Boontalks by Zielona Sowa Publishing House

Agnieszka Stelmaszyk

Illustrations: Marianna Schoett

Hi! It's me, Eric Boontalk Tekst: Agnieszka Stelmaszyk Ilustracje: Marianna Schoett Redaktor prowadzący: Agnieszka Nowak Redakcja: Anna Włodarkiewicz Korekta: Anna Kijania, Agnieszka Luberadzka Projekt graficzny i DTP: Poldrex © Copyright for text by Agnieszka Stelmaszyk, 2017 © Copyright for illustrations by Marianna Schoett, 2017 © Copyright by Wydawnictwo Zielona Sowa Sp. z o.o., Warszawa 2018 All rights reserved Wydanie I Wszystkie prawa zastrzeżone. Przedruk lub kopiowanie całości albo fragmentów książki możliwe jest tylko na podstawie pisemnej zgody wydawcy.

ISBN 978-83-8073-721-1

Wydawnictwo Zielona Sowa Sp. z o.o. 00-807 Warszawa, Al. Jerozolimskie 94 tel. 22 379 85 50, fax 22 379 85 51 wydawnictwo@zielonasowa.pl www.zielonasowa.pl

Hi! I’m Eric. I’m almost five and I am a Boontalk. Let me guess... you have no idea who Boontalks are? My mum said that people know nothing about us. She says that they have discovered all lands, seas and oceans, they can observe the space through giant telescopes. Still, even with the biggest and the most modern telescope they can’t see us, Boontalks. Why? It’s simple. It’s because we are invisible. And that is great! I wouldn’t want people to shout whenever they see me. Oh, I forgot to mention that I am a forest pixie, just like every Boontalk. I live in the Boontalk Forest among picturesque hills. My home is in an old oak and it is very comfortable and spacious. I even have my own room upstairs. A friendly spider spun there a really cool cobweb and I can jump on it like on a trampoline. I also play the Spiderboontalk game there. And when my friends, Philip and Matthew, come over, we jump there together. Instead of a bed, I have a hammock. When I go to sleep in it, I can see the moon and the stars through a big hollow. We, the Boontalks, take care of the entire forest. On top of that, we often have to clean up after people because they litter so much! It makes my mummy very upset and she says that if it weren’t for us, the Boontalks, the planet would drown in rubbish! My daddy’s name is Macarius and he works for the Forest Cleaning Enterprise. My mum’s name is Alice and she works for the Boontalk Planting Institute which means that she takes care of the plants in our forest.

I’m sure you are curious about what I look like. Quite normal, like any other forest pixie. I’m not going to show you a photo because I don’t like seeing myself in photos and it makes me upset when someone tries to take one of me. All right, let me look at my reflection in a puddle. Where should I start? Well… I have fair green hair, I’d like to have dark green hair like my dad, though. Dad tries to comfort me saying that his hair used to be like this too, it was celadon green even and then it got darker, so I’m patiently waiting for this to happen. My eyes are dark brown and there are a few freckles on my nose and there is no way to wash them off! I have tried everything! Perhaps you know of a way to get rid of freckles? I used to think a lot about where Boontalks came from. So, I asked my mum: „Were all Boontalks born or perhaps some of them were created by someone?” At that moment, mum was pounding ribwort plantain cutlets for lunch and she froze with a green leaf in her hand. „Well, every Boontalk must have been born,” she said slowly, giving it a lot of thought. „You gave birth to me, didn’t you? And grandma Note gave brith to you? What about Irene, daddy’s grandma?” I kept on inquiring and mum confirmed this with a nod. „What about grandma Note?” I carried on asking. „Your great-grandmother Maria,” mum replied.

„Honey, I’m very busy! Dad is going to be back from work any minute now and the lunch is not ready. Do something else and we’ll talk in the evening, ok?” She added in a slightly irritated voice and started pounding those cutlets of hers loudly with her pounder. „All right,” I sighed. Mum is going to be tired in the evening and I’m not going to find out about which Boontalks have been created. As usual, lunch is more important! I got upset. It’s just eating and eating. What’s the big deal about food?! I don’t like eating and everyone just keeps giving me something to eat. And they keep saying that I won’t grow if I don’t eat or that I’ll fall ill. I like honey sweets but that’s the one thing they won’t let me eat. I don’t understand why, they are so delicious! Unlike sorrel, for example. Mum says that my teeth are going to fall out from eating all those honey sweets. But I know they’re going to fall out anyway. I know everything. They’re going to fall out and then new permanent teeth are going to grow. What’s the point in worrying?! I simply can’t convince my mum. Or the teacher at the kindergarten. They only have those salads and carrots there and we have to brush our teeth after lunch! Why should I, if they’re going to fall out anyway? However, I do as the teacher tells us. Because I like my teacher very much. Not as much as mummy, of course. I like her, well… simply as a teacher. I like my kindergarten, too. It is inside an old toadstool. It is very pretty there and all. But there’s no way I’m going to school! Not that. I’ve heard parents talking about that ‚school’. That’s when I said that I wasn’t going to go to any school. „You’re going to learn many things there,” they were persuading me. „What things?” I asked, full of doubt because I already know everything anyway.

„How to write, read, count well...” Mum and dad were listing examples. „But I know all letters!” I interrupted them, looking at my dad with pity. „And I can count until a hundred! Even until a thousand! I’m not going to go to school! „Dear Eric, it’s going to happen in a few years! You don’t need to worry about it now,” mum laughed. „Sure,” I snapped. „All Boontalks go to school as soon as they turn seven. I’m five so there are still two years to go,” I counted on my fingers. (I told you that I am clever and I know a lot). „And two is very few!” I hope to grow up very quickly. Grown-ups can do whatever they want and they don’t go to school. Well, mum says that even grown up Boontalks have to keep learning things but I won’t! I’m going to do as I please. I think I’ve grown a little bit already because my trousers have got too short again. And since I’m a little bit grown up, I’m going to go to bed later. Yes, that’s what I’m going to do!

Rubber-like time I and mum overslept today! We slept so long that the golden rays of sunshine knocked on the window to wake us up. And when we opened our eyes at last, mum said that it was very late and that we would probably be late for the kindergarten. It’s a long way to the old toadstool which houses the kindergarten. First, you have to walk through the grove, next, through the Windflower Clearing with a swift-flowing stream at the edge of it. Then you have to cross a little bridge and go down a path to turn right next to a giant stone. Soon after that, you can see the roof of our kindergarten, red with white dots. So, as I said, we overslept. I didn’t particularly mind waking up late but it makes mum really nervous. With her hair standing funnily and a dress put on inside out, she runs between the bathroom and the kitchen and keeps rushing me: „Boontalk, wash yourself! Boontalk, get dressed! Eat your breakfast!” Mum always makes sure I have my breakfast since I refuse to eat sandwiches or cereal at the kindergarten, I simply won’t! „Faster, faster, or we’ll be late!” she kept yelling that day. „It is impolite to be late, you always have to be punctual!” she was lecturing me. I really dislike being rushed by anyone. And when someone does, I do everything more slowly, almost as slowly as a snail.

„We’ll be on time, there is plenty of time left!” I was trying to calm her down. Mum glanced at the big clock in the hall, which is a house of Susie the cuckoo and sighed: „Oh, Eric, now we’ll most certainly be late! Let’s go.” But on that particular day my shoelaces got knotted and I couldn’t put on my shoes. „Boontalk, hurry up!” Mum was looking at me imploringly. „We have time, we’ll be on time,” I answered sluggishly and yawned because I was still very sleepy. „Dear child, time is not made of rubber, you can’t stretch it,” said mum, really upset this time. Suddenly, I had an idea. „Mum! In this case, we have to find this time, cut it in half with scissors, put a rubber band in the middle and stick its ends well so that we can stretch time!” I said happily. „Everyone will be able to do that for the rest of the time!” I added with pride. Mum was standing there in dad’ coat which was too big for her and she looked at me with awe and appreciation. „You know, my son, it’s a brilliant idea!” she called with enthusiasm. „Why didn’t anyone come up with this before? But how can we find this time to cut it in half?” She asked then, slightly worried. „It is no problem,” I replied after giving it some thought. „What we need is a good map. When you have a good map, you can always find the way.” Oh, parents don’t even know the simplest things these days. And I know everything!

„All right, but where do we get such a map from?” Mum mumbled with doubt. „What do you mean, ‚where’?” I was beginning to feel annoyed. „We’re going to buy one! You can buy everything at Mr Kowalik’s shop, can’t you?” I reminded her. „There are clothes and toys. I’m sure you can get a map there, too.” „That’s true,” said mum quietly, although she didn’t sound convinced. „Oh, those parents!” I sighed. „They’re nothing but trouble! And you have to explain everything to them, like to a small child!”

Don't stick your tongue out! Recently, everything has been getting on my nerves and making me upset. I don’t know why myself. Mum says that I often am like a bear with a sore head. That’s not true, I am no bear! I know it for a fact because I have checked. I do have some hair here and there, for example those funny hairs in my nose, but I am not nearly as hairy as a proper bear. What an idea, I, a bear?! Only grown-ups could come up with something this silly. I’m far too small to be a bear! I got so upset that I showed mummy my tongue. Mum said it is very pretty and pink and that she had already had a good look so if I wanted to go on showing it off, I should go to the hall and stand in front of the big mirror. That’s where I should admire it. I had a feeling that what mum was saying wasn’t nice at all so I stuck my tongue out again. As she was standing with her back turned to me. It seems that my mum has eyes at the back of her head, probably hidden somewhere in her long green hair, because she noticed anyway. She made me go to my room and think about my behaviour. She also said that it is very impolite to stick your tongue out to another person and that it hurts others. She added that she was feeling hurt at that time. I didn’t want her to be sad so I apologised. „You’re not going to stick your tongue out ever again, are you, Boontalk?” Mum wanted to be sure.

„No, never again!” I promised her, convinced. At that moment I was really confident that I would never, ever stick my tongue out again. Maybe except to the doctor Owl in our forest clinic. Soon after that, mum made me tidy the toys in my room. That upset me a little because I had other plans. Mum said that there was a terrible mess and that there were building blocks all over the room and it was impossible to walk on the carpet. I looked at my room and thought that it wasn’t that bad at all. „I can walk on it, look!” I showed mum how gracefully I could squeeze in between the container with building blocks, various boxes and dried branches and pinecones I had brought in from outside.

„You can’t walk on it because you’re too big,” I explained and at that very moment the leg of my new trousers got caught in one of the branches and it made a hole in the trousers. „Clean it up right now!” Mum said firmly and in a very strict tone at that. „You’re talking mean to me!” I snapped. „Dear Eric, I’m not talking mean at all, it’s just you don’t like what I’m saying,” replied mum but I knew my stuff. „You’re mean!” I repeated and...I stuck my tongue out. I swear I didn’t mean to. It just came out by itself. I was a little embarrassed but it was too late. „Why did you stick your tongue out again, Boontalk?” Mum asked with a scary frown. „I didn’t! You did!” I grunted. „I did?” Mum was taken aback. „I never do that. Eric, do you want me and dad to stick our tongues out to you? Do you think it’s a nice thing to do?” „It isn’t nice!” I yelled because I was a little scared by the fact that my parents might actually start doing this. „I do not stick my tongue out!” „And what was it you just did?” Mum kept on inquiring. „I was airing it,” I answered, trying to sound casual. „It is very hot in my mouth and it started to sweat. Look how wet it is.” I pointed my finger at the moist tip of my tongue. Mum didn’t let me fool her, after all. And I had to tidy my room as a punishment and I wasn’t allowed to go to the Windflower Clearing to play with other Boontalks. Life can be so unfair at times!

Eryk Hood Moi koledzy w przedszkolu zaczęli nosić bluzy z kapturem. Bardzo mi się to spodobało, więc poprosiłem mamę i tatę, żeby też mi taką sprawili. Musiałem być grzeczny caluśki tydzień. Z wielkim trudem udało mi się niczego nie zmajstrować, choć raz prawie stłukłem wazonik, gdy grałem w piłkę w pokoju. Wiem, że nie wolno bawić się nią w domu, ale na dworze bardzo padało, a ja chciałem tylko poćwiczyć rzuty. Tylko ten jeden mi nie wyszedł. Wazonik zachwiał się, ale na szczęście wrócił na swoje miejsce. Wolałem już jednak więcej nie ćwiczyć, bo został mi jeszcze tylko jeden dzień tej grzeczności. No i w końcu dostałem bluzę z kapturem. Rodzice kupili ją w sklepie pana Kowalika. Od razu ją założyłem, bo chciałem iść w niej do przedszkola. Tatuś popatrzył na mnie i powiedział, że wyglądam jak Robin Hood. – Jak kto? – Nie wiedziałem, o co tacie chodzi. – Kto to jest ten Robin Hood? – dopytywałem, ponieważ trochę mnie to zaciekawiło. – Jak ci to wytłumaczyć, synku… – Tata drapał się po głowie. – To był taki jakby rycerz, który mieszkał w lesie i pomagał ludziom. – Mieszkał w lesie? – Coraz bardziej mnie to interesowało. – To tak jak my! – Rzeczywiście, tak jak my – przytaknął tatuś. – Ale nie był buntalkiem – dodał. – A jak on pomagał ludziom? – zapytałem.