The Mitten

The Mitten

One winter morning, an old man went into the forest to gather firewood. Snow lay in little white mounds, the trees creaked softly in the frost, and his dog trotted beside him. On he walked, until he bent to pick up a dry branch. He never noticed his warm woolen mitten slipping from his pocket. There it lay in the snow, red and soft, still holding a little warmth inside. A small mouse came running through the forest. She spotted the mitten and peered in. “Oh, what a lovely house! It will keep out the wind and warm my paws. I'll live here.” She climbed inside, curled into a ball, and squeaked happily: “Warm!” Soon a frog came hopping over the snow. She was cold, and her feet were freezing. When she saw the mitten, she called: “Who, who lives in this mitten?” “I'm Mouse the Scratcher. Who are you?” “I'm Frog the Croaker. Let me come in and get warm.” Mouse shuffled aside. “Come in. Two will be warmer than one.” Frog climbed in, and the mitten grew a little rounder. Then Hare came running. “Who, who lives in this mitten?” “Mouse the Scratcher and Frog the Croaker. Who are you?” “I'm Hare the Runner. My ears are frozen. May I join you?” “Come in carefully. Mind you don't step on anyone's tail.” Hare squeezed between Mouse and Frog. It was a little more crowded, but warmer too. After a while, Fox appeared, with a fluffy tail and snowflakes on her nose. “Who, who lives in this mitten?” From inside came the answer: “Mouse the Scratcher, Frog the Croaker, and Hare the Runner. Who are you?” “I'm Sister Fox. Please let me get warm too.” The animals looked at one another. “If we all move over a little, we'll find room.” They shuffled aside. Fox slipped gently in. The mitten was now round as a cushion. Soon Wolf emerged from the bushes. “Who, who lives in this mitten?” The animals introduced themselves. “And I'm Brother Wolf. May I join you? The frost is nipping my nose.” “There's almost no room,” said Mouse. “I'll sit right at the edge,” Wolf promised. Everyone squeezed closer once more. Wolf climbed in. The mitten stretched, but held. Then snow crunched among the trees. Boar was coming. “Who, who lives in this mitten?” A whole chorus answered. “And I'm Boar the Tusker. Let me in too!” “Where will you fit?” asked Hare. “I'll breathe very quietly and sit perfectly still.” The animals laughed, but moved aside. Boar squeezed in as well. The mitten had grown so large that it looked like a little cottage in the snow. Just then Bear came out of the forest. His steps were heavy, and the snow squeaked beneath his paws. “Who, who lives in this mitten?” The answers came one after another. “Mouse the Scratcher!” “Frog the Croaker!” “Hare the Runner!” “Sister Fox!” “Brother Wolf!” “Boar the Tusker!” “And I'm Bear the Wanderer. Let me come in.” Silence fell inside. At last Mouse said: “Well, since we're all together, you may try. But very, very carefully.” Bear pulled in his tummy, tucked his paws close, and began to squeeze inside. The mitten stretched even farther. The animals sat pressed together, tail to tail and paw to paw. “Is anyone feeling cramped?” Bear asked. “Yes!” they answered together. “But are you warm?” “Yes!” Meanwhile, the old man was on his way home. Suddenly he looked at his hands. “Oh dear! Where is my mitten?” The dog heard the familiar word, lifted his nose to the wind, and ran back along their tracks. He ran and ran, until he saw something big, red, and round in the snow. And it was moving. “Woof!” he barked in surprise. Everyone inside froze. The dog came closer. “Woof, woof!” And the mitten sprang to life. Out popped Mouse first, followed by Frog, Hare, Fox, Wolf, Boar, and finally Bear. One darted beneath a bush, another behind a tree, another over a snowdrift. A little white cloud of snow rose into the air. The dog sat down and stared after them. What a mitten, he seemed to say. It held a whole forest! The old man came up, picked up his mitten, and shook off the snow. “There it is! Good thing we found it.” He put it on and went home. For a long time afterward, the animals remembered that winter day. The mitten had been crowded, but everyone who asked to get warm had heard the same answer: “We'll move over. We'll find room.”

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨