Cucumbers

Pavlik is diminutive of Pavel = Paul
Kot'ka (Котька) is diminutive of Kostja = Konstantin

Cucumbers

One day Pavlik took Kot'ka with him down to the river to fish. But they weren't lucky that day: fish didn't bite at all. But when they were coming back, they broke into the kolkhoze's (collective farm? Or is it a name? Name must be capitalized) market garden and took pockets full of cucumbers. The watchman noticed them and began to blow his whistle. They ran away from him. On the way home, Pavlik thought that he could be punished because he rummaged throughsomebody else's market gardens. And he gave his cucumbers to Kot'ka.

Kot'ka came home happy:
«Mom, I've brought cucumbers for you!»
His mother looked at him and saw the pockets full of cucumbers, and that there were cucumbers in his bosom (bosom sounds odd, can you say shirt pockets?), and two big cucumbers were in his hands too.
«Where did you get them?» Mom asked.
«In the market garden.»
«What (no "a") market garden?»
«It is kolkhoze's, near the river.»
«But who did allow you?» (sounds better to say "But who let you do that?")
«No one, I picked them myself»
«Therefore, you stole them?» (Or: "So in other words, you stole them?")
«No, I didn't, but just... Pavlik was picking and I could not, or what? Well, I've took it too» (Better: "I figured if Pavlik could pick, I can too! So I picked some too!"
Kot'ka began to take cucumbers out of the pockets.
«Stop, stop! Don't unload!» Mom said. (better: "Don't take them out!")
«Why not?»
«Immediately carry them back!» (Better: "Take them back right now!")
«Where do I take them? They were growing in the garden when I picked them. So they can't grow any more.»
«It doesn't matter, you carry them back and put them in the same place where you took them.»
«Well, then I will throw them out.»
«No, you will not! You did not plant them or cultivate the, so you have no right to throw them out.»
Kot'ka began to cry:
«There is a watchman. He blew his whistle at us, but we ran away.»
«See what you did? What if he had caught you?»
«He would not run after us. He is an old man.»
«Shame on you!» Mom said, «Because you know, that old man is responsible for the cucumbers. They will find out the cucumbers are lost and say that the old man is guilty. Will that be good?»
And Kot'ka's mother began to poke the cucumbers back into his pockets. Kot'ka cried and shouted:
«I won't go! The old man has a gun! He will shoot and kill me!»
«And let him! I prefer not to have a son at all, than a son who is a thief.»
«Well, mommy, come with me! It's dark outside! I'm afraid.»
«Were you afraid when you took them?»
His mother gave him two more cucumbers, which couldn't fit in his pockets, and made him go out the door.
«Either you return the cucumbers, or get away of the home for good, you are not my son anymore!»
Kot'ka turned and walked very slowly down the street. It was completely dark.
«I will throw them out right here, into this ditch. And then I will say that I returned them,» Kot'ka decided and began to look around. «No, someone may notice and then the old man could be punished because of me.»
He was walking down the street and crying. He was afraid.
«Good for Pavlik!» He thought, «He gave his cucumbers to me and now he's at home. It seems that he's not afraid.»
Kot'ka left the village and walked through the field. No one was around. Because he was afraid, he couldn't remember how to find the market garden. He stayed near the watchman's hut and began to cry louder and louder. The watchman heard him and came outside.
«Why are you crying?» He asked.
«Grandpa, I brought cucumbers back».
«What cucumbers?»
«The cucumbers which I picked with Pavlik. Mom said I must bring them back.»
«That's it!» the watchman suprised, «So, even though I blew my whistle at you, you still took the cucumbers anyway. That's not good!»
«Pavlik took some and I took some too. He gave his cucumbers to me.»
«You can't look to Pavlik, you have to understand by yourself. Well, don't do this again! Give me the cucumbers and go home.
Kot'ka took the cucumbers out and laid them in the garden bed (or cucumber patch).
«Well, is that all?» Asked the old man.
«No... One is missing,» answered Kot'ka and began to cry again.
«Why so? Where is it?»
«Grandpa, I ate one cucumber. What will happen now?»
«Nothing will happen! Never mind. To your health!»
«And what about you, grandpa? Can you get in trouble because the cucumber is missing?»
«Big deal!» Grandpa smiled, «Don't worry about one cucumber. If there are more missing, there could be trouble, but otherwise no.»
Kot'ka broke into a run towards home. Then he suddenly stopped and shouted from far away:
«Grandpa, grandpa!»
«Well, what else?»
«But what about that cucumber, which I ate? Does this mean that I stole it or not?»
«Huh!» The old man said. «What a problem! But it's alright, we'll say that you did not.»
«But how so?»
«Well, imagine it was my gift.»
«Thank you, grandpa! I will go then.»
«Go, go, sonny.»
Kot'ka ran by the field at full speed, through the ravine, by the little bridge across the river and then he slowed down when he reached his home street. He was happy at heart.