midnight
My dear ones , my little brothers and little sisters , where are your little wings ? '' Some one 's near , sweet-sounding voice answered him : `` You are upon the earth , not in Paradise , and we have no need of wings -- we fly wingless . '' They captivated , bewitched , and caressed him . They showed him all the wonders of the wood under the tree-stumps , the bushes , the dry leaves -- little wood-sprites with rustling little voices , with spider-webby hair , straight ones and hunchbacked ones ; little old men of the wood ; the shadow-sprites and little companion spirits ; bantering little sprites in green coats , midnight ones and daylight ones , grey ones and black ones ; little jokers-pokers with shaggy little paws ; fabulous birds and animals -- everything that is not to be seen in the gloomy , everyday , earthly world . Egorka had a splendid time with the quiet children . He did not notice how a whole week had passed by -- from Friday to Friday . And suddenly he began to long for his mother .