Lida in the Land of Smiles

Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Lida who was ten years old. She could already read, write, and count quite well. One day, while walking through a park, she saw a beautiful butterfly and ran after it without looking where she stepped. Suddenly, she tripped over a tree root and began falling endlessly until she found herself in a strange place. All around her were pretty houses shaped like gingerbread cookies, and people walked down the streets wearing broad, cheerful smiles. “Where am I?” thought Lida, gazing at everything around her.

A pleasant-looking lady approached her, about thirty years old, with pink hair. “Oh, look who we’ve got here!” she exclaimed. “Would you like a cookie?” She offered Lida a delicious-smelling treat. “This is mine?” Lida marveled, taking a bite. “It tastes so good!” It seemed like one could eat these cookies every day without getting sick.

“If you want,” said the woman, “you can live among us. Many wish to join our community, but we don’t accept everyone. We only take those who truly belong. Because here, we have the best of everything, and that does require merit.”

But then Lida remembered her parents, who must surely be worried about her absence.

“Thank you very much, but I need to go home.”

The lady frowned slightly but quickly resumed smiling. “Come now, little one. Here is far better than home. Let me show you our wonderful city!” Taking Lida by the hand, she led her around town, pointing out local attractions. Lida saw lemonade fountains, candy swings, and even a chocolate castle. Everything looked delightfully sweet and beautiful, making her head spin.

She wondered aloud, “Maybe I should stay?”

But soon enough, something struck her as odd: all the townspeople smiled identically, almost robotically.

Suspicious, Lida took a closer look and noticed that behind the bright facades lay ordinary gray walls, and the residents’ eyes lacked genuine joy—their faces were empty. “Why does everything seem fake here? What really goes on?” she asked the lady. Instantly, the woman stopped smiling and scolded sternly, “You think too much, child. Just enjoy our treats and be happy!”

Now aware of danger, Lida sought escape, but everywhere she turned, she encountered nothing but grinning faces and inviting candy homes. Panic-stricken, she searched desperately for a way out. Then suddenly, she spotted a boy nearby—not smiling like others, his face instead showing concern. He gestured urgently toward her from behind a bush.

To her surprise, Lida observed that the pink-haired lady wasn’t paying attention to her anymore, as if temporarily forgetting the girl's presence altogether.

Approaching the bushes cautiously, Lida heard the boy whisper, “My name is Petya. Do you also want to leave this place?” Nodding silently, Lida followed him through dense rows of candied trees to an ancient well. “There lives Wise Owl,” explained Petya. “Only he knows how to break the spell cast over this land.” Trusting her new friend fully, Lida gathered her courage and descended into the well.

In the depths below stood a cozy nest inhabited by a large gray owl with wise, penetrating eyes. Despite knowing that owls could sometimes be fearsome creatures, Lida felt strangely reassured by this particular bird.

“Hello, Lida,” greeted the owl gently. “I knew you would come.” Surprised, Lida questioned, “How do you know my name?” The owl grinned mysteriously, replying, “I know many things. I also know how to save the inhabitants of this country—but only if you sincerely desire it.”

“I do…” answered Lida resolutely, putting aside thoughts of the tasty cookies (which required some effort from her).

Owl told Lida that an evil witch had bewitched everyone, forcing them to consume enchanted cookies and wear eternal smiles. Meanwhile, sinister deeds occurred unnoticed, being well-known just by a select few, across the city.

"But you can fix everything," Owl continued. "Find the main bakery and destroy the recipe book for these magic cookies—it holds the secret!"

Determined, Lida agreed to help. Together with Petya, they set off in search of the bakery, hiding from smiling citizens, especially avoiding the pink-haired lady who seemed intent on finding Lida.

After searching long and hard, they discovered a massive bakery right in the heart of the city. Inside, chefs worked tirelessly round-the-clock, baking endless batches of magic cookies. Their smiles appeared fixed, never fading despite constant labor. Some occasionally sampled their own creations, seemingly oblivious to anything wrong.

Unnoticed by anyone, Lida and Petya were sneaking inside via a tiny window.

Lida wondered, 'Why are they allowed to taste their baked goods? Well, maybe that's just how things are done here. '

Both kids stealthily navigated through the bustling kitchen, keeping close to the walls, just in case. Yet none of the bakers seemed ready to raise an alarm. They all appeared focused solely on their baking.

In the furthest room, they found an antique cookbook glowing faintly. "That's it!" Petya exclaimed excitedly.

Suddenly, the pink-haired lady burst into the room. Her appearance transformed instantly, revealing sharp features, much older age and darkened hair. "Ah, you pesky kids! Enemies, rebels, saboteurs!" the evil witch yelled menacingly. "You've gone too far!"

Frightened ("She might enchant us!"), yet resolute, Lida snatched up the book and dashed towards the oven nearby. The witch tried casting a spell but became distracted by Lida's actions, shouting frantically, "No, don't do it! Are you crazy? Noooooo!.."

As Lida hurled the book into the flames, a loud hiss echoed like pulling a cat's tail, followed by a thunderous boom. There was no explosion, nothing scattered in different directions; rather, everything started changing around them. Across the city, gingerbread houses morphed into normal structures, and the perpetual smiles vanished from people's faces.

With a final scream, the witch dissolved into thin air, vanishing completely. As a farewell, gazing in shock, her eyes bulged wide—she hadn't anticipated such an outcome. Perhaps her soul had become inextricably linked to the Book?

Gradually, the city's inhabitants regained consciousness, glancing around confusedly. Though unsure of what happened, they realized they were finally liberated—and not everyone welcomed this freedom.

Emerging onto the street, Lida and Petya met Wise Owl once more. "Well done!" the Owl said. "Now this land will have a chance to find true happiness. Only a chance though—what happens next depends entirely on them."

With a wave of his wings, Owl revealed a shimmering portal before Lida. "Go ahead! You can return home now." urged the Owl. Bidding farewell to Petya, Lida embraced him warmly before stepping into the glowing gateway...

The whole world around blinked for a moment, and Lida found herself standing in the park near the same tree she'd stumbled against earlier. Overwhelmed with emotion but trying hard not to shout for joy, she raced home breathlessly.

Her parents were indeed anxious: why hadn’t their daughter returned hours ago? Where had she disappeared to? After all, Lida always came back from walks much sooner. Now, throwing herself first into her father’s arms and then her mother’s, she clung tightly as if she’d been separated from them for ages. Even amidst her excitement, however, Lida prudently decided not to share her incredible experience. If she did, her parents wouldn’t believe a word and might worry unnecessarily—or worse, take her to see a doctor because of her wild imaginings.

Instead, Lida kissed both her parents tenderly, assuring them with absolute sincerity that she loved them dearly. To explain her prolonged absence, she claimed simply that she had lost track of time and gotten lost during her walk, eventually struggling to find her way back home. 'Be careful,' warned her father. 'Don’t wander into unfamiliar areas.'

'Oh God, silly girl, I nearly went insane waiting for you!' cried her mother, hugging Lida tighter still.

Later, as night fell and Lida prepared for bed, she couldn’t stop thinking about Petya, the Land of People that had replaced the Land of Smiles, and various other profound matters. Would she ever meet Petya or Wise Owl again?...