In a toy store lived a Tractor, a Crane, and a Dump Truck. Every night they would drive to a toy construction site and build a toy house, and every morning they would return to their shelves.
One day a boy came into the store with his mother. He liked the tractor so much that he convinced his mother to buy it. The money was given to the cashier, the saleswoman wrapped the toy in a beautiful box and handed it to the boy.
The Crane and Dump Truck said goodbye to the Tractor and became sad.
That night they, as always, drove to the toy construction site, but they couldn't build a house. They missed their friend Tractor very much. The friends were about to return to the shelves when the Dump Truck sighed and said:
How wonderful it would be to be all together again! If only we could find our friend Tractor…
The Crane thought and said:
Why not? We can try!
Try? But how?.. ― the Dump Truck was surprised ― We can't leave the store.
Don't worry, we'll think of something!
The Crane was very tall and very smart. He scratched his cabin with his hook, smiled and said:
Look! Do you see that little window on the door? Our cat Maruska goes outside through it every day. That means we can too!
That's a great idea! ― the Dump Truck was delighted, and they headed to the doors.
The window was quite high, and the toys couldn't jump up and grab its edge, but together they managed even such a difficult task!
The Crane extended his boom, lifted the Dump Truck up and carried him through the window to the outside. Then the Dump Truck slowly and carefully pulled his friend out on a rope. And finally, the little vehicles found themselves on the street. They looked around…
They stood on the sidewalk, and all around them were houses. The Crane and Dump Truck were small, and these houses seemed sooooo big…
When they looked around, the Dump Truck became sad again:
We'll never find the Tractor, because we don't even know where to go or where to look for him in this big city.
Don't be sad, we'll think of something.
As you remember, the Crane was very tall and very smart. He scratched his cabin with his hook, smiled and said:
You know, I heard that all children go to kindergarten! So we need to find a kindergarten and wait for the boy who bought our friend Tractor!
That's right! Let's go to the kindergarten faster, ― the Dump Truck was delighted and started his engine.
But the little vehicles didn't know where the kindergarten was in this city. So they looked to the right, then to the left, and… decided to head toward a traffic light that was blinking somewhere far away, to their right.
As they drove, dawn broke. The first rays of sun appeared over the horizon, and our friends looked with interest at this new world. After all, in their lives they had only seen the factory machines that made them, and the box they were packed in and brought to the store. And, of course, the store itself, where they stood on shelves and became friends.
And they really liked this new world. They rolled along the sidewalk toward a friend they had missed very much. Suddenly the Crane stopped. He saw a kindergarten ahead.
Where? Where? ― asked the Dump Truck, trying to see it too.
Look, over there, on the other side of the street, ― the Crane pointed with his boom, which looked like a very long arm.
Where?
There, behind the trees, ― said the Crane, because he was not only smart but also tall!
No, I don't see it, ― the Dump Truck was upset, ― let's go there faster!
The friends started to cross the road. They had almost reached the middle when they suddenly heard the screech of brakes. They froze in fear!
The wheels of a real big car stopped just a few centimeters from them! A man got out of the car and looked to see what was lying in the middle of the road. He saw two new little vehicles and looked around. But there was no one nearby.
Strange, ― thought the man, ― who could have left them here?
The man was in a hurry to get to work and didn't think long about it. He looked around once more, picked up the vehicles and put them on the back seat.
I'll take them home, my son will be so happy! ― he thought, got behind the wheel and drove on.
The friends drove in the car all day, and then, on some bump, they fell from the back seat to the floor. When the man came home in the evening, he had already forgotten about his find (they weren't visible on the floor) and went home without the vehicles.
How will we get out? ― the Dump Truck grieved. ― We'll never find the boy and the Tractor.
But the Crane thought and said:
In the morning the man will come back, and we'll drive out through the open door. We just need to do it very quickly.
The next morning the man went to work again, and while he was wiping the mirrors and windows of his car, our friends climbed out through the slightly open door onto the street. And quickly hurried to hide on the lawn in the grass.
Soon the man drove away, and the little vehicles looked around.
Look, look, there's the kindergarten! ― the Crane exclaimed happily.
Where? Where? ― the Dump Truck jumped up. ― Let's go there right away!
But it didn't work out fast. The Crane was very tall, and instead of wheels he had caterpillar tracks. He wasn't designed for fast driving. And the path that led to the kindergarten wasn't asphalt, but dirt.
Finally, they drove up to the kindergarten.
Boys and girls were coming to the gate. They walked with their mothers or fathers, and some with their grandmothers or grandfathers. But they didn't see the boy they were looking for. It was time for breakfast, and the boy still hadn't appeared.
He's not here, we'll never find him, ― the Dump Truck became sad again
Maybe we just didn't notice him… Maybe he came earlier, ― the Crane comforted his friend, and began to think. He scratched his cabin with his hook and said:
Let's wait until evening.
That's what they did. They watched very carefully all the children who came and went from the kindergarten. But they never found the boy who bought the Tractor.
In the evening the kindergarten emptied, the gate was closed, and only a lonely lamp burned above the entrance.
It was getting dark. Small clouds appeared in the sky. The friends didn't want to get caught in the rain and get wet, so they looked for a place to hide. The Crane saw that the neighboring house had a roof over the door, and the little vehicles drove to it. The friends made a soft bed out of grass and settled down for the night. The rain began to drizzle. Raindrops pattered on the roof and gently lulled our tired travelers to sleep.
They hugged each other tightly and fell asleep.
And the Tractor?
When the Tractor said goodbye to his friends in the store, he went outside with the boy. The boy didn't let him out of his hands for a second. First they walked along the street, and cars rushed by on the road. "Vroom, vroom," they passed very close.
The boy held his mother's hand with one hand and held the Tractor tightly to himself with the other. Then for some reason they stopped. Mother looked eagerly into the distance, and the boy examined his new toy.
Misha, let's go, our bus is coming, ― said mother.
"So your name is Misha, ― thought the Tractor, ― now we've met!»
Then they rode on this bus for a long time. The bus moved forward, then turned, then stopped altogether, and some people got on or off. Finally, mother and Misha got off too. Then they walked a bit more along the street, turned into a courtyard and approached a large metal door.
Something beeped, and they moved forward. But ahead of them was another door. Everyone stood for a moment, and suddenly the door split in the middle and slid apart. Misha and his mother went inside.
The Tractor had never seen such a small room… He didn't have time to look around when suddenly the room started moving. The Tractor was about to be scared, but Misha was so calm that the Tractor decided: there's no need to worry. And indeed, soon the doors opened with a noise again, and Misha and his mother got out (You probably guessed this was an elevator). Finally, mother opened the last door with a key, and they all went into the apartment.
Misha immediately ran to his room to play with his new toy.
When he rolled the Tractor across the floor, sofa, bed, wall and table, he decided to take him to the gas station, and then went to build a house from blocks, and then… And then mother called him to dinner. And then it was time for bed.
Of course, Misha went to sleep with his new toy. To be honest, he was so tired that he fell asleep very quickly. But the Tractor couldn't sleep, and he began to examine the room and its inhabitants.
Misha had a lot of toys. A whole cabinet! Blocks, dishes, cars, dolls, and a big rocking horse. And on the armchair sat a big furry bear.
Excuse me, sorry, ― came a voice from below, ― could you move a little bit, my corner is bent.
At first the Tractor didn't understand. But the voice sounded again, more insistently:
Excuse me, could you move a little bit, my corner is bent!
The Tractor looked around again, and then he noticed that he was lying on a pillow. And this pillow's corner really was bent.
I'm sorry, ― answered the Tractor and moved a little further.
Thank you, ― said the Pillow, ― You are, I see, Misha's new toy.
Yes, I was just bought today.
Welcome! Misha is a very good boy. He loves his toys and plays with them so carefully that it seems soon the whole room will be filled with his toy friends! Would you like me to introduce you to everyone?
Of course, I would be very grateful!
The Pillow introduced the Tractor to the room's inhabitants. Everyone greeted him and began to ask where and how he was bought. The Tractor happily told his story. When he spoke about his friends the Crane and Dump Truck, he suddenly felt so sad… He thought he would never see them again. Then a little doll named Natasha decided to cheer up the newcomer and asked:
Please give me a ride in your bucket. That must be so cool!
With pleasure, ― answered the Tractor and picked up the little doll with his big bucket.
The Tractor drove back and forth around the room, spun in place, lifted the bucket with the doll high up, and Natasha laughed loudly.
Then a Tumbler doll rolled off the shelf and called everyone to dance. Petrushka played the accordion, the soldiers beat the drums, the Bear and Bunny took tambourines, and the Matryoshka dolls spun in a merry circle dance. Everyone became very happy.
The little vehicles spun in place, the dolls clapped their hands, and the Elephant got so carried away that he accidentally knocked a box of blocks off the shelf… The blocks fell to the floor with a crash! The toys froze and jumped back to their places.
Misha snorted and turned from one side to the other. The Tractor patted him on the head, and the Pillow quietly sang him a lullaby. Silence fell. The toys looked at each other, smiled and also went to sleep…
The next day Misha got sick and didn't go to kindergarten. That's why the Crane and Dump Truck couldn't find him. The Tractor played with Misha all day and had no idea that his friends were looking for him somewhere.
Yes, of course, our friends ― the Crane and Dump Truck… They fell asleep right on the porch of the house.
All the people hurried to their apartments and didn't pay attention to the sleeping vehicles by the wall. And only one man stopped, shook the raindrops off his umbrella, and… the vehicles heard a familiar voice:
Oh, how did you end up here? I forgot you in the car… Strange, very strange…
The man picked up the toys and put them in his bag. When he came home, a little boy ran out to meet him:
Dad, dad, you're home!
Hello, Misha. I have a surprise for you! ― and the man took the Crane and Dump Truck out of his bag. ― I found them on the road. I don't know how they got there. Here, now they'll live with you.
Misha was very happy. But the Crane and Dump Truck were even happier when they recognized the very boy who had bought the Tractor in the store! And how happy the Tractor was when he saw his friends!
Our little vehicle friends were very happy because they met and were together again!
