DownyDome

A story about a little fairy tale DownyDome was written by my best friend Daria Arsenyeva her instagram dariarseneva)
Made of faux fur, arms, legs and ears made of polymer clay, eyes made of hand-painted glass, the cucumber for the photo was grown in my garden.
DownyDome: The story of treasure
Once upon a time, there was a creature in the world unknown to anyone, whose name was
DownyDome. That's what he called himself because he lived all alone in the heart of a large green
forest. DownyDome was of medium height, round and so furry that it was hard to see his kind
black eyes. Above all else in the world, DownyDome loved his small cozy garden where everything
he grew was undoubtedly also round: oranges, peaches, berries and his pride - absolutely round
carrots. But one thing troubled him - he couldn't grow round cucumbers no matter what he did,
yet he loved them so much!
Once, he accidentally heard the talking of two jays who were flying over his garden. They were
talking about a forest school where there are horticulture courses. After some thought, he
decided that for the sake of round cucumbers, it might be worth taking his destiny into his own
fluffy paws and venturing out from his little home at least once in life.
The next day DownyDome woke up early, took a small bundle and packed all the essentials for
his journey: a compass, his lucky ring, round-framed glasses, a ballpoint pen and (the roundest
one he could find) a cucumber seed. Upon leaving the house, the traveler patted his door jamb
goodbye, checked his bearings with the compass and set off toward his dream.
To be honest, DownyDome was a bit worried: firstly, he had never left his home for such a long
time before and secondly, he also heard from jays that to get to school, one has to pass through
the densest part of the green forest. Despite this, our hero braved himself and tried to distract
himself from anxious thoughts by humming songs, collecting sweet berries along the path and
offering his furry head to the sun. All this worked out great until the sun hid behind trees and
grass rustled with strong gusts of wind - a storm was approaching. DownyDome quickened his
pace hoping to get through the thickest areas before it got completely dark. Suddenly water
started falling from the sky as if someone specifically wanted to soak up the frightened traveler
right down to heels. DownyDome's fur became heavy with water, it was pulling him towards the
ground and making it harder for him to walk. Streams of water blurred vision, washing away the
trail and making it difficult for DownyDome to navigate around the terrain. Then thunder roared
blinding already lost hero – DownyDome slipped and fell into mud. He tried to stand but burdock
bushes held onto dense fur tightly. Then DownyDome tugged away annoying plants using all
strength swaying when he realized that he was rolling downhill gaining speed more and more.
He attempted to stop but what could stop from rolling absolutely round creature? Fortunately,
big soft bushes came across (our hero didn't know its name but really wanted to learn because
maybe they saved his life). Convincing that he was finally safe, DownyDome found out that the
precious bundle was missing. Dirty, wet, utterly unhappy he bitterly started crying, regretting
that he had gone so far from home. If he hadn't been so round and hairy, his treasures would
have been with him at this moment.
DownyDome's gloomy thoughts were interrupted by a loud crack. He turned around abruptly
and saw before him a large square creature with a long beard and wide smile. The stranger didn't
scare DownyDome at all, his face was too kind. Then our hero noticed that the rain had
completely stopped, and the sun illuminated everything around, including himself. DownyDome
became embarrassed: he must look quite awful right now, his fur probably soaked and matted
from the mud. But it was clear that his appearance did not bother the stranger at all. He
approached and said: "My name is Oldbeard. I think I found something that belongs to you". And
there was DownyDome's bundle in his hands!
Many years later, reflecting on these events, DownyDome realized that he had gained something
truly precious that day. And it was not the little bundle at all. These were his thoughts as he was
sitting in the courtyard with his loyal bearded friend, crunching on perfectly round cucumbers.