What the wind has said

I often see my friends. We make barbecue or parties together. My friends always are all ears to listen to my new short stories, fairytales and parables. Sometimes my stories are merry, sometimes sad. One of my parables I would like to tell to my new friends, who are coming up in greater numbers lately

    What the wind has said

Once the squirrel and hedgehog met each other in the wood under the big birch.
-Hi, squirrel! – the hedgehog said.
-Hi there, hedgehog! – the squirrel answered.
-How are you doing, squirrel? – the hedgehog asked.
-I am ok, thank you. – the squirrel replied. – Soon I will be preparing for winter: I must gather mushrooms and nuts. So, how are you doing, hedgehog?
-I am ok, too. – the hedgehog answered. – I am preparing for winter, too: I eat much food and get weight. I feel so good!
-We have a wonderful wood, it is so fertile! – the squirrel said being proud of it.
-Your truth – the hedgehog agreed.
The breeze flew over the tops of the trees and began to rustle by the birch leaves.
-Only the birch does no good in our wood – the hedgehog noted and pointed to the birch trunk which had the white curly bark.
-You are right, - the squirrel agreed. – There are no mushrooms and nuts on it… Useless tree.
-Yeeeeaah – the hedgehog grumbled thoughtfully. – And there are no apples and berries on it as well … Absolutely useless tree. The only advantage - it has a good shadow in the hot sunny day: it is not too thick as under the oak, and not too small as under the wild ash.
The wind still has been playing by the birch leaves as if by hair locks, and pulling back the flexible branches as if was calling to dance.
Saying goodbye to each other, the squirrel and hedgehog went to do their own things. Once at the end of summer the hedgehog was going along the wood searching for the wild apples and suddenly he saw the squirrel. It was running fussy around the low fresh stump.
Hi, squirrel! What have you lost there? – the hedgehog greeted the squirrel joyfully.
-Ah, hedgehog! Where is our birch? – the squirrel was crying. – I came here in order to dry gathered mushrooms on the branches, but there is no birch anymore! Look! Only the stump left! – the squirrel having tears in the eyes pointed at the stump which still has been giving the fresh scent of the birch. The hedgehog dropped the wild apple out of the paws and sat down.
-It is a disaster! – the hedgehog terrified. – The birch is cut!
-What will we do without it ?! – the squirrel was screaming. – Where will I dry my mushrooms?! Only this birch had the most flexible branches!
- Woe's me! woe's me! – the hedgehog bewailed running around the birch stump. – Where will I find such soft and delicate leaves?
The hedgehog and squirrel were crying for long sitting on the birch stump, they could do nothing, they couldn’t recover the tree.
-I will famishing in winter, - the squirrel was shedding tears. – There is a bad crop of nuts in the wood this year, and no place to dry mushrooms!
-I will famishing in winter, too, - the hedgehog was wailing. – I will not find such soft, warm and sweet leaves for my winter blanket!
Suddenly the wind arose making voices over their heads and said:
-There was the birch, but you didn't appreciate its value. Maybe now you will understand that a little but true good is always more valuable than a big but incidental favour.



Copyright ©2012 by Kseniya Malakhova
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