It was summer. The Magulbans began their first travelling from their town. That day, approaching to the bus stop, they helped a woman to get on a trolley bus and got on it themselves. It was very interesting for them, as it was the first time they were travelling together.

The trolley bus rushed along wide streets by parks, houses and squares.

- Margarita, here is my grandfather’s house. Look, it’s really nice, isn’t it? And now we are going to pass by the house of Nunu’s aunt, five- floor building behind the bridge, -  showed Guldara.

Talking and having fun, they continued their way. They got off at the last stop to look at high smoke- deflecting ducts of tire plant, then they returned to the trolley bus and went in the opposite direction.

- Look, guys, how beautiful our river is!-  noticed Bagrat. The children stuck to the window of the trolley bus with their little faces and observed the flowing river with curiosity.

At the next stop a woman with two children got on a trolley bus, Bagrat and Nunu respectfully gave their place to them.

Reaching the next stop, the children got off and went to dedropark “Alexandria”, which was based 250 years ago by baroness Branitskoj as the guide told them. They obsereved the trees and bushes, which were brought to the park from all the continents and corners of our wonderful planet, with great pleasure. The Magulbans learnt a lot of new and useful things. So, walking along the park, they reached the river where there was a beach. They were captured with an alarm. Seeing the little children they understood the matter of their worry. The river was flowing in the middle of the town and was the most favourite vacation spot for residents and visitors, brought them happiness and sometimes grief. That year some children drowned in the river that's why the Magulbans decided to interrupt their travelling and to establish supervision over children by the principle of beach rescuers, to follow attentively those who were on the coast and in the river.

- Guys, we should organize supervision so that no child is remained out of our sight. It is very important, as the health and the life of each child is very dear.-  said Bagrat.

- But we won't be able to look after all children, it will be very difficult to do it. And they are under the supervision of their families. Maybe we should continue our travelling? Shall we get in a boat, cross to the other coast and swim there for a while?-  offered Nunu.

However Margarita and Guldara kindly supported Bagrat. Then it was desided to divide the part of the coast near the beach into 3 sectors. Bagrat was to follow the left sector, Margarita and Guldara –the central one, Nunu-  the right one. An hour passed, the second hour passed, the third one passed, the time was coming close to dinner, people who were having a holiday began to gather and many of them had left. There were only a few families on the coast. Bagrat, looking at his waterproof watch, thought: ''Soon everybody will leave, and we will be able to continue our travelling''. Not far from her parents a beautiful six- year- old girl with red hair, was playing with a ball and singing a song:

My beautiful ball, my beautiful ball,
Play cheerfully with me,
Jump up and fall down,
My dear ball.

Two twin brothers moulded a castle from sand. One collected sand, the other brought water in a pail and, mixing all this, made a certain mountain, instead of the castle. Guldara, looking at that sight, thought: ‘‘When will we manage to go for a campaign to mountains?’‘It was strange, but at that moment all Magulbans thought about the same. Not far from twin brothers a thin boy was crying. The grandmother forbade him to swim and ordered him to put on his clothes immediately, as they had to go to have dinner. Margarita approached the crying boy and tried to calm him down. Near Nunu a little girl asked her father to whirl her like on a merry- go- round. The father realized her freaks with dissatisfied look, as she bothered him to talk to a pretty woman, who was sunbathing, or maybe he was simply tired to whirl her.

It was quiet and nothing foretold troubles. Suddenly Margarita started to shout: ''The child is drowning!’‘Here the Magulbans rushed to rescue. Bagrat was the closest to the girl and was the first in the water. The others began to call for help, but the girl's parents didn't pay attention to shouts, they were easily reading their magazines. And the rest of the people who were on holiday did not pay attention. It seemed, everyone was bewitched. Realising that there was no way to wait for help, the Magulbans ran to Bagrat for it. Meanwhile, Bagrat was swimming closely towards to the girl who was already in the water up to throat, trying to catch her ball. She made one more step and sank wholly under the water. ‘‘Oh my God, now the flow will carry her away, and she will sink ”, -  Bagrat thought with horror. (There are cavities in such lowland rivers, that's why parents shouldn't leave their children out of sight, always remembering of the danger. The river seems to be quiet, almost still, but that's an optical illusion, as they flow fast and the deeper it is, the stronger the flow). Bagrat's internal voice prompted him, that if he did not seize the girl by hair, it would be impossible to rescue her. Bagrat dived in, seized the girl, but the capture was weak, and he didn’t keep her. Though he risked too, but he could not recede, as the girl's life was in his hands. (If something happened to him, he would bring grief to the family). He dived in once more and this time he strongly seized the red- haired girl by hair. Though Bagrat was swimming well and was holding the girl strongly, he understood, that if now there were no strong pillar under his feet it would be impossible to keep her and they could drown together. And at that moment, luckily, he stepped on something firm. (maybe a log?). Gathering his strength and will in a fist, he stepped forward, pulled her to himself, and the girl's head appeared above the water. She could breathe air, and then he could too. He strongly hugged her, being afraid to let her go. The roots of the tree growing near the coast turned out to be as a pillar. While Bagrat was in the river, children were mobilized, drawed up a living chain in the water. Margarita, Nunu, Guldara (she was the tallest) closely approached Bagrat. Stretching her hand, Guldara shouted: ‘‘Hold on, Bagrat, we are with you''. With joint efforts the girl was pulled out on the coast. Margo and Guldara examined her, making sure, whether all was ok with her. Everything was already behind.

The children relaxed, they were showing at each other with a smile, at the wet and dirty clothes, and only the beautiful face of Guldara to whom Bagrat had tender feelings, was strained. Simply she was strongly frightened.

Everything happened so quickly, in some seconds, that the girl had no time to swallow some water and to lose consciousnesses. She sat on a grass, holding her ball.

- Daddy, mum…-  she cried.

And the strange thing was that everybody just got out of torpor. The parents ran up to the girl, the daddy took her in his hands and they went away. The others began to look for their children around, showing concern.

Taking a breathe, Bagrat said happily:

- Thank you, Guldara. Your magic hand gave me force, and thank you, guys, all of you played a decisive role in the rescue of this girl.

- Yes, we grappled each other so friendly, forming a strong chain, that, probably, we would be able to pull a mother elephant with a little elephant out of the water. And you, Bagrat, rescueed the girl, as a real hero.

Everybody burst out laughing. Making sure, that there were no children on the beach, pleased with their first real behaviour in their life, the Magulbans got into the boat, crossed the other coast, and dried up their clothes on the glade. Then they swam for a while, gathered and went home.

And why nobody noticed the sinking girl, and why the parents of the Magulbans didn’t notice their long absence, you will learn all about it, reading the next stories and looking at the pictures. And you will also learn about the further destiny of the red-haired girl and will find the answers to all questions interesting you.

MaGulBaN

Continue Story 2. Rescued girl Ekaterina