The Fire Fairy
A group of gold prospectors, including an old man named Boris, and an 8-year-old boy named Dimitri, sit around a fire in the woods. Surprising them all, a tiny girl suddenly jumps out of the fire. She looked just like a doll but alive. Her hair was red, her sarafan blue, and she held a blue kerchief in her hand. She looked around them merrily and her teeth shone white. Then
she put one hand on her hip, raised the blue kerchief with the other and began to dance.
The tiny girl finishes her dance and disappears, while the prospectors look as if spellbound and almost forget the experience afterwards. The only person who clearly remembers the maid is Dimitri. He also hears the cry of an eagle-owl as if the bird is laughing at him. Boris explains that the girl was the Fire-Fairy, a sign of gold: "If the dancer shows herself, there's gold in that place". Next morning the prospectors start digging in the area, but cannot seem to remember the exact place where the maid had danced. Dimitri blames the owl, but no one believes him.
Back in town, the children at the factory where Dimitri works give him the nickname "Dancing Dimitri". The only person who doesn't laugh at him is the old man, Boris. They become close friends. One day they see the Fire-Fairy again, and again the eagle-owl scares her away. Dimitri is convinced that the Fairy would have shown them the way to gold if the owl had not hooted.
In the winter Dimitri’s father leaves to work in the mine, and the boy stays with his step-mother who insists he continue to work at the factory. The boy is so miserable at home that he runs away one evening to live with Boris instead.
On his way to the village he sees the Fire-Fairy again. He follows her and gets lost in the forest, but the maid dances around him, and the snow melts. The winter turns into summer, flowers bloom, birds start singing on a birch tree. The Fairy laughs at Dimitri and gives him an old spade that leads him out of the forest. Next day, Dimitri and Boris go back to the birch tree and find a lot of gold. They cannot keep the secret for long, and eventually the landlord takes hold of the place, but Dimitri and Boris live in wealth for many years.
The tiny girl finishes her dance and disappears, while the prospectors look as if spellbound and almost forget the experience afterwards. The only person who clearly remembers the maid is Dimitri. He also hears the cry of an eagle-owl as if the bird is laughing at him. Boris explains that the girl was the Fire-Fairy, a sign of gold: "If the dancer shows herself, there's gold in that place". Next morning the prospectors start digging in the area, but cannot seem to remember the exact place where the maid had danced. Dimitri blames the owl, but no one believes him.
Back in town, the children at the factory where Dimitri works give him the nickname "Dancing Dimitri". The only person who doesn't laugh at him is the old man, Boris. They become close friends. One day they see the Fire-Fairy again, and again the eagle-owl scares her away. Dimitri is convinced that the Fairy would have shown them the way to gold if the owl had not hooted.
In the winter Dimitri’s father leaves to work in the mine, and the boy stays with his step-mother who insists he continue to work at the factory. The boy is so miserable at home that he runs away one evening to live with Boris instead.
On his way to the village he sees the Fire-Fairy again. He follows her and gets lost in the forest, but the maid dances around him, and the snow melts. The winter turns into summer, flowers bloom, birds start singing on a birch tree. The Fairy laughs at Dimitri and gives him an old spade that leads him out of the forest. Next day, Dimitri and Boris go back to the birch tree and find a lot of gold. They cannot keep the secret for long, and eventually the landlord takes hold of the place, but Dimitri and Boris live in wealth for many years.
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