I really liked the book. But the main character Tanya is deeply antipathetic to me. The work has a double title: “The Wild Dog Dingo” and “The Tale of First Love.” If you imagine these names as a mathematical formula, and each part as a term, you end up with “Wild dog Dingo in the manger.”
I understand that Tanya is still a child, that she herself did not understand her first feelings, especially since she fell in love for the first time while meeting her own father, whom she had never seen before. Agree, this is stress, even despite the fact that the relationship with daddy can be considered improving, which is a considerable merit of the mother, who never told her daughter that her father was a goat, a scoundrel, abandoned an 8-month-old child... Take it, parents, Note - the earth is round, you never know how it will come back to haunt you.

But the way the heroine behaves is beyond normal. See:
1. Mom. Tanya not only loves her mother, but adores her. But at the same time he allows himself to read her personal letters. And inadvertently tease about old relationships with ex-husband. Okay, transitional age.
2. Father. It’s more or less adequate here: I didn’t know - I hated it, I found out - I loved it. And trying to gain attention and support. At the same time, he does not notice that his father gives all this. However, I liked that Tanya, when it dawned on her that her father also knew how to feel and experience, compared him with herself, and did not continue to think in labels.
3. Filka is your best friend. Well, that's who you have to be not to understand that the boy running after you from morning to evening, ready for any ridicule and crazy actions for your sake, is not doing this out of idleness at all... Who, huh? A naive little girl seeing the light in pink color? But the following points prove that this person is not like that at all. So I draw a specific conclusion: Tanya understood perfectly well that the Nanai boy was head over heels in love, but it was CONVENIENT for her to pretend that she did not understand. And what? There is no need to respond to signs of attention, and Sancho Panza is always at hand...
4. Half-brother Kolya. Unexpectedly surging love. And how does our dreamer of distant Australian shores manifest herself? First - jealousy towards his father, then towards his neighbor Zhenya, and then the classic: Do you know Lope de Vega? His Countess Diana? Well, here's one on one, only with a bias towards Soviet teenage reality. It was the attitude towards Kolya that made me doubt the girl’s sincerity and kindness, but the last point killed me on the spot.
5. Faithful dog Tiger. A wonderful dog who accompanied her owner on visits and even brought her skates herself if she saw her at the skating rink. And so, in moments of danger, the first thing Tanya did was to throw the aging dog to be torn to pieces by a crowd of brutal sled dogs so that they would change their running route. Yes, she and Kolya were in danger, but just like that to sacrifice those who are so devoted to you, and then cynically exclaim “My dear, poor Tiger!”... You should shut your mouth, my dear!

This is such a surge of emotions for me. I liked the plot, the author’s style, it was interesting to plunge into the atmosphere of a Far Eastern village during the USSR period. But I’ll tell you this: the wild dog dingo is the only dangerous predator on the Australian mainland... And it’s not just that Tanya’s classmates called her that. It's not about her strange fantasies. Children apparently see deeper...

(Book by a Soviet writer).

The book “The Wild Dog Dingo, or the Tale of First Love,” according to many readers, is a work written as if especially for young girls. It should be read at a time when you want to have fun during recess; when you have to argue with your mother about how long the skirt should be so as not to catch a cold; when all thoughts and dreams are connected with first love. This book is exciting and exciting and at the same time very sweet, homely “cozy”. This is the story of first love - a bright feeling that arose against the backdrop of evil intrigues woven by classmates, as well as family drama.

Plot plot

A summary of Fraerman’s “Wild Dog Dingo” will not convey the entire atmosphere that captures the reader from the very first pages of the work. The main character of the book, a schoolgirl named Tanya Sabaneeva, will seem at first similar to all girls of her age. Her life is the same as that of other Soviet pioneers. And the only thing that sets her apart from the rest is her desire to have a dingo dog. Tanya is the daughter of a single mother; her father left the family when the girl was only eight months old. Reading summary“Wild Dog Dingo” by Fraerman, it is difficult to understand the full drama of the situation in the lives of the main characters. The mother tells her daughter fairy tales that her father now lives in a city called Maroseyka, but the girl does not find him on the map. The mother does not say anything bad about her father, despite the tragedy that befell her.

Unexpected news

When Tanya returns from children's camp, she discovers a letter that was addressed to her mother. In it, the father writes that he plans to return to the city, but now with a new family - his wife and stepson. Despite the conflicting feelings filling her, Tanya still comes to meet her father at the pier. At the port, she cannot find her father, and gives a bouquet of flowers to a disabled boy.

Subsequently, she learns that this is Kolya, with whom she is now related. She thinks a lot about her parents, but at the same time the heroine calls her father “you”. “The Wild Dog Dingo, or the Tale of First Love” is a book about teenage experiences, about the confusion of feelings that can happen in the soul young man or girls at such a tender age. The events described in the book continue to develop in the school classroom, where Kolya appears. Tanya herself, as well as her friend named Filka, studies in this class.

New feelings

And so competition begins between step-relatives for the parent’s attention, and most often it is Tanya who initiates the scandals. But gradually the girl realizes that she is beginning to experience tender feelings for Kolya - she constantly feels embarrassed in his presence, and looks forward to his appearance. Her experiences become noticeable - her friend Filka is very dissatisfied with them, treating her classmate with special warmth and not wanting to share her company with anyone.

Character of the main character

Those students who need to retell the summary of "The Wild Dog of the Dingo" by Fraerman should remember the path that the main characters of the book go through. Every teenager needs it. friendship and betrayal, the need to take an important step and finally grow up. This path awaits every hero of the book, but first of all we are talking about Tanya Sabaneeva.

In fact, it was the main character who was described by Reuben Fraerman as a “wild dingo dog” - after all, she received such a nickname in the class group for her isolation. With the help of her experiences, hopes and aspirations, the writer describes the main character traits of the heroine - the ability to sympathize, self-esteem, and the ability to understand. Tanya only looks like a simple schoolgirl. In fact, she differs from her comrades in her ability to sense beauty, and strives with all her might for truth, beauty, and justice. That is why reviews of Fraerman’s “Wild Dog Dingo” are the most positive. After all, the book evokes bright feelings in the reader, forcing you to empathize with the main character.

Maturity beyond his years

Tanya sympathizes with all her heart for her mother, who continues to love her departed father; she tries to understand what is the cause of the family drama, and turns out to be capable of sensible conclusions that not every adult in her place could make. Tanya's dreams of unknown countries and an unusual dingo dog speak of an ardent and poetic nature. The character of the main character is most clearly revealed in her tender feelings for Kolya. She surrenders to this love with all her soul, but still does not lose herself, she tries to comprehend what is happening to her.

A summary of Fraerman’s “Wild Dog Dingo” will not be able to convey all the nuances described in the book. At first, Tanya was constantly jealous of her father for Kolya; she constantly quarreled with her newly-made “relative”. Despite the fact that Kolya still tried to make friends with his stepsister (for example, with the help of Gorky’s stories), this only leads to quarrels. A classmate named Zhenya even suggests that Tanya is in love with her stepbrother.

Buran

As the New Year approaches, the feelings experienced by the main characters of Fraerman’s “Wild Dog Dingo” gradually transform. Tanya realizes that she loves Kolya. Filka, who is in love with Tanya, takes this very hard and, after the end of the dance, decides to engage in intrigue. He tells Tanya that Kolya and Zhenya are going to the skating rink tomorrow. And Kole says that he plans to go with Tanya to the performance tomorrow. The next day, Tanya goes to the skating rink, however, when Kolya and Zhenya appear there, she decides to forget the boy. But on the way the weather deteriorates, a snowstorm begins, and she decides to warn her comrades. The wife manages to quickly escape, but Kolya falls and cannot walk.

Further development of the plot

Tanya rushes into Filka’s yard and takes from him the dog sled given to Filka by his father. Tanya pulls Kolya, but the storm is getting stronger. Fortunately, along the way they come across border guards who save the children’s lives. Further, Reuben Fraerman describes how Kolya’s cheeks and ears were frostbitten. Tanya and Filka often visit their friend. However, when school begins again, a rumor spreads among classmates that Tanya deliberately dragged Kolya into the snowstorm in order to destroy him. Tanya is expelled from the pioneer organization. The girl is taking this very hard, but soon everyone will find out how things really were.

Ending

In the end, Tanya decides to talk frankly with her mother about her problems. They decide to leave the city. The main character talks about this decision to Filka and also plans to inform Kolya the next morning. Out of jealousy, Filka tells Kolya and Tanya’s father everything. The father appears at the place of their meeting just at the moment when Tanya confesses her feelings to Kolya. After this, the girl leaves to say goodbye to Filka and leaves.

History of the book

The history of the creation of “Wild Dog Dingo,” according to researchers of Fraerman’s work, originates during the writer’s stay in Far East, where he saw many examples of the truly chivalrous attitude of Tungus boys towards Russian girls. The plot of the book matured in the writer’s mind for several years. When, finally, the writer was ready to create a work, he secluded himself from everyone in the Ryazan village of Solotche. Fraerman's wife recalled that the book was ready within a month. Currently, this work is very popular among teenagers and young adults, and this is not surprising, because it discusses topics that will be relevant at all times.

The guests left after midnight, and Tanya wished happiness to everyone: her friendly and unfriendly friends, and the hunter, and Filka, and her father, and her mother, and Nadezhda Petrovna.

And Kolya said:

Happy New Year, Kolya! Be happy, friend, and let's forget about this stupid fish.

She decided not to think about him anymore.

And in the middle of the night Tanya woke up in fear. From the larvae that she put on the bed yesterday, a young mosquito hatched. Perhaps it was an old mosquito, warming up among the bloodworms on the stove, but it suddenly came to life and began to ring.

It was so scary! It rang in the middle of the night in winter when it shouldn't have been ringing at all.

Tanya sat on the bed, looking into the darkness, and listened to this ringing, this fluttering of mosquito wings, and her heart beat loudly, like a night watchman’s beater.

Could this pathetic sound really frighten her so much?

“We need to kill him,” Tanya thought.

But the mosquito squeaked a little more and fell silent. He died himself.

Tanya fell asleep again and woke up in the morning with joy.

The mother had already gone to the hospital on duty, but this did not upset Tanya. What freedom there was in her soul, how light her body was - it seemed as if it had completely lost its weight.

“What is this,” she thought, “vacations? Or maybe it really is love, which fat-cheeked Zhenya speaks about without any conscience? Well, let it be love. Let it be... But I will dance with him today on the Christmas tree. And I’ll go to the skating rink. I won’t bother them at all. I’ll stand there on the edge behind the snowdrift and just watch how they skate. And maybe some strap on his skate will come undone. Then I’ll tie it with my own hands. Yes, I will definitely do that."

And while Tanya was washing and eating breakfast, she kept thinking about it. And her eyes shone, every step, every movement of her hand seemed like a new impression to her.

She sharpened her skates, tied them tightly with straps and called the old dog with her, throwing her a piece of sugar on the snow. She looked for him, poking her muzzle into different places, but with my weak sense of smell I couldn’t find it.

And yet poor Tiger went with her this time. But, as he later reasoned with his old man’s mind, it was completely in vain. They wasted an hour standing on the river near the skating rink, hiding behind every snowdrift. They didn't meet anyone here. It was empty all around. And what he saw down on the river was even dangerous. From behind a distant cape, covered with forest, the wind quietly crept, brushing the edges of the rocks and hissing, blowing snow off the stones.

She and Tanya stood like that for quite a long time and went back. But as soon as they climbed up the path behind the fishermen's huts, they immediately saw Kolya. He walked, supporting Zhenya, and she bent and slid along the icy paths rolled out by fishermen's children. And both had skates in their hands.

Tanya turned left into the alley and hid behind the house, putting her skates in a snowdrift. The tiger sat down next to her, looking up at her. He couldn't understand her.

So Kolya walked past without noticing anything, but she still continued to stand. The tiger whined a little, his paws began to tremble. He remembered the smell of bird bones that Kolya often brought him, and his conscience ached. He jumped out from behind the house with a squeal and rushed after Kolya. He quickly turned around.

Tiger, are you there? - he said in surprise. - Where is Tanya?

And Tanya - here she is, came out of the alley and stands: there is no need to hide anymore. Her face is filled with bright paint, thicker than it could have been done cold wind, blowing from the east since morning.

Tiger,” she said, “come here now!”

Kolya bowed to Tanya and walked towards her, waving his skates haphazardly.

Have you already been to the skating rink, so early? - he asked. - I thought you and Filka went to the play at school.

Tanya remained motionless, turning her face to the side, and the words obeyed her poorly, although she said arrogantly:

I wasn’t at the skating rink at all, you see that I don’t have skates. Filka told you the truth. We are going with him to school for a play.

Kolya looked at Tanya’s hands. Yes, she didn’t have skates in her hands or on her shoulder.

So is this true? Great! - he said. - In that case, Tiger, come here.

Tanya shouted loudly:

Don't you dare, Tiger!

And the old dog remained in place, although the smell of tasty bones could not leave her head. She sat next to Tanya a little longer, perhaps even thinking about what she should do in such a difficult situation, and, probably remembering about her own affairs, she rushed back into the alley, leaving the children alone.

Following her, Tanya walked away with quick steps.

She walked, trying not to look back.

“No, I won’t hide from Kolya behind houses and snowdrifts anymore,” Tanya thought, walking down the street, “I won’t tie a strap on his skates, and you never need to do that.”

And no matter how little Tanya lived on earth and how long she still had to live, she decided for the rest of her life not to even remember Kolya, to forget every thought about him. After all, there are better joys in the world than this, and probably easier ones.

She knew them before, just recently catching trout in the river or listening to the sounds of a bugle on a line in the same row with others. And even now Filka is waiting for her at the school for the play, and her old friends are crowding around the open gates.

Finally, she can just look around, without thinking about anything, she can look at her own city. He also brings her joy. He is small, but, like her, he is friendly with her sky, with forests black with pine needles, and in the spring river eagles admire him from above. Even now, in winter, it is beautiful. And it's not all wood. Its harbor is made of stone, and its school is made of stone, and its school is made of stone new house in which gold is melted.

And how many new roads run out of the forest towards him and again run into the forest, where in the very depths, day and night, the breathing of tall chimneys can be heard, new smoke is visible above the tops of the cedars! And how many cars pass through the city with chains wrapped around their wheels so that they do not slip on the snow!

And here is an old coppersmith also passing through the city and shouting at the crossroads: “Tin, solder!” In the spring he carries his small rail on his shoulders, and in the winter he drags it on a rope through the snow, and it slides, making his work easier - he runs after the coppersmith like a dog. Who needs what - to slide or not to slide. Is it bad?

And, following with her eyes the coppersmith who was hammering with iron, Tanya walked wider and ran faster towards the open gates of the school.

Children were crowding around the school. But strangely, they did not enter, but came out of the gate. They ran screaming towards Tanya, and for a long time she could not understand their words.

Buran,” they shouted, “buran!” There will be no performance!

Mothers, wrapped in fur coats, grabbed their babies by the hands and took them home. Others were taken away by their fathers.

Alexandra Ivanovna came out of the gate, leading behind her the same girl whose quick legs had so often crossed Tanya’s path. And he held the teacher’s other hand a little boy, who seemed to not want to go anywhere.

Tanya looked around carefully. She looked up and saw the sky divided sharply into two different colors- black and blue. It was black to the left, in the east, and stood there like a straight wall. And the flag on the city tower flew forward, also straight, like a string. A storm was approaching the city. He was floating high, he had not yet fallen to the ground.

Tanya looked at the air through her fingers. It was already dark and getting darker.

“It’s a snowstorm,” Tanya thought with alarm, “and they’re on the river.”

Buran! - Alexandra Ivanovna shouted. - Come back home, Tanya. Tell everyone you meet about this.

But Tanya didn’t turn back. She ran closer.

“I’m not afraid of a snowstorm,” she said. - I will help you. Give me the girl, I'll take her home.

She lives far away, by the river, near the barges.

It's okay, I know where she lives.

Well, take it, and I’ll take the boy. Just make sure you come home quickly,” the teacher said worriedly.

“I’ll do everything well,” Tanya answered hastily, “don’t worry, Alexandra Ivanovna.”

She grabbed the girl by the hand, and the two of them ran along the long street, where, despite the noon, the housewives closed the shutters on the windows and turned on the lights in the houses.

They ran quickly, without stopping, only the wind at the crossroads delayed them.

Near the river from above, Tanya saw barges covered with snow up to the masts. And to the right is the skating rink. The wide and flat ice was clear of snow. Along its edges, garlands of spruce paws hung on driven stakes. They tossed about like the rigging of a schooner caught in a storm. And far beyond the skating rink, on the river, on the tops of the open mountains, like flowers, white swirling whirlwinds rose on thin stems. There was no one at the skating rink. Only two tiny figures, holding hands, rolled along the edge of the ice.

Tanya ran down the path and rushed along the shore, looking first at the skating rink and then at the girl, already out of breath from running.

She stopped for a second.

These are ours,” said the girl. - Why don’t you shout to them?

But instead of answering, Tanya put her hand to her heart:

Listen to how it beats.

“My ears are frozen,” said the girl. - I hear nothing. There is a snowstorm, and they are riding. Why don't you shout to them?

And Tanya again did not answer her. She picked her up and carried her to the house located on the very shore.

A moment later, Tanya appeared on the threshold of the house again, already alone. She jumped down onto the ice and walked between the barges along the path where her feet sank into the snow. She decided not to rush at all. She will walk even more slowly along this difficult path. And let the snowstorm cover her eyes, cover both the skating rink and the garlands of spruce branches, all the way to the mountains, let him cover the entire river with snow. She won't rush. She will come to the skating rink and tell them rudely: “It’s time for you to come to your senses and go home. Just don’t think that I came to tell you this. I was taking the girl home and happened to pass by. This is your happiness, because I see that you both forgot that’s all. And if it’s not a girl, then I just like to walk here, on the river, in front of the snowstorm. You can not believe me as you wish. Only you see - I came here slowly and will leave now, in no hurry.”

So Tanya muttered, speeding up her pace until her legs carried her as if on wings. She raced past the frozen barges, the dark air humming in her ears. And the path turned out to be the shortest of all. She soon brought her to the skating rink. But Tanya didn’t find anyone here. She looked around the entire river, the bank, smoking in high places. And suddenly she noticed Kolya close, almost at her feet. He sat in the snow next to pine garlands that had fallen from the wind, and Zhenya sat next to him. The darkness was already approaching the sun.

Tanya tore the spruce branches with her breasts.

Are you blind? - she said to Zhenya. - A snowstorm will begin soon, Alexandra Ivanovna ordered everyone to go home.

But, having already said this, she saw that Zhenya was already frightened: although her cheeks were red, she was trembling all over.

What's happened? - Tanya asked anxiously.

Kolya arranged it all,” Zhenya said, trembling. - He wanted to go skating with me. But I'm scared, there's wind here.

Why are you lying? - said Kolya. - Wasn't it you who wanted to go for a ride in the morning?

But weren’t you the one who asked Filka to tell Tanya that we would come here in the morning? - Zhenya answered angrily.

But Tanya did not listen to them. She leaned over Kolya with care.

His face was pale, he was holding his leg, unable to rise from the snowdrift.

“Go away, you stupid,” he told Zhenya. - Both of you leave, I'll be left alone.

Zhenya still did not stop trembling.

“I’ll go home,” she said.

Tanya took her by the shoulders and quietly turned her face to the city.

Go away, she said. - Just go to Filka and tell him that we are here. Mom is not at home.

No, no, I'll go straight home. I'm afraid a storm will start soon.

Zhenya ran up the mountain, covering her face from the wind with her sleeve.

Tanya sat down on the ice in front of Kolya and began to untie her belts.

Are you hurt? Are you hurt? - she asked.

He said nothing.

Everything around was dark: the river, the ice, and the sky.

Her fingers were cold. She warmed them, occasionally pressing them tightly between her knees. Kolya tried not to moan. She extended her hand to him. He stood up and sank back down into the snow.

Did you break your leg? - Tanya said in fear.

No,” Kolya answered, “I only slightly stretched my vein.” This stupid Zhenya doesn’t know how to skate at all.

Then she heard him laugh, although he should not have laughed at all.

Perhaps he is laughing at her, at her fear for his life? Maybe this is just pretense and a joke - his leg doesn’t hurt at all?

Look at the road,” he said with a laugh, “after all, it’s the Tiger who is carrying your skates in his teeth.” I thought you hid them.

She looked at the road.

Yes, it was Tiger running across the ice, dragging his skates by the straps. He placed them at her feet and sat down next to her, expecting her gratitude. She ran her frozen hand through his cold fur. But why does she need skates now and where did he get them? He probably dug them out of the snowdrift behind the house. He dragged them along the street, frightened by passers-by. And the wind threw him into the snow. It must have been hard for him to drag. But it’s all in vain: she doesn’t need skates now.

What should I do? - she said. - And mom is not at home. There is no one but the Tiger. But if you can’t walk, I’ll carry you in my arms to the fishermen’s houses. But you can't stay here. You don't know our snowstorms.

“I’m not afraid of your snowstorms,” Kolya answered stubbornly. - And if you think that I was afraid of your deep river and then you didn’t go into the water after this unfortunate kitten - it’s your business. Think as you wish. Leave if you are afraid.

No,” said Tanya, “I’m not afraid of the storm, I’m afraid for you.” I know it's dangerous and I'll stay here with you.

She sat down on the snow next to Kolya. She looked at him with tenderness that she no longer wanted to hide. And her face expressed anxiety.

He lowered his head.

“I should be home,” he said. - I gave my word to my father. After all, he doesn't know where I am.

What should I do? - Tanya repeated.

She took her eyes away from Kolya and looked thoughtfully at the Tiger, who was trembling heavily in the flying snow, then jumped to her feet, more cheerful than before.

The sky was sliding down from the mountains, spreading like smoke along the gorges. And the black distance was close, standing behind the rocks nearby. And yet the most terrible wind had not yet emerged from behind the sand spit, where the stones were scattered. And the snow had not yet fallen from above. The storm was approaching slowly.

“We have time,” Tanya said. - Filka has dogs, and I drive the sled perfectly. I'll bring them here. We can make it in time. Wait for me here and I will take you home to your father. Just don't be afraid. The dog will stay with you. She won't leave.

Tanya put the Tiger on a snowdrift and let him lick her hand. He remained in place, looking with fear to the north, where the storm was already moving the snow and shaking the forests on the mountains.

Tanya ran ashore.

Bowing her face and cutting the wind with her body, she ran along the street lined with high snowdrifts. All the gates were already closed. Only Filka's gate stood wide open. He just arrived with his father on the dogs. He stood on the porch, clearing his skis of snow, and, suddenly seeing Tanya nearby, breathing loudly, he stepped back in amazement in front of her. And the dogs lay at the gate in the yard, harnessed to a sledge; they had not yet been unharnessed. And the musher - a long ash stick - was stuck in the snow next to them.

Tanya grabbed the musher and fell onto the sled.

What are you doing, Tanya! - Filka shouted in fright. - Be careful, they are evil.

Be silent, - said Tanya, - be silent, dear Filka! I need to take Kolya to his father as soon as possible. He sprained his leg at the skating rink. I'll bring your sleigh now. It's close by the river.

She waved the musher, shouted at the dogs in Nanai, and the dogs carried her out of the gate.

By the time Filka managed to jump off the porch and put his skis on his feet, the sled was already far away. But still he ran after Tanya and shouted with all his might:

Buran, storm! Where are you going? Wait for me!

But Tanya no longer heard his screams.

She sat astride the sledge, like a real hunter. She drove perfectly, keeping the musher ready. And strangely, the dogs obeyed Tanya, although her voice was unfamiliar to them.

Filka stopped. The wind hit him on the shoulders and forced him to sit down on his skis. But he didn't turn back.

He sat on his skis for a while, thinking about what he had seen, about the wind, about Tanya and about himself. And, deciding that everything good should have a good direction, and not a bad one, he suddenly turned away from the house and, turning onto the road leading to the fortress through the forest, ran along it straight against the storm.

And while he was running, his dogs took Tanya out onto the ice. She braked the sled near Kolya, forcefully thrusting a long musher between the runners. And immediately the dogs lay down, not quarreling with each other at all.

Kolya, staggering from pain, stood up with difficulty. And yet he smiled. Even pleasure shone on his chilled face. It was the first time he had seen dogs in a sled; it was the first time he had to ride them.

Really, this is a good idea,” he said, looking at the light sledge lined with whalebone, and at the dogs gnawing the snow on the sides. “These dogs are not so evil, as Filka constantly told me, and they are not so strong in appearance. They are only slightly larger than our Spitz dogs.

But Tanya, who knew their anger, unbridled temper and constant desire for freedom better than he, did not leave a single step from the sledge. She only left for a moment in order to carefully pick up Kolya by the arms and seat him in the sleigh. Then she picked up the Tiger, trembling with fear, pressed him to her chest, jumped into the sled and let the dogs go forward. But how elusive were her movements and how faithful, how sharp-sighted was the glance that she cast at the snow, which was already beginning to hiss and move along the road, and how timid he became when she turned him back - to Kolya!

Aren't you in a lot of pain? - she asked. - Be patient, we'll be there soon. Just to make it before the storm!

He was surprised. In her eyes, anxiously burning under eyelashes frozen by the wind, and in her entire being, a different, completely unfamiliar meaning appeared to him. It was as if on these wild dogs, harnessed to a light sleigh, through the sharp snow that scratched the skin on their faces, they both were carried away to another, new country, about which he had never heard anything.

And he held on to her clothes so as not to fall out.

And the snowstorm was already covering the road. She walked like a wall like a downpour, absorbing the light and ringing like thunder between the rocks.

And Tanya, deafened by the wind, vaguely saw a horse galloping along the road from this white wall, as if trying to break away from it. Tanya could not see who she was carrying away from the snowstorm. She only felt the dogs furiously rushing towards her, and she screamed at them in a wild voice. Kolya did not understand her cry. But she herself knew why she screamed so terribly: the dogs didn’t listen anymore.

Like a heavy spear, Tanya shook the musher and, straining her hand, forcefully stuck him into the snow. It went deep and broke. Then Tanya turned around, and Kolya for just one moment saw horror on her face. She shouted:

Hold on tight to the sled!

She lifted the Tiger high above her head and threw it onto the road. He fell into the snow with a squeal.

Then, as if realizing what he needed to do, he instantly jumped up and, with a loud howl, rushed next to the flock. He got ahead of her, as if dooming himself to death. The dogs noticed him. He rushed out of the way. And the flock rushed after him.

The horse galloped past.

"My dear, poor Tiger!" - Tanya thought.

He jumped high on the virgin soil, he drowned, he suffocated in the snow. He may have cursed the people who disfigured his body, made his legs short, his neck long and weak. But he loved this girl, with whom he played as a puppy and grew up together, and only he grew old. Is this fair?

He sat down in the snow and began to wait for death.

And Tanya fell to the sled, hearing his long squeal, and wheezing, and the knocking of the dog’s fangs, drowning out the loud noise of the wind.

The sled, no longer restrained by the brake, ran into the huddled flock, rose up, and tipped over on its side.

Tanya grabbed the runner. It was as if lightning struck her in the eyes. She went blind for a second. The rope from the sled, caught on a sharp hummock, burst with a snake whistle. And the free flock rushed off into the deep snowstorm.

No one moved: neither Tanya, who was lying next to the sled, nor Kolya, who had fallen on his face, nor the dead Tiger with his throat torn, looking at the blizzard sky, everything remained motionless. The only thing that moved was the snow and the air, moving tightly back and forth along the river.

Tanya was the first to jump to her feet. She bent down, picked up the sled and bent down again, helping Kolya up. The fall did not stun her. As before, all her movements were elusive, strong and flexible. She brushed the snow off her face calmly, as if no misfortune had happened.

Kolya couldn’t stand on his feet.

We will die. What have I done, Tanya! - he said with fear, and even tears appeared in his eyes, but they froze before they even had time to roll down his eyelashes.

Kolya began to lean on his side again and sink to the ground. And Tanya grabbed him again, trying to hold him.

She shouted to him:

Kolya, do you hear, we will never die! You just can’t stand still - you’ll skid. Can you hear me. Kolya, honey? We need to move!

She strained with all her strength. And so they stood, as if hugging. And the blizzard sheltered them for a minute in its clouds, and then deafened them with its loud voice.

Tanya moved the sleigh closer with her foot.

No, no,” Kolya shouted, “I don’t want this!” I won't let you drive me!

He began to struggle. Tanya grabbed him by the neck. Their cold faces touched each other. She asked, repeating the same thing, although it was difficult to pronounce the word - every sound on her lips died from the cruel wind.

“We will be saved,” she insisted. - It’s close here. Quicker! You can't wait.

He sat down on the sled. She wiped the snow from his face with a scarf, examined his hands - they were still dry - and tightly tied the laces of his mittens at his wrist.

Grabbing a piece of rope, Tanya pulled the sled behind her. Tall waves of snow rolled towards her - blocking her path. She climbed on them and fell again and kept walking and walking forward, pushing with her shoulders the thick, continuously moving air, which with every step desperately clung to her clothes, like the thorns of creeping grass. It was dark, full of snow, and nothing could be seen through it.

Sometimes Tanya stopped, returned to the sledge, fiddled with Kolya and, despite all his suffering and complaints, forced him to take ten steps forward. She was breathing heavily. Her whole face was wet, and her clothes became hard - covered with thin ice.

So she walked for a long time, not knowing where the city was, where the shore was, where the sky was - everything disappeared, disappeared into this white darkness. And yet Tanya walked with her face bowed, feeling her way with her feet, and, as in the most terrible heat, sweat streamed down her back.

Suddenly a cannon shot was heard. She took off her hat, listened, ran up to Kolya and again made him get up from the sleigh.

Having difficulty pushing sounds out of her throat, she screamed. But her scream seemed no louder than the rustle of dry snowflakes.

You heard the cannon fire from the fortress. Maybe they are giving us a signal.

He nodded his head weakly at her. The numbness seized him more and more. And Tanya no longer sat Kolya in the sleigh, but, grabbing his belt and putting his hand on her neck, she pulled him forward again, still forcing him to move his legs. But the sled remained in place.

They turned left, where another shot was heard. This one was already louder and went all over the river.

Tanya leaned her chest harder into the wind, blessing the strength of her lungs, which helped her somehow breathe in this terrible storm, and the strength of her legs, carrying her forward, and the strength of her arms, which did not let go of their friend’s embrace.

But sometimes fear would attack her for a moment. And then it seemed to her that she was alone in the world among this blizzard.

Meanwhile, border guards were moving on skis towards her, surrounded by the same snowstorm. They walked in a thick chain, spread far along the river. Each had a long rope in their hands, the end of which was held by the other. So they were united, one and all, and feared nothing in the world. The same darkness, the same hummocks, the same high snowdrifts, rolling back and forth, stood before them as before Tanya. But the shooters easily ran away from them and easily climbed, without wasting their breath. And if the wind was very strong, they bent towards the ground, as if trying to slip under it.

So they approached the place where Tanya was. But she was not visible even two steps away. This girl, her face iced with sweat, still seemed lonely among the blizzard, holding her weakened friend in her arms. She was still moving forward, but she no longer had the strength. She staggered from every gust of wind, fell, stood up again, stretching forward only one free hand. And suddenly I felt a rope under my elbow. She clutched it convulsively. It could have been a rope from a barge frozen nearby in the ice. But still, moving her hand along the rope, Tanya shouted:

Who's here, help!

And suddenly she touched her father’s overcoat.

In the darkness, without any visible signs, not with eyes blinded by snow, not with fingers deadened by the cold, but with her warm heart, which had been looking for her father in the whole world for so long, she felt his closeness, recognized him here, in the cold, death-threatening desert, in complete darkness.

Dad, dad! - she screamed.

I'm here! - he answered her.

And her face, distorted by suffering and fatigue, became covered with tears.

“He’s alive,” she said, pushing Kolya towards his father, and she herself, shaking from loud crying, pressed her forehead to his knees.

He squatted down and, tearing off his overcoat, wrapped the children clinging to him.

What about him? He also cried, and his face, distorted with suffering, like Tanya’s, was completely wet. But, however, it could also be snow that melted from breathing under his warm helmet.

Filka... Filka came running to us,” said the father.

Filka, Filka! - Tanya repeated loudly, although Filka was not here.

They remained motionless for a minute or two. The snow was creeping higher and higher on them.

The father pulled the rope hard. Red Army soldiers began to appear on the right and left, not letting go of the ropes. They, like white puffs of snow, emerged from the blizzard and stopped next to the children.

The last to arrive was Red Army soldier Frolov. He was completely covered in a blizzard. His gun hung over his shoulders, and his face was covered in snow.

Found! - he said. - I said we would find it. Without this it is impossible.

The Red Army soldiers surrounded the children and the colonel in a tight circle, and the entire crowd moved back through the blizzard.

And another shot was heard from the fortress.

Chapter 22

It was no longer spring. The river became shallow along the banks, rocks appeared, and even before noon the sand on the shore was heating up.

The shine above the water became sharper and smaller. The summer heat now struck directly into the mountains, and eagles slowly rose into the heights on the hot currents of air. Only sometimes a clear wind blew in from the sea, suddenly making the forests rustle for a short time.

Tanya walked around the shore for the last time, saying goodbye to everyone. She walked along the sand, next to her shadow, and the river ran at her very feet - like a friend, she accompanied Tanya on the road.

A long sand spit blocked their path.

Tanya stopped. She loved to swim on this spit in the mornings with Filka. Where is he now? She spends the whole morning looking for him everywhere in vain. He ran away, not wanting to say goodbye to her. Neither here nor there she can find him.

Isn't it her own fault?

How often during this year, so rich in events for Tanya, did she forget about the friend whom she once promised not to change for anyone! He never forgot her, always lenient in his friendship.

And now, leaving the sweet places, Tanya thought about him with gratitude and persistently searched for him.

- Filka, Filka! - she shouted loudly twice.

Tanya ran towards him, plunging her feet into the sand.

“Filka,” she said reproachfully, “my mother is waiting for me on the pier, and I’ve been looking for you since the morning.” What are you doing here on the spit?

“Yes, nothing, a little,” answered Filka. - I lie down a little.

His words were quiet, his eyes were slightly open. And Tanya laughed at his mournful appearance.

“A little, a little,” she repeated with a laugh and suddenly fell silent.

He was without a shirt. And his shoulders, bathed in the sun, sparkled like stones, and on his chest, dark from tanning, light letters stood out, written very skillfully.

She read: “TANYA.”

Filka covered this name with his hand in embarrassment and retreated a few steps. He would have retreated very far, would have gone completely into the mountains, but the river guarded him behind him. And Tanya kept following him, step by step.

- Just wait, Filka! - she said.

“Let it go,” he decided. “Let all people see this, since they leave each other so easily.”

But Tanya was not looking at him. She looked at the sun, at the shine scattered in the air above the mountains, and turned Filka’s empty hands towards her.

She was surprised.

- How did you do it? she asked.

And in response, Filka silently bent down to the ground and took out from under a pile of clothes he had folded on the sand, four letters cut out of white paper. He placed them on his chest and said:

“I come here every morning and let the sun burn my chest in order to your name remained light. I came up with this. But please don't laugh at me anymore.

He put his hand on his throat, which was a sign of his greatest sadness. And Tanya realized that it was better for her not to laugh now.

She looked into his eyes with a new tenderness and quietly touched his skin with her finger:

- How small you are, Filka! You are a child. After all, it will all burn off and disappear as soon as winter comes and you put on a warm shirt.

Filka frowned and looked around in bewilderment at the hot sand and the river, sparkling among the mountains like a golden valley. His confusion was great. He forgot about winter, he didn’t think about it at all when he burned his body under the sun.

"Fool, fool!"

He was ready to give up on himself.

“But the sun is so strong,” he said still stubbornly. Will every trace really disappear? Maybe there will be something left, Tanya? Think about it.

And Tanya, after thinking for a moment, agreed with him.

“You're right,” she said. - Something must remain. Everything cannot pass. Otherwise, where will... - she asked with tears, - where will our faithful friendship go forever?..

The children hugged each other.

Warm air slid across their faces. Lonely birds looked at them from above.

Childhood is over! How did it happen? And who could tell them this? Neither sand, nor forest, nor stones, which were always with them. Only their native river alone ran further and further towards the sunrise, flowing between the dark mountains. And there, in the invisible distance, another, magical country stood before them, a bright land stretched out.

And, hugging each other, they constantly looked in the same direction, not back, but forward, because they did not yet have memories.

But the first sadness of parting had already disturbed them.

“Goodbye, wild dog dingo,” said Filka, “goodbye!”

He wanted to cry bitterly, but he was a boy born in a silent forest, on the shore of a harsh sea. He lay down on the sand near the water and froze.

And Tanya walked along the sand along the river, and the clear wind, flying from the same harsh sea, blew towards her all the time
Fraerman R.

Reuben Isaevich Fraerman

Wild dog Dingo,

or The Tale of First Love

The thin line was lowered into the water under a thick root that moved with every movement of the wave.

The girl was catching trout.

She sat motionless on a stone, and the river washed over her with noise. Her eyes were cast downwards. But their gaze, tired of the shine scattered everywhere over the water, was not intent. She often took him aside and directed him into the distance, where steep mountains, shaded by forest, stood above the river itself.

The air was still light, and the sky, constrained by the mountains, seemed like a plain among them, slightly illuminated by the sunset.

But neither this air, familiar to her from the first days of her life, nor this sky attracted her now.

With wide open eyes she watched the ever-flowing water, trying to imagine in her imagination those uncharted lands where and from where the river ran. She wanted to see other countries, another world, for example the Australian dingo. Then she also wanted to be a pilot and sing a little at the same time.

And she began to sing. Quiet at first, then louder.

She had a voice that was pleasant to the ear. But it was empty all around. Only the water rat, frightened by the sounds of her song, splashed close to the root and swam to the reeds, dragging a green reed into the hole. The reed was long, and the rat worked in vain, unable to pull it through the thick river grass.

The girl looked at the rat with pity and stopped singing. Then she stood up, pulling the line out of the water.

With a wave of her hand, the rat darted into the reeds, and the dark, spotted trout, which had previously been standing motionless on the light stream, jumped and went into the depths.

The girl was left alone. She looked at the sun, which was already close to sunset and was sloping towards the top of the spruce mountain. And, although it was already late, the girl was in no hurry to leave. She slowly turned on the stone and leisurely walked up the path, where a tall forest descended towards her along the gentle slope of the mountain.

She entered it boldly.

The sound of water running between the rows of stones remained behind her, and silence opened before her.

And in this centuries-old silence she suddenly heard the sound of a pioneer bugle. He walked along the clearing where old fir trees stood without moving their branches, and blew a trumpet in her ears, reminding her that she had to hurry.

However, the girl did not increase her pace. Having walked around a round swamp where yellow locusts grew, she bent down and, with a sharp twig, dug several pale flowers out of the ground along with the roots. Her hands were already full when behind her came the quiet noise of footsteps and a voice loudly calling her name:

She turned around. In the clearing, near a high heap of ants, the Nanai boy Filka stood and beckoned her to him with his hand. She approached, looking at him friendly.

Near Filka, on a wide stump, she saw a pot full of lingonberries. And Filka himself, using a narrow hunting knife made of Yakut steel, cleared the bark of a fresh birch twig.

“Didn’t you hear the bugle?” - he asked. - Why aren’t you in a hurry?

She answered:

- Today is parents' day. My mother cannot come - she is at the hospital at work - and no one is waiting for me at the camp. Why aren't you in a hurry? – she added with a smile.

“Today is Parents’ Day,” he answered in the same way as she, “and my father came to me from the camp, I went to accompany him to the spruce hill.”

-Have you already seen him off? It's far away.

“No,” Filka answered with dignity. - Why would I accompany him if he stays overnight near our camp by the river! I took a bath behind the Big Stones and went to look for you. I heard you singing loudly.

The girl looked at him and laughed. And Filka’s dark face darkened even more.

“But if you’re not in a hurry,” he said, “then we’ll stay here for a while.” I'll treat you to ant juice.

“You already treated me to raw fish this morning.”

- Yes, but it was a fish, and this is completely different. Try! - said Filka and stuck his rod into the very middle of the ant heap.

And, bending over it together, they waited a little until the thin branch, cleared of bark, was completely covered with ants. Then Filka shook them off, lightly hitting the cedar with a branch, and showed it to Tanya. Drops of formic acid were visible on the shiny sapwood. He licked it and gave it to Tanya to try. She also licked and said:

- This is delicious. I've always loved ant juice.

They were silent. Tanya - because she loved to think a little about everything and remain silent every time she entered this silent forest. And Filka also didn’t want to talk about such a pure trifle as ant juice. Still, it was only juice that she could extract herself.

So they walked the entire clearing without saying a word to each other, and came out to the opposite slope of the mountain. And here, very close, under a stone cliff, all by the same river, tirelessly rushing to the sea, they saw their camp - spacious tents standing in a row in a clearing.

There was noise coming from the camp. The adults must have already gone home, and only the children were making noise. But their voices were so strong that here, above, among the silence of the gray wrinkled stones, it seemed to Tanya that somewhere far away a forest was humming and swaying.

“But there’s no way, they’re already building a line,” she said. “You should, Filka, come to camp before me, because won’t they laugh at us for coming together so often?”

“Well, she shouldn’t have talked about this,” Filka thought with bitter resentment.

And, grabbing a tenacious layer sticking out over the cliff, he jumped down onto the path so far that Tanya became scared.

But he didn't hurt himself. And Tanya rushed to run along another path, between low pines growing crookedly on the stones...

The path led her to the road, which, like a river, ran out of the forest and, like a river, flashed its stones and rubble in her eyes and made the sound of a long bus, full of people. It was the adults leaving the camp for the city.

The bus passed by. But the girl did not follow its wheels, did not look out of its windows; she did not expect to see any of her relatives in him.

She crossed the road and ran into the camp, easily jumping over ditches and hummocks, as she was agile.

The children greeted her with screams. The flag on the pole flapped right in her face. She stood in her row, placing flowers on the ground.

Counselor Kostya shook his eyes at her and said:

– Tanya Sabaneeva, you have to get on the line on time. Attention! Be equal! Feel your neighbor's elbow.

Tanya spread her elbows wider, thinking: “It’s good if you have friends on the right. It's good if they are on the left. It’s good if they are both here and there.”