Once upon a time there was a little girl called Masha. She lived at the edge of the forest in the only house far and wide. That’s why she was sorry she didn’t have any friends there. But she still enjoyed playing with the animals in the yard.
One morning, Masha went into the forest to pick mushrooms. There weren’t many growing, so she walked back and forth for a long time. The forest looked all the same, the trees looked similar, until Masha realized she got lost. She looked for the way home all day, but only went deeper into the forest. Her stomach was growling with hunger, she was all tired and the sun was about to set. She was afraid of what she would do alone in the dark in the forest.
Then she saw a small house.
Someone must live there, she thought, and could give me some advice on how to get home. Or better yet, let me stay the night.
The little girl ran to the door and knocked. There was no answer. She knocked harder, but again no answer. She tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. Masha peeked in.
“Hello, is anyone here?” She called. But no one answered. The house was empty.
Masha went inside. There was a pot, a kettle, milk, porridge and sugar in the kitchen. It was as if someone had prepared everything for dinner to cook when they would return. Masha was hungry, so she cooked the porridge. Then she scooped some of it, because she was starving.
Whoever was staying here never came back. Masha’s eyes were beginning to close, and she almost fell asleep sitting up in her chair. So she decided to find a more comfortable place where she could rest for a while. She reached the first floor, where a large soft bed stood in a small room. The little girl curled up in it and fell asleep immediately.
She was not awakened at all by the return of the owner of the house. It was the bear, and he was just returning from fishing. As soon as he came in, the smell of porridge tickled his nose. He frowned and thought:
Did I cook the porridge before I left? Or had it cooked itself while I was not here?
But since he was hungry, the porridge came in handy, and there was no reason to keep looking to see where it came from. The bear licked every last drop out of the pot, he loved it. With a full belly, he started to feel sleepy. So he went into the bedroom where he suddenly saw something he didn’t expect.
Someone’s sleeping in my bed! Such a beautiful little girl, she must have made me porridge. So she must be nice.
And he immediately thought he should thank her. He was about to tickle her hand to wake her up when he realized something.
Yeah, but if she wakes up and sees a big bear, she’s gonna be scared. I’ve got to do something so I don’t look so scary.
The bear started searching through the chest. He pulled out his clothes and started digging into them. First he put on a skirt, then a blouse, then a scarf over his shoulders and a cap on his head. He put on glasses and looked at himself in the mirror.
Well, well. Now I look like an old lady. I’m not gonna scare that little girl like that.
In his disguise, he tickled the little girl on the arm. Masha slowly opened her eyes. Suddenly, she screamed, rose abruptly to a sitting position, and waddled on her butt to the other end of the bed. The poor girl was frightened.
The bear waved his arms to show her he wouldn’t hurt her.
“Please don’t eat me,” the little girl moaned.
The bear tilted his head to the side and threw up his hands.
“You must be a wolf! You dressed up as Grandma and now you’re going to eat me like Little Red Riding Hood.”
Bear slapped his palm on his forehead. Then he shook his head and slowly took off his clothes.
“You’re a bear?” wondered the little girl.
The bear began to nod his head. He was grinning from ear to ear, that made the little girl a little less afraid. Immediately afterwards, he showed cooking and eating with his paws and huffed approvingly.
“Did you like the porridge? I’m sorry, I got a little carried away. I was so hungry.”
The bear just waved his paw. Pointing at Masha, he showed steps with his fingers.
“Oh, yes, Bear, I came here . Because I got lost in the woods. And I’m afraid to find my way in the dark.”
Bear pointed to the bed, inviting the little girl to lie down and continue sleeping.
“Thank you, little bear. You can sleep here with me. The bed is big enough for both of us,” suggested the little girl.
The bear gave a slight bow as a thank you.
“I’m Masha. Shall we be friends?”
Bear nodded his head happily. Finally, he would have a friend to help him take care of the forest, and he wouldn’t be so alone. And Masha? She was thinking the same thing. Surely she and the bear would have lots of fun.
