... with the attachment of many secret documents, nautical charts, national emblem and own flag
BOOK I
"CONDUIT"
Country of volcanic origin
On the evening of October 11, 1492, Christopher Columbus, on the 68th day of his voyage, noticed a moving light in the distance. Columbus went to light and discovered America.
On the evening of February 8, 1914, my brother and I were serving our sentence in a corner. At the 12th minute, my brother, as a junior, was pardoned, but he refused to leave me until my term expired and remained in the corner. For a few minutes then we thoughtfully and tactilely examined the bowels of our noses. At the 4th minute, when the noses were exhausted, we opened the Swambrania.
It all started with the disappearance of the queen. She disappeared in broad daylight, and the day darkened. The worst part was that it was Daddy's queen. Dad was fond of chess, and the queen, as you know, is a very powerful piece on the chessboard.
The missing queen was part of a brand new set, just made by a turner for a special order from my father. Dad treasured new chess very much.
We were strictly forbidden to touch chess, but it was extremely difficult to resist.
The chiseled varnished figurines provided unlimited possibilities for their use for the most varied and alluring games. Pawns, for example, could perfectly carry the duties of soldiers and pins. The figures had a sliding gait of polishers: cloths were glued to their round soles. Tours could pass for glasses, the king for a samovar or a general. The officers' shishaks were like electric bulbs. A pair of black horses and a pair of white horses could be harnessed to cardboard cabs and arrange a cabbage exchange or a carousel. Both queens were especially comfortable: the blonde and the brunette. Each queen could work for a Christmas tree, a cab, a Chinese pagoda, a flower pot on a stand and a bishop ... No, there was no way she could resist not touching chess!
On that historic day, the white cab-queen arranged to carry the black queen-bishop on a black horse to the black king-general. They went. The black king-general treated the queen-bishop very well. He put the white samovar-king on the table, ordered the pawns to rub the checkered parquet floor and lit the electric officers. The king and queen drank two full rounds.
When the samovar-king cooled down, and the game got bored, we collected the figures and already wanted to put them in place, when suddenly - oh, horror! - we noticed the disappearance of the black queen ...
We almost rubbed our knees, crawling on the floor, looking under chairs, tables, cabinets. It was all in vain. The queen, chiseled rubbish, disappeared without a trace! I had to tell my mom. She lifted the whole house to its feet. However, general searches did not lead to anything. An inevitable thunderstorm was approaching our shaven heads. And then dad arrived.
Yes, it was bad weather! What a thunderstorm! A whirlwind, hurricane, cyclone, samum, tornado, typhoon hit us! Papa was raging. He called us barbarians and vandals. He said that even a bear can be taught to appreciate things and handle them with care. He shouted that we have a predatory instinct for destruction and he will not tolerate this instinct and vandalism.
- Both march to the "first aid kit" - to the corner! The father shouted to top it all off. - Vandals !!!
We looked at each other and roared in unison.
- If I knew that I would have such a dad, - Oska roared, - I would never have been born in my life!
Mom, too, often blinked her eyes and was ready to "drop". But that didn't soften Daddy. And we wandered into the "first aid kit".
For some reason we called the "first aid kit" a semi-dark passage room near the toilet and kitchen. Dusty flasks and bottles stood at a small window. This is probably what gave rise to the nickname.
In one of the corners of the "first aid kit" there was a small bench known as the "dock".The fact is that the doctor-dad considered the standing of the children in the corner unhygienic and did not put us in the corner, but made us sit down.
We sat on the shameful bench. Prison twilight was blue in the "medicine cabinet". Oska said:
- He was cursing about the circus ... what is the witch with things there? Yes?
- Yes.
- Are vandals in the circus too?
“Vandals are robbers,” I said gloomily.
- I guessed it, - Oska rejoiced, - they are shackled.
The head of Annushka’s cook appeared in the kitchen door.
- What is it? - Annushka threw up her hands indignantly. - Because of the master's spill, children are being taken to a corner ... Oh, you, my sinners! Should I bring a cat to play with?
- Well, her, your cat! - I muttered, and the already extinguished resentment flared up with renewed vigor.
Twilight deepened. The unlucky day was ending. The earth turned its back to the sun, and the world also turned its most offensive side to us. From our shameful corner, we surveyed an unjust world. The world was very large, as taught by geography, but there was no place for children in it. All five parts of the world were owned by adults. They controlled history, rode horses, hunted, commanded ships, smoked, made real things, fought, loved, rescued, kidnapped, played chess ... And the children stood in the corners. Adults have probably forgotten their children's games and books that they used to read when they were little. Must have forgotten! Otherwise, they would have allowed us to be friends with everyone on the street, climb on roofs, wander in puddles and see boiling water in the chess king ...
So we both thought, sitting in the corner.
- Let's run away! - Oska suggested. - How will we start!
- Run, please, who is holding you? .. But where? I objected reasonably.
- All the same everywhere big, and you are small.
And suddenly a dazzling idea hit my head. It pierced the darkness of the "first aid kit" like lightning, and I was not surprised to hear the thunder that followed soon after (later it turned out that it was Annushka who had dropped the baking sheet in the kitchen).
There was no need to run anywhere, there was no need to look for the promised land. She was here beside us. It only had to be invented. I've already seen her in the dark. Over there, where the door to the restroom is - palm trees, ships, palaces, mountains ...
- Oska, earth! I exclaimed breathlessly. - Earth! New game for life!
Oska first of all secured a future for itself.
- Chur, I will play the pipe ... and the driver! - said Oska. - What to play?
- To the country! ... Now every day we will live not only at home, but also as if in such a country ... in our state. Left forward! I give a suitable one.
- There is a left forward! - answered Oska. - Doo-oo-oo-oo-oo !!
- Be quiet! - I commanded. - Grass the nose! Let off steam!
- Shhhhh ... - Oska hissed, giving a quiet move, grassing the nose and letting off steam.
And we went off the bench to the shore of a new country.
- And what will it be called?
Our favorite book at that time was Schwab's Greek Myths. We decided to call our country "Swabrania". But it was like a mop used to clean floors. Then we inserted the letter "m" for euphony, and our country began to be called Shvambrania, and we - Shvambrani. All this was to be kept in the strictest confidence.