don’t think I’ve ever heard of this flower,” said Croaky, thinking hard.
He showed them the best place to cross the stream, how to get back to the edge of the woods, and where the sweetest wild strawberries grew.
“Have a safe trip,” he croaked after the friends.
After crossing the stream without any problems any problems, they headed straight for the field that Turtle had told them about. Snoutie caught sight of the green sprouts he knew so well and, squealing and wagging his tail in anticipation of the enjoyment he would get from filling up his tummy, he started digging up sweet potatoes, just like the expert his father had taught him to be. Michelle picked lots of ripe, red strawberries.
The satisfied travelers had just sat down on the green grass to rest, when all of a sudden they heard someone’s desperate cries for help coming from the direction of the stream. The friends jumped up and ran quickly in the direction of the cries. When they reached the stream, they saw red Little Squirrel struggling in the water as he tried as hard as he could to grab hold of some branches hanging above him. Snoutie walked into the cold water and, standing firm against the strong current, stretched out his snunk to drowning Little Squirrel. Little Squirrel grabbed it tightly with his front paws, but the current was so strong that Snoutie could not make his way back to the shore.
“Help! Please hurry!” cried Michelle loudly.
“I’m coming!” sounded someone’s voice.
And right then and there Hedgie the Valiant ran out onto the shore. He was known by this name to all forest residents because one day he saved Robin the Elder’s chicks from an attacking snake. After making sure that the chicks were safe, Hedgie drove that snake out of the Big Forest once and for all.
Now, standing on the very edge of the shore, Hedgie stretched out his walking stick to Snoutie. Snoutie grabbed it, clambered up onto the shore, and then easily dragged wet, frightened Little Squirrel out of the water.
“Thank you, brave Snoutie! Thank you, Hedgie the Valiant!” they heard someone say behind their backs.
It was breathless Mama Squirrel, hurrying as fast as she could towards the cries of her Little Squirrel and looking terribly afraid.
“Where are you heading?” Squirrel asked, once she caught her breath.
Upon learning that Snoutie and Michelle were looking for a magical white flower, Squirrel ran off somewhere and soon returned with a basket overflowing with fresh mushrooms.
“You have a long trip ahead of you,” she said, handing the basket to the travelers. “Take these mushrooms with you so that you can snack on them during your trip.”
After wishing Snoutie and Michelle bon voyage, Mama Squirrel and Little Squirrel scampered up a tree and disappeared into their hollow. Meanwhile, the friends set off farther along the river in search of the magical flower.
“What on earth could this be?” wondered Michelle, pointing to a large, ash-grey ball at the foot of the trunk of an old tree.
“Let’s find out,” said Snoutie, and he started prodding the strange ball with his snunk.
Well, let’s just say it would have been better if he had never tried that, because suddenly a cloud of angry wasps descended on Snoutie and Michelle with a terrible buzzing.
“A wasp’s nest!” shrieked Michelle, very frightened. She grabbed Snoutie’s paw, and they took to their heels without even trying to find the path.
The wasps quickly caught up with the fleeing Snoutie and Michelle, circled over their heads, and tried to sting them. Snoutie and Michelle were already getting tired from this race through the forest. They started tripping over roots and rocks and feeling more and more out of breath.
Just when they thought they could not go any farther, they noticed a small, long-eared, fluffy, grey creature waving its paw at them from under a large burdock leaf. Desperate to escape from the wasps that were catching up with them, Snoutie and Michelle rushed over to the leaf at full speed. They hid themselves away beneath it and then suddenly fell down into a hole and found themselves in someone’s den.
“That’s it, you can come out now. The wasps have flown by,” the owner of the den said from above and then introduced himself to the panting and frightened travelers. “I am Loppy the Believing Bunny.”
“Thank you ever so much,” said Michelle as soon as she caught her breath.
“Yes, thank you! You saved us!” chimed in Snoutie. “But why are you called that?” he asked curiously.
“Because…because that’s what I’m called…because my den is under a big burdock leaf, which is lop-eared just like me,” answered their savior somewhat slowly. “Well, and probably also for some other reasons as well,” he added, avoiding their question as he stroked his long, grey ears with his paws.
Then he noticed that Snoutie had swollen up from the wasp bites and that Michelle had scratches on her legs. He got very worried and even started shaking out his ears.
“Oh, oh, oh! You need some emergency medical assistance!” he exclaimed, happy to change the subject.
Loppy hopped off somewhere and soon returned carrying some green leaves in his paws. He ground them up like a professional and stuck them onto Snoutie’s snunk and Michelle’s scrapped knee.
“This will do the trick,” said Loppy in his best doctor’s voice. “You won’t even notice how quickly everything heals. And these are for you, Snoutie: cold pebbles from the stream. You need to hold them up against your snunk.”
Then it was time to say goodbye. Loppy the Believing Bunny wished the friends good health and gave them each of juicy, orange carrot.
As they came out of the den, Snoutie and Michelle noticed that the sun was already starting to set beyond the tips of the trees. Dusk was settling in over the forest and the first stars were appearing in the sky.
“To tell you the truth, I’m a little hungry, and I wouldn’t mind a light dinner,” complained Michelle. “A warm bun with raisins and a mug of hot chocolate would be just right.”
Snoutie also felt quite hungry.
At that moment they heard a strange rustling of leaves and a delicate little squeak.
A small, chubby grey mouse appeared between the trees. Her round tummy didn’t seem to prevent her from moving quickly, and on her back she was carrying a sack filled with grain, which was quite large for her height.
“Into the den! Everything into the den! Don’t block the path! Move aside!” she exclaimed by way of a greeting. “I have to get everything into the den or the rains will start and I’ll lose all my supplies! Then what will we eat all winter? Into the den! Everything goes into the den right away!”
“Let’s help her,” Michelle whispered into Snoutie’s ear. “She’s so small and those sacks must be so heavy for her.”
Snoutie and Michelle helped their new friend gather up the grain and carry it into her den. After that, Housey Mousey—for that is what this little mouse who stored her food wisely was called—offered them some dinner:
“We’ve done what we needed to do! My supplies of grain are safe and well-hidden! Now we should have a bite to eat.”
Housey Mousey took all the best things out of her cold cellar: little ears of oats and wheat, grains of buckwheat and corn, dried white mushrooms, and last year’s acorns, and laid them out on a wide stump. Then she invited her guests to start eating.
Snoutie and Michelle, who were starving, threw themselves at the food and quickly ate their fill. They warmly thanked their kindly hostess for the meal, but then they suddenly felt embarrassed: together they had probably eaten a year’s supply of the mouse’s food.
“Learn how to give generously and your gifts will be returned to you,”