Chukcha Stories

Animal Stories Of The North

Translated by Fainna Solasko
freebooksforkids.net
Illustrated by Y.Rachov

How Mouse Froze Fast

One day Mouse went out to the middle of the lake to get a drink of water. She made a little hole in the ice, had a drink and then sat down by the hole to rest. But while Mouse was resting, her tail froze to the ice. Mouse began to cry. Then she sang a little song:

I'm stuck to the ice on the lake!
O woe is me!
Maybe Ermine will come by,
Maybe he'll rescue me.

Chukcha Stories

No sooner had she stopped singing than Ermine showed up. "Go away! You smell bad!" Mouse said, and so Ermine scampered off.

Then Mouse sang her song again:

I'm stuck to the ice on the fake!
O woe is me!
Maybe Gopher will come by,
Maybe she'll rescue me.

Suddenly Gopher showed up.

"Go away! Your tail's too long!" Mouse said, and Gopher ran off. Mouse began to sing again:

I'm stuck to the ice on the lake!
O woe is me!
Maybe Hare will come by,
Maybe he'll rescue me.

Suddenly Hare showed up.

"Go away! Your tail's too short!" Mouse said, and Hare ran away. Mouse began to sing once again:

I'm stuck to the ice on the lake!
O woe is me!
Maybe Bear will come by,
Maybe he'll rescue me.

No sooner had she stopped singing than Bear showed up. He came up to Mouse, took a swipe at her and knocked her free, but her tail remained stuck to the ice.

Now Mouse had no tail.

She'd certainly found the wrong kind of helper!

Chukcha Stories