MELTA MOSCOW ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS ASSOCIATION

Once I was passing through a rocky valley. Not a sight of any dwelling. I tasted dust and swallowed heat. Tired and thirsty, thirsty and tired. And hungry, too.

O, thank you, Lord! There was a shady place to rest for a while. A tall leafy tree was waiting for me at a distance. I might have some minutes of relaxation! The tree was inviting me and I settled under the branches. As soon as my wish to find a place to rest was granted, I had another wish. I was thirsty! It was almost unbearable! ‘Had I only a sip of water’ I whispered. And you know what? Yes! I found a bottle of mineral water. Then I wished ‘Had I something to eat’. Suddenly, a dish with snacks appeared. There was no doubt – I was under the shade of a wishing tree! Yes! A person who was under it would have whatever he wished for.

Read the rest of «My Wishing Tree» by Fyodor Filin »

Arcadia! Most Greeks regard this wild region as dark and mysterious. Majestic oak forests cover the steep slopes. Hermes was born there, Orpheus sang here, and the forest god Pan played his pipes there! Arcadia, your oaks are great and your landscapes are rich but your people are poor. They don’t have money, but they keep ancient traditions of prehistoric Greece. The Greeks believe that Arcadia’s oak groves are the sacred home for dryads – forest nymphs.

Hamadryads are bound to the oak-trees. Every time such a dryad is born, an oak-tree comes out from the earth. Then dryads reside on their trees and protect them. Read the rest of «The Oak-tree and the Dryad» by Arina Abramova »

There was a small island named Tanaiya. In the middle there was a beautiful lake of crystal clear water. By the lake there was a small hut in which lived a girl whose name was Aina.
Aina loved nothing more than swimming in the lake all day long. One day, while swimming, she felt something passing by, touching her body. She got such a fright that she stopped swimming, jumped upon the bank and ran towards her hut. Next day it happened again and she saw that it was a water snake.  But Aina wasn’t scared this time and went on swimming. It became a daily practice. After a few days both of them started swimming side by side upon the blue lake. One day, after a long swim, when she came out of the water and sat upon the beach, the snake also swam out of the lake. Aina’s eyes opened wide in astonishment. The snake changed its shape and within moments there stood before her a man. So handsome was he that she was wonder-struck and could not speak!

Read the rest of «The Story of the Coconut Tree» by Lida Shemarova »

In commemoration of Ray Bradbury

Outside, the last tree is dying. There is nothing anyone could do. It is simply old and sick. It couldn’t give life to other trees. Genetically diseased trees died out without offspring. Forests had been wiped off the planet’s surface long before I was born.

It’s freezing here. No wonder. I live in Winterville. Who can remember what the city’s name was when Winterville had trees? Our vast plains used to be fertile and gave food in plenty. But now you can see gardeners watering vegetable patches only in the pictures displayed in the National Gallery.

It was really hard work to grow crops and raise animals. Who wants to be farmers now? People want to be millionaires! Or they want to experience what they believe only millionaires can buy – ski chalets, bungalows, yachts, football teams, exotic travels – you can finish with the picture as you prefer… Sounds nice. But relaxing in a hammock and listening to the sound of waves is also in the past. Greenhouse gases have changed the climate. Now we have to deal with mutation, abnormality and contamination. Read the rest of «Winterville» by Marianna Maksimova »

THE MISTLETOE’S SECRET

I want to tell you a very sad story. It’s also a very old story that can be found in Norse mythology. I want to tell you about the god of light Balder, who was the son of the chief god Odin and the goddess Frigg. It’s the story how the weakest thing destroyed the most noble of all gods.

 So Balder was the most noble of all gods. He was loved and admired by all, except the wicked god Loki. Loki was jealous of Balder’s popularity. And Loki plotted his death. Read the rest of «The Mistletoe's Secret» by Ivan Mulenkov »