Sugarik the Mouse's Birthday

Have you met Sugarik the mouse? And do you know why he's called that? He lives in a cosy little burrow with his mother, a grey mouse.

This story happened on a hot, scorching summer day. One beautiful early morning, when the sun was already shining brightly and songbirds were singing loudly, Mother Grey Mouse woke up. She hurried to wake up her little mouse. She went to the small bed, bent down, looked at her beloved son's little face and quietly squeaked:

My little one, wake up quickly, because today is your Birthday!

Sugarik opened his tiny bead-like eyes, stretched sweetly in his warm bed and sleepily asked:

Mummy, what is a birthday?

A birthday is a special day, because exactly one year ago, on this very day, you came into the world!

Wow! How wonderful! And what will happen today?

The curious little mouse asked happily.

Today we will have a celebration, because on this day guests come to congratulate and delight the birthday child.

And how do you delight someone?

The little mouse asked again. He was still very small and didn't know what a birthday was, or that he was today's real birthday child.

For a birthday, guests prepare kind words and wishes, congratulate the birthday child and give gifts!

Mother answered. She kissed the little mouse on his shiny black nose and said:

Get up quickly and run to the pine forest, to the old pine tree. Fill your basket with pine cones.

But why?

Sugarik asked in surprise.

Today we will drink tea from a large decorated samovar, which we'll heat with pine cones.

Oh, how interesting! I've never drunk tea from a samovar.

The little mouse replied.

Hurry up, Sugarik, and I'll stay home and bake a blueberry pie. At noon our guests will arrive — the forest animals — and we'll celebrate your holiday.

Mother Grey Mouse answered.

The little mouse grabbed his basket, jumped out of the burrow and scurried quickly on his tiny paws. He hurried along the forest path to the pine forest.

His mood was wonderful, and all the way he jumped with joy, smiled at the birds and butterflies flying by, and his happiness spread through the forest like cheerful, mischievous splashes.

After all, today was such a wonderful and magical day. His best friends would come to visit, and there would be a merry celebration at home!

Meanwhile, Mother Mouse was busy in the kitchen, kneading dough, heating the stove and baking a fragrant blueberry pie. Then the mouse spread a fancy new tablecloth on the clearing, placed a beautiful decorated samovar with a chimney on it and arranged teacups with saucers.

The little mouse collected pine cones in the forest, he tried very hard, because he wanted to treat his friends to delicious pie and fragrant tea. He barely managed to drag the heavy basket home.

Mother Mouse poured fresh spring water from the stream into the samovar, added sprigs of mint, thyme and linden flowers, and filled the chimney with pine cones. They heated the samovar and waited for the guests.

The samovar hissed and steamed, smelling of pine and fir, and the rosy blueberry pie gave off an aroma throughout the forest. Sugarik's friends had been looking forward to this day and had prepared gifts.

Reddish the squirrel collected a whole basket of fragrant wild strawberries, Stepashka the hare gathered sweet lingonberries.

Quacky the frog collected the largest cranberries from the swamp.

And Yashka the hedgehog picked a basket of juicy wild raspberries and gathered a bouquet of the little mouse's favourite flowers — lilac bluebells.

The animals came to visit and congratulated Sugarik on his Birthday, wished him all the best and good things, gave him gifts, and sat down to drink fragrant tea with the festive pie.

The little mouse was very happy! He smiled. Every guest was pleased. Friends played merry games and had fun. First they played tag, then hide-and-seek. At the end, everyone sang songs together, danced and celebrated.

The birthday turned out to be wonderful. The animals were delighted, because they had never before drunk such healthy, fragrant tea made from forest herbs with a fragrant, rosy blueberry pie! The guests were amazed that you could heat a samovar with pine cones.

The satisfied little animals thanked the birthday child for the delicious treat and went home, because their mothers were waiting for them.

The sun set behind the hill, and the forest grew dark. Mother hugged her little one with her paws, looked at him tenderly and said:

Sugarik, soon stars will appear in the sky, look at them and make a wish. After all, a wish made on your Birthday always comes true!

The little mouse raised his tiny bead-like eyes, looked at the first star that lit up in the sky, and winked at Sugarik with a bright magical light. The little one made his secret wish….

Mother Grey Mouse kissed the little mouse on his shiny black nose and said:

And now, my good one, it's time to go to sleep! After all, tonight you'll have a magical, wonderful dream.