In a field there stood a little teremok, a tiny house. It was not low and not high, with a small window, a little door, and a warm roof.
A little mouse ran by. She saw the teremok, stopped, and asked:
“Little teremok, little teremok! Who lives in the little house?”
No one answered. So the mouse went inside and began to live there.
Then a little frog hopped up to the teremok.
“Little teremok, little teremok! Who lives in the little house?”
“I am the little mouse. And who are you?”
“I am the little frog. Please let me live with you.”
“Come in. It is merrier together!”
So the mouse and the frog began to live together.
A little hare came running. He knocked on the door and asked:
“Little teremok, little teremok! Who lives in the little house?”
“I am the little mouse.”
“I am the little frog. And who are you?”
“I am the little hare. Please let me live with you.”
“Come in. There is room enough!”
So they began to live as three: the mouse, the frog, and the hare.
A little fox came along. She walked up to the teremok and asked sweetly:
“Little teremok, little teremok! Who lives in the little house?”
“I am the little mouse.”
“I am the little frog.”
“I am the little hare. And who are you?”
“I am the little fox. Please let me live with you.”
“Come in. We will live together kindly!”
So they began to live as four.
Then a gray wolf came by. He saw the teremok and asked:
“Little teremok, little teremok! Who lives in the little house?”
“I am the little mouse.”
“I am the little frog.”
“I am the little hare.”
“I am the little fox. And who are you?”
“I am the gray wolf. Please let me live with you.”
“Come in, only carefully!”
The wolf came inside, and the teremok became very merry.
A big bear walked past. He saw the teremok and rumbled in a kind voice:
“Little teremok, little teremok! Who lives in the little house?”
“I am the little mouse.”
“I am the little frog.”
“I am the little hare.”
“I am the little fox.”
“I am the gray wolf. And who are you?”
“I am the big bear. Please let me live with you.”
The animals looked at the bear and said:
“You are very big, dear Bear. Our teremok is very small.”
The bear only wanted to peek through the window, but he was heavy. The teremok creaked, crack-crack, and fell apart.
The animals ran out onto the grass. No one was hurt, but everyone was very surprised.
The bear lowered his head and said:
“Please forgive me. I did not mean to break your little house.”
Then the mouse said:
“Let us not be sad. Let us build a new teremok: big and strong.”
And everyone got to work. The bear carried logs, the wolf set up the walls, the fox painted the door, the hare nailed the shutters, the frog decorated the porch, and the mouse swept the floor.
Soon a new teremok stood there: roomy, beautiful, and very warm.
The animals began to live kindly together. And in the new teremok there was room for everyone.
The End.