Ирина Немкова - 100 Stories About Alyosha and his Friends

Alyosha thinks, “Where is Moc?”

He goes to the car and finds Moc in the pocket.

“Why are you sitting here?” he asks.

“Because I must sit quietly” Moc answers.

Alyosha laughs. “I think you may meet Mum.”

But Moc is afraid. “I think she may be angry,” he says.

“I don’t think so, she is kind,” Alyosha smiles, “Let’s try.”

He takes Moc and goes to his parents.

“Mum, Dad, meet Moc,” he says.

Mum is surprised, Dad is interested.

“Who is Moc?” they ask.

“Moc is my friend. And he is the friend of Bertha and Timoshka,” Alyosha says, “He is a very nice mouse.”

“A mouse?” Mum says, “But mice eat everything. He may eat everything in our yard, in our car, and in our house. A mouse cannot be a friend.”

Moc tries to go back to Alyosha’s pocket. He is sad because Mum doesn’t like him.

“No, no,” Alyosha says, “Moc doesn’t eat everything. He lives in the yard in his den and comes to play with Bertha and Timoshka.”

“But Timoshka may eat him,” says Dad, “Cats always est mice.”

Timoshka is near. “I never eat mice,” he says, “And Moc is my friend, I cannot eat him.”

But where is Moc?

He is sitting in the pocket again, very, very sad.

Alyosha takes Moc out of the pocket.

“Moc, meet my Mum and Dad,” he says. “Mum, Dad, meet Moc.”

“We are glad to meet you, Moc,” Mum and Dad say.

“I am glad to meet you,” says Moc.

He is happy.

All the family goes home. Father is driving the car. Mother is sitting near him. Alyosha, Timoshka, Bertha, and Moc are sitting behind.

Suddenly they see some animal on the ground. It is small and brown. The animal is sitting and looking at the car.

“Who’s that?” Alyosha asks, “I want to see.”

“Me too,” Timoshka says.

“Me too,” Bertha says.

“Me too,” Moc says.

“Ok,” Father says, “Let’s see.”

They all go out of the car and go to the animal.

“Who are you?” Alyosha asks.

“I don’t know,” the animal says, “But my name is Happy Hop. My friends call me Happy Hop.”

“A strange name,” Timoshka thinks.

“Have you got a family?” Alyosha asks.

“No, I haven’t got a family, I have got only friends,” Happy Hop says.

“And where are your friends?” Alyosha asks.

“I don’t know,” Happy Hop answers, “May I go with you?”

“Let’s take Happy Hop with us,” Alyosha says, “Mum, please.”

“I don’t know,” Mum says, “He may be not good.”

“I am good, I am good,” Happy Hop says, “Take me with you please, I am good.”

“Mum, he is good. Let’s take him with us.”

“Ok,” Mother says, “But Alyosha, you must wash him. I think he is dirty.”

Happy Hop jumps very high on his all four legs. “Wow, wow, wow!” he cries, “I go with you!”

Alyosha laughs. “Now I know why your friends call you Happy Hop,” he says, “because you jump high when you are happy.”

“A nice name,” Timoshka thinks.

The friends are happy. They don’t know who Happy Hop is but they have a new friend.

Happy Hop is happy too.

Alyosha brings water and soap to the yard.

“Time to wash,” he says, “Happy Hop, come to me!”

“I don’t want to wash,” says Happy Hop, “I never wash.” And Happy Hop tries to hide behind Bertha.

“But you are dirty,” Alyosha says, “You are so dirty that we cannot understand what animal you are.”

At this moment Mum comes.

“If you don’t wash I am going to take you back to the field,” she says. “Everybody must be clean.”

“Don’t be afraid,” Timoshka says, “It is not dangerous.”

But Happy Hop is a bit afraid. He closes his eyes when Alyosha takes him and puts him into the water, very, very carefully.

All the friends are sitting around them and looking at Alyosha and Happy Hop.

“Happy Hop, how are you?” Bertha asks.

“Happy Hop, are you fine?” Timoshka asks.

“Happy Hop, open your eyes,” Moc says.

Happy Hop opens his eyes and smiles.

“I am fine,” he says, “The water is warm and nice. It is very nice to wash. I like to wash.”

“Alyosha, Alyosha,” Moc says, “Let me wash too. I also want warm water. Wash me too please.”

Alyosha takes Moc and carefully puts him into the water too.

Moc and Happy Hop jump and splash water. They like to wash very much.

When they are clean Alyosha puts them in the sun on a small carpet.

Dad comes to them.

“Now I know who you are,” he says to Happy Hop. “You are a hamster. A small clean hamster.”

“No,” Alyosha says, “Happy Hop cannot be a hamster.”

“Why?” Dad is surprised.

“Because hamsters never jump. They cannot jump. They can only run.”

“But I can!” Happy Hop cries, “I can jump! And I am a hamster!

I like to be a hamster!”

“It sometimes happens,” Father says. “Look, cats don’t like to swim and our Timoshka likes.”

“Yes, I like to swim,” Timoshka says.

“Dogs don’t like cats,” Father continues, “and our Bertha likes Timoshka.”

“Yes, I like Timoshka,” Bertha says.

“All cats eat mice and Timoshka doesn’t want to eat Moc because he doesn’t eat mice,” Father says.

“No, I don’t want to eat my friend Moc,” Timoshka says.

“You see, it sometimes happens,” Dad says.

“It’s interesting,” Alyosha says, “Can you say something about me?”

“Of course I can,” Dad says, “Boys don’t like to work in the kitchen and you often help Mum in the kitchen.”

“Yes, I do,” Alyosha says.

“Boys don’t like to cook,” Father continues, “and you often help Mum to cook food.”

“Yes, really,” Alyosha says, “Do you want to say that Timoshka is an unusual cat, Bertha is an unusual dog, Happy Hop is an unusual hamster and I am an unusual boy?”

“Yes,” Father says.

“I am an unusual cat,” Timoshka thinks.

“I am an unusual dog,” Berta thinks.

“I am an unusual hamster,” Happy Hop thinks.

“And Moc? Is he also unusual?” Alyosha asks.

“Of course he is,” Father answers.

“Why?”

“Because mice never make friends with cats and dogs. And Moc is Timoshka’s and Bertha’s friend.”

“Wow! I am an unusual mouse!” Moc cries.

“Of course you are,” his friends say.

“Where do you want to live?” Alyosha asks Happy Hop.