...Readying for a long journey, you can never guess with certainty, who you might accidentally meet on the road...
Once upon a time, one man prepared to leave on a journey
His wife gave him an amulet against evil spirits and warned him to keep it always by his side.
"What is this superstitious nonsense?" smiled the man.
He took the amulet and carelessly hung it by his chest.
SHAR School-Studio presents
The Kingdom of Cats
Long ago,
high in the mountains,
there lived, in her kingdom,
the Queen of Cats.
Entry to this kingdom was open only to cats.
If anyone else wandered in there,
he never returned.
Every year, the Queen of Cats held a great Cat Festival
to which were invited all cats from near and far.
There, one could behold a festive procession of cats.
One time, a simple man happened by chance to be in those parts.
Fear gripped the traveler,
and he took out his amulet against evil spirits.
Upon climbing the cliff, he saw a grand gate,
and behind it, an enormous castle.
The traveler was in awe, and wondered how such majesty had got here.
The traveler was met by a woman.
She led the traveler to the inner courtyard,
and promised to bring food and wine.
While the traveler waited, a small servant entered into the room.
who seemed somehow familiar to him.
But he could not remember where he had seen her.
The servant also gasped in wonder when she saw the traveler,
and, cautiously glancing about her,
advised him to quickly leave this house.
The traveler promised to leave immediately after having been fed,
but the servant grew agitated, and said,
"I am not supposed to tell you anything,
but we know each other,
for I am that very cat who lived with your neighbours,
and for your kindness to me, I shall repay you with advice.
If you but touch the water, or even eat a crumb in this house,
you will instantly turn into a cat, and will remain to serve the Queen of Cats forever."
The traveler thanked the old lady, and dashed to escape the house.
But the Queen of Cats sent three servants in pursuit with cups of water.
As soon as the servants passed the arch, they immediately turned into cats,
but one of them did manage to sprinkle the traveler with water!
Only a few drops got behind his collar.
Upon awakening, the traveler saw the dropped amulet beside him,
and just beyond, the spirit which saved him from the water.
The traveler thanked the spirit, and the spirit disappeared.
The traveler returned home.
The first thing he did was ask his neighbours where their cat was.
The neighbours answered
that she had vanished three years ago.
Soon, the man began to notice,
that clumps of cat hair were growing behind his collar.
Remembering this story, he used to say:
"If I were a little slower, I would surely have joined the court of the Queen of Cats."
Screenplay and director Mariya Kuznetsova
Art director Aleksey Zaytsev
Composer and sound director Sasha Gusev
Narrator Chulpan Khamatova
Musicians Olga Demina - cello Sasha Gusev - violin Sergey Rodyukov - flutes
Artists Natalya Vorobyova, Tatyana Ivonina
Producers Lyubov Gaydukova, Sergey Mirzayev
Executive producer Valentina Kuleshova
Filmed under the state funding of the Federal Agency of Culture and Cinematography of the Russian Federation
The End