Chapter 5 The miracle of painting

One morning during the summer vacation, Telfina and Marinette took their drawing kits and went to the pasture behind the farmhouse. The brand-new painting kit was given to them by Uncle Alfred yesterday to congratulate Marinette on her seventh birthday.The little sisters were very grateful and sang a spring song to their uncle.Uncle was very happy and left humming a song.However, the children's parents were not very satisfied. They kept muttering all night: "What nonsense. What kind of paint box to give us two crazy girls to scribble all over the kitchen and make dots on their dresses. Paint box. Look, shall we paint? There's no need to scribble tomorrow morning anyway." .While we're in the fields, you're going to pick beans in the garden, and you're going to cut some clover for the rabbits."

The two little sisters felt uncomfortable, so they had to promise to work without even touching the painting box.So, the next morning, after their parents had left, they went to the garden to pick beans, and happened to meet ducks on the way.The duck was so kind that he couldn't help asking why they were so downcast. "What's the matter with you, little girls?" asked the duck. "Nothing." The little sisters replied.However, Marinette was sniffling, and Delfina was also sniffling.Because the duck asked repeatedly with concern, when they said it, they were not allowed to draw a kit box, but let them pick beans and cut alfalfa.At this time, the dogs and pigs wandering nearby also came to listen, and they were as angry as the ducks.

"It's annoying," cried the Duck. "It's a crime to have a parent's charter like that. But don't be afraid, little girl, and go paint. I'll pick the beans, with the dog as a helper." "All right, dog?" "Of course you can," replied the dog. "Leave the clover to me," said the pig, "and I can cut a lot for you." The little sisters were very happy. They were sure that their parents would never know, so they hugged their three friends, took the drawing box and went to the ranch.Just as they were filling their palettes with water, the donkey came up to them from the pasture.

"Hello, girls, what are you doing with the box?" Marinette replied that they wanted to paint and explained to him in as much detail as possible. "If you like," she added, "I will paint you." "Oh! well, I will," said the Donkey, "we beasts rarely get a chance to see ourselves." Marinette made the donkey stand sideways and started the portrait.Delfina painted a portrait of Grasshopper lying on a grass stalk.The two little sisters kept silent and drew with their hearts, their heads and tongues tilted to one side. The donkey didn't move, and asked after a while:

"Can I go over and have a look?" "Wait a minute," replied Marinette, "I'm drawing an ear." "Oh! All right. Don't worry. Lift your ears, I want to tell you something. The ears are long, but you know, they are not that long." "Yes, yes, don't worry, I will draw just right." At this time, Telfina broke the drawing.After she finished drawing the grasshopper and a grass stalk, she felt that the picture was too small on a large sheet of white paper, so she added grass as a backdrop.It was bad now, the grass and the katydids were all green, and as a result, the insect was submerged in a piece of green, and there was nothing left.so annoying.

When Marinette finished drawing, she asked the donkey to come and have a look.The donkey hurried forward and was amazed when he saw the portrait. "People don't know themselves too well," he said sadly, "I never thought I had a dog's head." Marinette blushed, and the donkey went on: "The ears are the same. People often tell me that I have two long ears, but they are so long that I didn't expect them." Marinette was embarrassed and blushed even more.Indeed, comparing the ears in the portrait with the body, they are almost the same size.The donkey's eyes dimmed, and he continued to examine the portrait.Suddenly, as if startled, he exclaimed:

"What's going on here? Why, just draw me two legs?" This time, Marinette felt at ease, and replied: "Of course, I only saw your two legs just now, so I can't draw more." "It sounds reasonable, but anyway, I have four legs." "No," Delfina interjected, "From the side, you only have two legs." The donkey got angry and stopped arguing. "Well," he said, walking away, "I only have two legs." "Hey, think about it..." "Forget it, forget it, I only have two legs, don't talk about it anymore."

Telfina laughed, and Marinette, although a little regretful, also laughed.Then they left the donkey behind and looked for another model.At this time, the family's two farm cattle were passing through the pasture, going to the stream to drink water, and they happened to pass by them.These are two large white cattle, without any variegation. "Hello, girls. What are you doing with this box?" The little sisters explained to them what painting was all about.Farming Bull asked if they could draw their portraits, but Telfina absorbed the lesson of drawing Grasshopper, shook her head and said:

"I can't draw. You are all white, the same color as the paper. You can't be seen on the picture. White on white, it's as if you don't exist at all." The cattle looked at each other in blank dismay, and one of them said unhappily: "Since we don't exist, then goodbye." The little sisters were dumbfounded.At this time, I suddenly heard a quarrel behind me, turned around and saw the horse and the rooster were arguing. "Yes, sir," said the rooster furiously, "better than you, and smarter than you. Please don't put on such a mocking look, or I'll give you a good lesson."

"Little Douzi!" Ma said disdainfully. "Little Douzi! Huh, you're not very big! One day, I'll let you understand this." The two little sisters wanted to persuade the horse and the rooster to leave, but they spent a lot of talking to get the rooster to stop.It was Telfina who proposed to paint portraits of both parties in the quarrel, and the mediation was considered settled.My sister paints chickens, and she paints horses.For a while, everyone thought the quarrel was over.The rooster puts all his interest in posing. He raises his head high, with his crest facing back, puffs out his chest, and fluffs out his most beautiful feathers.However, after a little while, he couldn't help but boast.

"It must be a pleasure to paint me, and you have chosen the right model," he said to Marinette. "I don't mean to flatter myself, but the color of my feathers is admirable." He boasted for a long time about his plumage, crest, and tail-feathers, then, glancing at the horse, he added: "Obviously, I am better suited for portraits than some poor beasts, for their coats are of the same color and very dull." "Small animals, that's how it should be," said the horse, "to be fancy, so that no one can see them wherever they go." "You are the little animal!" the rooster yelled, puffing up his feathers. He was swearing and threatening, but the horse just smiled back.At this time, the little sisters were painting vigorously.Before long, the two models were able to step up to admire their own portraits.It seems that Ma is quite satisfied with his portrait.The mane that Telfina drew for him was long and majestic, like a piece of porcupine skin; the ponytail was also very thick, some of which were as thick as pick handles.Fortunately, the horse was half sideways, and its four legs were fairly complete.The rooster was also impeccable, but he was very upset, saying that the tail feathers were painted like an old broom.Ma concentrated on studying his own portrait, then glanced at the portrait of the rooster, and found a situation, and his heart was immediately filled with bitterness. "According to what I see, the rooster is bigger than me?" said the horse. Sure enough, Telfina may have lost her head because she failed to draw the grasshopper, so she only drew the horse in half the size of a sheet of paper, while the portrait of the rooster was drawn so large by Marinette that it took up the entire picture. "The cock is bigger than me, that's too much." "Yeah, bigger than you, honey," said the Rooster cheerfully, "and it's a matter of course. Why are you making such a fuss? I don't have to wait to see a picture of us next to each other to see that." "It's true," Delfina said. "Comparing the two portraits, you are smaller than a rooster. I didn't pay attention when I drew it, but it doesn't matter." It was too late for her to understand, Ma was already angry, turned around and walked away, he didn't even look back when she called him, but just replied coldly: "Yeah, it's true, I'm smaller than a rooster, and besides, it doesn't matter." No matter how the little sisters explained, the horse still walked away, and the rooster followed the horse after a few steps, repeating non-stop: "Bigger than you! Bigger than you!" Mom and Dad came back from the field at noon and saw their daughter in the kitchen, and immediately looked at their smocks.Fortunately, the little sisters were very careful, and there were no stains on the dress when painting.Mom and Dad asked them how they arranged their time, and they replied that they had cut a lot of alfalfa for the rabbits and picked two full baskets of beans.The two grown-ups knew at a glance that they were telling the truth.They grinned with satisfaction.But if they looked a little more closely at the beans, they would be amazed to find dog and duck feathers in them.However, it did not occur to them to do so.At lunch that day, they had never been in such a good mood. "Hey! We're very satisfied," they said to their daughter, "we've picked so many beans, the clover will last the rabbits for at least three days: since you've done such a good job..." Their conversation was interrupted by a grunt from under the table, and the two of them bent over to see that the dog seemed to be choking. "What happened to you?" "Nothing," replied the dog (actually he couldn't help laughing, which frightened the little sisters), "nothing at all. Something must have caught his throat. You know how it happens too .When I eat, I often think that I am swallowing..." "Come on, don't be silly," said the parents. "Where are we talking? Oh, yes. You've done a good job." Another grunt interrupted them for the second time.But this time the sound was softer, as if it came from the door.They turned around and saw that it was a duck poking its head through the crack of the door, and they couldn't help laughing.It doesn't matter how quickly the child's parents turn around, the duck has already slipped away.It actually scared the little sisters into a cold sweat. "It's probably the draft that blew them away," Delfina said. "Probably," said Mom and Dad, "where did we get? Yes, about clover and beans. We're so proud of you. It's a pleasure to have such an obedient and hardworking daughter. You You will be rewarded. You also understand that we have never meant to let you animate the box. This morning, we will see if you are obedient and can do something serious. We are satisfied. Therefore, the whole afternoon Everyone is allowed to draw." The two little sisters expressed their thanks, but their voices were so weak that they probably didn't reach the other side of the dining table.Their parents were so happy they didn't pay attention.During this meal, they kept laughing, singing, and guessing riddles. "The two ladies are running ahead, and the two ladies are chasing behind. They will never catch up. Guess what?" The little sisters pretended to think about it, but they always thought about what they did in the morning and felt ashamed, so it was hard for them to concentrate on guessing the riddle. "Can't you figure it out? It's really easy. Throw in the towel? Well, I tell you, it's a car with two rear wheels chasing two front wheels. Ha! Ha! Ha!" Mom and Dad bent down with a smile.After dinner, while the little sisters were clearing the table, they went to the barn to take the donkey so that he could plant potatoes on his back. "Hey, time to go, donkey." "I am very sorry," said the donkey, "that I have only two legs to work for you now." "Two legs! What are you talking nonsense to us?" "Well, yes, two legs. I can't even stand. I don't know how you people stand and walk." The parents of the children took a closer look and found that the donkey really only had two legs, one in front and one in the back. "Well, what a strange thing. This animal has four legs for breakfast this morning. Oh! Go and see the cow." It was so dark in the barn that I couldn't see clearly at first. "Hey, where's the cow?" the children's parents asked from a distance, "Are you going to the field with us?" "Of course not," replied two voices in the dimness, "I'm sorry, but we don't exist." "You don't exist?" "Look at it." When they approached, they saw that the bullpen was empty.Whether you look at it with your eyes or touch it with your hands, there is nothing but two pairs of horns fluttering in the air at the height of the trough. "What the hell is going on in this barn? What absurdity! Then look at the horses." The horse is in the darkest corner inside. "Hey, our good horse, are you ready to go down with us?" "I will be of service to you," replied the horse, "but if you want me to pull the cart, I must tell you that I am too small." "Good guy! Another strange thing happened, he's too small!" They went inside the barn and couldn't help screaming.In the gloom, on a mat of buff hay, they found a pony half the size of a rooster. "I'm small enough, aren't I?" the horse said to them, with a hint of mockery in his tone. "How unlucky!" lamented the parents of the children. "What a fine, working horse it is! How could it have happened?" "I don't know either. I don't understand what's going on at all." Ma's vague answer made people think. Asked about the heads of donkeys and oxen, and got the same answer.They felt there must be something hiding from them, so they went to the kitchen and stared suspiciously at their daughter for a while.Whenever something unusual happened on the farm, their first thought was to blame their daughter. "Well, answer, what the hell happened this morning while we were away?" they yelled like ogres. The two little sisters were so frightened that they couldn't say a word, they just shook their heads to express their ignorance.Mom and Dad pounded their four fists on the table together, and shouted again: "Little enemy, are you going to answer or not?" "Beans, picking beans..." Telfina finally muttered. "Cut the clover..." Marinette also said dully. "How? The donkey has only two legs, the cow is gone, and our fine horse is now the size of a three-week-old rabbit?" "Yes, how did it happen? Come on and tell the truth." Unbeknownst to the little sisters, their faces pale with horror at the dreadful news, they knew perfectly well what had happened: this morning they had painted with such enthusiasm that they imposed their way of seeing things on This often happens when you are painting for the first time; besides, a few animals take things too seriously, and their self-esteem is hurt. When they go back to the barn, they will ruminate over the accident that happened on the pasture. It changed the face of reality very quickly.Finally, the little sisters could not be mistaken: this terrible accident had a lot to do with not listening to their parents.They were about to kneel down to confess, when they suddenly saw the duck blinking at them from the crack of the door, shaking its head repeatedly.They calmed down a little, and stammered that they didn't understand what was going on at all. "Just play dumb," said Mom and Dad. "Very well, play dumb. We'll call the veterinarian." When the little sisters heard this, they trembled with fright again.The veterinarian was so shrewd that he was sure that if he looked at the whites of the animals' eyes and felt the limbs and bellies, he would be able to ascertain the truth.The little sisters seemed to have heard him say: "Oh, oh, I see it as a painting disease. Did anyone paint by chance this morning?" That was enough to reveal the truth. The child's parents were on their way, and Telfina explained to the duck what had just happened, saying that she was particularly worried about the skill of the veterinarian.That's a nice duck, he said: "There is no need to delay, quickly take the painting box and put the animals on the pasture. The consequences caused by painting must be eliminated by painting." The little sisters let the donkey out first, but it was very troublesome, because the donkey had only two legs, it was very difficult to walk, and it lost its balance when it moved. When it got to the place, it had to be put on a stool under its stomach, otherwise it might fall down .As for the cattle, it is much simpler, and almost no one needs to drive them.At that time, a man passed by on the main road. He was a little surprised to see two pairs of horns hanging in the air passing through the yard. However, his mind was still calm and he thought he was delusional. When the horse came out of the barn, he happened to meet a dog, who thought the dog was enormous, but immediately laughed again, and said: "Everything around me seems so big, it's funny how small I am!" But he soon changed his mind, for the rooster, seeing the poor pony, jumped up angrily and shouted into his ear: "Ha! Ha! Here we meet again, sir. I hope you have not forgotten that I said I would teach you a lesson." The pony trembled with fright.The duck wanted to persuade, but it was in vain, and the little sisters' persuasion didn't work either. "Never mind, let me eat the cock," said the dog. The dog bared its teeth and rushed forward, scaring the rooster to run away.The poor rooster ran away and reappeared three days later, still hanging his head. When everyone was assembled in the pasture, the duck coughed, cleared its throat, and said to the horse, donkey and cow: "My dear old friends, you can't imagine how sorry I am to see you in this state. Two great white oxen, so beautiful to look at, are gone; and the ass is so graceful. , now with two poor legs, and our fine horse, shrinking into a poor little dry, it is really sad. I can tell you that everyone feels bad about it, especially This ridiculous accident was the result of a complete misunderstanding. Really, a misunderstanding. Actually, the two little girls meant no offense to anyone. They are as sad as I am about what has happened to you, and I am sure that you It must also be very troublesome. Don't be stubborn, and return to your usual appearance honestly." However, several animals were still angry and kept silent.The donkey lowered its head and stared at the only front hoof with a look of resentment.Although Ma was still in shock and his heart was pounding, he didn't seem to listen to the truth at all.Since the two oxen do not exist, there is no expression. As for the horns that are visible, although the oxen are expressionless, they are motionless, which can also explain a certain problem.The donkey head spoke up: "I have two legs," he said coldly. "Two legs are just two legs. There is no need to change them back." "We don't exist," said the cow, "and there is nothing we can do." "I've become a little boy," said Ma Ye, "so count me as unlucky." The matter was not resolved, and at first everyone was silent in frustration.Then the dog, seeing their lack of sincerity, yelled at the little sisters: "You're too kind to these nasty beasts. Let me fix 'em and see if I don't bite their shins." "Bite us?" said the donkey. "Well, good! Since we are treated like this!" As the donkey spoke, he began to sneer; the cow and the horse also sneered. "Well, this is just a joke," Duck hurriedly smoothed things over. "The dog just wanted to tell a joke. Actually, you don't know the whole situation. Let me tell you, the master has gone to the veterinarian. In half an hour, the veterinarian will come to check He doesn't have to work hard to figure out what's wrong with you. Mom and Dad didn't let their daughters paint this morning. Who made them disobedient. If you insist, they'll be scolded, punished, maybe to be beaten." The donkey looked at Marinette, the horse looked at Telfina, and the dangling horns also moved, as if turned towards the little sisters. "It's better to walk on four legs than on two," grunted the donkey. "That's very comfortable." "From people's point of view, there is only one pair of horns left, which is obviously insignificant." Farming cattle also admitted. "It's more interesting to be taller and see the world around you." Ma sighed. Taking advantage of the easing of the atmosphere, the little sisters hurriedly opened the painting box and started painting.Marinette drew the donkey, and this time she was very careful, and drew four legs for the donkey.Telfina drew a horse, and next to the horse's hoof, she drew a rooster of proper size.The painting went quickly and the duck was very happy.The portrait was finished, and the two animals looked at it with complete satisfaction.But the donkey hadn't regained its lost legs, and the horse hadn't grown in size.Everyone was so disappointed that Duck began to worry, and he asked the Donkey if he felt any itching where at least two of his legs were missing, and the Horse Shih if his skin felt a little tight.No, they feel nothing. "You'll have to wait," said the duck to the little sisters, "while you're drawing the cow, and I'm sure it will all work out." Delfina and Marinette each drew a cow. They started from the horns and drew the rest from memory. Their memory was quite accurate, and the white cow was painted on gray paper, which looked very clear.The two cows are also very satisfied with their portraits, and think they look very similar.However, they still do not exist except for the horns.The horse and the donkey haven't been heralding the slightest sense of reversion either.The duck couldn't hide his anxiety, and several of his beautiful feathers had lost their luster. "Wait, wait," he said. A quarter of an hour passed, still nothing.The duck saw a pigeon pecking at the grass, so he went and said a few words to him.The dove flew away, flew back after a while, and landed on the bull's horn. "I saw a car coming to the bend of the big poplar," said the pigeon. "The parents of the children and a man were sitting in the car." "It's a veterinarian!" The two little sisters called out in unison. Needless to say, it can only be a veterinarian, and the carriage will be here soon, that is, in a matter of minutes.The animals felt very sad when they saw the little girl's frightened appearance and thought of their parents' furious scene. "Now, try harder," said the Duck, "and think it's all your fault, you're so stubborn." The donkey shook vigorously to regain its legs; the oxen tensed to show their original shape; the horse took a deep breath and tried to inflate again, but to no avail.The poor animals were completely bewildered.It was not long before they heard the sound of a carriage galloping along the road, and all hope was lost.The little sisters turned pale and trembled with fear, waiting for the learned veterinarian to arrive.The donkey was in great pain, walked up to Marinette on two legs, and began to lick her hand.He wanted to ask her forgiveness and say something tender to her, but he was too excited to speak for a moment, and the tears fell on the portrait.These are the tears of friendship.As soon as the tears fell on the portrait, the donkey felt pain in the whole right side of his body, and recovered his four legs at the same time.This is a great comfort to everyone, and the little sisters have hope again.To be honest, I'm afraid it's too late, the carriage is only a hundred meters away from the farmhouse.It was Duck who understood quickly. He picked up the portrait of the horse with his mouth, and immediately put it under the horse's nose, which happened to catch a tear.Seeing the horse grow up, he recovered to his usual size in a matter of dozens of counts.The carriage was still thirty meters away from the farmhouse. The cows are always emotionally slow, and they start to meditate in front of their portraits.At last a tear came from one of them, and he regained his shape as the carriage drove into the yard.The two little sisters almost applauded, but the duck was still frowning, because there was still a cow that didn't exist.The cow sincerely wanted to change back, but he didn't like to cry, and no one saw him cry.No matter how emotional he was, how eager he was to get things done, he only wet the corners of his eyes. Time is running out, and the people in the carriage have already got off.The dog, following the instructions of the duck, ran to meet them, in order to delay their time; he greeted the veterinarian warmly, and purposely slipped between the veterinarian's legs, tripping the fellow up and eating mud.The children's parents were so determined to break the dog's back that they ran all over the yard looking for a stick.Then they thought of getting the vet up.After such a toss, four or five minutes passed. During this time, the little girl and the animals were watching the horns of the formless cow anxiously in the pasture.Although the poor cow wanted to cry, he just couldn't cry. "Excuse me, I don't think I can do it," he said to the little girl. For a moment, everyone was almost discouraged.Duck has no idea either.Only the cow, which has just regained its shape, is basically calm and composed.He had an idea and wanted to sing a song to his companions. It was a song they sang together when they were children. It began like this: a calf, is eating milk, Mou, Mou, Mou, a heifer, Come to eat grass again, Mou, Mou, Mou. The tune of this song is soft and seems a little sad.Sure enough, as soon as the first stanza was sung, the effect of hope began to appear.The two horns of the bodiless cow seemed to tremble, and the poor animal sighed several times, and finally a teardrop appeared in the corner of his eye, but it was still too small to flow down.Fortunately, Telfina saw his tears, so she caught the tears with the tip of a paintbrush and put them on the portrait.Immediately, the cow showed its shape and became visible and palpable again.It's really dangerous. The little girl's parents, accompanied by the veterinarian, have already walked to the edge of the pasture.When they saw the cow, the donkey standing on four legs, and the tall horse that had already stood upright again, they couldn't help being dumbfounded.The veterinarian had a big fall just now and was in a bad mood. At this moment, he sneered and asked: "Oh, is this a cow that doesn't exist, a donkey that loses its legs, and a horse that becomes smaller than a rabbit? It seems that the little troubles they encountered don't look very sad." "It's really inexplicable," said the little girl's parents dully. "Just now in the barn..." "You are dreaming, or else, you have a delicious meal, and your eyes are dazzled. I think you should call a doctor. Anyway, I can't make this trip for nothing. Hmph! No." The poor parents of the little girls bowed their heads and apologized repeatedly. The veterinarian's tone softened. He pointed to Telfina and Marinette and said: "Well, for the sake of your two pretty daughters, I'll forgive you this time. You won't have to watch them long to see that they're nice and obedient. Don't you, little girl?" The two little sisters blushed and were tongue-tied, not daring to say a word, but the duck replied presumptuously: "Oh, yes, sir, there are none more obedient than them."