The Adventures of Tim and Janik. The magic chest. Aliyah Meirbek
it. Can you tell us what this place is and who needs saving?”
The girl opened her eyes and got up. Her face brightened and she explained that the place is called The Valley of Happiness and is inhabited with extraordinary people.
“We are the new version of humanity. Not only do we have more physical capabilities, but also a better mentality. My name is Appak. And who are you?” she said.
“We’re probably the old version of humanity. We are from the world where the grass and leaves are green, other planets do not fly above Earth, and girls do not walk alone far away from the city.”
“Blue grass,” the girl laughed, “It`s just a setting. Easy to change.”
She clapped her hands and the grass and trees became green.
“Oh, what’s that?” the girl put a hand to her head, as if it suddenly hurt.
All of a sudden, she easily took the top of her head off with both hands. Then she opened it like a box and looked inside her own skull. Dozens of bright butterflies flew out. They circled around, but did not fly away. The boys got scared and stepped back. The girl ignored them and began to catch something inside with her fingers. The brothers looked into Appak`s head and saw a small black cockroach. It was running and hiding behind the microchips of the brain, but the girl managed to catch the roach and throw it away.
“Do the new humans have butterflies and roaches in their heads?” Janik asked.
“These are thoughts. Butterflies are good thoughts, cockroaches are bad. If you do not clean your head in time, cockroaches can eat all the butterflies. You have to clean your mind,” Appak replied, reassembling her head. “And how do you clean your thoughts?”
“We just don’t think anything we don’t want to,” Tim said.
“It must be very difficult. After all, bad thoughts are so clingy,” said the girl sympathetically. “We’ll go to my place to meet my family. On the way I can tell you why we are waiting for the saviors. Akzhol!” called Appak. A huge purple dog came running from the forest.
“Look, it’s Foggy!” Janik was happy.
“No, his name is Akzhol,” said the girl and went to her dog.
The dog had no reaction to the boys, and they realized that it was not Foggy, but a similar dog. The brothers became a little sad, because they missed their four-legged friend very much.
Akzhol laid down so that the children could climb on his back. When everyone was comfortable, the dog got up and headed for The Valley of Happiness, increasing its pace with each step. The small yellow bird chirped merrily on Appak`s shoulder.
“Is this your bird?” asked Janik. He was very fond of animals and birds.
“Yes, this is my best friend, Allowie. He’s so cute and smart.”
“Who came up with such a strange name?” Tim laughed.
“My dad gave him to me. And he picked the name.”
“Looks like our mountains in Almaty,” Tim concluded, looking at the landscape around. He looked at Appak and smiled. “Maybe you can show us around sometime, we can go for a walk, sushi-pizza, or whatever you do for fun here?”
“If you save us, of course, there will be a reason to celebrate,” the girl replied.
“Yeah,” Tim said thoughtfully, “if we could save at least ourselves.”
The dog carried the children along the trail to the mountains. After wandering a little among the tall pines, they came to an edge of a cliff. From here, they had a charming view of The Valley of Happiness. Down in the valley in the vast ocean of grass the children saw hundreds of white yurts3 for as far as the eye could see. The blue sky mirrored the yurts with snow-white clouds. Tim and Janik saw people going about their business, children running around and heard laughter. Akzhol started down on a serpentine road. Many locals were riding past them on huge purple dogs.
“The valley is so beautiful!” said Appak softly.
“And how is the new version of humanity fundamentally different from us?” asked Tim.
“The Valley was built by regular people. The world can be like this, without evil, without envy, without violence. This world,” Appak gestured at the Valley, “does exist. Everyone here creates their own beautiful reality and is careful so that it doesn’t interfere with the beautiful reality of the others.”
“It’s impossible for everyone to be the same and equally happy. There will always be poor, rich and dissatisfied,” replied Tim.
“Not everyone here is the same. Everyone is different. Some people don’t need riches. They are happy with what they have. But they know for sure, that no one will try to take away the little they have. The people of the Valley know that everything you need, you can create on your own, if you only work on yourself. Taking away from the others means giving up your own development, it is primitive. To be able to improve is the true happiness.”
Appak patted the dog`s neck, and Akzhol stopped near one of the yurts. The children jumped off.
“There’s my school,” said the girl, pointing to the largest yurt nearby.
“Cool, I’d go to a school like that!” said Janik with energy. “But tell me, what were you doing on that cliff? You were whispering something.”
“I was thanking the Universe. Expressing my gratitude for the life, health, my family, for sending us the saviors.”
“But you didn’t know we were coming yet, did you?” Tim was confused.
“I did know. I thanked the Universe and waited.”
“Does it work like that?” asked Janik.
“Didn’t you learn how to be grateful at school?”
“To be grateful for something that hasn’t happened yet?” Tim asked. “No, we didn’t.”
“How strange,” now Appak was surprised, “In The Valley of Happiness, the lesson of gratitude is considered the most important and the most useful in life.”
The girl led the two brothers to her house. Only when they were right in from of the house, the newcomers noticed that yurts were in fact two-storey and only different from the modern houses in their round shape. Appak`s family came out to greet them. Transparent white curtains fluttered in the wind when the door opened. The father and sons were dressed in embroidered linen shirts. The mother was wearing a straight-cut dress made of softest and finest felt and chunky silver jewelry. Appak had four brothers. The oldest looked over 20, and even the youngest seemed much older than Tim. A few steps away from them stood a tall, thin man. The boys had seen him before with their grandmother. He had a very long hooked nose.
“Dad, Mom, meet our saviors!” announced Appak.
Tim could only sigh.
“It is a great honor to welcome you at our home. We’ve been waiting for you for a long time. I am the Head of The Valley of Happiness, my name is Danai. This is my wife, Shadi. Our sons: Tair, Tasnim, Tauman and Talip. Appak is the youngest child.”
Each brother shook Tim and Janik`s hands and introduced themselves.
“Tim, your savior,” Tim said sarcastically, genuinely wondering who or what he could save these grown men from.
“And this is my assistant Agzam,” Danai gestured at the long-nosed man. Agzam nodded.
“So you’re alive?” Janik asked. “We thought you died in the trunk.”
“I returned home,” Agzam answered, nodding again.
“You demanded that our grandmother must send us here?” asked Tim with annoyance.
“The valley has been waiting for you for many years,”
Yurt – a portable round house made from wooden frame and felt. Used by Turckic and Mongolian nomads.