A Story of Love and Friendship: Exploring Happy Together, a Russian Nursery TaleHappy together is a nursery tale that is thought to have inspired Matryoshka dolls created in the late 1800's by a Russian man named Murmantov.
Once upon a time, a long time ago, there was a small girl named Oksana who enjoyed running down the mountain. Yet she never went by herself. Oksana was always accompanied by one of her sisters. On the mountain, there were wolves.
One day, the family was busy making brilliantly coloured scarves for the upcoming festival. Oksana's big sister had meticulously crafted a tiny scarf, just the right size for Oksana.
"There you go, my little sister," Oksana's older sister grinned as she tucked Oksana's new scarf beneath her chin.
Oksana was overjoyed. She danced outdoors after thanking her older sister. Oksana swung about, swirling and twirling.
"Stay near the house," her mother said absently through the house's open door.
"Sure, mother," Oksana replied politely. Her scarf ties swayed in the breeze. That was a beautiful day. Swirling and spinning, she moved away from her house without even realising it.
Her middle sister stood up and stretched inside the house. She leaned out the window, inhaling the fresh mountain air. She could see a colourful speck swirling and twirling in the breeze off in the distance. Her eyes were straining to see. What exactly was it? Is it possible? Oh no!
Oksana's middle sister flew down the mountain, yelling at her mother, grandma, and sisters. Her sisters followed her immediately. Her mother followed them quickly. Her granny forgot about her aches and pains and followed them panting. They all hugged little Oksana warmly when they reached her.
Oksana's eyes widened fearfully as she realised how far she had travelled from home. She would have been alone on the mountain if it hadn't been for the love of her family. If the wolves had noticed, well, it's best not to think about them.
Oksana, her sisters, her mother, and her grandma all hiked back up the mountain together, happy together.
