Kuprin Elephant Biography

Every day Dr. Mikhail Petrovich goes to her, whom she has known for a long time. And sometimes he leads two more doctors, strangers with him. They turn the girl on the back and on their stomach, listen to something, putting the ear to the body, pull the lower eyelid down and look. At the same time, they somehow importantly sniff, their faces are strict, and they speak among their incomprehensible language.

Then they move from the nursery to the living room, where mom is waiting for them. The most important doctor-tall, gray-haired, in gold glasses-tells her about something serious and for a long time. The door is not closed, and the girl from her bed is clear and heard. She does not understand much, but she knows that we are talking about her. Mom looks at the doctor with large, tired, tearful eyes.

Saying goodbye, the chief doctor speaks loudly: - The main thing, - do not let her miss her. Perform all its whims. Toys ... some goodies ...-No, doctor, she doesn’t want anything ...-Well, try to entertain her somehow ... Well, at least something ... I give you honestly that if you manage to laugh, cheer up, then this will be the best medicine. Understand that your daughter is sick with indifference to life, and nothing more ...

Goodbye, ma'am! II-dear Nadia, my dear girl,-says mother, “do you want anything?” We will put a chair, sofa, table and tea device. Dolls will drink tea and talk about the weather and the health of their children. Or maybe call you Katya or Zhenya? You love them so much. True, no. I do not want anything. I'm so bored! But the girl does not answer and looks at the ceiling with motionless, gloomy eyes.

She does not hurt anything and even there is no heat. But she loses weight and weakens every day. Whatever they do with her, she doesn’t care, and she does not need anything. So she lies for whole days and whole nights, quiet, sad. Sometimes she neckcases for half an hour, but in a dream she sees something gray, long, boring, like an autumn rain. When the door to the living room is lit up from the nursery, and from the living room further to the office, the girl sees dad.

Dad walks quickly from corner to corner and smokes everything, smokes. Sometimes he comes to the nursery, sits on the edge of the bed and quietly strokes Nadina's legs. Then he suddenly gets up and goes to the window. He whistles something, looking at the street, but his shoulders are shaking. Then he hastily puts a scarf to one eye, to the other and, as if getting angry, goes to his office.

Then he again runs from corner to corner and everything ... smokes, smokes, smokes ... And the cabinet from tobacco smoke is made all blue. III But one morning the girl wakes up a little more vigor than always. She saw something in a dream, but she can’t remember what exactly, and looks for a long time and carefully into the eyes of her mother. But the girl suddenly recalls her dream and speaks in a whisper, as if in secret: - Mom ...

can I ... an elephant? Just not the one that is drawn in the picture ... can you? She goes into the office and tells dad that the girl wants an elephant. Dad immediately puts on a coat and hat and leaves somewhere.

After half an hour, he returns with a dear, beautiful toy. This is a large gray elephant, which itself shakes its head and waves its tail; There is a red saddle on the elephant, and on the saddle a golden tent and three little men sit in it. But the girl looks at the toy as indifferent as at the ceiling and on the walls, and says sluggishly: - No. This is not at all that. I wanted a real, living elephant, and this is dead.

Elephants are turned on with a key, and he, shaking his head and waving his tail, begins to cross his feet and slowly walks on the table. The girl is not at all interesting and even boring, but in order not to upset her father, she whispers meekly: - I am very, very thank you, dear dad. I think no one has such an interesting toy ... only ... Remember ... After all, you promised to take me to the menagerie for a long time to look at the real elephant ...

And never took me ... - But, listen, my dear girl, understand that this is impossible. The elephant is very large, it is to the ceiling, it will not fit in our rooms ... And then, where will I get it? Well, at least here, this ... at least an elephant. After all, this is the same as if you suddenly told me: dad, get me the sun from the sky. The girl smiles sadly. Don't I know that the sun cannot be reached, because it is burning.

And the moon is also impossible. No, I would be an elephant ... real. And she quietly closes her eyes and whispers: “I'm tired ... I'm sorry, dad ... Dad grabs his hair and runs into the office.” There he flickers from corner to corner for some time. Then he resolutely throws to the floor an undercorn cigarette for which he always gets from his mother and shouts to the maid: - Olga!

Coat and hat! He breathes heavily, fastening the buttons of the coat. The wife looks anxiously at him. Does your head hurt? Maybe you slept badly today? There is still no for now. Goodbye! In the evening everything will be visible. And he disappears, slamming the front door loudly. IV [edit] after two hours he sits in a menagerie, in the front row, and watches as scientists of the animals, by order of the owner, make different things.

Smart dogs jump, somersault, dance, sing to music, add words from large cardboard letters.Monkeys - one in red skirts, others in blue pants - go on a rope and ride a large poodle. Huge red lions jump through burning hoops. A clumsy seal shoots a pistol. In the end, elephants are displayed. There are three of them: one large, two very small, dwarfs, but still there is much more tall than a horse.

It is strange to watch these huge animals, look so clumsy and heavy, perform the most difficult tricks, which are not within the power of a very dexterous person. The largest elephant is especially different. He first becomes on his hind legs, sits down, stands on his head, legs up, walks on wooden bottles, walks on a rolling barrel, turns the page of the page of a large cardboard book and, finally, sits down at the table and, with a napkin, dines, just like a well -fed boy.

The performance ends. Spectators diverge. Nadine father approaches a fat German, the owner of the menagerie. The owner stands behind a plank partition and holds a large black cigar in his mouth. In surprise, the German opens his eyes wide and even his mouth, which is why a cigar falls to the ground. He, grunting, bending, lifts the cigar, inserts it again into the mouth and only then says: - Let go?

I don't understand you. The German eyes shows that he also wants to ask if Nadin’s father hurts ... But his father hastily explains what was the matter: his only daughter, Nadia, is sick with some strange disease that doctors do not even understand as it should. She lies in the crib for a month, losing weight, weakens every day, does not interest anything, misses and slowly goes out.

Doctors are ordered to entertain her, but she does not like anything; It is ordered to fulfill all her desires, but she has no desire. Today she wanted to see a living elephant. Is it really impossible to do? And he adds in a trembling voice, taking the German as a button of the coat: - Well, here ... I, of course, hope that my girl will recover. But ... Save God ... Suddenly her illness will end badly ...

Suddenly the girl will die? .. Think only: after all, all my life will be tormented by the thought that I have not fulfilled her last desire! .. The German frowns and in thought it scratches the left eyebrow with a little finger. Finally, he asks: - Um ... how old is your girl? Um ... But, you know, it will be expensive for you. We will have to bring the elephant at night and only take back the next night.

It is impossible during the day. The public will gather, and one scandal will become ... Thus, it turns out that I am losing all day, and you must return to me a loss. I myself am the owner of this house.