"Welcome to the White Rabbit" by Maria Danilova, summary Automatic translate

This romantic urban fantasy novel was created in 2024. The book is notable for its seamless interweaving of Slavic and classical mythology into the modern urban setting of an ordinary restaurant. The story revolves around a young woman, Alyona. The plot begins with the heroine and her friend, Lena, visiting a local fortune teller, Amina. Lena is struggling with doubts about her fiancé, Yegor,’s marriage proposal. She yearns for magical confirmation of her choice. Amina lays out cards and predicts Lena’s future mother-in-law’s treachery.

Alyona views the session with great skepticism, rolling her eyes and waiting for the farce to end. Suddenly, an old woman enters the room, picking up a bowl of cookies. The elderly woman peers closely into Alyona’s empty coffee cup. The stranger unmistakably determines that the girl just yesterday turned down a lucrative work project. The old woman quietly advises the heroine to follow the white rabbit — that’s where miracles and a certain sorcerer will help her achieve true happiness. Fortune teller Amina watches the old woman in horror, interrupts the session, and refuses to take money from her friends.

Getting to know the restaurant

The next day, Alyona reflects on her unexpected dismissal. Having abandoned a major project because her ex-boyfriend was involved, she lost her job completely. Her salary is barely enough to cover the rent. She dejectedly waits for the green light at a crosswalk. She accidentally notices a bright restaurant sign with an image of a running white rabbit. Soon, her friend Lena helps her search for suitable openings online over a glass of wine. Lena finds an ad for a designer for a cafe in that very crime-ridden neighborhood. Alyona goes to the interview.

Inside a posh restaurant, the girl is greeted by an extremely unfriendly golden spaniel. The dog, named Yakov, works as a real hostess. The dog blocks Alyona’s path, appraisingly glances at her clothes, and barks loudly. Hearing the noise, an elderly, limping man with a wooden cane emerges from the hallway. The restaurant owner, Gavriil Ivanovich, happily hires the heroine. The man takes her to his office to hide from the stern cleaning lady, Mrs. Korzhenevskaya. Alyona notices the excessively lavish interior of the staff corridor and the strange customs of the establishment.

Alyona finds her job as a designer completely pointless. She spends a week stubbornly creating flyers without addresses or phone numbers. Gavriil Ivanovich assures her that the right people will always find their way. The restaurant closes promptly at eight o’clock in the evening, and all employees are sent home. The entire staff moves silently, as if on tiptoe, which greatly frightens her. One day, Alyona notices a seventh door in the hallway, which leads directly to her own office. She can’t understand how she could have missed it for a whole week.

The heroine decides to meet the mysterious chef, who constantly changes his menu concept, in person. In Gavriil Ivanovich’s office, she encounters a brash fifteen-year-old boy. The owner confidently introduces the boy as Chef Roman. The men claim that Roman is actually thirty years old, and his overly youthful appearance is the result of a rare genetic anomaly inherited from his mother. Roman acts arrogantly, smirks, and warns Alyona about dangerous devils with incredibly good hearing. The heroine dismisses what she overheard as a stupid joke and is furious at her strange superiors.

Secrets of the Night Kitchen

The real problems begin when Alyona accidentally leaves her apartment keys on her desk at work. She’s forced to return to work late in the evening. The dim light burns in the empty restaurant, and loud voices can be heard coming from the kitchen. She quietly creeps inside and spots an unfamiliar dark-haired man. He’s busily preparing a potion in a modern cauldron, thick purple smoke rising from it. A bat helps him, fetching various herbs from the upper shelves. Her spaniel, Yakov, sits obediently nearby. Alyona tries to escape unnoticed outside. A thick rope instantly comes to life, wrapping itself around her legs and arms, then lifting her, screaming in terror, high into the ceiling.

The young man is genuinely surprised by the dog’s reaction, considering Alena its employee. He gently lowers the heroine to the floor with his mind and unties the ropes. He explains that at night he prepares special magical drinks for otherworldly patrons. Alena looks out the serving window into the restaurant in utter horror. Real, transparent ghosts are sitting at the tables. The young man gives the trembling heroine a glass of a purple calming potion.

The young man explains that the spirits pay for the food fairly upon exiting through the glass front door. The restaurant kitchen is a protected area, where any evil spirits cannot enter. The sorcerer assures that the dog Yakov can talk if a person truly wants to hear him. The sorcerer gently strokes Alyona’s hair and sings a beautiful lullaby. The girl falls asleep instantly.

In the morning, the heroine wakes up in her office. She steps out into the hallway and freezes in shock. Huge, fluffy squirrels with wet rags are diligently wiping the windows in the empty room, and a cat sits languidly on the central table. Panicked, Alyona runs to Gavriil Ivanovich and Roman’s office. The men are completely calm and unperturbed. The restaurant owner assures the tired girl that the whole thing was just a dream. Alyona categorically refuses to believe the dream theory and openly admits to seeing the night cook with a cauldron and a crowd of ghosts.

Gavriil Ivanovich and Roman realize that the new employee has retained her memories in defiance of all magical laws. The owner reluctantly reveals the establishment’s main secret. The restaurant has long been cursed and is forced to work off a long-standing debt at night. Daytime visitors can only see the luxurious building under the strict condition that at least one ordinary, uncursed mortal be on staff. Gavriil Ivanovich insistently urges Alyona never to stay overnight again. It could be fatal to an unprepared psyche. She firmly promises not to tell anyone about the magic, but flatly refuses to quit.

The following night, Alyona deliberately ignores the director’s direct orders. She returns to the kitchen to assist the mysterious sorcerer. The young man is genuinely happy to see her and reveals his real name, Kirill. The bat on his shoulder turns out to be sous-chef Roman in his night form. Kirill patiently teaches Alyona how to properly chop verbena and other magical plants. The sorcerer sternly warns her not to leave the safe confines of the kitchen under any circumstances.

Frightening nighttime patrons begin to arrive in the vast hall. Alyona sees a noisy group of Lobastians — giant, decrepit women with wet, multicolored hair and long, red claws. Later, vile Mokrukhas appear — slimy creatures resembling living jelly, leaving behind a disgusting, damp smell. Kikimoras busily occupy the remaining empty tables. Alyona clings to Kirill’s back, finding long-awaited comfort in his cold arms. She vows to support him, despite her panicked fear.

Breaking the Ancient Curse

The atmosphere in the kitchen changes dramatically with the arrival of a completely new guest. An ordinary-looking old man named Ordan enters the secure area unhindered. His presence evokes a chilling, primal terror. Ordan haughtily tells Kirill the good news. The restaurant’s long-standing punishment has ended, but the young sorcerer’s personal curse remains in full force. The old man quickly vanishes into thin air. Kirill despairs. The young man desperately tries to drive Alyona out of the kitchen and into the street. He is terrified that his curse of eternal loneliness will kill her if she remains with him until dawn. Alyona flatly refuses to abandon Kirill in his misfortune. With a sigh, the young man once again lulls the stubborn heroine with his dark magic.

In the morning, Alyona wakes up on a comfortable sofa in her own office. The door swings open. A broadly smiling Gavriil Ivanovich and an incredibly handsome, long-haired man enter the bright room. The stranger extends his hand and happily introduces himself as Yakov. Ordan’s terrible curse has truly lifted from the entire staff. The spaniel has finally regained his human form, and Roman has aged to his true age. The restaurant owner leads a distraught Alyona to Kirill’s bedroom.

The young man lies limply in bed, completely icy and pale. Gavriil Ivanovich, with immense sadness, reports that Ordan has not forgiven the main culprit. Kirill is doomed to forever sleep during the day and will never be able to live a full human life. The director tactfully leaves the girl to say goodbye to her beloved sorcerer. Alyona weeps bitterly from helplessness and the monstrous injustice. The heroine categorically refuses to give up. She gently strokes Kirill’s cheek and passionately kisses his cold lips. The young man suddenly opens his eyes and smiles warmly at his savior. A sincere kiss forever breaks the remnants of the ancient, cruel curse.

Life at the popular restaurant is returning to normal. Daytime chef Roman looks fifty and flirts excessively with the new young waitresses. Kirill masterfully manages the kitchen, preparing unrivaled culinary masterpieces. One night, a lucky sorcerer decides to personally deliver a complex order to a particularly important guest. Alyona, consumed with curiosity, follows him into the bustling dining room. She spots Ordan at a distant table. Next to the old man, Amina, the fortune teller, sits peacefully.

Amina, with a slight smile, lays all her cards on the table for the stunned heroine. The old woman at the fortune-telling parlor deliberately directed the unsuspecting Alyona to this cursed restaurant. Ordan cursed young Kirill many years ago for his excessive insolence and public insult to his own grandfather. Amina, tired of the vengeful Ordan’s endless stubbornness, decided to use cunning to help the establishment. The old man is displeased and outraged by Alyona’s fearless behavior in front of the Lobastians.

A startling detail from the heroine’s distant childhood soon comes to light. Little Alena always left sweet cookies under her bed for small, frightening monsters. The demons feed exclusively on bright thoughts and genuine human kindness. The little girl’s selfless care made her a true idol throughout the other world. No evil spirit would ever dare to frighten or harm their favorite.

With a ringing laugh, Amina informs a confused Kirill of his brand-new "curse." If the sorcerer ever dares to upset Alyona, he will be immediately attacked by a vast army of his most loyal devils. The young man laughs happily in response and tightly squeezes his heroine’s warm hand.