"Alice’s Birthday" by Kir Bulychev, summary

A science fiction story about time travel to prevent a global pandemic of an unknown disease. Created in 1974, the author explores the concept of correcting the historical past, allowing for direct physical intervention in events without causing catastrophic temporal paradoxes. The story was successfully adapted into a film. A full-length animated film of the same name was released in 2009.

The book is part of the extensive "Alice’s Adventures" series. This series also includes such fantasy stories as "Alice’s Journey" and "One Hundred Years Ahead."

An unexpected visit and a terrible secret

Professor Seleznev is pondering a gift for his daughter, Alisa. The girl will soon be ten years old. His thoughts are interrupted by a video call. An old family friend, Gromozeka, appears on the screen. This giant space archaeologist from the planet Chumarosa has ten tentacles, eight eyes, and a thick chest shell. Soon, he personally rolls into the Seleznevs’ apartment. The Chumarosa refuses to drink tea, calling it pure poison. A robot housekeeper brings the guest some valerian. After drinking the liquid straight from the bottle, the archaeologist tells the family incredible news.

The Gromozeki expedition is exploring the lost planet Koleida. The local inhabitants, animals, and insects became extinct about a hundred years ago. Scientists suspect the use of an aggressive virus — a space plague. This intelligent bacteriological substance deliberately destroys all life. Fifteen years ago, a similar virus attacked a base on Pluto. Doctors on Earth then had great difficulty stopping the spread of the infection. The archaeologist persuades Professor Seleznev to let Alisa join the expedition. Her father agrees to the short trip.

Preparing the time machine

Gromozeka has secured the support of the Institute of Time. Scientists Mikhail Petrov and Richard agree to transport an experimental model of the machine to Koleida. Ships carrying disassembled equipment arrive on the dead planet. Alice meets archaeologists from across the galaxy. A furry, tiny expert in ancient languages named Rrrr attracts particular attention. The girl saves him from being accidentally crushed by an enthusiastic crowd. The scientists have already restored part of the destroyed city. They have rebuilt houses, a museum, and a train station with a small steam locomotive.

The temporary workers set up equipment in the middle of a dusty field. Academician Petrov makes his first short leap into the past. He finds himself in the days of the epidemic’s onset. The scientist photographs an overcrowded hospital and rescues a local newspaper vendor. The delivered newspapers confirm the initial theory. The epidemic broke out exactly one hundred and one years ago. The infection was brought by cosmonauts who had returned from the first successful interplanetary flight.

The Archaeologist’s Secret Plan

Gromozeka asks Alisa to undergo rigorous medical training. The expedition doctor administers numerous painful vaccinations to the girl. She swallows pills and drinks saline drops. Then Alisa undergoes a hypnopedic course in the local language. Later, the archaeologist takes the girl aside and reveals his secret plan. He has brought a canister of antiviral vaccine from Earth in advance. The container works like a regular fire extinguisher. Gromozeka plans to send Alisa on the day of the cosmonauts’ return. The locals are distinguished by their very short stature. The ten-year-old Earth girl looks like an adult Coleoidian.

The temporary worker, Petrov, forbids this dangerous adventure. The scientist cites strict regulations and demands lengthy consultations with academics on Earth. Gromozeka falls into deep despair. The tiny archaeologist, Rrrr, overhears this unpleasant argument. A creature with a lilac eye suggests that Alisa break discipline. The girl understands the need for urgent action to save civilization.

Unauthorized time jump

Late at night, Alice takes the bag containing the vaccine. Gromozeka feigns sleep but advises the girl not to forget her sweater. Rrrr sews on a fake tail from someone else’s fur coat. He plans to disguise himself as a Coleid kitten. The fugitives make their way to the closed station. The girl presses a series of necessary buttons on the control panel. The device instantly transports them back one hundred and one years. The travelers find themselves in a green meadow. The rooftops of a still-living city are visible in the distance.

On the way to the train station, they are attacked by a large stray dog. The dog tears off Rrrr’s artificial tail. A local shepherd chases off the vicious animal. The man is greatly surprised by the girl’s strange pronunciation, but Alice quickly leaves. At the station, she buys a child’s ticket. The stern cashier and conductor suspect financial fraud. On the platform, a porter in a yellow uniform accosts the girl. Alice quickly flees to a crowded third-class carriage.

Trip to the capital

In a train compartment, Alice meets a friendly elderly woman. The old woman turns out to be the mother of engineer Tolo. This brave young cosmonaut is returning home. The woman is startled when she notices a kitten in her bag deftly using a needle and thread. Alice gently reassures the grandmother. The woman treats the girl to a tomato and proudly shows her a photo of her son. Tolo’s mother decides to do a good deed. She offers to escort her new acquaintance to the ship itself, disguised as her own daughter.

The capital is in an incredible state of bustle. Traffic jams have completely paralyzed buses and taxis. Alice and the old woman walk straight to the cosmodrome. The police let them pass through the high barriers without hindrance, thanks to the hero’s mother’s documents. A spaceship slowly descends from the sky. Blue flames from its nozzles melt the landing concrete. Officials hastily roll out a long white carpet. Local ministers and generals prepare to deliver ceremonial laudatory speeches.

Attack on the astronauts

Alice quickly breaks free from the huge crowd of people greeting her. She runs up the moving automatic ramp. The girl quickly takes out a heavy canister and presses a stiff button. A powerful stream of cloudy vaccine hits the stunned captain squarely in the face. The captain staggers back. A thick fog instantly fills the entire interior of the ship. The canister empties and shuts off with a loud bang. The police roughly grab the offender. Millions of viewers across the planet perceive what is happening as a horrific political assassination.

The girl is securely locked in an empty storage room. Tiny Rrrr quietly unzips her bag and escapes. He cautiously stalks the armed guards. The archaeologist finds the cell’s ventilation grate. He calls out to Alice and unlocks the iron fastenings from the outside. The girl kicks the grate open and boldly leaps into a dark corridor. The guards burst into the room too late. The fugitives miraculously manage to escape the secure spaceport area.

The Long Road to a Time Machine

Military units cordon off a residential area adjacent to the forest. A yellow police helicopter circles the sky. Alice and Rrrr disappear into the abandoned grounds of the amusement park. They quietly crawl under the low wooden floor of the carousel. A police officer carefully inspects the structure, standing directly above Alice’s head. The girl suppresses the urge to sneeze with great difficulty. The guard leaves, but the rides resume operation in the evening. Riders endure loud music and the creaking of heavy machinery overhead for hours.

By midnight, the noisy revelry has died down completely. Exhausted, the heroes crawl out of their dusty shelter. They walk away from the sleeping city, following the railroad tracks. Toward dawn, they manage to travel a short distance on an open freight platform. With the first rays of dawn, they climb a familiar hill. Alice takes her furry friend in her arms. The girl presses the green call button and returns to her own time.

Saved civilization

The doors of the narrow cabin slowly open. Alice is joyfully greeted by Gromozeka, Academician Petrov, and physicist Richard. It turns out that the time machine is installed right on board the spaceship. As soon as the fugitives passed into the past, Gromozeka immediately alerted the entire camp. The team urgently loaded valuable equipment and hid the vessel. The scientists observed the changing reality from the safe windows. The dead wastelands became covered in dense greenery, bright houses sprouted, and flying birds appeared. The cosmic plague was completely and forever eradicated. The Earthlings’ ship launched into high orbit.

The local dispatcher contacts the unidentified vessel. Gromozeka formally requests permission to land and attempts to tell the truth. The official refuses to believe the mass destruction of his planet a hundred years ago. At the Chumarozian’s request, the dispatcher reads aloud lines from an old history book. The text reads: "The celebration was graced by the curious act of one of the girls. She was the first to run up to the ship and spray the cosmonauts with perfume." Alisa is annoyed by the silly reference to perfume, but is genuinely happy about the millions of lives saved.