In one wonderful forest lived two little mice who were friends. One was called Hazel, because her ears were white, and the other was called Rosie, because her ears were pink. They were very pretty, fluffy and nimble. The mice's eyes were like two little black beads, sparkling and mischievous, and their tails were tiny and very neat.
But the friends had completely different characters. Hazel worked all day long, never sitting idle for a minute:
Why can't you sit still? How can you work all day, rushing about here and there?
Rosie would laugh at her friend.
Don't you want to do something useful yourself?
The mouse replied.
Hazel knew that winter would come and finding food outside would be practically impossible. That's precisely why she was gathering supplies for herself. She collected nuts, mushrooms and berries. In the ground she dug a burrow, insulated it with dry twigs and leaves, and lined it with soft moss.
In the cosy burrow was a little pantry, where Hazel stored all her winter supplies, for when the nasty cold wind would blow, when snow would cover everything around, and it would be impossible to find even a crumb of bread, a ripe berry or a seed. But the mouse would have everything—both food and a warm, comfortable burrow. Such a clever little grey Hazel.
Well, you're acting as if you're preparing for a famine, Hazel! How will you eat all that? You're so small! Or perhaps you're just greedy and don't want anyone else to store up so much food for themselves?
Rosie continued to mock.
A cold winter and bitter frosts lie ahead, and we must be prepared!
Replied hard-working Hazel and continued with her work.
Rosie just laughed. She was completely different. She ran very quickly too, just as nimble and restless. Only instead of storing food for winter, Rosie ran from flower to flower, sang cheerful catchy songs, danced, and sometimes did nothing at all, simply daydreaming and gazing at the clouds that floated over the forest like a waterfall. Another favourite pastime of Rosie's was chatting with the birds.
She would lie down in the meadow and say:
Have you seen, friends, how Hazel fusses about? Not a moment's peace, always walking about, gathering food, insulating her burrow with twigs, as if there aren't other interesting things to do!
But you, Rosie, why aren't you storing supplies for winter?
The birds wondered.
I don't need much! When winter comes, I'll run through the forest, quickly pick a berry and eat it, that'll be enough for me.
The mouse replied confidently.
So the hot summer flew by, and the rainy cold autumn arrived. Leaves began falling from the trees, berries also fell and dried up. It became harder and harder for Rosie to find food, and there was no suitable place for shelter either, everything around was wet and cold.
And soon the bitter winter arrived, cold, blizzardy, snowy and very frightening indeed for such homeless creatures. Now Rosie sat all day in her cold, uninsulated burrow, shivering from the cold and dying of hunger, she couldn't even imagine how she would survive until the warm spring days.
What shall I do? What can I do? Where can I get food, how can I avoid freezing to death in this cold burrow?
Rosie cried.
And suddenly the mouse remembered her friend Hazel, who had stocked up on food for the whole winter and insulated her burrow with dry twigs and leaves. And Rosie decided to try her luck and ask for shelter for the winter. Although she didn't expect that Hazel would let her into her home.
Rosie runs along the snowy paths through the huge trees, and finally reached Hazel's burrow.
Friend, my dear Hazel, please let me in!
Rosie begged.
Oh my! Why are you all shrivelled up?
Asked Hazel.
You were right when you told me in summer, but I didn't listen to you. I have neither food nor a warm home. I have absolutely nothing to eat, there's not a berry in the forest, not a bit of bread, not a seed, not a mushroom. And I never insulated my burrow, it's terribly cold there.
Of course, Hazel let her friend in, gave her hot herbal tea to drink, fed her seeds with tasty berries, and covered her with a warm woollen shawl. And in the morning Hazel invited Rosie to live in her burrow.
So the friends lived together until spring. Only from then on Rosie understood that one must work hard, and next year she would store food supplies and prepare her home for the cold winter. Thus she learnt that without hard work there is no good life.
