This was the first story that I wrote to perform at Mezrab.

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Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Masha. 

Masha had short brown hair and limitless imagination.

One Spring morning, little Masha was in her room, laying on her bed.

She was going over the dance moves, in her head.

You see, Masha just got in the Spice Girls dance group,

in the neighborhood. 

After beautiful Serra got lice and had to leave her spot to Masha,

Our hero finally had the chance to be the loveable Emma.

Every day in the garden, the group rehearsed their dance

For the year-end show that their school held.

Masha had never been happier, as she swing her hip and head

So that Sunday morning, when she was doing practically nothing

Faith had a plan that was going to change everything. 

Her mother walked into Masha’s room,

Opened the door,

And revealed her huge belly.

She was pregnant with a baby boy.

Which Masha didn’t exactly ask for.

Her mother said,

“I need you to clean the balcony, for me. I won’t take no as an answer. So get up, in the count of three.”

“ What, me? But, I don’t think I can ma.”

“You can and you will.  Don’t you see I can’t bend down like that without feeling ill.’’

“Okay, but later. Cause we will rehearse the dance soon, and I don't wanna be late to that”

Said Masha and hoping her mother would let go of this ridiculous request. 

But not so easy, missy.

Her mother’s eyes got big, she opened her mouth up. 

filled her lungs with air, and started to talk:

“ I asked you one thing to do. You’ll be a big sister soon. 

Don’t make me yell at you. I have a baby in my womb.

You see, your father is not home again, 

Or I wouldn’t ask it for

Pick up the leaves, clean the floor

Then you can have a cookie or more

But I need to get some air by myself in a room

You better make it ready, or I’ll lose it and you’ll be doomed

So pick up the broom Masha, and finish it before it’s noon”

So Little Masha found herself at the balcony, on the fourth floor,

with a broom, empty garbage can, and a bucket of water next to her.

Looking at the balcony floor covered with dirt and leaves

Masha was thinking

This is just a tiny obstacle standing in front of my

way to dance, and sweet happiness

So Masha started to pick the leaves one by one, 

When her mind was timbering with this:

“IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER 

YOU GOTTA GET WITH MY FRIENDS

MAKE IT LAST FOREVER, FRIENDSHIP NEVER ENDS”

Minutes were passed

The leaves were finally gone.

Her job was almost done

But

The moment Masha grabbed the bucket,

Ready to clean the floor,

Her eyes got stuck on,

And she couldn’t believe, what she saw:

Ants

She whispered, crouched to see them crawling around.

Right to left, up to down;

Hundreds, thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of ants;

There were,

Walking around, carrying stuff, doing whatever ants would do.

But the little girl saw more than that:

She saw families having picnics

Lovers kissing and walking

Kids playing with their friends,

Masha said to herself

There is no way that I could kill those ants

But she knew she had to face this

Cause even if she said no, and leave,

- in the cause of having a day without rehearsing

Her father or worse her mother would do that,

And the ants in no time would be dead.

“I can’t live knowing there is blood in my mother's hands

It’s already hard for me to accept the way she lives and acts

But also mass murderer of ants?

No!”

She said

“There must be another way”

So Masha sat down to think a way out 

And in a minute

“Eureka!”

She shouted

And she hastily ran out

She was back 

Holding a newspaper in her hand

Folded in two

Placed it on the floor

Waiting for ants to climb on

When there were 20

She picked up the newspaper carefully

walked to the balcony barriers,

And shake it off,

As ants were falling down to the garden below

from the fourth floor

She even sang them

A quick farewell song 

You’re strong, fast and working with care

I love you ants

But you need to move somewhere else, man

(I love you ants)

You’ll have a better life there

No need for thanks

I got your back, 

Cause, I love you aaaants

So the little girl kept going back and forth

Many many times

As ants were falling down

Masha feeling like a hero

Knowing that she was doing just fine!

Until she heard this

IF YOU WANNA BE MY LOVER, 

YOU VE GOTTA GET WITH MY FRIENDS

Damn

Masha ran to the balcony barriers

To see at the garden below

Her group rehearsing

And 

Serra 

The lice head Serra being Emma

Dancing

It was like every second Masha was spending at the balcony

The world she carefully built seemed collapsing

When Masha went to ask her mother if she could go out for a bit and came back,

Her mother said

“No. You promised, so you’d better commit, 

This is not the chess or swimming class after two weeks you just drop it.

If it’s needed, go ahead and work harder

But sooner or later, you need to learn to finish what you started.”

So the little girl

hurried more and more

On the way, she may smushed a couple of ants

I’m not going to lie

But just so you know

That she really tried

She kept telling herself, 

Just handful of more times, 

Then I’m there

I need to bear,

I need to bear.”

But it seemed ants were endless

As 20 falling down

Another 40 circling Masha, 

leaving her defenseless

The girls’ waves of laughter were piercing

Masha’s heart was racing

Jealousy was getting the best of her

And the moment came 

she couldn’t resist the beast

A determined look came to her face

And she said

This is the end

Between me and you

This is the end

I have a path to walk to / believe m

This is the end

It’s a road for one not, two

Since I was 5 I knew something was off

I wanted to ran away from home

With my teddy bear and some clothes

But I couldn’t even open the door

My parents locked me in

And laughed at me

Heartless whores

You see

I’m not a pretty girl

Chubby and way too hairy

Maybe I should ve took it

When the girls said “Why dont you be Mel C?” - EYE ROLLS

But who would wanna be a girl who kicks when she s dancing

Not me!

Bye bye Ants

It’s time for me to leave you

Bye Bye ants

Believe me, it makes me blue

Bye bye Ants

What an 8 year old should do 

This lice-head Serra

Cant win this one again

She has everything,

Like barbie house and even two Kens

How can I compete with that

When all I have is a lego set

Second hand

My mom is crazy

And daddy is never home 

My life is upside down

Till the day I was born

Now I need to leave you all 

To keep my dream on

Dream on!

Bye bye Ants

It’s time for me to leave you

Bye Bye ants

Believe me, it makes me blue

Bye bye Ants

What an 8 year girl old should do 

Bye bye

So Masha grabbed the bucket poured the water on the ants

As she was wiping their dead bodies to the drain pipe,

There were tears in her eyes

And a bloody broom in her hands

On the way out, her mother caught Masha and asked

“So you finished it all?”

“Yes! I hope you’re happy!”

“ I am actually. Thank you Masha.”

“Great!”

So Masha left the house and ran to the garden

Fastest she could

To see her group

Enjoying their times as Masha would

A little argument revealed Masha was out, and Sera was back

When she asked the reason why Victoria of the group took a step and said

“Come on Masha,

You look nothing like Emma

Serra is blonde and is from the original crew

Also, she is prettier, and it helps she has a barbie house that we can play when we ask to

So if you excuse us

We have a dance to rehearse, too”

“You know what, 

That’s fine, because I don’t wanna be in this group, anymore.

You’re not Spice Girls

You are more like Liced Girls”

“Great. So can you…”

“And let me tell you this”

“Here we go…”

“Spice Girls is not about being better, or prettier

Those five girls, they were all different from each other

But they danced and sang all together

About friendship and sometimes nonsense, but whatever

In the end, all I wanted, as the song says

“I really, really, really wanna zigazig ah”

But not like this

I wish I never stepped out of that balcony, I wish I would stay with my real friends, the ants

Said and she went back home,

And laid on her bed

The place where it all started.

She was feeling like a total wreck.

But all these taught Masha one hard lesson

She felt like a stronger person

She understood it’s not good to do things half-ass,

Or for your own pleasure leaving behind hundreds of dead ants

She swore

From that day on

To help the helpless

To be the voice of the voiceless 

To be or not to be…

Sorry that was something else

Which brings us to the end

Of the story Masha and the Ants

But don’t worry cause

This chain of unfortunate events

Was just a beginning

of many upcoming stories of Masha making enemies and friends

To be continued.

Thank you.

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