100 Stories About Alyosha and his Friends

“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.

CHAPTER 15. ALYOSHA WASHES HAPPY HOP

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.”

CHAPTER 16. HAPPY HOP CANNOT BE A 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?”