Mila, Queen of Clutter

Patricia Andjelković

MILA,

QUEEN OF CLUTTER

y rated b

Illust

dar Aleksan ć Zoloti

MILA, QUEEN OF CLUTTER Author Patricia Andjelković Original title Mila, Kraljica Nereda ■

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Translator Patricia Andjelković Illustrated by Aleksandar Zolotić Editor Anđelka Ružić Proofreader Mirjana Delić Graphic designer Dušan Pavlić Tehnical editor Tatjana Valjarević Published by: Kreativni centar, Gradištanska 8, Beograd telefoni: 011/ 38 20 483, 38 20 464, 24 40 659 e-mail: info@kreativnicentar.rs www.kreativnicentar.rs For the pubisher Ljiljana Marinković Printed by KLIK PRINT Year of printing 2019 Print-run 300 copyright©Kreativni centar 2019 ■

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ISBN 978-86-529-0742-7

CIP – Каталогизација у публикацији Народна библиотека Србије, Београд 821.163.41-93-32 ANĐELKOVIĆ, Patricia, 1948 Mila, Queen of Clutter / Patricia Andjelković ; [illustrated by Aleksandar Zolotić]. – Beograd : Kreativni centar, 2019 (Beograd : Klik print).

– 21 str. : ilustr. ; 24 cm Prevod dela: Мила, Kраљица Нереда / Патриша Анђелковић.

– Tiraž 300.

ISBN 978-86-529-0742-7 1. Zolotić, Aleksandar, 1987- [илустратор] COBISS.SR-ID 281305612

Patricia Andjelković

MILA,

QUEEN OF CLUTTER

ted by a r t s u l Il dar Aleksan ć Zoloti

“But Mama, I didn’t lose it on purpose!”

Mila’s mother sighed as she gathered up all the postage stamps from the kitchen table.

“I know you didn’t mean to lose it, but you never put things back where they belong, and somehow they get lost. I came down this morning and what do I see? Daddy’s stamp collection scattered all over the kitchen table! You’re just not careful. And I really don’t understand how you could lose his magnifying glass,” she pondered. “I’ve looked for it everywhere.”

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Eight-year-old Mila rested her chin in her hand and thought. It’s true, she said to herself. I do lose things.

A month ago it was the silver ring her mother had bought her at the seashore, a week later her mother’s thimble disappeared right after Mila had used it to mend her doll’s dress. Two days ago she couldn’t find her back door key. (That was still her secret.) And last night, after looking at her father’s stamp collection, his magnifying glass disappeared.

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“Mila, you’re just going to have to learn to put things back. Remember, ‘A place for everything and everything in its place’. It takes only a few minutes to clean up, but hours to find something you’ve lost!”

“Well, my room is pretty neat...”

“That’s true, it is. But your closet is another story!”

“That’s not fair! You said I could keep all my junk in the closet and you wouldn’t mind as long as it was out of sight!”

“I did and I don’t. But this has gone too far. It’s bad enough that you lose your own things, but when you lose other people’s belongings, it’s too much.

Go up to your room right now and take a good, long look in that closet of yours and find my thimble and Daddy’s magnifying glass. If you don’t find them, I’m coming up to clean that mess myself!”

“Aw, Mama...” Mila knew better than to argue. She slid off her chair and trudged reluctantly up the stairs.

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“It’s not right,” muttered Mila as she reached the landing. “She’s not that neat either. When she doesn’t want something, she tosses it in the attic! A place for everything-ha!”

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Mila stopped. The attic! It was her favorite place to go, especially on rainy days when she could hear the rain drumming on the roof. She hurried down the hall and up the stairs.

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The attic door creaked open at her touch. A familiar musty smell greeted Mila as dust tickled her nose. She tugged on a little chain and an overhead bulb glowed dimly. Stooping to avoid hitting her head on the low ceiling, she sat down on a little stack of books. It was peaceful and quiet in the attic.

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The clutter around her made her feel at home. Nothing was shouting “Put me back! Return me to my proper place!�

I wish I lived up here, she thought. I could be the Queen of Clutter! She giggled.

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Mila’s mother is angry with her because she constantly loses things: her mother’s thimble, then her little silver ring, and finally she misplaced her father’s magnifying glass... Mila will carry out a search and discover a completely unexpected reason for the disappearance of these items, and in doing so will make a new friend.

Suddenly, a movement on her right made her stiffen. A small, dark shape was making its way across the floor, dragging something heavy. Mila held her breath as a dormouse emerged from behind some old magazines, lugging a sack bursting at the seams. The dormouse stopped a few inches from Mila’s feet to adjust his tiny, thick spectacles and brush off his patchwork vest.

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