Once upon a time in the forest lived a bear family: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and their little son, a bear cub named Misha. One day, Papa and Mama Bear went into the forest to gather berries and pine cones for the winter. Before they left, they told Misha: "We're going to be gone all day, so mind yourself, wait for us at home, and don't go anywhere beyond the yard!" And off they went into the forest.
Misha 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 around 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.
Misha chased the butterfly and chased it, but didn't notice how far from home he had gone, and suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar part of the forest.
The little bear got scared and ran back and forth across the clearing, looking around but unable to see his home anywhere. He called and called for his mother, but no one heard him. Then Misha sat down under a tree and cried bitterly.
At that moment, a sharp-nosed mosquito was flying through the forest. He saw the bear cub sitting under the tree. The mosquito was delighted, thinking he would bite Misha on the nose and have a good meal. But just as he flew up to Misha and was about to bite his nose, he saw that the cub was crying and wiping away tears. The mosquito felt sorry for Misha and decided to ask why he was so upset.
Why are you crying, flat-foot?
How can I not cry, little mosquito! I ran away from home, chased after a butterfly, and got lost. You fly high—can you go up and look around? Maybe you'll see my little house!
The mosquito flew upward, flying and flying, but started to get tired. The tall firs and pines in the forest made it hard to fly higher than them. Just then, a nimble sparrow flew by. He saw the mosquito and thought about eating the insect.
He had just opened his beak to swallow it when the mosquito cried out: "Stop! Don't eat me, sparrow! Help me find Misha's house instead—I'm too tired to fly any higher."
The sparrow looked down and saw Misha sitting and crying. The sparrow decided to help. He flew higher than the pines and firs, looked around, and spotted Misha's little house. Then he flew back down to the bear cub and chirped: "Follow me, Misha! I'll show you where your house is!"
The bear cub ran after the sparrow, ran and ran, and burst out onto a clearing near his home. His parents were already back from the forest and were looking for him. When he saw them, he cried out with joy: "Mama, Papa, I'm here!" His parents hugged him tightly: "You scared us, Misha the Lost Bear. Don't go into the forest alone anymore—listen to your mama and papa, or something bad might happen!"
Misha 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.
