A little bear cub named Misha went to sleep for the winter with his mother bear in a deep den under a pine tree. Bears love to sleep - all December, all January, all February, and a little bit of March. Mother bear said: "Misha, sleep. We will wake up when the sun warms the earth.".
Misha fell asleep. The first few days he dreamed of berries, honey, his mother. Warm, good. And then — suddenly, in the middle of winter — he woke up. His heart was pounding. His stomach hurt. He really, really wanted to eat.
He nudged his mother with his paw. Mother didn't wake up. She was breathing deeply, evenly. The winter sleep of the bears is a dead sleep. She won't be woken up until spring.
Misha tried to fall asleep again. It didn't work. Hunger was pressing. He got up and crawled out of the den.
Outside there is snow. Lots and lots of it. Trees in the snow, bushes in the snow, even the stars seem covered in frost. It is cold. Misha saw real winter for the first time. Before that he had only known autumn and summer.
Whining. Small. Cold. Hungry. Alone.
I wandered a bit. I found a frozen mountain ash - I ate it. I found bark - it was bitter, I didn't like it. I found an anthill - but there was no one there, everyone was sleeping.
Then suddenly, something lit up between the trees. Yellow, warm, like a flashlight. Mishka went to the light.
A man stood in the clearing. Tall. In a warm brown coat, from under which some strange white robes with gold patterns were visible. On his head was a warm hat, but from under it some gold stripe was still shining. Gray beard. He was holding a flashlight and a wooden bowl.
Misha stopped. He was afraid it was a person — and his mother taught him to be afraid of people.
"Come here, little one," the man said gently. "I've been waiting for you. I knew you'd wake up in the middle of winter. That's what happens sometimes with bear cubs - they don't get enough to eat in the fall. Come here, I've brought you some honey.".
His voice was not an ordinary human one—warm, soothing. The bear slowly approached. The man squatted down. He held out a bowl. In it was real bee honey, golden, fragrant.
The bear dipped his face in. He licked it. Again and again. Until he was completely full. His stomach stopped hurting. It became warm.
"Well done. Now listen. I'll take you back to the den. To your mother. You'll sleep until spring. And I promise you - every time you wake up in the middle of winter, I'll know. And I'll bring you honey. Just don't go out into the forest alone. Agreed?"
Misha nodded. He looked into the eyes of the strange forester. There was some kind of strange light in them. Like from the dawn.
The man led Mishka to the den. He helped him climb in. He straightened the moss at the entrance - to make it warmer. Mishka lay down next to his mother. He buried his nose in her side. As he fell asleep, he still had time to think: "Why is there gold shining from under his coat?" But he didn't remember. Because he was already asleep.
All winter, Misha slept peacefully. His dreams were berry-filled. And when he woke up in the spring, there was a small wax candle at the entrance to the den. It had gone out, but it was obvious that it had been burning recently. Misha didn't understand. And his mother didn't understand either. Only the old grandfather owl, who had seen everything in the forest, whispered to himself: "But this is Nicholas the Wonderworker. He will visit again. He always visits those in need.".
💛 In the midst of winter, there will always be someone to guide you home.