Once upon a time there lived a cat named Bonya and a little fox named Sonya. They lived in the forest, near a birch grove. They loved cleanliness and order very much.
One day, Bonya and Sonya went to a clearing to have a picnic and play in the fresh air. But when they arrived, they were very frightened and surprised: rubbish was scattered everywhere! Sweet wrappers, juice and chip packets, plastic bottles and cups, tin cans, scraps and bits of paper covered the entire ground. Their mood was ruined by all this dirt. Even the bright spring sunshine no longer brought joy…
This is absolutely disgusting! ― exclaimed Sonya.
The two of us can't handle such a mountain of rubbish! ― said Bonya sadly.
Sonya and Bonya decided to call the forest animals for help. They went to the wolf.
Wolf, we need your help! Our beautiful green clearing is very dirty, and it needs to be cleaned up and cleared of rubbish!
I've been chasing rabbits and I'm very tired, ― said the wolf, ― and besides, the clearing is of no use to me.
Then Bonya and Sonya went to the bear.
Grandfather Bear, our clearing is buried in rubbish, we urgently need to tidy it up!
Oh, I'm already too old for this, ― answered the bear.
The cat and the little fox decided to go to the rabbits.
Dear Mrs Rabbit! Your little ones love to play on the forest clearing! Help us clean it of rubbish!
Dear girls, I would be happy to help you, but I have a large family and so many household chores, ― said the rabbit and hopped away to her burrow.
Sonya and Bonya wandered through the forest for a long time, hoping for help from the forest creatures. But everyone was either busy or simply didn't want to get dirty. Bonya sat down on a tree stump and cried bitterly.
How can we handle such a mountain of rubbish? This was our favourite clearing! We loved playing there on the grass, picking flowers, looking for the first mushrooms after the rain… And now all this beauty will be destroyed! Rubbish decomposes and kills everything living!
Just then, a little squirrel came bounding up.
Hello! I happened to hear that you want to clean up the rubbish on the clearing! I know how to help you: on the edge of the forest lives the Old Forest Keeper, he's a wizard! He always finds a way out of difficult situations!
Thank you, little squirrel! ― said the girls and set off to find the Old Forest Keeper.
They walked for a long time ― through a pine forest, around a daisy field ― and finally saw by the river a little old man in a green coat, a red cap and yellow gloves.
Hello, Grandfather! ― greeted him Sonya and Bonya.
Hello, girls! ― replied the old man.
Is it true that you can help in any trouble?
I can, ― answered the Forest Keeper sadly, ― but in return you will help me!
The old man told them that this was his beloved river, but now it had become very dirty because of the rubbish that people scatter. And he really needed the help of noble girls to make the forest and river clean. Of course, Sonya and Bonya agreed, because this river flows near their beloved clearing too. Very soon all the rubbish would be carried to them by the current.
I will give you magic bins. With their help, you will be able to collect the rubbish and sort it for removal and proper recycling.
The Old Forest Keeper struck his magic staff on the ground, and four bins appeared on the riverbank: one for plastic, one for glass, one for paper and one for general waste.
Thank you very much, Old Forest Keeper! You've helped us so much! ― said the girls and got to work.
Sonya and Bonya collected rubbish for a long time, sorting it into the right bins. They cleaned day and night, until the river, and then the clearing, were completely cleaned up.
When the work was finished, all the forest animals came running to have fun on the clean green clearing.
So the cat Bonya and the little fox Sonya made the forest clean, and all its inhabitants understood that they needed to keep things tidy and orderly! And from that day on, they never refused to help Sonya and Bonya.
