Once upon a time in the forest there lived a family of bears: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and their little son, a bear cub named Mishka. One day Papa and Mama Bear set off into the forest to gather berries and collect pine cones for winter, and before they left they told Mishka: "We're going away for the whole day, so mind yourself, wait for us at home and don't go anywhere beyond the yard!" And off they went into the forest.
Mishka sat at home for a while, but the sun outside was calling to him so much that he decided to go out and play in the yard. He rolled about in the grass and basked in the sunshine. He spotted a butterfly on a flower, crept up to catch it, but it fluttered away and landed on another flower. He jumped after it again, but it flew even further away.
Mishka chased the butterfly and chased it, but didn't notice how he had wandered away from home and found himself in an unfamiliar part of the forest.
The bear cub was frightened and ran about the clearing in all directions, looking around but unable to see his home anywhere. He called and called for his mother, but no one heard him. Then Mishka sat down under a tree and cried bitterly.
At that moment, a sharp-nosed mosquito was flying through the forest. He saw a bear cub sitting under a tree. The mosquito was delighted, thinking he would bite him on the nose and have a good meal. Just as he flew up to Mishka and was about to bite his nose, he noticed that the cub was crying and wiping away tears. The mosquito felt sorry for Mishka and decided to ask why he was so upset.
Why are you crying, my flat-footed friend?
How can I not cry, little mosquito! I've got lost! I ran away from home, chased after a butterfly and got lost in the forest. You fly high up—fly higher and look around, maybe you'll see my little house!
The mosquito flew upwards, flying and flying until he began to tire. But the tall firs and pines in the forest made it difficult to fly higher than them. Just then a nimble sparrow flew past. He saw the mosquito and thought about eating the insect.
He had just opened his beak to swallow it when the mosquito cried out: "Wait! Don't eat me, sparrow! Help me find Mishka's house instead, I'm too tired to fly any higher."
The sparrow looked down and saw Mishka sitting and crying. The sparrow decided to help. He flew higher than the pines and firs, looked around and spotted Mishka's little house. Then he flew down to the bear cub and chirped: "Follow me, Mishka! I'll show you where your house is!"
The bear cub rushed after the sparrow, running and running until he burst out onto the clearing near his home. His parents, the bears, had already returned from the forest and were looking for him. When he saw them he cried out with joy: "Mummy, Daddy, I'm here!" His parents hugged him tightly: "You frightened us, Mishka the Lost Bear. Don't go into the forest alone again, listen to your mummy and daddy, or something terrible might happen!"
Mishka promised them that from now on he would always listen to his parents. And the mosquito and sparrow became his friends from that day on.
