A car-planter. Эйваз Махмуд оглы Зейналов

feet breath well now?

      – Yes, my dear, thank you very much! May your hands be healthy!

      – May your feet be healthy,too!

      My daughter finished her work, but did not go away. I knew what she wanted , but İ asked her just to make sure:

      – What are you waiting for, dear?

      – Don’t you give me my one manat, daddy? – She asked.

      – Your manat? – I asked as if İ did not understand her question.

      – I am waiting for that what you have to give me. Do you think I take off your socks free of charge?

      I jokingly agreed with her from the very beginning. She had to take off my socks every day after work and I had to give her one manat for it. She was going to buy a notebook for her with collected money.

      One day I gave my daughter money but she did not go away.

      – What are you waiting for now, my dear? – I asked her.

      – Daddy, don’t your feet feel cold with a pair of socks? It is very cold in winter.

      I thought how this little girl took care of me. I was touched with her words.

      – Sometimes they feel cold, my clever daughter.– I said and embraced her.

      – Daddy, why don’t you put on two socks together?

      – Do you think it will be better for my feet?

      – Of course, daddy. Your feet will not feel cold then. – My daughter was happy that I believed her words.

      I sleeked down her hair and said:

      – Then I will put on two socks tomorrow, my dear.

      – All right, daddy, you will. – She smiled cunningly. And don’t forget my two manats.

      – Two manats? Why? – I was surprised.

      – Since tomorrow I will take off two pair of your socks, daddy. That’s why you will have to give me two manats instead of one.

      I DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET OLD

      Mother came from market. She took the old mincing machine and put it on the kitchen table in order to mince the meat. Tural and Aytan who were playing long ago in the room came to the kitchen. Mother asked:

      – What is the matter? Why do you come to the kitchen?

      – We are looking at you, – Tural said.

      – We are looking at you, – Aytan repeated her brother’s words as a parrot.

      Tural was older than Aytan. He was five years old. Ay-tan was three.

      – It will be good if you go and play with your toys. You have nothing to do here.

      The children stepped aside, but did not leave the kitchen. The mincing machine was wrong. Mother often opened and cleaned it, controlling the mincing meat. Sometimes she made effort and stopped for a while as the blade of the mincing machine was wrong. The next time when mother stopped, Tural said kindly:

      – Mom, let me help you.

      – Mom, let me help you. – Aytan again repeated her brother’s words.

      – How do you want to help me? – Mother said. – It will be good if you don’t go round me.

      The children were offended.

      – Mom, we are not going round you.

      – Don’t you see I am busy with this machine?!

      – Tell dad to buy a new mincing machine for you. The electric one. Tural said.

      – As my aunt’s electric machine!.. – Aytan added.

      – I have said. But your dad says that he has no money.

      – Mom, I will grow very soon and buy it for you. – Tural said with the manner of a young man.

      Mother smiled.

      – Oh, my son, I will be very old when you grow up.

      – As my granny?.. – Aytan asked.

      – Yes, as your granny!

      Aytan did not know what to say. So, she turned to her brother in order to learn his opinion.

      Tural was embarrassed. He was thinking something. Suddenly he rose his head and said:

      – Then I don’t want to grow up very soon, mom!

      – Why, my son?

      – I don’t want you to get old. – He said it so seriously as if he was going to cry.

      – I will be old granny, my son! What ‘s wrong with that?..

      – We have already had granny, mom. – Aytan said outpacing her brother this time.

      – She is right, mom! – Tural affirmed his sister’s words.

      Mother almost burst into tears and hugged her children.

      WHAT WAS THE MAGPIE LOOKING FOR?

      The cattle, sheep and lambs were grazing in the field. Father was lying on his felt cloak on the grass. He had been watching his son İlgar out of the corner of his eye.

      Ilgar was collecting flowers and running after the butterflies in the field. Suddenly he stopped as soon as he saw the magpie on the back of the black cow.The motley magpie was jumping up and down and pecking something on the cow’s back. Then it flew away and disappeared in the sky. Not long after the magpie appeared again. This time the bird perched on the other cow’s back and began to look for something. It flew away again. But Ilgar did not know what the magpie carried in its beak.

      The third time when the magpie appeared in the field Il-gar threw the bunch of the flower to the bird and whistled. He wanted to frighten the bird. But the magpie was busy in pecking. The bird paid no attention to him.

      Ilgar got angry. He run after the magpie. The bird took no heed to him as if he was playing with it. When Ilgar approached the magpie it flew and sat on the back of other cows and sheep.

      Ilgar’s father was watching them and smiling secretly. At last he saw that his son would frighten the cattle, so he called him:

      – Ilgar!…

      – What’s the matter, dad?! – Ilgar stopped and looked at his father screwing his eyes.

      – Don’t torment the magpie, sonny!

      – But it is pecking and hurting the cows.

      – It does not hurt the cattle. The magpie is looking for another thing on cows’ bodies.

      – What is it looking for? – Ilgar asked coming nearer to his father slowly.

      – The magpie is looking for wool and hair on their bodies.

      İlgar was surprised:

      – Wool and hair? Why would the bird do that?

      – The birds need it. They know that animals shed hair in spring. So, they carry their wool and hair to their nests for making them warmer. They also like warm and comfortable place for sleeping.

      Everything was clear to Ilgar now.

      THE BEETLE AND APPLE SAPWOOD

      The beetles and other insects were flying, running and fussing around in order to collect food for the winter. Even the activation of dung beetles, known among people as the “weather information bureau”, was the best guarantee that the weather would be pleasant in the near future. The small soft balls made of manure were heavier and bigger than the beetles themselves. It was very difficult for beetles to pull those heavy balls out of the endless pits, lift them upward slopes, roll them from dung- hills, throw them over various stones and clods, all kinds of brushwood and at last take them to the holes. But all these difficulties did not cause them to loss courage. The most dangerous thing for them was their meeting with beetles, in other words,