Spring this year promised to be late and rainy. Heavy grey clouds slowly drifted over the clearing that spread out in the middle of the old forest.
The edge of the clearing had long been known to the forest residents, as it was the noisiest place — the forest dump. There was everything here: old rusty cans, torn automobile tires, broken glass, boxes of construction debris, fragments of once exquisite and expensive furniture, and other products of life activity. The local residents had become so accustomed to this dump that they even met near it, discussing forest news.
So on this overcast morning, at the edge of the dump, old Grandpa Hedgehog and young Squirrel met. Hedgehog was dragging a leg of an expensive chair from the dump, thinking as he went about how he would prop up the sagging roof of his burrow with his find. Squirrel, meanwhile, cheerfully jumping along the branches, descended to the ground to add rubbish to the dump: two pinecones.
Hello, Grandpa Hedgehog.
Squirrel greeted him.
Good morning, Squirrel.
Hedgehog replied.
Littering again?
Yes, the hollow is stuffed with old pinecones after winter. Mum asked me to take them out to the rubbish.
Squirrel answered.
Soon the forest will be buried in rubbish. The dump keeps getting bigger.
Old Hedgehog grumbled.
But Mum said that soon there won't be a dump.
And how can that be done?
Hedgehog was surprised.
A Crow flew by and said that soon there will be elections to the Forest Parliament. And today messengers will arrive — candidates who will tell us how to make our forest better.
Squirrel joyfully reported, tossing the pinecones onto a pile of dried twigs, sticks, and rotten bark.
Crows, those chatterboxes who are always flying around the forest cawing for nothing. I remember how at the last election they cawed so much at us that Auntie Fox's ears became longer than her friend Bunny's from all the promises.
Hedgehog chuckled.
No, these are new crows, and one of them even gave Mum a green apple. But although it was big and beautiful, it was sour.
Squirrel interrupted Hedgehog.
What, she just gave the apple away?
Hedgehog was surprised.
And Mum also said that today at noon they're coming to the clearing to tell us about themselves. Mum has already hopped through the trees warning the animals. Everyone will gather, it'll be so much fun!
Squirrel rejoiced.
Yes, fun. I won't go home then, why crawl back and forth, I'll stay here. Worth having a look at these candidates, and maybe this year they'll actually clear the dump.
Wise Hedgehog said.
Hedgehog hid the chair leg under last year's leaves and lay down on top. During the conversation with Squirrel, Hedgehog hadn't noticed how forest residents had begun gathering in the clearing.
First to jump into the clearing were the young rabbits, who had far outpaced Papa Rabbit and Mama Bunny. The parents could barely keep up with the children, pushing a pram with babies born in winter ahead of them.
Mum, Dad, come here. Let's sit here, on this side of the rubbish pile. There are so many pinecones here!
The young rabbits shouted.
At that time, from the other side of the clearing, a family of beavers was approaching. At the front strode the head of the family — Beaver. Behind him floated smoothly, unhurriedly, the imposing Beaver Wife, and then a dozen beaver children.
After some time, red tails flashed among the trees. Stepping softly on the thawing ground, Mama Fox arrived at the clearing with three fox cubs.
The forest residents gathered, noisily discussing the upcoming event and the news accumulated over winter. At that time, the first messenger appeared in the sky. A grey nimble crow sharply descended from the heavens, perched on a branch, and cawed loudly:
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome our guests!
High in the sky above the forest edge, a flock of crows appeared. Over the clearing, the crows sharply descended, made a victory lap over the forest residents, causing delight among the little ones, and landed right on the dump.
We greet you, forest residents. We've heard about your problem, about this old smelly dump. We know how to solve it! Vote for us, and there won't be a trace of the dump left!
Cawed a plump crow with a green tie around its neck.
Yes indeed, won't be a trace left. We've heard something like this before, and more than once.
Hedgehog grumbled.
Yes, we want this. We're sick of the dump. The sooner the better. We don't even have anywhere to play.
The little rabbits shouted under the approving exclamations of Papa Rabbit and Mama Bunny.
Yes, yes, there won't be a trace of the dump left. We only think about how to make life in the forest happy. Just vote for us, and everything in life will change.
The crow in the red tie cawed in support.
The dump smells terrible, it's so unaesthetic.
Fox supported the conversation.
There are many other places in the forest where you, honourable crows, can help the forest residents.
The red one continued, licking her lips and slyly glancing at the candidates for parliament.
I guarantee you, you're seeing this dump for the last time. I promise you that today my team and I will tear it apart piece by piece. I'll build playgrounds for your children, I'll plant flowers everywhere! I..I..I…
A black crow in glasses shouted loudest of all and fussed about at the very top of the dump.
Wow, he's really going on, even I can hear it. Should ask him to clean out the dam while he's at it.
Beaver turned to Beaver Wife.
Yes, yes, and they'll build a slide for the beaver children too, but they promise and promise.
Beaver Wife agreed.
While Beaver and Beaver Wife dreamed, the forest residents listened enthusiastically with mouths agape to the crow chorus. And the more promises rang out over the clearing, the more wound up the crows became. It already seemed to the crows that the forest residents understood who was capable of solving all the forest problems.
And now, we want to treat the children and you, our beloved voters.
The black crow shouted. And his entire flock began handing out apples. While the forest residents rushed to grab the free gifts, the Crow in glasses turned to his colleague in the red tie and with a cunning squint of brazen eyes clicked his beak: "Job done. These ones are ours!"
Suddenly the noise and hubbub in the clearing was drowned out by the crack of branches. A huge brown bear emerged from the forest.
What's going on here?
The bear growled discontentedly.
The local residents instantly fell silent, and the brazen talkative crows were taken aback.
Hanging your election nonsense again?
The bear grabbed a hefty branch, the size of a small tree, and the crow flock instantly and with discontented noise flew up over the clearing.
If you wanted to, you would have cleaned it up long ago, instead of adding rubbish with apple cores.
Just then Mama Squirrel arrived, who saw the departing flock of parliamentary candidates and the voters finishing their apples and throwing the cores on the ground, not even carrying them to the rubbish pile. Gradually the forest residents dispersed. Old Grandpa Hedgehog collected the apple cores on his spines and carried them to the rubbish pile. The election campaign had passed, but there would be much more interesting things ahead.
