The Castle of Liars (Vytautė Žilinskaitė)
The Strange Carriage
ONE MORNING, Dinas woke up late. After breakfast, he went OUTSIDE.
His MUM said, “Don’t go into the street.”
“I will stay OUTSIDE the HOUSE. Really, really!” said Dinas.
But Dinas ran into the street. He walked into a SMALL street he had NEVER SEEN before. It was very quiet. THEN he SAW a strange carriage. It had no HORSES. It had a motor and big wheels.
The carriage stopped. A man jumped out. He wore a PURPLE coat and an ORANGE hat. He had a mouth.
“GOOD morning, Dinas,” said the man.
“HOW do you KNOW my name?” asked Dinas.
“Oh, I KNOW you,” said the man. “WHO BROKE your trousers?”
“A naughty BOY did it! Really, really!” said Dinas.
The man took Dinas and put him in the carriage.
They rode for a LONG time.
“WHERE are we going?” Dinas asked.
“To buy SUGAR in the town,” said the man. “Really, really!”
Dinas LOOKED OUTSIDE. They were not in town. They were in a FOREST.
In the CASTLE
The carriage stopped. Dinas got out. He SAW a CASTLE.
On the gate, he SAW the words: CASTLE OF LIARS.
Inside the CASTLE, everything looked RICH.
There were soft carpets, pretty curtains, and lights with many colours.
Dinas walked and fell. He LOOKED down. The carpet had a hole.
He touched it. It was not REAL! It was made of paper.
He touched the curtains. They were made of candy!
In another ROOM, eight BOYS were sitting.
All the BOYS wore the same clothes:
– ONE trouser leg was wide, the other was tight.
– ONE jacket sleeve was LONG, the other was short.
– ONE shoe was big, the other was SMALL.
– All the BOYS had RED hats.
The man gave Dinas the same clothes. Dinas did not WANT to change, but he did.
He did not wear the hat.
“NOW he is a GOOD man!” said the BOYS.
The King of Liars
The King of Liars sat on a chair.
He was fat and had a wrinkled nose.
On his head was a RED paper crown. The crown looked like many tongues.
The King said:
“Not TODAY, not tonight, no BAD people will come from that land.”
Dinas listened. He understood:
The King says everything backwards!
The Castle of Liars (Vytautė Žilinskaitė)
MYSTERIOUS Carriage
That morning, Dinas woke up late. After breakfast, he went OUTSIDE.
“Don’t go into the street,” his MOTHER said.
“Oh no, I will stay near the HOUSE. Really, really!” said Dinas.
But when he went out, he ran down the street. He found a SMALL street he had NEVER SEEN before. It was very quiet. An OLD street lamp was above him. THEN Dinas SAW a strange carriage coming. It had no HORSES. It had a motor and big wheels.
The carriage stopped next to Dinas. A BLUE door opened, and a man in a LONG PURPLE coat and big ORANGE hat jumped out. You could only SEE his big mouth.
“GOOD morning, Dinas,” said the man.
“HOW do you KNOW my name?” asked Dinas.
“Oh, I KNOW you well,” said the man. “WHERE did you tear your trousers?”
“A naughty child tore my trousers. Really, really!” said Dinas.
The man picked up Dinas and put him in the carriage. They rode for a LONG time.
“WHERE are we going?” asked Dinas.
“To buy SUGAR. The shop is in the middle of town. Really, really!” said the man.
Dinas LOOKED out the window. They were not in town anymore. They were in a FOREST.
In the CASTLE
Dinas got out of the carriage. In front of him was a tall CASTLE. On the gate, it said: CASTLE OF LIARS.
Everything looked RICH and BEAUTIFUL. The floor had soft carpets. The windows had lovely curtains. The lights were many colours.
Dinas walked and fell a LITTLE. He LOOKED down and SAW a hole in the carpet. He touched it. The carpet was not REAL – it was made of paper! He touched the curtains. They were made of candy!
“Let’s go,” said the man.
They went into a big ROOM. Eight BOYS were sitting there. They all wore the same strange clothes:
– ONE trouser leg was wide, ONE was narrow;
– ONE jacket sleeve was short, ONE was LONG;
– ONE shoe was pointed, ONE was round.
They all had RED hats.
The man gave Dinas the same clothes. Dinas didn’t WANT to change, but he did. He did not wear the RED hat.
“NOW he is a GOOD man!” said the BOYS. They stood around Dinas in a circle. THEN they shouted, “To the lord! To the lord!”
The King of Liars
On a big chair sat the King of Liars. He was a fat BOY with a funny nose. On his head was a crown made of RED and GOLD paper tongues. The King LOOKED at the CHILDREN. He raised his hand and said: “Not TODAY, not tonight, no visitors will come from far away. Let’s not get ready for them.” Dinas listened and thought: “He is saying everything the wrong way. Backwards!”
The Castle of Liars (Vytautė Žilinskaitė)
MYSTERIOUS Carriage
That morning, Dinas woke up late. After breakfast, he went OUTSIDE. “Just don’t go into the street,” his MOTHER warned him. “Oh no, I won’t go anywhere OUTSIDE the yard! Really, really!” Dinas promised.
But as soon as he was OUTSIDE, he ran down the street. While running, he found himself in a SMALL street he had NEVER SEEN before. An OLD street lamp was hanging above. It was very quiet. After a moment, Dinas SAW a carriage arrive. It was strange: there were no HORSES, it had a motor, and very big wheels. The carriage stopped in front of Dinas. A BEAUTIFUL BLUE door opened, and a man in a LONG PURPLE coat and a wide ORANGE hat jumped out. The hat was pulled down to his nose. Only his wide mouth could be SEEN. “GOOD morning, Dinas,” the man said. “HOW do you KNOW my name?” Dinas asked, SURPRISED. “Oh, I KNOW you very well,” the man said with a SMILE. “WHERE did you tear your trousers?” “My trousers were torn by a naughty child. Really, really!” Dinas answered.
The man grabbed Dinas under the arms and pulled him into the carriage. They drove for a LONG time. Dinas asked, a bit WORRIED, “WHERE are we going?” “You KNOW — to buy SUGAR,” the man replied. “There’s a shop right in the middle of town. Really, really!” Dinas LOOKED out of the window. They were already far from town and going through a FOREST.
In the CASTLE
When Dinas got out of the carriage, he SAW a tall, BEAUTIFUL CASTLE in front of him. Above the big gates, shiny letters said: CASTLE OF LIARS. The gates opened, and Dinas walked inside. Everything looked RICH and BEAUTIFUL. There were soft carpets on the floors, pretty curtains on the windows, and COLORFUL lamps on the walls. Dinas stepped on the carpet and tripped. He LOOKED down and SAW that he had made a hole in it! He touched the spot and found out the carpet was not REAL — it was made of colored paper. The curtains were also fake — they were made of OLD candy wrappers. “Stop LOOKING around. Let’s go,” said the man, who appeared again suddenly.
In a big ROOM, eight BOYS were sitting. They were all wearing the same funny clothes. ONE trouser leg was wide and the other was narrow. ONE sleeve was short, the other was LONG. ONE shoe was pointy, the other was round. On their heads were RED hats that looked like tongues. The man gave Dinas the same kind of clothes. Dinas didn’t WANT to wear them, but he changed. He didn’t put on the RED hat. “NOW he’s a GOOD man!” the BOYS shouted. They made a circle around Dinas and ran to the door, yelling, “To the lord! To the lord!”
The King of Liars and His Guests
On the throne sat the King of Liars. He was a fat BOY with a funny nose. On his head was a crown made of RED and GOLD paper tongues. He LOOKED at the CHILDREN, raised his hand, and said: “Not TODAY, not tonight, no unwelcome guests will come from a nearby land. Let us not prepare to meet them. Dinas understood — the King of Liars said everything backwards.
Some guests came to the CASTLE. They said nice things about the king, the CASTLE, and the park. When they were about to leave, Dinas ran to them and whispered, “Everything here is fake! Even the FOOD is not REAL. This is the CASTLE of Liars. Please take me with you.”
The guests were HAPPY Dinas told them the truth. They AGREED to take him back to his MOTHER. Soon, the BOY was in the carriage again, going away from the CASTLE. But when they stopped and asked him to get out, Dinas LOOKED around and couldn’t believe it. He was standing next to the CASTLE of Liars again!
