In an ordinary Ukrainian school, where the bell rings for break as loudly as a battle cry, where jam buns are valued more than gold, and a ladle of soup is almost a royal reward, this story began.
Its main hero was an ordinary seventh-grader — Matvii Pasichnyk. He wore a large backpack that always contained three pens, half a sandwich, and one old labor training textbook, on which someone had once written: “Magic exists, just look for it where it smells like PVA glue.”
One cold spring day, when the school lunch consisted of buckwheat with soy sausages, the cook Nila Stepanivna unexpectedly brought out a tray with… pizza. Hot, with a golden crust, with cheese dripping down the sides — it shone in that world like the last hope of humanity. But there was one “but” — there was only one pizza, and only one slice.
Everyone who saw this miracle froze. Then, true madness began.
– These are the Hunger Games in Cafeteria No. 3! — shouted Sashko, the captain of the school football team, standing up on a chair.
The geography teacher, watching everything from behind a glass wall, only shook her head: “Monday again.”
Chapter One: Choosing Champions
The rules were simple. Each class would put forward one participant, and they would fight for the slice of pizza — using intellect, ingenuity, imagination, and all the skills acquired in the labor training classroom.
Matvii, not wanting to be left without lunch, volunteered for 7-B. His opponents were:
- Liza from 9-A, the queen of debates and dark humor.
- Petro from 8-G, who could build a stool out of pencils.
- And, of course, Dima from 6-B, who always carried a slingshot and stickers in his pocket.
Chapter Two: The Magic of Labor Training
Matvii remembered the old note in the textbook. Returning to the labor training classroom, he found a cupboard labeled: “Only for students who believe in the impossible”. Inside was an ordinary-looking box with glue, laces, buttons, and sparkles. And a magical instruction: “Create a device that doesn’t just work, but dreams.”
WOW:
— If I don’t get the slice of pizza, then no one will, — Matvii muttered and set to work.
He assembled a Kleymobot — a tiny golem made of spoons, rubber bands, and a thread spool. The little creature could run, distract opponents, and — most importantly — deliver the pizza.
Chapter Three: Battle in the Cafeteria
The battle began with a crunch — Dima launched a sticker at Petro. Liza conjured a rain of pasta using a homemade spray-gun. And Matvii — he launched the Kleymobot.
The slice of pizza, as if enchanted, began to move across the tables, under trays, and even almost fell into the compote. Tension grew. Everyone lunged at each other, while in a corner of the cafeteria, someone quietly sang the anthem “The one who’s late misses out.”
When it seemed that all was lost and the pizza would fall into the wrong hands, the Kleymobot caught it and delivered it straight into Matvii’s hands.
— I won! — the boy exclaimed. — But I won’t eat it alone!
Chapter Four: A Lesson for Life
Matvii shared the pizza with everyone — even those who had thrown rubber bands at him. His gesture not only made him the hero of the school day but also showed the most important thing: victory is not just about who is first, but about who is kinder.
This is a story about how even in a school cafeteria, epic events can happen; you only need to believe in the magic that lives in old textbooks, glue, and the hearts of students.
