User blog:Paulinekovaleva/A squirrel's life - translated version

Note: This has some inaccuracies about squirrels.

Firmly grasping the birch branch, I examined the forest. But to not fall down, holding on with your paws isn't enough, you also need to balance using your long fluffy tail. From down below it seems that the trees are still, but on the treetops, a quite strong wind is blowing. Because the leaves on the trees are still young and small, you can see what is going on below. The winter has ended, and now I can leave my family and start my own life. My name is Klir, and I'm a squirrel. I was born this summer, helped gather food in the fall, and lived through the winter with my mom and siblings. My family consists of me, my mother, my brother Tirk and my sisters, Anne and Tiria. I call brothers and sisters those squirrels, which were born in one year with me - I have much more siblings, since my mother has new children every summer. I never knew my father, and couldn't understand why he left us. When I or Tirk asked our mother about that, she answered, "You'll understand when you grow up." Apparently, our sisters didn't think about it.

I wonder, does Mother remember all her children, or do we become ghostly phantoms in her memory when she has a new litter? I became a little sad - I will have new siblings this summer, but they won't even know of my existance... And then I decided - I am going to help my mother instead of our father. Sinking in my thoughts, I didn't hear that someone was calling me right away. Looking down, I saw a woman holding a nut in her hand near the tree. I carefully climbed down the trunk, took the nut and sat on a branch, eating it. There is plenty of food in the forest, but how can you resist such a treat? When I was finished with the nut, I looked down and saw a human holding a handful of nuts in his hand which he put on the ground. He was obviously waiting for me to climb down to him. I wasn't going to do anything of the sort! I didn't like walking on the ground, believing that squirrels' only true enviroment is the trees. Then I went somehwere, nowhere in particular - I jumped from branch to branch, climbed tree trunks, gliding from one tree to another and occasionally walking on the ground if needed. Finally, I saw a beautiful female - though she was just a normal squirrel like any other. I remembered I saw her in the winter, but didn't feel what I felt now - to me she was the most pretty squirrel in the world, with her red, bit grayish fur and big tail.



I thought of a way to get acquainted - and ran back from where I came. I was happy when I saw that the man was still there, feeding several squirrels, including my brother. I climbed down, and Tirk smirked, "What about "I will not walk on the ground?" I lightly hit him on the face, grabbed the nut from the human's hand, and ran back, hoping that the squirrel was still there. She was sitting on the same place. I called her and handed the nut. She turned around and took it. I patiently waited until she ate it, and introduced myself, "I'm Klir." She replied, "And I am Skirra." That's how we met.



The next few days we "coincidentally" met. Actually, I ran over all the forest to find her, and I had suspicions she did the same thing. Soon I found out that Skirra was pregnant. Helping her build the nest, I told her how we'd all live together, with the children, and that'd I never leave her - and fully forgot about my promise to help Mom with her new children. The day when the babies would be born came closer. Other squirrels sighed when they saw us, for some reason. But one night, I finally understood - I can't stay. Squirrels should grow with a mother and without a father - that's the way nature is, and you can't go against nature. That's the way a squirrel should be to grow up strong and have all the skills needed to survive.

I hear Skirra calling me - it was time. I couldn't come, as much as I wanted to. After the babies were born, she still waited for me, until one squirrel told her everything. I couldn't stand hearing how she cried, so I went away.

I frequently secretly watched my family, and soon knew that I had 3 children - 2 females and a son. In autumn, I saw my son sitting near the nest and thinking of something. I jumped down to him and asked, "You're thinking about your father?" He looked at me and nodded. I continued, "You're probably thinking about how could he leave. You are thinking that he is despicable. Well," here I paused for a bit, "you're right. Your father is despicable and always was." Then the squirrel asked quietly, "But why did he do it?" i gave him the answer that I so hated when I was his age - "You'll understand it, son, when you grow up."



Next spring I saw Skirra again - she didn't remember me. And, helping her build the nest, I told her how we'd all live together, with the children, and that'd I never leave her.