At the edge of the village, in a brick house, lived a girl named Ira with her mother. The village was 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 holidaymakers liked to come to the village on weekends.
One day, Ira's mother asked her to take some medicine and necessary groceries to her grandmother. Ira's grandmother lived in a village beyond the forest and it wasn't far to walk.
Mother:
Ira, dear, Grandmother is poorly. Run through the forest and take her the medicine.
Ira:
Mum, I really don't want to! My favourite cartoon is about to start, and then I was going to go to the lake with my friends.
Mother:
Go on, it won't take long, and when you get back, you can definitely go for a walk with your friends.
Ira put on her favourite polka-dot rubber boots and 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 packet and it's blocked the entrance to my burrow. My baby mice are inside and they'll perish without me.
Ira:
Oh, mouse, I have to hurry to grandmother's, otherwise I won't be able to get back to my friends in time.
But Ira bent down, removed the packet and continued on. She approached the edge of the forest and heard someone groaning:
Birch:
Hello girl, don't be frightened, it's me – a 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'll have wilted, and many of the flowers you want to pick 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 me remove the rubbish from the stream. People have thrown all sorts of things here: tin cans, bottles, and some rubber – they all poison the water. We beavers suffer, and so does the fish that swim in the stream.
Ira:
All right, Beaver. I can't manage it alone, but I'll definitely persuade my friends to help you and the fish.
The Beaver helped Ira cross the stream. And the girl continued on. She heard someone calling for help in a shrill voice. She saw a small bird flying over thick grass and crying loudly.
Ira:
What's happened to you? Why are you chirping so loudly?
Bird:
Help me, girl! I can't manage on my own! My chick has fallen 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, cutting her leg.
Ira:
Where did a broken bottle come from in the forest?
And she saw a little Hare sitting under a fir tree and crying bitterly.
Ira:
What's wrong, Hare?
Hare:
I've been lying under the fir tree since morning, the sun shines 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 lots of rubbish, 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, otherwise another 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 whereas before they had been snow-white, now their feathers had turned grey.
Ira:
Oh, swans, what's happened to your feathers?
Swans:
Ira, we loved to fly to this lake every year, but then they built a large factory here that dumps harmful substances into the lake. There are fewer fish 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 felt downhearted 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's happened to you, Grey One?
Wolf:
I wanted to reach your Grandmother's first, but my stomach has started to hurt. Not long ago I was a cheerful and well-fed animal, but the food in our forest is running out. Yesterday I caught a Goat in a neighbouring field and had a good dinner. But that Goat had eaten grass in a distant state farm field, and they'd just sprayed the crops with all sorts of chemicals, so it got me too. 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 rubbish there yesterday and broke lots 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, but after a few steps, there sat a Bear on a stump.
Ira:
Hello, Clumsy! What are you doing in the field? Go back to the forest!
Bear:
Hello girl. I'm afraid to go into the forest. Yesterday someone didn't put out a fire in the forest and I nearly burned. Everyone knows that you can't light fires in the forest in such dry and windy weather – a fire could start. Now I'm afraid to go back, I really don't want to burn in a fire. They've cut down the neighbouring forest, 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.
And the bear went off into the depths of the forest. Ira came out of the young wood and met a Fox.
Ira:
Hello, little 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 eat in the forest. I'll have to visit the barns of the houses on the edge of the village.
Ira:
Oh, little 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 rubbish. And there are fewer and fewer forests. We don't even realise what damage we're causing to the environment.
All:
People, think about it!
You are not alone on our earth!
All the birds and beasts cry out with one voice!
Save our offspring, the forests and fields!
Don't light fires and don't build factories!
Let us live a happy life!
Home schooling.
