Summary of "The Pirate Queen on the Planet of Fairy Tales" by Kir Bulychev

This book is a 1997 science fiction novella about a clash between space criminals and the inhabitants of a fictional world. The plot revolves around the paradoxical juxtaposition of high-tech inventions from a future Earth and classic fairy tale archetypes, all embedded within a single physical reality. This work is part of the extensive literary series "Alice’s Adventures." The series comprises dozens of novellas and short stories, including famous tales of space expeditions and the rescue of rare animals. In the chronology of publications, this text belongs to the author’s late period and adds new routes to the shared universe.

Events at the Moscow Cosmodrome

At the end of the twenty-first century, the Moscow spaceport welcomes travelers from across the galaxy. Martians, long-eared bats, and brassaks stroll busily through the vast waiting room. Creatures resembling bouquets of flowers and menacing dragons stroll nearby. Father Frost and Snow Maiden enter the room. The winter wizards purposefully head to the information desk. A robot with a flickering screen for a head stands guard at the desk.

Strict regulations for visiting the Planet of Fairy Tales are revealed. Spaceships are strictly prohibited from landing on the surface, to preserve the peace of the local inhabitants. Transit passenger ships decelerate high in orbit. Passengers descend in a special balloon. The return ascent to orbit occurs in the same manner.

Schoolchildren Alisa Selezneva and Pashka Geraskin cheerfully approach the information desk. They are accompanied by their beloved teacher, Svetlana. Svetlana is a genuine friend of the students and spends her free time pursuing complex scientific research. She brings a heavy suitcase to the spaceport. Inside is a unique device — a shrinker.

Pashka immediately demonstrates the high-tech device. The schoolboy boldly jumps inside the suitcase. He instantly shrinks to a hundredth of his normal size. The Snow Maiden throws him a scoop of ice cream. The boy successfully catches the shrunken cup. Teacher Svetlana deftly pulls the student out. The schoolboy immediately regains his normal anatomical dimensions.

Hiding behind a wide palm tree are two hardened space criminals: the plump, pig-faced Merry U and the skinny, sharp-nosed Rat. The pirates secretly infiltrated Earth after a particularly unfortunate set of circumstances. A month ago, they treacherously seized the Planet of Fairy Tales. Their own pirate ship was hopelessly damaged. The criminals were unable to transport the stolen palace treasures. Having witnessed the Shrinking Suitcase in action, the cunning Rat devised a daring plan. He decided to seize the device, stash the gold inside, and leave the planet unhindered.

Flight on a ship and a cunning plan

The enormous cruiser Robin Hood amazes passengers with its sheer size. On board, there’s ample space for deep swimming pools, sports courts, and a real green soccer field. Beyond the field, a dense, primeval forest grows. The ship is safely approaching its destination. Alisa grabs her duffel bag, Pashka holds his suitcase tightly. The schoolchildren descend to the lower level, into a special transit lounge.

The descent module is a large red balloon with bright yellow stripes. Cosmonaut Kuchkin stands guard near the round landing hatch. He gives the children clear instructions before the autonomous descent. Soon, Father Frost and Snegurochka enter the cramped cabin.

Alice notices distinctly odd behavior in the fairytale characters. The sorceress’s voice sounds unpleasant, and her head twitches unnaturally. In reality, Rat and Merry W. are hiding behind these masks. The real winter wizards have long since been stunned, mercilessly stripped, and securely locked in the ship’s spacious refrigerator.

During the slow descent, the fake Santa Claus takes an unhealthy interest in someone else’s luggage. Pashka tries to protect the valuable device with his chest. The pirate roughly grabs the boy by the collar of his jacket. The criminal throws the schoolboy with tremendous force to the bottom of the suitcase. In sheer terror, Alice rushes to her friend’s aid. With a loud, mocking laugh, the fake Snow Maiden pushes the girl in the back. Alice plummets and hits a hard surface, hard.

Coming to, the schoolchildren realize the catastrophic scale of the tragedy. They are sitting at the bottom of the suitcase, microscopically. The giant painted faces of the criminals loom over them. The bandits openly reveal their true identities. They loudly mock the deceived travelers. The suitcase floor tilts sharply. The captives tumble head over heels into pitch darkness. The criminals clang as the outer iron lock snaps shut.

Arrival and confinement in the cave

The descent ends in a picturesque forest clearing. The balloon comes to a gentle stop near a sheer cliff with a small iron door. Unshaven pirates yank the schoolchildren out of the suitcase. The children fall to the soft ground and return to normal human size. A dense crowd of filthy, armed bandits in black leather suits gathers around them.

The Gray Wolf stands obsequiously among the intruders. The fabulous predator cowardly betrayed his kin for personal gain. He tearfully begs for Alice to be handed over to him to be mercilessly torn to pieces. Rat harshly suppresses the wolf’s bloodthirsty initiative. The leader demands that Aladdin’s heavy cave be opened immediately. The one-eyed guard has completely forgotten the secret magical password. The Gray Wolf reluctantly utters the necessary spell, "Open Sesame." The iron door obediently yields.

The children are roughly shoved into a dank, dark dungeon. The cave is dimly lit by two guttering candles. Inside, the planet’s legitimate inhabitants suffer bitterly. Puss in Boots meows pitifully and protractedly. Sleeping Beauty sheds bitter tears on the cold, bare stones. The Three-Headed Dragon timidly hides its heads behind its scaly back. Aladdin hugs the Genie tightly, faintly hoping for a miracle.

The captives vied with each other to tell of their misfortune. Fabulous creatures are forbidden by nature to cause physical harm to humans. The marauders vilely exploited this ironclad rule. The dragon desperately tried to resist the captors. The brave beast quickly exhausted its reserves of internal fire and suffered several dangerous bullet wounds.

Alice notices a half-eaten red apple on the floor. The cave’s inhabitants chorus sternly forbid her to touch it. The fruit is poisoned by ancient magic and immediately induces a deep, lethargic sleep. Pashka calls on his broken companions in misfortune to remain calm. The brave boy loudly suggests digging a deep, saving tunnel.

Suddenly, the heavy door creaks open. Veselchak U menacingly summons Pashka to a stern interrogation by his superiors. Alisa fervently persuades her friend to go to the bandit leader. The girl hopes to scout out the situation.

The Pirate Queen’s Deception

The throne room of the royal palace is densely littered with plundered treasure. Heavy chests, leather suitcases, and piles of velvet clothing are scattered haphazardly everywhere. An empty crystal coffin stands forlornly in the corner. The leader of the criminals sits at a huge oak table. The pirate queen nervously drinks and eats exquisite delicacies.

The Mistress is in a state of severe panic. The real Father Frost and Snow Maiden have successfully raised hell on distant Earth. The military cruiser "Order" is racing at high speed toward the Planet of Fairy Tales to carry out a brutal arrest of the gang.

The bandits are trapped in a rock trap. All they have left is a slow-moving balloon. The leader devises a highly cunning, multi-step plan. She plans to use a shrinking suitcase for a stealthy and completely safe entry. A real child from Earth is to smuggle the device directly aboard the military cruiser. The armed soldiers will never suspect an honest schoolboy of malicious intent.

Merry U brings Pashka to the ruined throne room. The Queen begins a mock dramatic performance. She kindly offers the boy black caviar and enthusiastically admires his incredible bravery. The pirates simultaneously draw sharp knives. They simulate a brutal armed attack on the young guest. The leader selflessly rushes to the defense of the frightened schoolboy. She loudly and pathetically proclaims her deep remorse and her firm, sincere desire to atone for her past guilt.

The pirates ostentatiously tie up the Queen and Pashka with thick ropes. They roughly throw them onto the stone floor and retire for their afternoon nap. The naive schoolboy unquestioningly believes in the sincerity of the beautiful, suffering woman. The children easily and quickly untie the tight knots behind each other’s backs.

A powerful interplanetary communication system is activated. The commander of the cruiser "Order" persistently calls the captured Planet of Fairy Tales. A cunning woman picks up the phone and modestly introduces herself as poor Cinderella. The stern officer demands that Alisa or Pashka be called to the line immediately.

The boy joyfully and loudly confirms his identity. He firmly promises to immediately ascend in the balloon for a detailed verbal report. Strictly in accordance with the leader’s secret instructions, he asks the military not to land due to the mortal threat to the hostages.

The queen pitifully begs the boy to hide her in the shrinking suitcase. She asks him to take her to the cruiser for a full, voluntary confession to the authorities. Pashka carefully locks the repentant criminal inside the compact device. Suddenly, bearded guards burst into the hall with wild cries. The boy drops the heavy load and runs headlong down the corridors toward the hot air balloon.

The remaining bandits in the hall quickly and deftly fill the suitcase with gold. Veselchak U, Krys, and the one-eyed guard joyfully leap into the safety of the shelter. Pashka, out of breath, returns to the deserted royal chamber. He grabs the noticeably heavier device and runs with all his might to the launch pad. The boy is firmly and unwaveringly confident of saving the innocent victim of circumstance.

Liberation and the triumph of justice

Pashka reaches the hot air balloon without a single incident. The schoolboy contacts the battle cruiser’s commander on the intercom. He joyfully and proudly reports the start of the vertical ascent. The boy is genuinely proud of the successful completion of the complex rescue operation. The wily armed criminals sit extremely quietly inside the baggage compartment. They are eagerly anticipating the bloody capture of the patrol ship.

Alice continues her tense search for the only way out of Aladdin’s cave. A clever girl picks up Sleeping Beauty’s poisoned apple from the floor. A schoolgirl loudly bangs her fist on the heavy iron door. She politely asks the guard on duty for some clean drinking water in exchange for a ripe, juicy fruit. The foolish bandit happily agrees to this extremely profitable deal. He greedily takes a large bite of the apple and instantly falls with a crash into a deep, magical sleep.

The happy captives burst into long-awaited freedom with cries of joy. Alice quickly runs to the royal palace. The girl wants to find Pashka as quickly as possible. Inside the vast palace complex, not a single pirate on duty is visible. A mangy Gray Wolf obediently follows the girl.

The cowardly traitor bitterly and tearfully laments his unenviable fate. The pirates cruelly deceived him and cynically abandoned him to his fate. The wolf recounts the terrible truth to the schoolgirl in detail. He personally witnessed the scene of the bandits loading the suitcase from a safe hiding place.

The girl rushes into the spacious throne room. She rushes straight to the bulky space phone. The schoolgirl quickly calls the interplanetary information service. The dispatcher on duty quickly connects her to the powerful cruiser "Order."

The patrol ship’s commander, in a calm, even tone, briefs Alisa on the current operational situation. Pashka has arrived safely on board. Now the joyful boy is solemnly handing over the device to the brilliant inventor Svetlana. The girl screams desperately into the phone about the terrible, mortal danger. She categorically and strictly forbids anyone from touching the suitcase’s iron lock.

The military officer instantly believes the agitated schoolgirl. He sternly orders a platoon of armed space marines to form a tight circle around the dangerous object. The soldiers deftly take up favorable combat positions. Naive Pashka desperately protests the unjust use of force. With unprecedented fervor, he assures the soldiers of the absolute harmlessness of the repentant Queen.

The trusting boy’s voice abruptly cuts off. The phone echoes with loud, rapid gunshots, sharp, dull thuds, and piercing cries of pain. Elite paratroopers methodically and expertly neutralize the emerging attackers. The gray wolf cowardly and sarcastically comments on the ongoing bloody massacre. After a short, tense minute, the fleeting local battle ends in a complete, unconditional victory for the paratroopers.

The cruiser’s commander warmly thanks Alisa for the timely, life-saving radio signal. Pashka’s incredibly upset, trembling voice is heard over the airwaves. The deeply offended boy accuses the gang leader of shameless, cruel deception. The bound Queen cynically advises the schoolboy never to trust lying space pirates again.

Having assured herself of the complete safety of her earthly friends, Alice turns decisively to the Gray Wolf. The girl gives the beast a very clear order. She sends the predator running to the cave for the former prisoners. Plenty of delicious food remains untouched on the long tables of the ransacked royal palace. The freed inhabitants of the fairytale world must immediately replenish their energy after their long, grueling physical confinement.