Ирина Немкова - 100 Stories About Alyosha and his Friends

It is evening.

Timoshka is at home.

He thinks, “Bertha wants to know who lives in the hole. She wants to wait near the hole at night. And to see Somebody who lives in the hole.

I want to see Somebody too. Of course, I am not afraid. But he may be dangerous. What to do? To go or not to go? But Bertha waits. I think it is better to go.”

He goes out of the house.

Bertha and Timoshka are near the hole. They wait. It’s dark and quiet.

Suddenly they hear some noise from the hole.

Timoshka jumps back and hides behind Bertha.

“Who is there?” he asks in a trembling voice.

Somebody goes out of the hole. And the friends see a small mouse.

Berta smiles because the mouse is very, very small.

“Who are you?” Timoshka asks.

“I am a mouse. My name is Moc, the little mouse answers.

“Are you dangerous?” Timoshka asks.

“No, I am not. But I think you are dangerous,” Moc says.

Timoshka is very surprised.

“Why am I dangerous?” he asks.

“Because you are a cat. Cats eat mice,” Moc says.

“No, I never eat mice,” Timoshka says.

“Really?” now Moc is surprised, “You are a very nice cat. Glad to meet you.”

Timoshka is sad. He goes to a doctor today.

After breakfast, he goes out of the house to see Bertha.

Bertha sees that Timoshka is sad.

“Why are you sad?” Bertha asks.

“I go to a doctor today,” Timoshka says.

“You are sad because you go to a doctor, why?” Bertha asks again, “What does the doctor do? Is he angry?”

“No,” Timoshka says, “he is not angry, he is very kind.”

“But why are you sad?” Bertha does not understand.

“Usually the doctor just looks at me and touches me. Sometimes he gives me a pill,” Timoshka explains, “But sometimes he gives me an injection. It is painful.”

At this moment Moc comes to them.

“Hi,” he says, “Why are you both so sad?”

“Timoshka goes to a doctor,” Bertha says.

“Is he angry, the doctor?” Moc asks.

“No, he is kind,” Bertha explains, “But he may give Timoshka an injection.”

“Is it painful?” asks Moc in a trembling voice.

“Yes, it is a bit painful,” Timoshka says.

At this moment Alyosha comes.

“Timoshka, it’s time to go to the doctor”, he says.

Timoshka and Alyosha are at the animal’s hospital.

The doctor looks at Timoshka and asks, “How are you, Timoshka?”

Timoshka doesn’t answer because he is a bit afraid.

But he thinks, “I am not afraid, I am not afraid.”

Alyosha says, “He is well. He doesn’t need an injection.”

Timoshka thinks, “I am not afraid, I am not afraid.”

The doctor touches Timoshka with his kind hands.

“Yes,” he says, “He is well. He doesn’t need an injection.”

Timoshka and Alyosha are happy. No injection, they may go home.

When they go into the yard they see Bertha and Moc.

They sit near Bertha’s house. They wait for Timoshka. They worry about him.

Timoshka jumps from Alyosha’s hands and runs to his friends.

“How are you?” Moc asks.

“How are you?” Bertha asks.

Timoshka smiles, “I am well. No injection. The doctor says I am well.”

Timoshka, Alyosha, Bertha and Moc are happy.

Bertha, Timoshka, and Moc are sitting in the yard.

It’s warm. The weather is nice.

Alyosha comes to the friends and says, “We are going to the river.”

“Who is going to the river?” Moc asks.

“Mum, Dad and me,” Alyosha answers. “And Bertha can go too.”

“Me too,” says Timoshka, “I want to go to the river too.”

“I don’t know,” Alyosha says, “Cats don’t like rivers.”

“I don’t know what a river is,” Timoshka says. “Maybe I like the river. Maybe I don’t like the river. Is It dangerous?”

Bertha laughs, “No, it’s not dangerous,” she says, “It’s nice.”

“Ask Mum,” says Timoshka, “May I go with you too?”

Alyosha goes to ask Mum and she allows to take Timoshka to the river.

Bertha is happy. Timoshka is happy.

But Moc is sad. He is very, very sad. He wants to the river too.

“Ask Mum,” says Timoshka, “Maybe Moc can go with us too.”

“No, I don’t think that Mum will allow,” Alyosha says.

Moc is very, very sad.

“I stay at home,” Bertha says.

“I stay at home,” Timoshka says.

Suddenly Alyosha says, “I have an idea.”

He takes Moc and puts him into his pocket.

“How are you there?” Alyosha asks.

“I am fine,” Moc looks out of the pocket and smiles.

Timoshka and Bertha smile too.

“But you must sit very, very quietly.”

Mum, Dad, Alyosha, Timoshka, and Bertha are sitting in the car. They are going to the river. They are happy.

Moc is in the car too. He is sitting in Alyosha’s pocket very, very quietly and is happy too.

The car stops. They are near the river.

Alyosha and Bertha jump out of the car and run to the river. They want to go into the water.

Timoshka is still in the car. He doesn’t know what a river is and he is a bit afraid.

He looks out of the car and asks, “Where is the river? I see a lot of water but where is the river?”

Alyosha and Bertha laugh.

“This water is the river,” Alyosha says, “Go out of the car.”

Timoshka goes out of the car. He is sitting on the sand and looking at the river.

“River is water,” he says, “A lot of water. I don’t like water. I don’t like the river.”

“Don’t be afraid,” Bertha says, “River is nice. Try to swim. I like to swim.”

“Maybe I can swim. Maybe I cannot swim, I don’t know,” Timoshka says. “I think I must try.”

He goes to the river and touches the water with his nose. Then he touches it with his paw.

Alyosha and Bertha are already in the water. They are swimming and playing.

“Swim to us!” they cry, “Swim to us!”

“Maybe I cannot swim,” answers Timoshka, “I don’t know.”

Alyosha comes to him and says, “Try, it’s easy to swim. All the cats can swim. I am here, I can help you.”

He takes Timoshka and very, very carefully puts him into the water. “Try to swim. Don’t be afraid,” he says.

Timoshka tries to swim and he understands that he can.

“Wow, wow, wow! I can swim! I am swimming!” he cries.

But where is Moc?

He is still sitting in Alyosha’s pocket. He is afraid to go out. Because he must sit quietly.