At the edge of a village, in a brick house, lived a girl named Ira with her mother. The village was located not far from a large city and the surroundings were picturesque. In the dense forest grew many mushrooms, and in the meadow in front of the forest one could pick wild strawberries. A small stream that flowed along the edge of the village emptied into a small lake where ducks loved to swim, and even two snow-white swans would visit. That's why many vacationers loved to come to their village on weekends.
One day, Mother asked Ira to bring medicine and necessary groceries to her grandmother. Ira's grandmother lived in a village beyond the forest and it wasn't very far to walk.
Mother:
Ira, dear, Grandmother is feeling poorly. Run through the forest and bring her the medicine.
Ira:
Mom, I really don't want to! My favourite cartoon is about to start, and then my friends and I were planning to go to the lake.
Mother:
Go on, it won't take long, and when you return, you can definitely go for a walk with your friends.
Ira put on her favourite polka-dot rubber boots, her pink raincoat, took the medicine and left the house. She had to walk through a field, then a bit through the forest, along the stream, past the lake. She was already halfway across the field when she heard:
Mouse:
Girl, help me! Someone threw a package and it blocked the entrance to my burrow. My little mice are inside and they'll perish without me.
Ira:
Oh, Mouse, I have to hurry to Grandmother's, or I won't be able to get back to my friends in time.
But Ira bent down, removed the package and continued on. She approached the forest edge and heard someone groaning:
Birch Tree:
Hello, girl, don't be frightened, it's me – the birch tree. Help me, please. People collected sap from me in spring, made cuts and drove nails in. It hurts me, my sap keeps flowing out, and it's like blood for me. I could die.
Ira:
Forgive me, Birch, I'm in a hurry!
But Ira felt sorry for the birch tree. With difficulty, she pulled out the large nails from the trunk and continued on.
Ira:
I'll pick some flowers for Grandmother!
Oak:
Don't do that, girl, don't pick the flowers! By the time you reach Grandmother's, they will wilt, and many of the flowers you want to gather in a bouquet are already rare in our forest.
Ira thought about the Oak's words and decided not to pick flowers. Humming her favourite song, the girl reached the forest stream. Its banks were soft and muddy, making it difficult to cross.
Ira:
Hey, Beaver, build me a bridge across the stream! I'm in such a hurry to get to my Grandmother!
Beaver:
Hello, girl! I'll help you, but you must promise me that you'll help remove the garbage from the stream. People have thrown all sorts of things here: tin cans, bottles, and some rubber. All of it poisons the water. We beavers suffer, and so does the fish that swim in the stream.
Ira:
Alright, Beaver. I can't do it alone, but I promise I'll convince my friends to help you and the fish.
The Beaver helped Ira cross the stream. The girl continued on. She heard someone calling for help in a clear voice. She saw a small bird flying over thick grass and crying loudly.
Ira:
What happened to you? Why are you chirping so loudly?
Bird:
Help me, girl! I can't manage alone! My chick fell out of the nest, and a fox is nearby. She'll find it and eat it.
Ira:
Oh, Bird, what kind of day is this? Everyone needs my help!
Ira felt sorry for the little chick and its mother. She found a small bundle in the thick grass. She climbed a tree and placed the chick back in the nest.
Bird:
Thank you so much, girl.
Ira continued on, didn't notice a branch, stumbled and fell, scraping her leg.
Ira:
Where did a broken bottle come from in the forest?
She saw a little Rabbit sitting under a spruce tree and crying bitterly.
Ira:
What's wrong, Rabbit?
Rabbit:
I've been lying under the spruce since morning. The sun comes through the branches and warms my fur. Then something very heavy falls on me, then again and again. It hit my face and my paw. The tourists in the forest were having fun like that. They rested and decided to have some fun. They left a lot of garbage, even broke bottles and left. They didn't even put out the fire. Thank goodness it rained, or there would have been a disaster.
Ira:
I need to collect the broken glass, or some other animal might get hurt.
Ira collected the broken bottles, buried them in a hole and continued on. She came out of the forest to the lake, and there were two swans. But they used to be snow-white, and now their feathers had turned grey.
Ira:
Oh, Swans, what happened to your feathers?
Swans:
Ira, we loved to fly to this lake every year, but they built a large factory here that dumps harmful substances into the lake. There are fewer fish living here now, and the water is becoming dirty. Now we'll have to find a new home for our family.
Ira felt sad, because she and her friends loved to admire these beautiful birds – they were the pride of the village. The girl was saddened and continued on. Finally, in the distance, Ira saw the roofs of houses. It was the village where her grandmother lived. In the meadow near the village, the girl met a Wolf lying on the grass and whimpering.
Ira:
What happened to you, Grey One?
Wolf:
I wanted to reach your Grandmother's place first, but my stomach started hurting. Not long ago I was a cheerful and well-fed animal, but food in our forest has become scarce. Yesterday I caught a Goat in a neighbouring field and had a good dinner. But that Goat had eaten grass in a distant collective farm field, and they had just treated the crops with all sorts of chemicals. That's what got me. Now I'll have to go into the forest to look for medicinal herbs.
Ira:
Be careful in the forest, Wolf. Tourists left mountains of garbage there yesterday and broke a lot of glass.
Wolf:
Thank you.
The wolf sighed sadly and trudged off with his head down. Ira wanted to make her way through the young birch grove. She hadn't taken a few steps when she saw a Bear sitting on a stump.
Ira:
Hello, Clumsy One! What are you doing in the field? Go to the forest!
Bear:
Hello, girl. I'm afraid to go into the forest. Yesterday someone didn't put out a campfire and I almost burned. Everyone knows that you can't make campfires in the forest in such dry and windy weather – it could start a forest fire. Now I'm afraid to go back. I really don't want to burn in a fire. The neighbouring forest was cut down, and I need to prepare a home for winter.
Ira:
Take care of yourself, Misha!
Bear:
There's nothing I can do. I'll go back to my forest and hope I survive the winter.
The Bear went off into the forest thicket. Ira came out of the young forest and met a Fox.
Ira:
Hello, Fox, what are you doing here?
Fox:
I'm thinking about where to find some food. I haven't eaten since yesterday morning. There's almost nothing left to find in the forest. I'll have to visit the barns of the houses on the edge of the village.
Ira:
Oh, Fox, I feel sorry for you animals. People don't even think about how hard it is for animals in nature. It's very difficult to live surrounded by garbage. And there are fewer and fewer forests. We don't even realize what damage we're causing to the environment.
Everyone:
People, think about it!
You are not alone on our earth!
All birds and beasts cry out with one voice!
Save our offspring, forests and fields!
Don't light campfires and don't build factories!
Let us live a happy life!
Home schooling.
