Mr. Bill Berry

decided to go to back the river. But he had gone a long way away from itand he had to walk far. When he came back to the river, the sun wasabout to go down.

24 The bank was rocky, steep and so high that the riverlooked like a thin silver line. There was no way he could get

down to it, let alone climb back up again. In order to getsome water he needed a long rope and a bucket.

Mr. Bill Berry heard a silent cry and the noiseof some rolling stones. He bent forward, lookeddown and saw a tiny flower growing from the

rocks. A young lady, almost a girl, was holding ontoit and was looking up to him with a begging look.

The flower was just about to fall out.He quickly took his bag down, grabbed hold of its

handle and dropped it down to the lady. She caught thebag.

Mr. Bill Berry started pulling and got all sweaty from theeffort. �If I drop her I will never see my bag again“ he thought

for a moment. He strained himself as much as he could andpulled as hard as he could. Dark circles started swimming before his

eyes and he fell backwards.�I lost the damn thing!“ thought Mr. Bill Berry but it was not quite

clear whether he meant the bag or the lady. And then he blacked out.Some drops of cold water brought him back to his senses. The young

lady was dipping her hands in a bucket made from a hazelnut shell andwas sprinkling his face. Mr. Bill Berry sat up.

�How did you manage to get water“, he asked in surprise.The lady pointed at a curled rope, thrown next to the bag. Then she

handed him the flask. Mr. Bill Berry took a large gulp.�So, why were you…“ he looked up…�Why was I hanging over the precipice, you mean?“ Her voice was soft

and caressed his ears. �I tried to pick that flower and slipped. My name isRocky Mouse, by the way…“

�And I am Cork, pleasure to meet you…“

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25� You need a rest. Let’s go to my place!“Rocky Mouse helped Mr. Bill Berry up, slung the rope and the bag over

her shoulder, took the bucket in the other hand and set off.Mr. Bill Berry followed her.Rocky Mouse lived in a spacious cave under a very big flat rock. There

were no windows but the lady of the cave had hung lighting maggots.Everything was made of stone inside – the chairs, the tables, the beds, thecrockery, the cutlery. There was even a well – a deep hole in the corner ofthe kitchen.

26 �It is no good to drink“ Rocky Mouse explained. �That’s why I have togo to the river for water“.

But it was good for washing and Mr. Bill Berry had a long blissful soakin the bath chiseled out of marble.

There were some scrambled eggs for dinner.

For breakfast too.�Very tasty“, Mr. Bill Berry tried to avoid speaking with his mouth full

but could not help it.“ What are they from? What kind of birds would livein this rocky area?“

�They are snake eggs.“ Rocky Mouse smiled.Mr. Bill Berry choked and started coughing.�Isn’t it dangerous to gather snake eggs?“

�I will show you how it’s done. It is about time to stock up anyway.“Rocky Mouse slung the ragged curtain in front of a recess in the wall

and produced a big basket from there.The sun was scorching. Rocky Mouse was wearing a huge cone of a hat

made from the sharp blades of the grass that was growing over the rockseverywhere around. Mr. Bill Berry wore a handkerchief with knots tied onall four corners on his head.

�Over there!“ the lady said and pointed at an old ravine, almostinvisible in the rocky plain.

27 The two egg collectors went down to the sandy bottom. Rocky Mousestepped slowly and looked around carefully. She pulled at Mr. Bill Berry’ssleeve and pointed her finger at the bottom. He looked in that directionbut saw nothing other than the sand around.

Rocky Mouse stepped forward and started digging with her hands. Mr.Bill Berry wondered a bit and then started helping her. Soon, inamazement he noticed snake eggs appearing. They were oblong and leatheryand there were so many of them.

�There are at least sixty there“ Rocky Mouse said. �We’ve found a bignest“.

Overwhelmed by hunting verve, Mr. Bill Berry started collecting themhastily and put them in the basket.

�Hey, slow down, slow down a little!“ Rocky Mouse stopped him. �Wewill take ten at the most… and the littlest ones!“

�Why?!“ the novice snake egg collector could not understand. �We canfill up our basket with those!“

�If we collect all of them no snakes will hatch!“�So, big deal!“ Mr. Bill Berry was not very fond of snakes.�Don’t you get it? If there are no snakes, there will be nobody to lay

eggs! Besides, there will be too many rats and mice!“�I never thought of that!“ confessed Mr. Bill Berry, feeling embarrassed.He put the eggs back in the nest immediately and left Rocky Mouse to

choose as many as needed. Then he helped cover the nest with sand againand leveled it so that there was no trace left of the hunting action.

�It is good so.“ Rocky Mouse recognized his effort. Now get the basketand let’s go looking for another nest.“

They filled the basket to the top by the end of the day and it got quiteheavy. Mr. Bill Berry was trying not to show it, but he was shattered bythe time they got back home.

They had scrambled eggs for dinner. And some mushrooms.

28 Mr. Bill Berry stayed with Rocky Mouse. They spent the day collectingeggs, fertilized the mushrooms that were growing in the part of the cavewhich Rocky Mouse was using as a cellar and went to the river to catchfish with a very long rod.

As the days passed, Mr. Bill Berry started getting used to his new name.

One evening, he was sitting in front of the cave watching the sunsetting. He felt a knot in his stomach and heaved a deep sigh.

�What is the matter, Cork?“ Rocky Mouse had quietly come closer tohim.

�This is not my real name“ uttered Mr. Bill Berry. The swamp peoplegave it to me. I can’t remember what mine was.“

He pointed at the amber sun almost disappearing behind the horizon.�Everything that is important to me is somewhere over there“, he said.

�I will be leaving tomorrow.“He turned to look at Rocky Mouse but she had gone already.

29That night Mr. Bill Berry could not get to sleep for a long time. He wasturning in his bed and God knows why he was thinking of some slippers.Strange slippers with upward pointing toes.

At one point he thought he could hear somebody weeping in RockyMouse’s bedroom.

Next morning he had some scrambledeggs for breakfast. And he was ready to go.

�Keep close to the river“, RockyMouse advised him, trying to hide herred eyes. �And take this.“

She gave him a long rope. Long,thin and strong.

Mr. Bill Berry swung it over hisshoulder, took his bag and went out ofthe cave, followed by Rocky Mouse. He was wondering what to say whenshe stepped closer to him and gave him a big kiss.

�Go now!“ she pushed him away and quickly disappeared into herhome.

Mr. Bill Berry set off without looking back.

The Autumn Fairies started gold plating the leaves in the forest. Theyused some yellow, orange and red gold without sparing it. The leaves gotheavier, broke off and fell onto the ground.

Miss Wild Straw-Berry worked from dawn till dusk. She dug thebuttercup bulbs out, then put them in barrels and poured some marinateover them. She collected tender dandelion leaves and pickled them in jars.She stacked the cheese combs on the shelves in the cellar to ripen.

Mr. Bill Berry’s house was sparkling clean because she regularly sweptthe floors and dusted. She even hired a workman to change some tiles onthe roof.

Sometimes she would sit on the doorstep to catch her breath. TarantulaHannah would jump onto her lap and would settle down. Miss Wild Straw-Berry would cuddle her soft fur and she would shut her eight eyes in astate of bliss.

30 Other times she would take out Mr. Bill Berry’s Arab slippers, wax themwith turpentine oil and leave them in the sun to soften up.

Mr. Bill Berry walked long through the rocky wilderness, withoutmeeting any living creature. His bast sandals wore out and were hanginglose around his feet. He could not fill his flask for several days because theriverbank was so high that the rope could not reach the water. The dayswere still hot, but the nights got cooler. Mr. Bill Berry was afraid of thecold and could not wait for the sun to come out in order to get warm.

One evening he got to the foot of a mountain, which rose in front ofhis eyes like a huge, dark molehill.

There were some feeble trees growing around and it was for the firsttime that he managed to collect some twigs. He had some flint and steelfor kindling tinder in his bag and he made a fire.

As he was warming his tired limbs, his eyes looked at the darksilhouette of the mountain and saw some twinkling lights there.

31�There must be some people living up there“, he thought and feltcalmer. He had a bite of the last boiled egg that was left, pulled the thinblanket over himself and nodded off.

He had a dream about a huge tarantula.At the crack of dawn, Mr. Bill Berry quickly packed his things and set

off for the mountain.The yellow leaves were already falling from the branches and made a

nice soft carpet. It was a blessing for Mr. Bill Berry’s feet after havingwalked on rocks and pebbles for such a long time.

The bushes and the trees were heavy with fruits and he had some tinywild apples, hazelnuts and sloes for breakfast. He realized that he hadstarted hating snake eggs a long time ago and he remembered RockyMouse for the first time in many days. This did not prevent him fromfilling his bag with fruit.

In one gorge he found a clear spring and he had so much water todrink that his tummy started making bubbling noises at every step he madeafter that. He regained his strength and set off on a hardly noticeable path,winding around the body of the mountain. The birds were singing and theworld seemed good and hospitable.

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It was then that he met the scoundrels. He worked it out as soon asthe taller one said:

�Halt! We are scoundrels!“There were two of them dressed in ragged cloths and armed with spears

made from acacia thorns.�Do you have anything to eat?“ demanded the shorter one, snatching

Mr. Bill Berry’s bag, opening it and tipping its contents out onto theground.

�Apples and sloes? Is that all you got?“�They taste very nice“ explained Mr. Bill Berry.His answer made the shorter scoundrel really furious.�I’ve been eating apples and sloes for a whole month.“Then it seemed that his legs gave in. He sat down on the ground and

covered his eyes with his hands.�I can not do this any longer!“The taller one nudged him with the end of his spear.�Up you get! What do you think you are doing? Can’t behave like that

in front of a victim!“The shorter one looked up at him.�Who? Is he a victim? I am a victim! Me!“�This is not true! You are Tempest, the most scary scoundrel of this

mountain!“ the taller one pronounced, excitedly.�Listen to me, Thunder! Let us give it all up and go back home,

uh?“ moaned Tempest, begging. �We are no good at this. We can noteven scare an ant!“

�Sorry for interrupting“ said Mr. Bill Berry, �but I got reallyscared.“

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33Tempest jumped up back on his feet.�Do you really mean it?!“�I started shivering all over!“ confirmed Mr. Bill Berry.The two scoundrels looked at each other triumphantly. Then Thunder

coughed.�Mister….“�Cork.“ Mr. Bill Berry said�Mr. Cork, we shall have to rob you!“ Thunder went on.�Give us all your money and items of value!“ Tempest ordered and it was

obvious that he felt uncomfortable. �…If you value your life!“

34 �This is all I’ve got,“ answered Mr. Bill Berry, pointing at his bag.�But there is nothing valuable in it“, said Tempest in disappointment.

�I’ve just checked!“�Sorry…“ Mr. Bill Berry apologized, shaking his head.Tempest yanked Thunder’s sleeve and pulled him away. The two started

talking excitedly, flapped about with their hands and held their heads. Theydrew something on the sand with their feet and pointed at the top of themountain. Mr. Bill Berry waited patiently. He picked the end of a blade ofgrass, put it in his mouth and started chewing on it.

Tempest and Thunder came closer.�We have decided to cross the mountain,“ started Thunder. �There are

more people living on the other side…“�There will be more people to rob!“ added Tempest. �And we propose

that you, Cork, join us!“�And become a member of our gaggle of scoundrels!“�Your invitation is an honor for me,“ Mr. Bill Berry said with a bow,

�but I am no good for a scoundrel! I am a big softie.“The faces of the two scoundrels saddened.�But I will come with you,“ Mr. Bill Berry went on, �I am heading in

the same direction“.

There were so many things to do in the two houses that the autumnpassed like a day and there were no leaves left on the branches. She onlyhad to stack the logs for the fireplace. The forest spirits brought them withcarts and unloaded them in huge heaps in front of the garden gate of MissWild Straw-Berry and in front of the gate of Mr. Bill Berry.

Before dark the logs were taken into the shed. Miss WildStraw-Berry felt exhausted and she hardly managed to

reach her bed, where she immediately fell asleep.

35The next morning she woke up to a strange light which was floodingthrough the window. Miss Wild Straw-Berry jumped out of her bed andstuck her nose against the glass.

Thick snow had covered the valley.In a short while the fire was crackling happily in the fireplace and Miss

Wild Straw-Berry put her thick boots on and wrapped a thick woolen shawlaround her neck. She went out, took the snow shovel and started making apath in front of the door. After she had finished, she stopped a while torest. She remembered how Mr. Bill Berry always made a snowman with acarrot for a nose and little lumps of coal for eyes. Now it did not seem allthat childish and silly.

She went back into the house, made herself a cup of linden tea and satin the rocking chair by the fireplace in order to warm up.

Miss Wild Straw-Berryloved winter.

36 Mr. Bill Berry, Tempest and Thunder reached a clear mountain stream.Mr. Bill Berry took out some fishing line and a hook and quickly caughtsome large trout. Then he roasted them on a hot stone. The twoscoundrels ate so much roasted fish that they could not take any morefood and were so grateful to Mr. Bill Berry that they asked him tobecome their chieftain. He rejected politely and they all went on together.

The higher up they climbed, the cooler was the air. The gray skytouched the tops of the trees, of which there were less and less. The nightswere ice cold and they had to take turns sleeping so that they could keepthe fire going.

One day it started snowing.

Tempest made three pairs of snowshoes from some tough twigs and Mr.Bill Berry took out his rope. They tied themselves to each other so thatthey did not get lost in the shroud of the blizzard. Their feet did not fallthough any more and they kept walking up in determination.

37That evening the snow stopped and the stars started glaring from thesky. Among them, the round face of the moon looked like a moldypancake.

Around the small fire the three travelers were finishing their dinner andwarming their bellies with some sloe potion.

�Sometimes I look at the moon and wonder“ Thunder said �what isholding it up there…“

�It’s gravity“ Mr. Bill Berry replied.�Gravi… what?“ Thunder asked.�Gravity. It means attraction. Earth is a big ball and it attracts the

moon. It is also big, but much smaller than Earth. That is why it rotatesaround it.

�And why does it look the size of a pancake?“ Tempest asked in disbelief.

38 �Because it is too far away. If we had to walk there we would need towalk one hundred thousand days…“

Thunder and Tempest started calculating it in their heads.�But no one of us …“ Thunder started saying.�… will live that long“ Tempest continued in excitement.�That’s true.“ Said Mr. Bill Berry in agreement.

�And what about the sun?’, askedThunder. �Is it also rotating aroundthe Earth because of that… what didyou call it... gra-, gra-...“

�Stop it! You sound like a crow!“said Tempest and poked him.�The sun does not rotate around the

earth but exactly the opposite.“ Mr. Bill Berryanswered with a smile. �The earth and the moon are rotating around thesun because it is much larger and attracts them. The sun is rotating aroundthe center of the galaxy. It is made up of millions of suns which we callstars. They are so far away that they look like glowing dots. �

Thunder and Tempest looked up to the sky in amazement.�Dear me!“ uttered Tempest�It turns out that the world is quite a big place!“ said Thunder quietly.�You may say it is endless. At least that is what some books say.“

explained Mr. Bill Berry.�Don’t despair!“ Tempest said to comfort him. �If you say that earth is

round, sooner or later you will go back to where you set off from.“Tempest was quite a smart guy and Mr. Bill Berry looked at him with

admiration.

39The doorbell rang. Miss Wild Straw-Berry’s heart jumped and she rushedto answer the door. There she saw the Mayor Blackthorn and a strangelady with a strict look. Surprised, Miss Wild Straw-Berry asked them in andoffered them some tea.

�Mrs. Rosehip is a lawyer.“ The Mayor said, stretching his legs closer tothe fire. �The Town Council has decided to sell Mr. Bill Berry’s house. He hasno heirs and with the proceeds from the sale we will renovate the school. Inthe spring.“

�But, where is he going to live?“ asked Miss Wild Straw-Berry and spilledher tea on her lap in surprise.

�Nobody believes that Mr. Bill Berry will come back any more.According to the law, his property ought to become responsibility of theCity Council,“ said the Mayor with a gloomy voice. �You are his next ofkin and you ought to sign the papers.“

�How come? I am just a neighbor!“ Miss Wild Straw-Berry said andpanicked. �Can’t it wait until the end of the winter?“

40

The visitors left. They agreed to put the sale off and Mrs. Rosehipannounced that this would be regarded a period of grace.

The Mayor sadly shook his head and then he shook the hand of MissWild Straw-Berry.

Mr. Bill Berry, Tempest and Thunder were standing at the top of themountain. It looked like an isle amongst the sea of clouds that stretchedunder their feet. The winter sun warmed their frozen noses.

�Let us leave some mark“. Mr. Bill Berry suggested, �so that everyonecan see that we have been here.“

�Who would want to climb up here?“ said Thunder in surprise.�We did“, said Tempest and nudged him.�We had to“, said Tempest.Mr. Bill Berry stuck his walking stick into the snow and tied his

handkerchief on the top.�I won’t need it on the way back“, he explained.They had a bit of rest and started descending down the steep hill.

41Confused, Miss Wild Straw-Berry was sitting in a rocking chair, and allkinds of thoughts raced through her mind. She imagined Mr. Bill Berrywandering around strange roads and exposed to all kinds of dangers,shivering in his thin clothes and with no one around to make him anytea.

She went outside in the garden, passed through the little porch andentered the house of Mr. Bill Berry. Nobody was there to say hello becauseTarantula Hannah was hibernating, curled up in her dark corner. MissWild Straw-Berry made a fire in the fireplace so that the walls didn’t getcold and damp.

�He is bound to be back!“ she said to herself confidently as she wasdusting with a bunch of feathers.

She took Mr. Bill Berry’s Arab slippers from the shelf,sat in a chair next to the window and burst intotears. They rolled down onto the soft leather ofthe slippers and left some dark stains.

Going down was worse than going up.Mr. Bill Berry regretted that he had left his

walking stick because he kept slipping and fallingdawn. This could have been very dangerous if ithadn’t been for the rope with which the three ofthem were tied to each other.

The peak was a long way behind them whenthey noticed a blue tent.

�This is the man we are going to rob!“ exclaimed the two scoundrels inexcitement and dashed off to the tent, dragging Mr. Bill Berry behindthem.

The flap opened and a short man came out wearing a wooly hat. Theminute he noticed the three companions he ran towards them and beforethey could say a thing he started shaking their hands.

�It is an honor for me!“ he shouted. �I saw you get down from thepeak.

42 �What do you mean you saw us?“ Mr. Bill Berry said surprised.The man pointed at the powerful binoculars hanging around his neck.�I want to hire you! I will pay you 10 gold coins each if you help me

climb that beauty!“The scoundrels looked at each other in dismay.�Ten golden coins each?“They could not believe their ears.�Why would you do that?“�I am an amateur mountain climber“ explained the short man. If

everything goes all right I will tell other colleagues of mine. They will alsopay you to get to the summit.“

�But we…“ uttered Tempest.�We were just thinking….“ added Thunder.

The man slapped his forehead.�My, I am so impolite! You must be freezing! Do come inside and have

a cup of tea with rum. There is some ham, sausages and tinned meat incase you are hungry! I will get it all ready for you!“

And he slipped back into the tent.

43

�Ham and sausages“, wheezed Tempest�Ten gold coins each“ whispered Thunder and immediately felt dizzy.�Today is your lucky day“, said Mr. Bill Berry. Now is the time to give

up your scoundrels’ lives. You won’t miss it, will you?“�Do you think we are mad?“ Thunder exclaimed. �This job is a gold

mine! Ten coins a climb!“�Fifteen! You will share my pay too.“The two already ex-scoundrels grabbed each other’s hands and started

dancing around. Then all of a sudden they stopped and turned to Mr. BillBerry.

�Why are you saying this. Aren’t you coming with us?“�I have to go“, answered Mr. Bill Berry and shook his head. �But I

won’t say no to a cup of tea and a ham sandwich. Let us get into thetent.“

Mr. Bill Berry took a step but slipped, fell backwards and hit his headon a stone that was sticking out of the snow.

He felt a splitting ache but, at the same time, memories gushed into hishead. As if a black curtain was torn and he could see his whole life unfoldbefore his eyes like a huge picture.

44 �Hey, Cork! Are you all right?“ Tempest and Thunder shouted,concerned and bent over him.

�Bill Berry!“, said Mr. Bill Berry with a blissful smile.�He must have lost his mind!“ said Tempest in deep concern.�My name is Bill Berry! I just remembered!“

The days went by slowly. Miss Wild Straw-Berry gave up tearing thesheets off the calendar, she stayed in bed till late and sometimes didn’t evensweep the floor.

�No one comes in here for any reason at all.“ She said to herself. �Iwill sweep tomorrow.“

All day she listened to old records. The spring of her oldgramophone was rusty and it made some screeching noises

but she did not mind.

The snow was falling and covering the paths.One evening when she was pulling the

curtains she looked across to Mr. Bill Berry’shouse. Something was wrong. There was light inall the windows.

�Some homeless stranger must have movedin“ she thought and a minute later she knockedat the door.

She could hear some slow dragging stepsapproaching.

�Oh, it’s you! I am glad to see you!“ Mr.Bill Berry said with a big smile, with his Arabslippers on his feet. �I have just made some…primrose tea. Would you like to come in and

have a cup of tea?“Mr. Bill Berry looked slimmer and exhausted but

otherwise he was still the same. Miss Wild Straw-Berry stepped hesitantlyinto the room.

�Don’t worry, come on in! Hannah is asleep.“

45Mr. Bill Berry put the kettle on the table and arranged the cups.�Do have a seat!“ he said and poured out the tea. �Isn’t that strange? It

feels like I’ve never been away at all. Everything is clean and tidy, even thepillows are full with fresh dandelion fluff.“

�You ought to come to my place and tell me where you’ve been all thistime!“ said Miss Wild Straw-Berry and gave him a piercing look in the eyes.

�Who, me go to your place?“He looked at her in amazement.�When?“�Tomorrow.“�I am busy tomorrow. I have to make a snowman!“ Mr. Bill Berry

replied cunningly.�I will help you. I have some wonderful carrots!“Mr. Bill Berry did not say anything. He smiled and took a long sip of

tea. Miss Wild Straw-Berry did the same.She had never tasted any better primrose tea before in her life.

46

Sotir GelevPenko Gelev

The Arab Slippers

Bulgaria1000 Sofia,

15, Dunav Street

E-mail: gekkon@datacom.bg