On a bright autumn day, when the sun was shining warmly, a boy went into the forest to pick mushrooms. He wandered among the trees for a long time, searching the clearings for mushrooms, and filled his basket to the brim. But he didn't notice how far he had wandered from the forest path.
Hello-o-o-o! Hello-o-o-o!
The boy shouted at the top of his lungs, but no one heard him.
Only the echo answered back:
O-o-o-o! O-o-o-o!
The boy sat down on a stump and began to cry bitterly, thinking that he didn't know how he would find his way home or get out of this unfamiliar part of the forest. Suddenly, as if from beneath the ground, a small man appeared before him. Short in stature, wearing a white shirt, tied with a birch bark belt and a wide straw hat, he looked with interest at the crying boy. This was a real forest spirit who guards the forest and cares for the trees and bushes.
Don't cry, lad. I'm a forest dweller, and I'll help you and show you how to get back to the path. But you must fulfil one condition for me.
Tell me what to do, I'm ready!
Said the boy.
You need to do three good deeds. As soon as you fulfil my condition, call for me right away.
Answered the forest spirit.
The boy was surprised:
Is that all? Alright! Just don't go far, I'll be back in a jiffy.
Before the boy could look around, the forest spirit vanished as suddenly as he had appeared. He jumped up and quickly walked along the path to fulfil the unexpected visitor's condition.
Along the way, he met a young deer who was tangled in the branches of a thick bush.
Please help me, boy! I'm stuck tight and can't get out by myself.
I haven't got time to fuss with you, I'm in a hurry. I need to do a good deed as quickly as possible. Goodbye, young deer!
Said the boy.
The boy continued along the path and saw a baby bird that had fallen from its nest, chirping pitifully, while its parents circled above, not knowing what to do.
Please help us, dear boy! Put the chick back in the nest...
I can't, I'm in a hurry to do good deeds.
The boy didn't want to help the birds.
Winding along the forest path, the boy met a hedgehog who, on his way home, had dropped all his mushrooms and berries.
Boy, help me collect the mushrooms and berries onto my spines. I've been walking for ages and I'm tired, so my spines couldn't hold everything I'd gathered.
He asked.
Sorry, hedgehog, I can't help you, I'm in a real hurry! I'm looking for good deeds to do. You'll just have to manage on your own somehow...
And he walked on, unwilling to help the hedgehog.
After walking a few metres, the boy saw the forest spirit sitting on an old stump. The guardian of nature asked him:
What's all this then? You really couldn't manage to do a single good deed? Nobody needed your help or cleverness?
And the boy answered:
You see, forest spirit, here's the thing... I was in such a hurry to fulfil your condition, but I kept getting distracted, and I just couldn't manage to do any good deeds. Turns out they're not so easy to find. And where would I find them? There's nothing but forest and trees all around.
Where to find them, you ask? Well, why didn't you help the birds, or pull the young deer out of the thicket, or help the hedgehog collect his mushrooms and berries? Isn't that helping? Good deeds aren't grand gestures—they're helping those who truly need it.
The boy fell silent, thought for a moment, turned around, and ran back the way he'd come. On the path, he found the hedgehog and helped him stick his harvest onto his spines, placed the little chick back in its nest to the relief of its worried parents, and helped the young deer untangle itself from the thick bushes.
After that, the forest dweller appeared before the boy again, handed him his basket of mushrooms, and helped him find his way out of the forest thicket.
The boy returned home and didn't tell anyone what had happened, but he never again went looking for good deeds—instead, he tried to help everyone who needed his help.
