Аннотация: MMMDCLI. The Hans Christian Andersen currency fairy tale. A story. - April 21, 2025.
The Hans Christian Andersen currency fairy tale. A story.
Alexander Err wrote fairy tales in the style of Hans Christian Andersen for a children's magazine.
The children's magazine was paying Alexander Err not a lot of money. Symbolic means, you might say.
Alexander worked as a tour guide. He was showing local attractions to tourists coming from a big country - from a big city located a few dozen kilometers from the state border. The border separated the northern European country where Alexander Err lived from the large country from which tourists came.
For a month or more (maybe several months), tourists from a large country show a tradition: they pay Alexander not in dollars or euros, but in their own (domestic) currency.
Alexander was accumulating more and more foreign currency given to him by tourists, and what could he buy with this money in his European northern country?
Maybe go to a local bank and exchange the foreign money received from tourists for dollars or euros?
Alexander was stopped by the information about exchange rates that he received from radio broadcasts. It followed from the radio broadcasts that in a large neighboring country it is possible to exchange their local currency for dollars and euros with great benefit. If a few months ago the local currency was exchanged at the rate of 100 (or more) to one US dollar, now it can be exchanged at the rate of 80 to one US dollar. The exchange rate at the local bank (in the Alexander Err's country) is noticeably less profitable.
Alexander Err boarded a bus, fulfilled the necessary requirements, easily crossed the border, arrived in a large city located several dozen kilometers from the border, and approached a local currency exchange office.
- 'I want to buy dollars or euros!' - Alexander said in good Russian.
- 'There is no currency!' - a pretty woman-employee of the currency exchange office said with a smile. - 'But there are "old-style" dollars.'
Alexander had heard about the problems with "old-style" dollars. He did not want to purchase such (of "old-style") dollars.
He decided to go to another (a nearby) currency exchange office, but remembered of the $10 bill in his wallet.
As an inquisitive person, he took out 10 dollars, handed them to a pretty woman, and said:
- 'Is it possible to exchange US dollars for local currency?'
- 'Of course!'
Three minutes later, Alexander received several banknotes: everything is working!
Suddenly, a man appeared who had something unusual about him. Alexander couldn't figure out what exactly.
This man asked the pretty employee of the currency exchange office:
- 'Is there a currency? Dollars or euros?'
- 'No! ... Only "old-style" dollars.'
- "Not ... at all?" The man asked incredulously. Apparently, he saw Alexander take out some kind of bill and hand it to a pretty woman.
- 'Well: I have ten dollars!' - the pretty employee of the exchange office said.
Alexander did not hear any further conversation. He headed to a nearby currency exchange office.
Moving from one currency exchange office to another, Alexander walked around the whole big city.
In the evening, he boarded a bus and went to his native northern European country.
He was trying to find a Russian equivalent to describe the result of his attempts. He settled on the option: "was slurping unsalted." [Leaving after slurping unsalted (food) is the same as not getting what you want, not achieving what you were aiming for, being disappointed in expectations.] [несолоно хлебавши - nesolono khlebavshi - had slurped unsalted = was slurping unsalted]
Late in the evening, after riding back by bus, after crossing the border, he returned home and fell deeply asleep.
The next morning, Alexander Err wrote a work for children called "The Russian Currencial Tale."
The fairy tale described beautiful princesses, employees of exchange offices (located in a huge mysterious city), who could exchange any amount of local currency for dollars and euros at the most favorable exchange rate. So any foreign prince, with a little luck and sufficient entrepreneurship, could become a really rich man.
Alexander Err took his fairy tale to the editorial office of a local magazine for children. The editor-in-chief of the magazine read the story and looked thoughtfully at Alexander.:
- 'Our editorial office is periodically visited by clients from among the foreign tourists who came from a large mysterious city. So a small amount has accumulated in the very currency that can be exchanged with great benefit for dollars and euros at a very favorable exchange rate. We will pay the honorarium for this tale in the same currency that we received from foreign tourists.'
Alexander Err agreed with the editor-in-chief's suggestion.
The editor-in-chief sadly said Alexander:
- 'It will be a very big loss for our magazine if you get rich unusually quickly and stop writing fairy tales for children!'
- 'Money is not the main thing!' - Alexander Err replied. - 'I, like Hans Christian Andersen, write fairy tales to make a children's laughing, to make children smiling!'
- 'Our magazine is waiting for works about fairy princesses and wonderful exchange rates!' - The editor-in-chief said approvingly to Alexander at parting. - 'Especially since foreign tourists from a large mysterious city - those who cooperate with us in some way, - periodically make payments to us in currency of their country.'
April 21, 2025, 13:21 (1:21 p.m.)
Translation from Russian into English: April 21, 2025 20:39