Once upon a time there lived a kitten named Barsik. He was still very small and quite amusing. From morning till evening, his little black fluffy tail would dart here and there. With his pink nose, he was constantly sniffing about, as if afraid he might miss something interesting.
Barsik especially loved climbing trees. He would scramble up a tree and look down from above to see what was happening on the ground below. And there was plenty of interesting things happening...
Sometimes a flock of timid sparrows would come flying from nowhere and scatter across the yard searching for food, which greatly displeased the rooster Pete. When these unexpected guests appeared, he would cluck so loudly that even old cat Vasily, who had been dozing under the currant bush, would open his eyes. Upon seeing the sparrows, he would instantly transform into a real hunter.
Vasily would begin slowly creeping towards the birds that had let their guard down, preparing to pounce. But it was no use: at the sight of the cat, the sparrows, as if caught by a whirlwind, would soar upwards and disappear from view... Then a dog named Nedotroga would crawl out of his kennel and, arching his back, would stretch, extending his front paws and opening his mouth wide, from which terrifying fangs protruded.
Barsik felt uneasy even when he was at such a safe distance from the fearsome dog. The little one always tried to stay far away from the dog's kennel, thinking that would be safer. After all, who knows what might come into the angry dog's head!
And Nedotroga got angry about anything, especially he was cross with the pesky and impudent flies that often bothered him, not letting him enjoy the shade on summer days... And then a hen would run across the yard with loud clucking...
Barsik, hiding behind a branch, would watch what was happening below for a long time, until he got bored. Then his gaze would turn to the sky. Clouds driven by a mischievous wind raced across it. Barsik would follow them intently until they disappeared somewhere in the distance.
He very much wanted to befriend some little cloud, even the tiniest one. After all, everyone knows that the power of friendship doesn't depend on whether you're big or very tiny!
But the clouds didn't notice Barsik, and this made the little one feel sad and lonely. Neither the blue tits, nor the beautiful butterflies circling over the flower bed, nor the chatty magpies that sometimes landed on the tree to rest—no one paid any attention to the kitten.
Will I never have any friends?
Barsik would sigh sadly and climb down from the tree.
One wonderful morning, Barsik, as usual, slipped out of the house and set off in search of new adventures, though his limited life experience tried its best to keep the restless kitten away from the troubles he had already encountered more than once in the yard.
Walking through the garden, he heard an unfamiliar buzzing sound coming from the flower bed where fragrant phlox bloomed abundantly. Barsik became alert, but curiosity proved stronger than fear. Carefully approaching the flowers, he saw many little bees circling over the phlox.
It seemed to the kitten that the bees were playing a merry game of tag, and he decided, without hesitation, to join them. He crept up to the flowers and reached out his paw to one of the bees. But she, getting angry, stung the little one painfully right on his pink nose.
The poor thing, mewing pitifully, rushed headlong to his shelter: he quickly scrambled up an old birch tree and hid in its thick foliage, afraid of being chased. Once he had calmed down, Barsik dared to look down.
And suddenly he noticed a small greyish creature, poking its head out of a burrow and looking around fearfully. Barsik, forgetting everything in the world, tumbled down from the tree and found himself face to face with the stranger. The stranger froze in surprise.
Who are you?
Asked Barsik, looking over the stranger.
A little mouse. Will you eat me?
The little one stammered.
Why do you think that?
My mum told me that cats eat mice.
The little mouse sighed hopelessly.
Well, but I don't want to eat you at all. Let's play instead, because I'm bored being alone.
Barsik offered.
Let's!
The little mouse rejoiced.
And Barsik and his new friend began to frolic. They didn't notice how evening came. The friends parted with regret, agreeing to meet again the next morning.
Barsik was so happy that he finally had a real friend that he couldn't sleep for a long time and could hardly wait for dawn. With the first rays of the sun, he was already in the yard. Soon the little mouse appeared, but not alone... He had brought his brothers. What a time they had!
It turned out that life in the world is so good when you have friends nearby, even if they are so small.
When Barsik grew up and became a big and strong cat, he continued to be friends with the mice and wouldn't let anyone hurt them. He often had to fight with other cats who, upon seeing a mouse, would immediately chase after the poor thing.
And why are they so foolish? Can't one live in harmony?
Barsik would wonder.
Curling up into a ball, he would lie on the porch, enjoying the warm rays of the sun, and would purr with pleasure. And when Barsik fell asleep, he would dream of his little grey friends, with whom he felt so good.
