A Russian bedtime story - 'Two Frosts' p.1 My translation of a Russian traditional bedtime story. Some phrases are composed somewhat unorthodox on purpose in an attempt to give the story some old-time flavor. Rephrasing is most welcome! Two frosts, two brothers were strolling on a vast field. Cheerful, they were bouncing, leaping and clapping their hands. After a while, one frost said to another, 'Brother mine, Red Nose Frost! Why don't we have some fun freezing people?' 'Brother Blue Nose Frost,' his brother answered, 'we won't find any people here. Our sister Blizzard snowed all the field and the road up, so nobody could come through. Let's run to the forest, there is less space, but more fun! There we will meet somebody for sure.' Without further ado, the two frosts, the two brothers started to run for the conifer forest. While running, they resumed playing, bouncing and hitting the trees. The old spruces cracked, the young pines creaked. The soft snow turned into crust where the frosts walked, stalks protruding from the snow became embroidered with tiny white beads where the frosts breathed out. After a while, they heard two bells jingling. A landlord was sledding to the nearby town, and a peasant was driving his sleds to the forest. The frosts started to discuss, who is to chase the landlord, and who is to follow the peasant. The younger Blue Nose said, 'I'll better run after the peasant. He's easier to tackle because his sheepskin coat is old and patched, a hat is holey too, and look, he only has bast shoes! He's probably off to chop some firewood and he won't turn back without it, so I think he'll be easy prey for me in the forest. And you, brother, are stronger, so you must get the landlord. See, he wears a thick bearskin coat, a hat made of fox fur, and high wolfskin boots. No way I can freeze him.' The Red Nose Frost giggled aside. 'You're still so young, my brother! So be it. Chase the peasant, and I'll follow the landlord. Let's meet tonight and see whose job was harder. See you later!' 'Bye, brother!' They whistled, clicked and started the hunt. Just after the sunset, the two brothers met again on the vast snowy field. 'So, how was it?', they asked each other. 'Surely you took some trouble with the landlord', said the younger, 'but to no avail. He was a hard nut to crack.' The older one giggled again. 'Oh, Blue Nose, you're young and naive. I froze him so well, that it will take him a few hours to get warm.' 'And what about his coat, and the hat, and the boots?' See part 2.