"Alice and the Enchanted King" by Kir Bulychev, summary

This science fiction novella was written in 2001. The antagonists use a rare device to shrink sentient beings, turning them into motionless toys for a collector, blurring the line between space piracy and kidnapping for aesthetic pleasure. This book is part of Kir Bulychev’s extensive "Alice’s Adventures" series. The cycle encompasses numerous works, including the well-known stories "One Hundred Years Ahead," "Alice’s Journey," and "A Million Adventures." This text is one of the author’s later works within the unified universe of Alisa Selezneva and her friends.

The Capture of Elenia Oceanica

Advisor to the Kings, Bakshtyr, enjoys a unique status in the Galaxy. He assists the monarchs, though his advice is often misguided. Bakshtyr keeps a star dog — an intelligent animal capable of traveling from one point in space to another in four seconds. The star dog can only remember one word at a time. Bakshtyr remembers the birthday of King Constantine, ruler of the planet Elenia Oceanica. The advisor teaches the dog the word "Congratulations," attaches a voice letter to its ear, and sends it to Elenia.

The planet Elenia is almost entirely covered by ocean. The only patch of land is a small island with a palace. Arriving on the planet, the dog discovers the castle is empty. An ominous silence reigns all around. The dog enters the building and spots pirates — the notorious space criminals Rat and Merry W. The bandits are feasting, drinking vintage French cognac and snacking on pickled cucumbers made according to the local queen’s recipe. From their conversation, the dog learns of the royal family’s capture. The pirates are planning to brutally punish the captives, on orders from an unknown employer.

The dog finds the royal family in a dark basement. King Constantine, Queen Felicia, young Prince Timon, Princess Anya, as well as the butler Ferapont and a maid, are locked there. The dog utters a memorized "Congratulations" and relays Bakshtir’s message. The captives realize help is far away, and the pirates intend to subject them to the "petrification" procedure — to transform them into living, motionless dolls using a special machine.

The Tailor and the Auction of Old Toys

Soon, Bakshtyr, concerned about his pet’s disappearance, calls an Intergalactic Police patrol to Elenia. The officers discover the castle has been demolished. The entire island is covered in tunicates — flat, transparent aliens known for their laziness and constant desire to rest. The aliens illegally purchased the planet from space pirates, dissolved the buildings with acid, and now lie peacefully on the rocks. All traces of the king and the star dog are lost.

Meanwhile, Alisa Selezneva and her mother, Kira, fly to England on Earth. They’re visiting Kira’s friend, Brigitte, a detective novelist. Brigitte lives in the village of Beachhead on the English Channel. The writer enjoys collecting various antiques, but her main passion is miniature dollhouses. The friends are heading to London for the Rosebery auction to add to her collection.

A fierce bidding war unfolds at the auction. Lord Sims and a shell-dwelling alien squabble over an antique toy train set, engaging in a poisonous duel outside the auction hall. The auction is ultimately outbid by the juvenile tyrant Hermogenes the Sixth the Unjust. The ruler of the Vnese Desert confesses to murdering his own parents for undisturbed television viewing. The boy takes the toys and departs on a wooden horse. Brigitte is eyeing an inexpensive dollhouse. Suddenly, a massive woman in a strange outfit, resembling a giant pineapple, bursts into the auction hall. She angrily destroys the dollhouse, searches for hidden dolls, and then hurries away. Frustrated, Brigitte buys a box of broken toys for three pounds.

The Reanimation of Dolls and the Night Invasion

The women return to Beachhead. While sorting through the trash she bought, Brigitte finds a small bag tightly tied with twine. Inside are seven dirty figurines: a man, a woman, two children, two servants, and a small dog. The friends wash the dolls in warm water. Alice is struck by their realism. The father doll has a painted mustache and goatee, and a microscopic emerald sparkles on his hand. The faces, hair, and clothing of the other figurines are also rendered with eerie precision. The girl experiences a strange sense of unease and moves the dolls from the mantelpiece to the soft sofa.

That night, Alice is awakened by a rustling sound in the garden. The pineapple woman has entered the house. Alice tries to escape, but the intruder catches her by the hair. The fat woman tears off her wig and dress. Alice recognizes an old enemy — the space pirate Merry W.

The pirate tells Alice his story. He acquired a minimizer — a special device for shrinking objects — from the collector Black Square. Merry U captured King Constantine on Elenia and sprayed the monarch’s family with pink gas. The people instantly shrank twentyfold, becoming solid dolls. The pirate planned to sell them to Black Square as slaves for his toy cities. On the way, Merry U drank away the suitcase containing the dolls, and they ended up at the Roseberry auction.

Merry U forces Alice to show her the dolls on the couch. The girl threatens the pirate with the Intergalactic Police. The bandit takes out a blue spray can and directs a stream of pink gas at Alice. Alice falls to the floor, becoming an immobile wooden figurine, but remains conscious. Kira and Brigitte return. Merry U immediately sprays the women with gas, transforming them into dolls, and throws them all into his red minimizing suitcase.

Black Square’s Lair and Rescue

Bakshtyr flies to the farm of Maltusia, a specialist in breeding star dogs. Through a computerized communications center, they establish direct telepathic contact with the missing dog’s brain. The dog reveals that it has been shrunk to the size of a toy and is in a pirate’s suitcase. Bakshtyr realizes the terrible truth: the Minimizer was his own gift to Black Square. The advisor gave him a device for shrinking insects and vegetables, but the wily collector secretly began using it against people.

Bakshtyr heads on his ship beyond the Black Hole, where Black Square’s planet is located. The planet’s owner is a disembodied being, consisting only of his own shadow. He collects living people, forcing them to fight in miniature cities. Bakshtyr demands the minimizer. Veselchak U arrives with a suitcase. On Black Square’s orders, the pirate uses the atomizer on Bakshtyr. The king’s advisor becomes a doll and falls into the suitcase with Alice and the other captives.

The pirate haggles with the collector over the price of two and a half royal families. At that moment, an Intergalactic Police cruiser breaks through the dust curtain. Commissioner Milodar and armed agents arrest the pirate and Black Square. Malthusia takes the briefcase from the bandit, sets the device to reverse, and transforms the minimizer into a maximizer.

The prisoners emerge from the suitcase one by one, returning to their normal human size. First comes King Constantine, then Queen Felicia with her children, Alice, Kira, and Brigitte. The Star Dog carries little Bakshtyr in his mouth, who also returns to his normal size. The Black Square, overcome with stress, becomes covered in holes, thins to a thread, and vanishes completely into nothingness.

Black Square’s dollhouses crumble to dust. Hundreds of the villain’s former victims come to life, demanding retribution. The freed people rush at Veselchak U. Fleeing imminent reprisal, the fat pirate begs Bakshtir to miniaturize him. Bakshtir forces the pirate into the minimizer. Veselchak U becomes an immobile doll the size of a walnut and is left in the empty dollhouse as a severe punishment.

Alisa says goodbye to Commissar Milodar. Returning home, she meets her friend Pashka Geraskin. The girl decides to keep quiet about the terrifying transformation, modestly remarking that she was simply visiting a dollhouse auction in London.