The hat sat on the dressing table, and Vaska the cat sat next to it. Vovka and Vadik sat at the table and drew pictures. Suddenly, something fell behind them.
They turned and saw the hat under the dressing table.
Vovka went to pick up his hat, but suddenly shouted, “Ay-yai-yai!” and ran back.
“What’s happened?” asked Vadik.
“It’s alive,” replied Vovka.
“What kind of animal?” Vadik asked in surprise.
“The hat,” said Vovka.
“Hats can come to life?” asked Vadik, incredulously.
“Look for yourself,” said Vovka.
Vadik went up to the hat and saw it crawling toward him.
“Oh!” he screamed and jumped onto the sofa, with Vovka following him. The hat crawled out into the middle of the room, and then made its way over to the sofa. The children were trembling with fear.
They ran out of the room into the kitchen, closing the door behind them.
“I’m g-g-g-g-going home,” Vovka said.
“Why?” asked Vadik.
“I’m afraid of hats. This is the first time I’ve seen a hat walking across the room.”
“Maybe someone wound it up?” suggested Vadik.
“I don’t know. Let’s go take a look,” said Vovka.
And they decided to go to see where is the cat
“I’ll take a club, and if it comes close to us, I’ll hit it,” said Vadik.
“I’ll take a ski pole,” said Vovka.
They took their sticks and opened the door a little.
“Where is it?” asked Vadik.
“Under the table,” said Vovka.
“If it comes near us, I’ll hit it right away,” said Vadik.
But the hat lay motionless under the table.
“Now I’ll scare it,” shouted Vadik, and began to beat the ground with his stick and shout, “Hey, you hat!” But the hat didn’t move.
“Let’s grab some potatoes and throw them at the hat,” Vovka suggested.
They brought potatoes from the kitchen and began to throw them at the hat. Vadik took aim and touched the hat.
At that moment, the hat flew into the air and a sound was heard.
“Meow!” the hat seemed to scream, and paws and a tail appeared from under it.
“Vaska!” the children rejoiced.
“Maybe he was sitting under the hat when it fell from the dressing table,” said Vadik.
Vadik hugged the cat, and the cat continued to meow in his arms.