“Okay, Cheese-eater, don’t torment us,” said Vovka. “Why is he going to stay here?”
“That’s right, why?” asked the Wolf as well.
The Villain said nothing; he only arched his back, put his hands on the head, where the antlers were, and his snout twitched as if he was going to cry.
“Don’t you get it? The Cheese Fairy has sent Vova to exchange places WITH HIM. He’ll go home and she will come back here.”
“But what about me?” whispered the Villain very quietly.
“You will live here until you become good. How can we let you live among people? You are wicked, envious, greedy, stealthy and have evil thoughts. With your bright mind you should be good and make discoveries for the welfare of all people. Then you will feel well, too. Did you think you could come in our fairy-tale world, play your mean tricks and leave unpunished? You were wrong to think this way. You’ve baked this pie; you will be the first one your cooking to try.”
“But I only wanted to make some money!”
“You’ve got to be patient enough, for money doesn’t fall from above. You didn’t want to earn that money, working yourself; you wanted to steal something that didn’t belong to you. You had your eye on our fairy-tales and could have left all people without them. It’s true that one black sheep will mar a whole flock.”
“I’ll change,” promised the Villain. “Upon my word, I’ll be good!”
“The Villain’s word?” smiled Cheese-eater ironically. “We’ll live and see. A horse has four legs, and yet it stumbles. Every family has its skeleton in the cupboard. Sometimes even two of them.”
“Cheese-eater dear,” Vovka dropped his eyes and stopped short. “Do you really think I’ll get home? It’s so great to be here with you, but you see, Mama must be worried by now and Pavlik is waiting for me to assemble his aircraft. It would be a pity…” Vovka stopped talking again.
Cheese-eater looked at him with sympathy and smiled, “Of course, you will come back. You’ve found the Villain, and when the Cheese Fairy comes to us, you’ll be home almost at once! If one thing comes true, another will as well.”
“Maybe, I will go with him, too?” asked the Villain.
“Don’t pick an apple when it’s still not ripe,” said Cheese-eater strictly. “When it is, it will fall down itself.”
“As for me, I still can’t understand,” there came the Wolf’s voice, “where did the Cheese Fairy put her goats, sheep and cows to? She couldn’t be walking in the streets with such a herd!”
