The Short Story of how Vanya Zhukov studied diplom

The Short Story of how Vanya Zhukov studied diplomacy


Vanya Zhukov after a moving from the village earned a living by work on errands.

One day he stayed in one of the rooms for a minute. And an important, respectable man is passing by.

Vanya recognized him immediately. He in some a magazine saw photo of him.

Vanya took up a courage and said:

- Comrade! Comrade diplomat! Teach me to diplomacy! I first wanted to go into the cultural sphere. But - the risk is enormous.

Important person responds:

- Get off me, the boy!

Vanya begs:

- Please! I beg you! Teach me diplomacy!

Meanwhile, they went into the office-room.

The important person quickly looked at Vanya:

- Do you have a money?

Vanya laid out on the table coins earned for a month of a running on errands.

An important person deftly took out a beautiful casket, and from the beautiful casket four thimbles (with engraved letters on each: "K s and S of A", "K I", "S" and "V") and a little gold ball.

- It is a coin such. Is called a "digitalo", - he explained, having shown on  a little gold ball.

Then the important person lightly pushed the little gold ball. That swept on a table. The important person was deftly covering the the little gold ball with thimbles and moved thimbles on the table surface.

Finally, the movements of his hands stopped, and he asked a question:

- Under what thimble the digitalo is located?

Vanya pointed to one of the thimbles.

The important man raised the thimble.  No a gold digitalo there was under it.

- You lost!

The important person deftly brushed the coins away into the desk drawer.

- You is free!

- And training? And diplomacy?

- Run and think. This is a good school for you!

Vanya ran on errands: "Deftly it is he!" "A cool man!"


January 28, 2019 20:27


Translation from Russian into English: January 28, 2019 20:45.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский “Рассказ как Ваня Жуков обучался дипломатии”.