"The Night Watchman" by Veniamin Kaverin, summary Automatic translate

Veniamin Kaverin’s fairy tale "The Night Watchman, or Seven Entertaining Stories Told in the Town of Nemukhin in the Unknown Year One Thousand Nine Hundred" was published in 1982. This book is a light and ironic tale. The everyday life of a small provincial town is closely intertwined with genuine magic. Wood spirits, fairies, and living objects come to the aid of ordinary schoolchildren. The plot combines several independent stories. A former clown takes up a town guide and discovers mysterious manuscripts.

The manuscripts reveal the secrets of the locals. The town of Nemukhin is described in detail and with immense warmth. It is home to a diverse group of people. Some believe in miracles unconditionally. Others prefer to find a purely scientific explanation for them. Together, they create an atmosphere of kindness and mutual support.

Several stories from this collection have been successfully adapted into films. In 1973, a stop-motion animated film based on the tale "The Nemukhin Musicians" was made. In 1981, a feature film of the same name was released. In 1989, the television film "Easy Steps" was released. These adaptations were warmly received by audiences.

This book is part of the author’s famous series "Tales of the Town of Nemukhin." The author expanded the series over many years. The series includes other works about the magical town of Nemukhin. They are all connected by common characters and settings. Readers can follow the growth of their favorite characters from tale to tale.

Secrets of the Old Museum

Retired clown Kostya Lapshin returns to his native Nemukhin. He decides to write a guidebook to the city. Kostya becomes the director of the City Museum, which had long been completely neglected. There, Kostya discovers an old map with a portrait of the Night Watchman. The portrait depicts seven different objects.

Locals hint that the caretaker, Nil Sokratovich, hid his manuscripts in his belongings. The former museum director, Luka Lukich Mylo, sold many of the exhibits. The narrator and Uncle Kostya begin searching for these missing items throughout the city. In an old telescope, they discover their first story. This discovery sparks a major literary investigation.

The Glazier’s Son

A new bakery is being built in Nemukhino. The architect, Nikolai Andreevich Zabotkin, is very absent-minded. Zabotkin’s wife disappeared without a trace three years ago. She simply went out to buy mustard and vanished. The building is run by schoolgirl Tanya and housekeeper Mrs. Ol’ol. The housekeeper turns out to be an evil witch. She dreams of marrying the architect.

Tanya meets the completely transparent Glazier’s Son. He decides to help the Zabotkin family. Mrs. Ol’ol tries unsuccessfully to destroy the girl. She casts a spell over a ball of thread to make Tanya get lost in the dense forest. The girl is saved by glass beads made from her own tears.

The Glazier’s Son goes to see an old wizard on the Ropotamo River. There, he learns a saving spell. It turns out that the housekeeper has turned Tanya’s mother into a bronze statue. The statue has been gathering dust in a second-hand shop all this time. The Glazier’s Son confidently declares, "Now it’s clear to me why I stopped in Nemukhino." He recites a poem. The spell instantly lifts the evil spell.

Maria Pavlovna returns home with a jar of mustard. Mrs. Ol’ol sees her ugly soul in the mirror and flees in horror. The New Bakery is completed and begins baking fresh bread with a crisp crust.

Nemukhinsky musicians

The second manuscript is found in a broken music box. The local school principal can’t stand the young teacher, Varvara Andreyevna. The teacher turns out to be a true fairy of music. She possesses perfect pitch. Varvara Andreyevna clearly hears the sounds of different colors. She assembles a home orchestra from colorful objects. The orchestra includes parrots, a pink poodle, and a piece of blue sky.

Zina Milenushkina spies on the fairy and reports it to the director. The director forces the fairy to perform with an invisible orchestra in front of an audience. He hopes for a crushing failure. Petka Vorobyov goes to the blacksmith Ivan Hildebrand. The good old Leshy shows him the way.

The blacksmith forges ringing voices into objects. The concert at the Palace of Pioneers is a triumph. The entire town hears the music. The director, enraged, flees Nemukhin forever. Varvara Andreyevna marries the blacksmith Ivan. They move to the Village of Fresh Air Lovers.

Light steps

The third fairy tale is hidden in a wooden telephone. In winter, children make Nastenka the Snow Maiden out of snow. Petka Vorobyov finds the snow girl come to life. The old Pipe Maker arranges for Nastenka to be admitted to the Institute of Eternal Ice. There, she finds refuge from the melting ice. The director of the institute, Tulupov, places her in a huge refrigerator.

Nastenka quickly becomes bored in the freezer. She escapes and moves in with the good-natured Baker. Spring warmth is approaching. Uncle Kostya unsuccessfully requests documents for the girl from the ministries. The bureaucrats refuse to extend her winter stay. A blossoming branch of the Snow Beauty from pensioner Bashlykov comes to her aid.

A wind blows and snatches the order from Uncle Kostya. The order falls down the chimney. Nastenka runs a vast distance under the scorching sun. She experiences human affection and fear for her friend. The girl cries salty tears. These tears forever transform her into a real, warm-blooded girl.

Sylvant

The fourth story is narrated by Petka himself. Geography teacher Pyotr Stepanovich Nelomakhin discovers Yura Larin’s secret. His stepmother and former museum director Luka Lukich transformed the teenager into a forest creature. Yura became a "sylvant" and began to understand the language of trees. Sylvants never lie and never harm anyone.

Luka Lukich exiled the boy to Nemukhin on an enchanted fur coat. The villain himself became mayor of the town of Khlebnikov. Pyotr Stepanovich travels to Khlebnikov. There, he meets a local card cutter and his daughter, Irina. The teacher wins a game of "Japanese Chest" against the mayor.

The teacher then challenges the villain to a public duel. The grandmaster uses a trick with a stolen magic wand. The bullets change direction. Luka Lukic, terrified, flies away in his flying fur coat. Yura is restored to human form by a spell. The boy is reunited with his friend.

Many good people and one envious person

The fifth story is found in a folding box. The Great Envious Man makes Tanya Zabotkina’s father ill. The girl goes to the Blue Balls pharmacy at night. The Envious Man tricks the girl into swallowing a pill. Tanya turns into a magpie. The Doctor-Apothecary, the Good Old Horse, and Petka hide from the villain.

The envious man finds the fugitives in the Village of Fresh Air Lovers. The friends discover their enemy’s secret. The villain wears a belt. The belt prevents him from bursting from his own envy. Petka cunningly obtains the belt and puts it on himself. The envious man bursts with rage right before the public’s eyes.

The spell vanishes without a trace. Tanya becomes a girl again. Tanya’s father instantly recovers thanks to the healing water. All the things stolen by the magpies are returned to their owners.

Hourglass

The sixth fairy tale is published in a scientific journal. Petka and Tanya are vacationing at a pioneer camp. The new teacher, nicknamed Beard, often stands on his head. It turns out that as a child, he was turned into an hourglass. The Fairy of Politeness and Precision punished him for his rudeness.

Tanya agrees to help the hapless teacher. The girl firmly says, "I agree." She promises the fairy not to look in the mirror for a year and a day. This is a difficult test for any schoolgirl. The girl dances at a celebration at the Palace of Pioneers. The Hall of Mirrors frightens her with its reflections.

Tanya performs the number with her eyes tightly closed. The fairy forgives the teacher and restores his human form. The girl gets her favorite mirror back.

Flying Boy

The seventh tale follows the previous one. Lenya Karaskin escapes from the gloomy Letandia. There, he was cruelly bullied by the Lighthouse Keeper. Lenya hides in Nemukhin, carefully concealing his gift of flight. Petka accidentally finds him by the sounds of an Aeolian harp.

One day, Lenya flies up from a burning watchtower to rescue a kitten. The evil Overseer appears for the boy. Petka, Tanya, and the Pipe Maker set off to Lethandia to rescue him. They encounter the stern Chief Wind. Petka brazenly responds to the Wind and jumps into the sea. The Wind becomes enraged.

After traversing deep caves, the friends meet the Mother of the Wind. The mother forces her son to forgive the boy and renounce cruelty. The Nemukhins return home with honors. The flight is accompanied by the solemn ringing of Aeolian harps.

Returning home

The book ends with a peaceful description of the town. The narrator visits Nemukhin and helps Kostya the clown with a guidebook. All the missing items are returned to the museum. The antique cannon also takes its rightful place.

The good townspeople continue their difficult and honest journey. Peace reigns in the streets. The old night watchman, Nil Sokratovich, makes his rounds every night. He bangs on a saucepan with a drumstick. Fairy tales and reality continue to live side by side. The writer puts down his ballpoint pen.