One autumn day, little hedgehog Prickleton woke up in his cozy burrow and blinked his eyes. Through the small window, he could see the sky covered with dark gray clouds.
"Hmm, it looks like rain today," he mumbled to himself. "I need to go apple picking, but I don't want to get soaked."
Prickleton knew he was safe in his burrow, but he needed supplies for winter. When he peeked outside, he spotted the first raindrops.
"I've got it!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "I'll try to find the best place to hide from the rain!"
Putting on his favorite hat made from an oak leaf, he headed toward a nearby burdock plant that had leaves as big as umbrellas. Carefully, he positioned himself under one of them. The drops fell on the leaf and created an interesting rhythm – tick, tick, tap!
Prickleton watched as water collected on the leaf. When there was too much of it, however, the leaf bent over and all the water poured out at once, right onto his head.
"Brrr, that's cold!" he shivered. "It seems the leaf isn't the best place."
Nearby stood an old branched tree. Prickleton quickly moved under its thick branches. Drops fell between the twigs, and although he was drier, enough raindrops still reached him.
"Better than the leaf, but still not ideal," he noted to himself when one drop landed right on his nose.
"Now I'll try an abandoned burrow."
He looked around and spotted a small hole in the ground beneath the roots of a pine tree. He carefully checked it, and when no one answered, he squeezed inside. The burrow was perfectly dry. But then he caught a strange scent and realized this burrow belonged to a fox.
"Oops, I'd better leave before Mrs. Fox comes home," he whispered to himself and quickly climbed out.
Meanwhile, the rain had grown even stronger. Prickleton needed to quickly find new shelter. Suddenly he noticed something interesting – old bark that had fallen from a tree. He ran to it. The bark was solid and shaped like a small roof. Prickleton hid under it and contentedly discovered it was dry and safe there.
"This is a great place!" he praised himself. "The bark doesn't let water through and doesn't belong to anyone."
As he sat watching the rain, he noticed his friend, little rabbit Flopsy, running between the drops.
"Flopsy! Come here under my roof!" Prickleton called to him.
The rabbit gratefully ran over. "Thank you, Prickleton. Where did you find such a wonderful shelter?"
"I tried different places," Prickleton explained. "First I was under a big leaf, but it bent over and all the water poured all over me. Then I was under branches, but it still dripped through them. And finally I was in a dry burrow, but it belonged to a fox! That would have been quite a surprise if she'd come home!"
Both friends burst into laughter.
"So bark is the best shelter from the rain?" Flopsy asked.
"For me, yes," Prickleton nodded. "It's as dry as a burrow, but free. It's sturdier than a leaf and doesn't let water through like branches do."
As they sat under the bark, Prickleton had an idea: "Listen, Flopsy, what if we fixed up this bark? We could use it whenever it rains!"
"That's a great idea!" the rabbit got excited. "Like a forest umbrella!"
When the rain subsided a bit, both friends set to work. They found a suitable twig for a handle, a strong vine, and together they created their first invention from the bark.
"Now we can walk in the rain and stay dry!" Flopsy rejoiced when they tested their new umbrella.
"Yes, and we can gather winter supplies even when it's raining," Prickleton added contentedly.
When the rain stopped completely, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and the forest lit up.
"Look how beautiful nature is after the rain," Prickleton said.
"And you know what I noticed?" Flopsy asked. "That sometimes even rain, which we don't like at first, can bring something good. If it hadn't rained today, we never would have invented our forest umbrella."
Both friends set off on their way home and along the way showed their invention to other forest animals. Everyone admired their cleverness.
And so little hedgehog Prickleton learned that sometimes you need to try several options to find the best one. And that with a good friend and a bit of inventiveness, you can handle even the rainiest day.
When he returned to his cozy burrow that evening, he thought contentedly: "Tomorrow I can peacefully gather supplies. With my new umbrella, I'm not afraid of rain at all!"