{"id":2931,"date":"2026-05-21T07:02:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:02:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/kazka\/malenkyi-lebid\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T07:21:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T04:21:22","slug":"malenkyi-lebid","status":"publish","type":"kazka","link":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/kazka\/malenkyi-lebid\/","title":{"rendered":"Little swan"},"content":{"rendered":"

The young swan was called Snowman. He was born in the spring on a quiet lake near the village. He swam with his family all summer, growing up. And in the fall, when all the swans began to set off for warmer climes, disaster struck him. His wing caught on the wires on the pole \u2014 the human lines. The wing broke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The swans cried, flying sadly above him. But they could not stay - the cold was coming. They flew away. The snowman was left alone on the lake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lake froze. The snowman couldn't fly. He couldn't even swim\u2014the ice was solid. He sat on the ice. Snowfall. Cold. He barely moved. Two tears rolled down\u2014swans can cry too, but quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, two village children, Yurko and Marinka, spotted him from the shore. They were playing sledding. \u00abMarinka, look, a swan!\u00bb shouted Yurko. \u00abWhy is he here? Everyone has flown away.\u00bb \u00abHe must be wounded.\u00bb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The children didn't run. They weren't scared. They walked carefully on the thin ice\u2014two steps at a time. They arrived. The snowman looked at them with big black eyes. His voice was hoarse\u2014weak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

"Don't be afraid," whispered Marinka. "We'll save you. Yurko, take it from that side. Hold your head, and I'll hold your paws.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They wrapped it in their old scarf. They carried it together, a heavy swan, but they didn't let it go. They brought it to the old woman Vekla, who lived on the edge of the village. The old woman knew all the herbs, she treated both people and animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\u041c\u0430\u043b\u0435\u043d\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0439<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Grandma Vekla put the Snowman on the table. She stroked it with her palm, looking at the wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

"It was broken a long time ago. It has grown back badly. It won't fly. Or maybe it will die today or tomorrow - it's very cold.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marinka started crying. Yurko clenched his fists. "Grandma, come on! Do something!"\u00ab<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baba Vekla sighed. "I'll do what I can, children. I'll make him a warm rosehip tincture. I'll warm him up. And then \u2014 God willing.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She played by the stove. She stroked the Snowman's head. She gave him warm water from a spoon. The swan drinks. He wants to live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evening came. Christmas Eve. Marinka and Yurko did not go - they sat with the swan. Grandma set the table for him - kutya, uzvar. The swan did not eat anything, just breathed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suddenly, there was a light knock on the window. Baba Vekla looked out. Behind the window stood a tall old man - in white and gold robes, a mitre, and a crutch. He had a white beard. In his hand was a small glass with something shimmering golden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Grandma Vekla crossed herself. She wasn't scared\u2014she recognized him. She opened the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

"Veklo, I brought you medicine for the swan. This is cherry blossom milk that I have been saving since spring. It is enchanted. Give it three drops. And the wing will grow back smoothly. By spring it will fly away with its own.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The old woman accepted the glass. She cried: "Thank you, Saint.".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 These children are strong. Yurko and Marinka \u2014 they have bright hearts. It was for them that I came. All this sadness \u2014 so that they would do good today. Now everything will be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The saint disappeared in the night snow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baba Vekla dripped a drop into the swan's beak. Once. Two. Three. The snowman immediately moved. He opened his eyes. He looked clearly. And he whistled softly, softly - like a real swan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marinka and Yurko jumped for joy. The Snowman lived with the old woman Vekla all winter - in a warm corner, on the hay. By spring, his wing had grown back perfectly. In April, the old woman released him. He circled over the lake, looking for his own. And when the other swans flew away the following autumn - the Snowman flew away with them. But every winter he returned - once on Christmas Eve. He sat in the yard of the old woman Vekla. Yurko and Marinka ran out to meet him. Because they knew - a friend had returned. And true friends never forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n

\ud83d\udc9b Sometimes it's the wounded soul that finds the kindest people.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A young swan broke its wing in the fall. It couldn't fly away with its family. It lies on the ice of a lake, freezing. Village children find it and take it to an old herbalist. And in the evening, an unknown guest comes to them.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":3042,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","rank_math_description":"\u0417\u0432\u043e\u0440\u0443\u0448\u043b\u0438\u0432\u0430 \u043a\u0430\u0437\u043a\u0430 \u043f\u0440\u043e \u043c\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u043e\u0433\u043e \u043b\u0435\u0431\u0435\u0434\u044f \u0437\u0456 \u0437\u043b\u0430\u043c\u0430\u043d\u0438\u043c \u043a\u0440\u0438\u043b\u043e\u043c. \u0421\u0456\u043b\u044c\u0441\u044c\u043a\u0456 \u0434\u0456\u0442\u0438 \u0456 \u0431\u0430\u0431\u0430-\u0442\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0438\u0446\u044f \u0440\u044f\u0442\u0443\u044e\u0442\u044c \u0439\u043e\u0433\u043e \u0437 \u0434\u043e\u043f\u043e\u043c\u043e\u0433\u043e\u044e \u0421\u0432\u044f\u0442\u043e\u0433\u043e \u041c\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430\u044f.","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_focus_keyword":"","footnotes":""},"kategoriya":[],"vik":[],"zhanr":[],"class_list":["post-2931","kazka","type-kazka","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"emoji":"\ud83e\udda2","moral":"\u0414\u0435\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0438 \u0441\u0430\u043c\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0435\u043d\u0430 \u0434\u0443\u0448\u0430 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0438\u0442\u044c \u043d\u0430\u0439\u0434\u043e\u0431\u0440\u0456\u0448\u0438\u0445 \u043b\u044e\u0434\u0435\u0439.","image_1_prompt":"warm watercolor children book illustration, young white swan with broken folded wing lying on ice of frozen lake, alone, snow falling, ukrainian village houses on shore in distance, melancholic tender mood, soft pastel colors, painterly, no text, no letters, no words","image_2_url":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/malenkyi-lebid-2.jpg","image_2_prompt":"warm watercolor children book illustration, kind elderly herb-woman tending to white swan on table inside cozy cottage kitchen filled with hanging dried herbs, two village children watching with concern, Saint Nicholas as Orthodox bishop in flowing white and gold liturgical vestments with tall golden mitre church hat and ornate bishop's staff (posokh), long white beard, kind face, NOT Santa Claus, NO red Santa suit, NO white fur trim, NO Santa hat, softly visible at window with small glowing bottle of healing liquid, peaceful magical winter atmosphere, soft pastel, painterly, no text, no letters, no words"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kazka\/2931","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kazka"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/kazka"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kazka\/2931\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3043,"href":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kazka\/2931\/revisions\/3043"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"kategoriya","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kategoriya?post=2931"},{"taxonomy":"vik","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vik?post=2931"},{"taxonomy":"zhanr","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kazkaland.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/zhanr?post=2931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}