In an old oak tree in the middle of a sunny glade lived Sofia the Owl. She wore big round glasses and loved reading books by moonlight.
One morning, a little squirrel named Rudyk came running.
"Sofia!" he squeaked. "I've gathered so many nuts that I don't know where to hide them! Should I bury them under the linden tree? Or under the birch?"
Sofia adjusted her glasses. "Do you remember where you buried them last year?"
Rudyk scratched his ear. "No… I searched all winter and never found them."
"Then let's do something different," said the owl. "Take a stick and draw a map on the ground. Mark each hiding spot with a pebble."
Rudyk was delighted and scampered off to draw.
In the evening, a hedgehog named Tymko came along, dragging a huge apple.
"Sofia, help!" he puffed. "I want to take this apple home, but it's too heavy. Should I call the little fox?"
"Why do you think the fox would help?" asked Sofia.
"Well… he's stronger than me."
"But have you seen how the fox hunts? He loves apples," the owl reminded him. "Now, the mouse Zirka lives right next to your burrow. If you both push the apple, it will roll faster."
Tymko nodded and waddled off to find Zirka.
At full moon, a sparrow named Hryts flew to Sofia.
"I broke my wing last week," he whispered. "It's healed now, but I'm afraid to fly. What if I fall again?"
Sofia was quiet for a moment. "Hryts, remember how you learned to fly when you were tiny? Didn't you fall then?"
"I did," admitted the sparrow. "Many times."
"And what did you do next?"
"I flew up again…"
Sofia smiled. "Try hopping on your branch first. Then fly to the next branch. And then you'll see."
Hryts hopped. Then he flew to the next branch. And then—he soared over the glade, whistling with joy.
Late at night, Sofia sat in her hollow. Outside, the fallen leaves rustled softly. Somewhere below, Rudyk was hiding his last nut and placing a pebble. Tymko and Zirka rolled the apple to the burrow. And Hryts fell asleep on a branch, gripping tight with his tiny claws.
Sofia closed her book, took off her glasses, and shut her eyes.