"What are you thinking about? Why are you so gloomy?" the squirrel asked, surprised.
Ham snapped,
"I like to be gloomy there! That's all!"
"But I don't like that! I like to be merry!" the squirrel shouted aggressively and jumped up high like a bullet over the boughs to the radiant heavens.
Meanwhile, the echo carried her words through the woods for a long time,
"Iii liiike tooo beee meeerryyy!"
The squirrel returned to her friend and gasped out,
"I meant to amuse you, but you're still sad."
"Do you understand me?" In vexation Ham turned away from his companion and asked her sadly, "Tell me, please, what do you do the whole day here?"
"What? I leap from one twig to another, eating nuts and hiding the rest for winter."
"That's all?"
The squirrel thought one minute, then drew close to the hamster and mysteriously whispered to him,
"That's not all. But don't tell anybody."
"OK, I'm listening," answered Ham, thinking inside, what kind of secrets might the squirrel have?
"Don't rush me. I have to decide whether or not I'm going to tell you."
The crafty squirrel decided to wait a while and not reveal at once the big mystery.
"No, I can't tell you now."
"Well, I may have to live without your mystery anyhow."
"But it's really wrong! To live without any wonder is the same as being dead."
"Hurry up!" creaked the hamster at once, "What a show off! Do you think only you have a lot of prodigy and hugger-mugger?!"
"However, my mystery is unique. No one in the world has such a wonder like mine."
"Really? One can hardly believe."
"Let's go!"
"Have it your way! Let's go! It's something to do."
They climbed the hillside. Then the squirrel said quietly and mysteriously,
"It's here."
"What is here?"
"You will soon hear."
Ham looked around. Several withering trees stood nearby, but nothing special.
"Well? Where is your hiding place?"
"Be quiet and listen, please."
They sat and waited for some time. Then, all of a sudden, a breeze blew and a gentle trill resounded.
"Tra-lia, tra-lia-lia..."
Sometimes it was quiet, sometimes it was louder.
"Ha!" cried the hamster, "It's a nestling that fell out of the nest and is crying! What a miracle!"
"You don't believe it? In vain. Please, approach this withered twig with small holes in its side."
Ham drew close to the twig and was thrilled. As soon as the wind began to blow, it played like a flute.
"Oh-ho-ho!" Ham shouted joyfully and began running around the tree.
"Are you crazy?" the squirrel began shouting, "Have you been bitten by a fly?"
"I need this twig-flute, very badly..." Ham continued to rejoice loudly.
"No, no! I can't give it to you. It's my secret. My..."
The squirrel was indignant and took a stroll with her luxuriant tail across the hamster's muzzle so that Ham could not see for some time. But the artful pet ran and poked the squirrel on the side.
"Stop! Don't dare fight!" Johnny suddenly appeared from behind the dense brush woods with a long twig in his hand. "Dear Ham, I have been searching for you for a long time, and I've found you at last."
Johnny approached the two bullies.
"Look both of you. I also have a twig. I cut it here and made a nice flute. Let's sing together!"
"Let's!" Ham rejoiced that Johnny had found him and would be playing the flute.
"Let's!" the squirrel rejoiced that her marvel would stay in place.
And they advanced through the forest with a song.
"My beloved twig was supple and green,
I jumped, flew very high,
The twig suddenly faded, I was mean,
But I livened and played by the wind."
The squirrel was singing, Johnny was playing the flute, and Ham was grunting lively.
Now Ham would be rolling his wheel again and, sooner or later, achieve the darling peak.
The end.
Russian English translator
Leah Dugue
