Kolobok, the Runaway Bun

Once upon a time there lived a Grandpa and a Granny. One morning Grandpa said:

“Granny, why don’t you bake me a kolobok, a little round bun!”

“But what with? There’s no flour,” sighed Granny.

“Sweep out the pantry, scrape the bottom of the bin, and you’ll gather enough.”

So Granny swept the pantry with her broom, scraped the bin, and gathered two handfuls of flour. She mixed the dough with sour cream, rolled a round little kolobok and baked it in the stove. Out he came, golden and rosy, like a little sun. Granny put Kolobok on the windowsill to cool.

Kolobok lay there and lay there, and then he thought:

“Why should I sit here cooling off? Look how big the world is!”

Hop from the window onto the porch, from the porch onto the grass, and off he rolled down the path. He rolled and he rolled, and who should he meet but the Bunny.

“Kolobok, Kolobok, I’m going to eat you!”

“Don’t eat me, Bunny! Listen to the song I know instead!” And he sang:

“I’m Kolobok, round as a clock! Granny mixed me, Granny kneaded me, baked me rosy as can be. I rolled away from Grandpa, I rolled away from Granny, and I’ll roll away from you, Bunny!”

The Bunny’s mouth fell open. And Kolobok, whoosh! he was gone before you could blink.

He rolled on through the forest, and who should he meet but the Wolf.

“Kolobok, Kolobok, I’m going to eat you!”

“Don’t eat me, Wolfie! Just listen!” And he sang even louder:

“I’m Kolobok, round as a clock! I rolled away from Grandpa, I rolled away from Granny, I rolled away from Bunny, and I’ll roll away from you, Wolf!”

And off he rolled in a cloud of dust.

“Oh, how quick I am!” Kolobok cheered.

Then snap, crack went the branches! Along lumbered the Bear.

“Kolobok, Kolobok, I’m going to eat you!”

“Not a chance, Bear! You’d better listen!” And off he went again:

“I’m Kolobok, round as a clock! I rolled away from Grandpa, I rolled away from Granny, I rolled away from Bunny, I rolled away from Wolf, and I’ll roll away from you, Bear!”

While the Bear was still scratching his head, Kolobok was long gone.

“Nobody can catch me!” Kolobok bounced. “Nobody, nobody!”

He rolled on, and out ran the Fox to meet him: ginger and fluffy-tailed, with sly little eyes.

“Oh, what a lovely little Kolobok! So rosy! And they say you sing like no one else in the forest?”

Kolobok simply beamed. No one had ever praised him like that! He took a deep, deep breath and sang:

“I’m Kolobok, round as a clock! I rolled away from Grandpa, I rolled away from Granny, from Bunny, from Wolf, from Bear I rolled away, and I’ll roll away from you, Fox!”

“Ah, how lovely!” The Fox cupped a paw to her ear. “Only I’m old now and a little hard of hearing. Sit on my nose and sing it just once more.”

Hop! Kolobok jumped onto her nose and started his song again.

“Oh, little Kolobok, just a tiny bit closer!” the Fox asked sweetly. “Sit on my tongue and sing one last time.”

Kolobok puffed up with pride. How could he not sing when someone asked so nicely? Hop onto her tongue, and the Fox went gulp! and ate him up.

And so Kolobok never finished his song. He got away from Grandpa and Granny, from the Bunny, the Wolf and the Bear, but he couldn’t get away from sweet praise.