The old man raised his eyebrows. Pavlik explained angrily that his sister Lenka never shared her colored chalks and even slapped him when he touched her things. He added that his grandmother had thrown him out of the kitchen for taking a carrot, and his brother had refused to let him go boating. Pavlik shouted, “Nobody loves me!” His voice trembled with both anger and sadness. The old man stroked his beard and answered gently, “After the rain, the sun always shines again.” Then he leaned closer and whispered that he wanted to teach Pavlik two magical words. He explained that these words only worked if spoken softly while looking directly into the other person’s eyes. Pavlik’s eyes widened in surprise as the old man revealed the words, and though skeptical, the boy promised to try.
Back at home, Pavlik found Lenka drawing with her chalks. She quickly gathered them into a pile when she saw him. For a moment, he doubted the old man’s lesson, but he decided to try anyway. Standing close and looking straight into her eyes, he said softly, “Lenka, would you please give me one of your colors?” To his amazement, Lenka’s expression softened. She lifted her hand and asked, “Which one?” When Pavlik shyly chose the blue chalk, she handed it to him without hesitation. Although he soon gave it back, Pavlik was thrilled because the magical words had truly worked.
Encouraged, Pavlik went to the kitchen, where his grandmother was pulling fresh loaves of bread from the oven. He hugged her gently, looked into her eyes, and said, “Grandma, would you please give me a piece of bread?” His grandmother’s face lit up with a smile as she handed him the warmest, golden loaf. “Here, my dear, eat it while it’s hot,” she said warmly. Pavlik’s heart leapt with joy. In that moment, he thought to himself, “The old man really is a magician.”
Later at lunch, Pavlik listened quietly while his brother told stories. When his brother announced that he would go boating again, Pavlik placed a hand on his shoulder, looked into his eyes, and said softly, “Brother, would you please take me with you?” His brother frowned at first, but Lenka quickly spoke up, saying there was no harm in letting him join. Their grandmother agreed, and Pavlik repeated once more, “Please, take me.” This time, his brother smiled, ruffled his hair, and replied with laughter, “All right, my little shipmate, let’s go.”
Excited, Pavlik ran back to the park to thank the old man. But the bench was empty. Only the fading marks in the sand remained, drawn by the tip of the old man’s umbrella. Standing there, Pavlik realized something important: sometimes, the simplest words, when spoken with kindness and sincerity, have the power to change everything.
By Valentine Oseeva