Days passed one after another, the animals lived their usual lives, noticing no changes after the visit to their forest by the crow-deputies. But then one night a storm raged through the forest. Lightning flashed in the sky, torrential rain poured down. Furious streams of water rushed into the forest, destroying everything in their path. They uprooted trees, washed out ravines, broke bushes. By morning the lightning stopped flashing. The storm had passed.
The sun broke free from the embrace of wet clouds, and streams of light poured into the water-washed forest. On branches torn off by the storm, dewdrops glistened, and grass that had been flattened by the strong wind rose up again. A solitary raindrop rolled down the black bark of a dried thin twig and paused at its tip, ready to fall at any moment. The droplet shone, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow.
The little animals began cautiously emerging from their homes and watched with horror the scene of destruction before their eyes. This prompted them to decide to gather again in the clearing to discuss the pressing issue of the garbage dump and the elimination of the storm's aftermath.
Dejected and upset, the forest dwellers made their way to the edge of the clearing for the meeting. And what did they see there? The garbage, scattered by the wind and washed away by the rain, had spread even further and now occupied twice as much area as before. Panic gripped the animals, but Wolf, the brave and swift pack leader, proposed that they actively take matters into their own hands to restore order, without hoping for outside help.
At that moment, intermittent snuffling and rustling sounds came from under a pile of garbage, and everyone fell silent. A couple of seconds later, from a heap of thrown branches and dry leaves, old Grandfather Hedgehog crawled out, all dirty and tired. The animals were stunned, and Little Fox rushed to shake off from his quills the small dry twigs, pinecones, and all the other debris that had stuck to his spines as Hedgehog climbed out of the pile.
Grandfather Hedgehog looked thoughtful and puzzled.
He told the forest dwellers:
Deep under the garbage lies something big and sparkling, heavy and mysterious. Help me get it out!
The little animals became curious—what could it be?! The Boars came to Hedgehog's aid. With their snouts and tusks, they handled the task without much effort. In less than a couple of minutes, they extracted from under the pile of garbage an ancient huge mirror in a solid oak frame, on carved turned legs. The animals gasped! What a wonder! What a find!
The mirror was very, very dirty, but the Raccoons volunteered to clean and wash it. Carefully washing and drying the mirror thoroughly, the Raccoons handed it to wise Hedgehog. And now the mirror sparkled and shone with cleanliness and freshness, without a single smudge or spot, appearing before the crowd's gaze.
Seeing such beauty, the forest dwellers gathered at the meeting unanimously decided to install the mirror on one of the stumps in the middle of the clearing. So that everyone who passed by could see the mirror and admire its beauty. No sooner said than done!
The day was drawing to a close, evening time was approaching. The animals decided to go home, but suddenly, from the thick branches of the tallest tree came: "Hoo-oo, hoo-oo!" The old and wise Owl had awakened. She called out again in a drawn-out voice: "Hoo-oo, hoo-oo!" and, casting an attentive glance with her huge, saucer-like eyes downward, noticed both the crowd of animals and the mirror installed on the stump in the middle of the clearing.
Flapping her wings, Owl made a circle over the clearing and landed on the stump where the mirror stood. Surveying all those gathered with a keen and meaningful gaze, she raised her right wing upward, drawing special attention to herself.
Owl-Big Head delivered a speech:
Four years ago, on the eve of the election campaign, this mirror played a decisive role in the elections to the forest parliament. It can unerringly show who will be lucky. And to do this, one must look into it and deliver speeches related to the obligations taken on before the voters.
And what began then! Each of those gathered suddenly felt special, worthy of being a candidate for deputy. A huge line formed to make promises before the mirror.
Wolf came out first. Feeling the support of the pack behind him, he squared his shoulders, removed the bestial snarl from his face, and said as politely as possible:
Gentlemen, I consider myself the most worthy candidate in this election. I am capable of solving all current issues and problems of the forest dwellers, I am the strongest and most powerful, trust me and you will live beautifully.
And from the mirror suddenly looked back at him... Bear.
Next came Fox. She glanced at herself in the mirror, fluffed her tail, raised her ears, smiled sweetly, and began to speak, as if singing:
If you elect me, I will organize a chicken coop here. The chickens will clear away the garbage dump and start laying golden eggs for us. And each of you will live fuller and richer lives. I will do everything possible to ensure you all a comfortable life and old age. So that at the end of your life's journey, none of you will lack for anything. Just vote for me, and your life will change for the better!
Fox glanced once more into the mirror and recoiled from it in horror, because she saw in it not her own reflection, but again the reflection of... Bear.
And at that moment she was already being pushed aside by the next speaker, and it was Peacock. He spread his tail of unusual beauty, raised his elegant head upward, thrust out his chest. And before beginning his speech, he spent several more minutes admiring his own reflection in the antique mirror.
Friends, beauty, as you all know, is a terrible force, beauty will save the world! I promise you I will restore order to the forest, make everything beautiful and bright. Together we will set up cozy recreation areas for children and adults, hang lanterns throughout the forest to illuminate hard-to-reach places. After all, everything should be beautiful and colorful, which is what we lack in everyday life. Vote for me, and you will have happiness and grace.
He began.
Peacock looked into the mirror again and... oh horror! There appeared the reflection of Bear...
Evening was falling. Twilight from the depths of the forest was advancing on the clearing where the meeting was taking place. The animals were a bit tired from these debates. They no longer knew which of the candidates to believe and which not to. And each of the speakers was firmly convinced that he had made a worthy impression on the electorate.
Consumed by their thoughts, each side didn't even notice how a shadow appeared from the thornbush thickets, and someone began slowly, with heavy but confident steps, to advance toward the clearing. The crack of a branch brought all the animals out of their stupor; in the silence, the sound of the broken branch rang out especially loudly. Looking around at the noise, they saw Brown Bear approaching them.
Well, what? Had your say?
He growled with displeasure.
Admired yourselves in the mirror? Ha-ha-ha! And you, foolish beasts, listened to all this, nodded along, agreed. And...? So here's the thing, you've all had your moment of glory here and that's enough! I'm taking the mirror, you have no more business fooling around here. You all saw who was constantly reflected in it, didn't you? Which means the power and authority will be in my paws finally and irrevocably! Remember, only I, Brown Bear, am the brightest and most worthy representative of power.
The silent scene didn't last long. The animals realized that this decision was not up for discussion, and calmly dispersed to their homes. And the uncleared pile of garbage still lies in the forest clearing, only growing larger in size.
