Veronka the squirrel is experiencing a hot summer day on an old apple tree, where she realizes that the plants and her friend Jurko the hedgehog are thirsty. Together, they look for a way to retain the rainwater that always escapes from the garden. Veronka first tries a simple solution, but without success. However, the failure motivates them to devise better barriers from pebbles and twigs. A wise earthworm, Dodo, enters the story, explaining the importance of water retention and suggesting they direct the water into a small pit. The story follows their collective effort, creativity, and learning from mistakes, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and nature conservation.
Tip: If you're logged in, clicking or touching on text will allow you to save a bookmark and continue reading later.
100%
Veronica the squirrel was scurrying impatiently along the branch of an old apple tree. The sun was burning so fiercely that even the leaves on the tree looked tired and droopy. Down in the garden, by the fence, her friend George the hedgehog was huffing sadly.
“Oh, Veronica,” he sighed and pointed with his paw at the strawberry patch. “Look at them. All their heads are hanging low. They are so thirsty.”
Veronica hopped down to the ground and sat beside him. “My favourite sunflower looks like a sad, yellow umbrella, too. It sprinkled a little yesterday, but the water seemed to disappear right away.”
“Exactly!” George agreed. “It all ran down the little path and vanished into the grass behind the fence. It didn't stay with us at all.”
They both fell silent, watching the dry, cracked earth. Suddenly, Veronica leaped up.
“I have an idea! We'll stop the water from running away! We'll build it a dam!”
She grabbed a large burdock leaf and placed it across the narrow path where the water always ran off. “There! That should do it!”
Just then, as if the sky had heard them, a few drops began to fall from a small cloud. Drip, drop, drip. The water trickled down the path, hit the burdock leaf, pooled in front of it for a moment... and then simply went around it on both sides and merrily flowed on.
“Oh!” Veronica sighed in disappointment. “It didn't work.”
“Never mind,” comforted George, who had been observing everything carefully. “At least we learned that one big leaf isn't enough. But did you notice something? Where that little pebble was lying, the water stopped for a moment. What if we put more small obstacles in its way?”
“More obstacles?” Veronica repeated, thinking. “Like when I jump from branch to branch instead of jumping straight to the ground?”
“Exactly!” George said, pleased. “We'll slow it down! Come on, let's gather pebbles and small twigs!”
And so they set to work. Veronica carried small, round pebbles in her paws, and George rolled dry twigs in front of him. They built the first small dam of pebbles on the path. A little further down, a second one made of twigs. Then another, and another, until the whole path was transformed into a track full of small, playful obstacles.
From his home under the root of an old oak tree, Dodo the wise old salamander was watching them. Seeing how diligently they were working, he slowly slithered over to them.
“Good day, little builders,” he addressed them kindly. “I see you are preparing an obstacle course for the water.”
“We're trying to slow it down so it doesn't run away from us,” explained George. “So our strawberries can have a drink, too.”
Dodo the salamander nodded in satisfaction. “That is very wise. You are helping the water to be *retained* in the garden. That is an important word. You see, water is like a restless child. When it has a clear path, it runs and runs without looking back. But when you place something interesting in its way, it slows down and starts to look around.”
He pointed to a small hollow next to the patch. “And what do you think would happen if you showed it the way into this little hollow?”
Veronica and George looked at each other. They hadn't thought of that! Carefully, from their last little dam, they began to build a small channel of earth leading directly into the hollow.
“Now we just have to wait for a proper rain,” said George, curiously examining their work.
They didn't have to wait long. That very evening, the sky darkened and a cheerful summer downpour began. Veronica and George hid under a large mushroom, but their eyes eagerly watched the path. The water rushed down, but this time it didn't just flow past the fence.
The first dam slowed it. The second diverted it slightly. The third forced it to swirl. The water played, flowing over the pebbles, around the twigs, and slowly soaking into the dry earth around them. The thirsty roots of the plants rejoiced. And the water that didn't soak in obediently turned into the channel they had prepared and filled the small hollow.
When the rain stopped and the sun came out again, something miraculous had happened in the garden. The strawberries and the sunflower were no longer wilted. They stood proudly, and water droplets glistened on their leaves like tiny diamonds. And in the small hollow filled with water, a miniature pond had formed.
“Look!” whispered Veronica. A dragonfly with translucent wings flew to the little pond and landed on its edge. A moment later, a quiet “ribbit” was heard from the grass, and a small green frog hopped to the water.
“We've not only saved our flowers, but we've created a new home!” George rejoiced.
Dodo the salamander, who had been watching the whole time, smiled. “You see? You have not only watered the garden, but you have also helped the land. Every drop that is retained and doesn't flow away is like a small treasure.”
Veronica looked at George. “So we're actually treasure hunters!”
“And our map was just an ordinary path for the water,” added George.
They sat by their little pond and watched the blue sky reflected in it. They were no longer afraid of hot days. They knew that when the rain came, they could harness its power. And they also knew that the best ideas are born when an initial failure turns into the question: “What if we try it a different way?”
And what about you, children? Have you ever noticed where the rainwater runs off in your garden or yard? Perhaps, with your parents' help, you too can build a few small obstacles for it and show it the way to the thirsty flowers.
“Oh, Veronica,” he sighed and pointed with his paw at the strawberry patch. “Look at them. All their heads are hanging low. They are so thirsty.”
Veronica hopped down to the ground and sat beside him. “My favourite sunflower looks like a sad, yellow umbrella, too. It sprinkled a little yesterday, but the water seemed to disappear right away.”
“Exactly!” George agreed. “It all ran down the little path and vanished into the grass behind the fence. It didn't stay with us at all.”
They both fell silent, watching the dry, cracked earth. Suddenly, Veronica leaped up.
“I have an idea! We'll stop the water from running away! We'll build it a dam!”
She grabbed a large burdock leaf and placed it across the narrow path where the water always ran off. “There! That should do it!”
Just then, as if the sky had heard them, a few drops began to fall from a small cloud. Drip, drop, drip. The water trickled down the path, hit the burdock leaf, pooled in front of it for a moment... and then simply went around it on both sides and merrily flowed on.
“Oh!” Veronica sighed in disappointment. “It didn't work.”
“Never mind,” comforted George, who had been observing everything carefully. “At least we learned that one big leaf isn't enough. But did you notice something? Where that little pebble was lying, the water stopped for a moment. What if we put more small obstacles in its way?”
“More obstacles?” Veronica repeated, thinking. “Like when I jump from branch to branch instead of jumping straight to the ground?”
“Exactly!” George said, pleased. “We'll slow it down! Come on, let's gather pebbles and small twigs!”
And so they set to work. Veronica carried small, round pebbles in her paws, and George rolled dry twigs in front of him. They built the first small dam of pebbles on the path. A little further down, a second one made of twigs. Then another, and another, until the whole path was transformed into a track full of small, playful obstacles.
From his home under the root of an old oak tree, Dodo the wise old salamander was watching them. Seeing how diligently they were working, he slowly slithered over to them.
“Good day, little builders,” he addressed them kindly. “I see you are preparing an obstacle course for the water.”
“We're trying to slow it down so it doesn't run away from us,” explained George. “So our strawberries can have a drink, too.”
Dodo the salamander nodded in satisfaction. “That is very wise. You are helping the water to be *retained* in the garden. That is an important word. You see, water is like a restless child. When it has a clear path, it runs and runs without looking back. But when you place something interesting in its way, it slows down and starts to look around.”
He pointed to a small hollow next to the patch. “And what do you think would happen if you showed it the way into this little hollow?”
Veronica and George looked at each other. They hadn't thought of that! Carefully, from their last little dam, they began to build a small channel of earth leading directly into the hollow.
“Now we just have to wait for a proper rain,” said George, curiously examining their work.
They didn't have to wait long. That very evening, the sky darkened and a cheerful summer downpour began. Veronica and George hid under a large mushroom, but their eyes eagerly watched the path. The water rushed down, but this time it didn't just flow past the fence.
The first dam slowed it. The second diverted it slightly. The third forced it to swirl. The water played, flowing over the pebbles, around the twigs, and slowly soaking into the dry earth around them. The thirsty roots of the plants rejoiced. And the water that didn't soak in obediently turned into the channel they had prepared and filled the small hollow.
When the rain stopped and the sun came out again, something miraculous had happened in the garden. The strawberries and the sunflower were no longer wilted. They stood proudly, and water droplets glistened on their leaves like tiny diamonds. And in the small hollow filled with water, a miniature pond had formed.
“Look!” whispered Veronica. A dragonfly with translucent wings flew to the little pond and landed on its edge. A moment later, a quiet “ribbit” was heard from the grass, and a small green frog hopped to the water.
“We've not only saved our flowers, but we've created a new home!” George rejoiced.
Dodo the salamander, who had been watching the whole time, smiled. “You see? You have not only watered the garden, but you have also helped the land. Every drop that is retained and doesn't flow away is like a small treasure.”
Veronica looked at George. “So we're actually treasure hunters!”
“And our map was just an ordinary path for the water,” added George.
They sat by their little pond and watched the blue sky reflected in it. They were no longer afraid of hot days. They knew that when the rain came, they could harness its power. And they also knew that the best ideas are born when an initial failure turns into the question: “What if we try it a different way?”
And what about you, children? Have you ever noticed where the rainwater runs off in your garden or yard? Perhaps, with your parents' help, you too can build a few small obstacles for it and show it the way to the thirsty flowers.
EN
5645 characters
980 words
5 minutes
14.10.2025
0