There once lived a very athletic and inventive young ground squirrel named Kilsus. Kilsus came into the world not like other children, but upside down, and his mother gave him this strange name. Read his name backwards, and you'll understand everything.
On a cold winter's day, Kilsus slept sweetly in his warm burrow. He dreamed of his ground squirrel friends and squirrels, with whom he had played so merrily in the summer on the forest edge.
Meanwhile, the squirrels nimbly leaped from branch to branch of the fluffy spruce trees.
New Year's is coming soon, and we celebrate this holiday with friends. Let's visit our ground squirrel friends. I miss Kilsus so much!
Suggested Arrowette.
How will we wake them? They sleep so soundly in winter.
Answered the squirrel Fluffy (that's what they called her for her quick movements).
On New Year's, all wishes come true. I suggest we wish for the ground squirrels to wake up for three days.
That's right, and we'll decorate all the spruce trees on our forest edge with colourful garlands and hang bright lanterns!
We'll show them the beauty of the festive winter forest and play a sport—we haven't competed in a long time.
For a whole week, the squirrels decorated the forest edge.
And then the holiday arrived. The clock struck twelve. The squirrels launched a festive fireworks display into the sky, which thundered with booming sounds over the winter forest.
Kilsus rubbed his eyes and, yawning, opened his burrow door: "Who's making such a noise outside?"
He thought. Colourful sparks and glittering stars from the fireworks fell on him from the sky:
M-m-mom! Help! Meteor shower! The end of the world!
The ground squirrel screamed in fright. He rushed forward through the snow, sinking up to his waist with each step.
Kilsus didn't understand how he ended up in the forest clearing where his squirrel friends and the ground squirrels, frightened by the fireworks just like him, were waiting.
Happy New Year! Don't be afraid—this is a New Year's fireworks display, it brings joy!
The squirrels shouted in unison.
I thought I was having a heart attack.
Whispered the ground squirrel Pestle (that's what they called him because he liked to stand on end) and clutched his left chest.
Forgive us if we frightened you. We so wanted to see you, wish you a happy holiday, and play with you.
Fluffy asked for forgiveness.
The friends rushed to embrace each other, congratulate each other on the New Year, and dance in circles. They played snowball fights—the ground squirrels had never seen snow before. Before picking up a snowball in their paws, they examined it, sniffed it, and even tasted it. The squirrels found this very amusing and giggled, pelting the ground squirrels with snowballs until they were buried up to their necks in snow.
Okay, okay. You win!
The ground squirrels surrendered.
What happened to the river? Why is it hard?
Asked Kilsus, surprised, when he went down to the river for a drink and unexpectedly slipped and fell.
It froze from the frost.
Explained Arrowette.
To keep from constantly falling, Fluffy brought a sturdy stick from the forest. The ground squirrel moved across the ice in a funny way, his legs sliding apart, but soon he got the hang of it and was already sliding across the river ice with a running start, pushing a snowball ahead of him with the stick.
Goal! I hit you with a snowball on your paw!
Shouted the inventive Kilsus to Arrowette.
Why hit my paw? Let's set up something not alive and hit that!
Said Arrowette indignantly.
I want to hit a snowball too. Fluffy, bring me a stick!
Requested Pestle.
And me!
And me!
All the ground squirrels requested.
Fluffy quickly ran to the forest and brought everyone sticks with branches bent in one direction to make it easier to hit the snowball. Another squirrel brought two mushroom-drying racks of rectangular shape:
Here, we'll use these as goals. They're just sitting around unused anyway!
Let's divide into teams of six: one at the goal racks, three forwards in the centre, and two defenders to protect the goal.
Suggested Kilsus.
The friends started the game, but after two hits with the stick, the snowball disappeared somewhere. The ground squirrels scattered across the ice in different directions, searching for it.
Did you find it?
One ground squirrel asked another.
No, did you?
Giggling, the squirrels explained where the snowball had gone. Then Kilsus ran to his burrow, found a small piece of resin left from a ball, mixed it with pebbles to make it heavier, and returned to his friends:
What a wonderful little ball this is—it will work perfectly for our game!
The friends spent three unforgettable days together. They chatted merrily and played spiritedly in Kilsus's new game.
Have you guessed: "What sport did Kilsus invent?"
But gradually sleep returned to the ground squirrels, and the squirrels walked each one to his burrow and said goodbye until spring.
