Once upon a time, there was a vast sea, and in that sea, a village. This was such a warm sea, that it evaporated, leaving behind fields of sand and empty seashells. When the sea disappeared, the village looked completely normal, like all other villages: a few streets, pointed rooftops of houses, fields of corn… but something made it different.
Once upon a time, there was Gardinovci, a place where magical children lived. They had special powers: some children could shine so brightly that they could light up even the darkest night; some could freeze time and extend the most beautiful days indefinitely; and some were so stretchy that they could extend even to the farthest places in the world. Petar could lift entire houses with just a glance, while Pavle could fly all the way to the Sun. The firefighters in Gardinovci just sat around all day, as Stefana secretly extinguished fires with the water that flowed from her fingers. Valentina, Teodora, and Sara were the village fairies, and Nevena had the power of the “nemušti” tongue (mute tongue). Unfortunately, the children in the village had to hide their powers to prevent the other villagers from
misusing them. They lived in eternal secrecy and because of that, they were sad; they just wanted to show their powers to the world and play until exhaustion!
The children dragged their feet as they walked, their heads bent. Their shadows unwillingly followed them, stopping every now and then, stumbling from exhaustion. Their powers gradually began to fade from lack of use. It was time for a change.
One night, the council of magical children gathered by the nearby lake, Provalija. They deliberated all night and struggled to find a solution. Suddenly, a squeaky voice was heard, the origin of which is still unknown to this day. “A masquerade ball. We could meet once a year when the day is longest, and everything is blooming.”
All the children eagerly embraced the idea of the mysterious voice, and since that night by Provalija, they have been organizing a magical masquerade ball every year. They especially love running through the whole village and collecting zhar-ptica (firebird) eggs they find in the fruit tree canopies. The original text is written by Katarina Tomanović based on Petar and Pavle Milovanović ideas.