Крошечная Пани

"…smeshnai͡a, nezhnai͡a, prisypannai͡a sakharnoĭ pudroĭ i t͡svetochnoĭ pylʹt͡soĭ, knizhechka. Ona o tom, chto "vne zhizni" byvaet eshche odna, voobrazhaemai͡a. I zdesʹ i͡a ne izmenila rebenku v sebe. I͡A ukhvatilasʹ za preslovutui͡u solominku. Za tonkie nozhki Kroshechnoĭ Pani. Za ee sharfik, pelerinku, shli͡apku i bashmachki.""…smeshnai͡a, nezhnai͡a, prisypannai͡a sakharnoĭ pudroĭ i t͡svetochnoĭ pylʹt͡soĭ, knizhechka. Ona o tom, chto "vne zhizni" byvaet eshche odna, voobrazhaemai͡a. I zdesʹ i͡a ne izmenila rebenku v sebe. I͡A ukhvatilasʹ za preslovutui͡u solominku. Za tonkie nozhki Kroshechnoĭ Pani. Za ee sharfik, pelerinku, shli͡apku i bashmachki.  V temnye vremena pishutsi͡a detskie knizhki. I voobshche - knizhki. Ne znai͡u, zachem. Mne kazhetsi͡a, oni dolzhny pisatʹsi͡a vopreki vsemu. Ėto vazhno. Naĭdetsi͡a li komu ikh chitatʹ? Ne znai͡u…Nikto ne znaet. Nikto ne dast otveta na ėtot vopros. Ni segodni͡a, ni zavtra, ni vchera. Znai͡u odno, - dli͡a meni͡a nelepai͡a Kroshechnai͡a Pani Agata - ėto pridumannyĭ (i ochenʹ nastoi͡ashchiĭ) mir, v kotorom i͡a mogu perevesti dykhanie. Otsidetʹsi͡a. Khoti͡a by nemnogo. Dli͡a chego, sprosite vy? Chtoby zhitʹ."

“...a funny, delicate little book, sprinkled with powdered sugar and pollen. It's about the fact that “outside of life” there is another one, imaginary. And here I did not betray the child in myself. I grabbed at the proverbial straw. For the thin legs of a Tiny Lady. For her scarf, cape, hat and shoes.”...funny, delicate, sprinkled with powdered sugar and pollen, a little book. It's about the fact that “outside of life” there is another one, imaginary. And here I did not betray the child in myself. I grabbed at the proverbial straw. For the thin legs of a Tiny Lady. For her scarf, cape, hat and shoes.  In dark times, children's books are written. And books, anyway. I don't know why. It seems to me that they should be written in spite of everything. It is important. Will there be anyone to read them? I don't know…No one knows. No one will give an answer to this question. Not today, not tomorrow, not yesterday. All I know is that for me, the ridiculous Tiny Pani Agatha is an imaginary (and very real) world in which I can catch my breath. Sit it out. At least a little bit. For what, you may ask? To live.”