I wave to my little neighbour, the Palko kid, who is squatting in the grass in their garden.
- Come here, Palko! I want to ask you something.
Palko just says with a shake of his head that he can't.
- Then why can't you? - I ask as I step closer.
- That's because I'm playing tram with the snails.
- So what then?
- The driver is not allowed to talk.
- Nor should you ask the driver if he likes peanuts?
- "Yes," Palko jumped to his feet and held out his hand to me.
- "Wait a minute," I say. "First count how many houses there are in this yard! The more houses you count, the more peanuts you get.
Palko started counting on his five fingers.
- The first room is one, the small room is two, the bathroom is three...
- Oh, I didn't say a room, I said a house!
- "There are no more houses, only one", Palko said sadly.
- That's not true either! Look how many swallows' nests there are under the eaves!
- Four in four corners.
- Now see, that's four peanuts. A bird's nest is his house. There it sleeps at night, where it shelters from bad weather, where it hatches its young.
Palko had a twinkle in his eye.
- So is a mouse hole a house and a frog hole a house?
- It's a house, Palko! Where the animal lives is its house! Hold your hand.
But Palko held his hat out to me.
- Here, fill this with peanuts!
- Why should I charge it? Where are all the houses around here?
- What about all these snail shells lying around? - Palko danced with joy.
I had to give him my peanuts until the last grain. Palko, however, made up for it in gallantry. He put two snails in my pocket.
- At least he's taking the electric train home.
