Once upon a time in the forest lived a bear family: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and their little son, a bear cub named Mishka. One day, Papa and Mama Bear set off into the forest to gather berries and pine cones for winter, and before they left, they told Mishka: "We're going away for the whole day, so mind yourself, wait for us at home and don't go anywhere beyond the yard!" And off they went into the forest.
Mishka sat at home for a while, but the sun outside was calling to him so much that he decided to go out and play in the yard. He rolled around in the grass and basked in the sunshine. He spotted a butterfly on a flower, crept up to catch it, but it fluttered away and landed on another flower. He jumped after it again, but it flew even further away.
Mishka chased the butterfly and chased it, but didn't notice how far from home he'd gone until he suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar part of the forest.
The little bear got frightened and ran about the clearing, looking around but couldn't see his home anywhere. He called and called for his mum, but no one heard him. Then Mishka sat down under a tree and cried bitterly.
At that moment, a sharp-nosed mosquito was flying through the forest. He saw the bear cub sitting under the tree. The mosquito was delighted, thinking he'd bite the cub on the nose and have a good meal. But just as he flew up to Mishka and was about to bite his nose, he saw that the bear was crying and wiping away tears. The mosquito felt sorry for Mishka and decided to ask why he was so upset.
Why are you crying, flat-foot?
How can I not cry, little mosquito! I've gotten lost! I ran away from home chasing a butterfly and got lost in the forest. You fly high—can you go up and look around? Maybe you'll spot my little house!
The mosquito flew upwards, flying and flying, but started to get tired. The tall fir and pine trees in the forest made it hard to fly higher. Just then, a nimble sparrow flew by. He saw the mosquito and thought about eating the insect.
He'd just opened his beak to swallow it when the mosquito cried out: "Wait! Don't eat me, sparrow! Help me find Mishka's house instead—I'm too tired to fly any higher!"
The sparrow looked down and saw Mishka sitting and crying. He decided to help. He flew higher than the pines and firs, looked around, and spotted Mishka's little house. Then he flew back down to the bear cub and chirped: "Follow me, Mishka! I'll show you where your house is!"
The bear cub rushed after the sparrow, running and running until he burst out onto the clearing near his home. His parents were already back from the forest and were looking for him. When he saw them, he cried out with joy: "Mum, Dad, I'm here!" His parents hugged him tightly: "You frightened us, Mishka the Lost Bear. Don't go into the forest alone again—listen to your mum and dad, or something bad might happen!"
Mishka promised them that from now on he would always listen to his parents. And the mosquito and sparrow became his friends from that day on.
