(fairy tale)

There were 25 tin soldiers in the world who were brothers.  They wore gorgeous uniforms in red and blue colors and their eyes were full of determination.

The toy soldiers patiently waited for their fate in a dark box, until, one day, a little boy received this box as a birthday present.

24 soldiers looked like 24 peas. Except  one, which had only one leg.  But despite this, the soldier continued to stand bravely.  Perhaps even better than all the other brothers.

Once, he saw a dancing girl in the window of a paper castle of unearthly beauty and immediately fell in love with her.  The soldier whispered to himself, “We will definitely be together!”  Only now he did not know that Death had other plans, because the Grim Reaper, too, fell in love with a paper beauty.  A black figure appeared behind the soldier and whispered, “Only suffering awaits you and you can never be together!”  But the soldier was ready for anything; he was not frightened by the words of Death.

Having survived from many adventures (from falling from a window to being chased by a rat on a paper boat), the soldier again found himself at home.  Exhausted by his adventures, he looked at his beloved, hoping that everything was over.  But Death was determined: by all means, he must get rid of the annoying piece of tin.  Therefore, the Grim Reaper decided to kill the soldier in the fire.

Death whispered to the boy that the soldier was no longer good for anything, because he had been in the belly of a fish and had been in the water for a very long time.  And the owner of the soldiers immediately threw him into the fire.

The soldier began to melt and looked towards his beloved for the last time.  He saw Death approaching the dancer.  Death wanted to take her with him, but the girl pushed him away.  Here Death could not stand it and pushed the dancing girl into the fire to the soldier.

The beloved hugged and burned together.

Death hoped that these two disappeared forever from his life.  But then, from the fireplace, small white images of lovers rose and rose again.  The souls of the soldier and the graceful dancing girl soared to heaven, intending to be reborn soon.