When this story took place—nobody remembers or knows. And whether it happened at all—that too remains a great mystery. In short, it could have happened anywhere and anytime.
In an old-fashioned house, in a dark cellar lived four little mice: Zhulya, Zhuzha, Musya, and Masya. Zhuzha and Zhulya were the most ordinary gray mice, while Masya and Musya were unlike them: their fur was white.
The gray sisters Zhulya and Zhuzha did not feel love for their unusually colored sisters, because they were not like everyone else.
They are most likely not our real sisters; they were left on our doorstep.
The sisters constantly said.
But this was not the only reason they disliked them. Every time the little mice went out to collect crumbs or treat themselves to something tasty, or simply to run and play around the big house, they immediately became targets for the master's black cat Basil.
Before the sisters could sneak through, the cat was already there, waiting and watching with his cunning bead-like eyes for the white sisters, frightening the others. They decided to separate and not leave their burrow all together.
At first the white sisters felt hurt, but then they accepted it and began to venture out of the cellar on their own. They were scared, because Basil could appear at any moment. But curiosity and a thirst for adventure drove away the fear.
While exploring the house, they came into an interesting unusual room that was filled with toys. The sisters were so fascinated by the toys that they did not hear a girl with a black cat in her arms enter the room.
The girl's name was Nadia, and the cat, already familiar to them, was Basil. Nadia was also confused, because she had never seen white mice before, and such curious and fearless ones at that.
Thus, Masya, Musya, Nadia, and Basil became friends. Every morning the sisters ran to their new friends; they enjoyed spending time together. And the gray sisters grew to dislike Masya and Musya even more, because the cat Basil began to hunt only them.
One New Year's Eve, the white mice went to Nadia, while Zhuzha and Zhulya stayed home in the cellar. Loud unfamiliar sounds from above gave them no peace. Curiosity overcame them, and they decided to see what was happening up there. And as luck would have it, they met the cat on the way.
Basil pounced on the mice and grabbed them by their gray fur. The cat loved it when his owners praised him. He brought the mice to the adults, but in the New Year's bustle they had no time for him, so the cat put the mice in a cage.
The time to make wishes and open presents was drawing closer. Nadia with Masya and Musya came down to the Christmas tree. Under the tree there were so many presents! Nadia had prepared gifts for her friends too, because on New Year's Eve everyone should have a present.
But what's this? On the table in a cage sit Zhuzha and Zhulya. And no matter how much the sisters disliked each other, no matter how many reproaches they had heard, they were still sisters. They felt so sorry for them!
Dear Nadia, please do us a special favor: let our dear sisters go!
Zhuzha and Zhulya squeaked in unison.
Nadia was a kind and good girl, and she granted her friends' request.
Their joy knew no bounds. Four little sisters whirled in a dance, pulling Nadia and Basil with them.
From that time on, the sister mice never quarreled or parted. Now all four of them would visit Nadia and the cat Basil together.
