Waltey
Mladi rakuni gredo na zabavo
089 THE YOUNG RACCOONS GO TO A PARTY
Živalske zgodbe Clare Dillingham Pierson · Clara Dillingham PiersonO besedilu
Mladi rakuni gredo na zabavo
- Vir
- Živalske zgodbe Clare Dillingham Pierson
- Avtor
- Clara Dillingham Pierson
- Jezik branja
- Slovenščina
- Jezik izvirnika
- English
- Čas branja
- 9 min branja
- Obseg
- 8 strani
- Naslov izvirnika
- 089 THE YOUNG RACCOONS GO TO A PARTY
O izvirniku
Živalske zgodbe Clare Dillingham Pierson
Devetindevetdeset avtorskih zgodb o živalih na kmetiji, travniku, v gozdu, ob ribniku in ponoči. Bralni jezik je Slovenščina, izvirnik pa prihaja iz vira Živalske zgodbe Clare Dillingham Pierson v jeziku English.
Besedilo
Mladi rakuni gredo na zabavo
Ni minilo prav veliko noči, odkar je Veliki bratec padel z javorja, ko so njega in druge otroke povabili na rakunjo zabavo ob ribniku. Vode je bilo malo in v plitvih lužicah ob bregu je bilo vse polno sladkovodnih školjk in ribic, kakršne imajo rakuni najrajši. Šest mladih rakunov iz družine, ki je živela čisto blizu ribnika, jih je našlo tik pred sončnim vzhodom, ko so že morali splezati v svoje duplo in leči spat. Vedeli so, da je tam veliko več hrane, kot bi je lahko pojedli sami, zato jim je mama dovolila povabiti štiri prijatelje, ki so živeli v hrastovem duplu. Zabava naj bi se začela naslednji večer ob luninem vzhodu in štirje otroci iz hrasta so dobili povabilo ravno takrat, ko so se odpravljali k dnevnemu počitku. Bili so strašno vznemirjeni, saj še nikoli niso bili na zabavi.
»Ko bi le lahko šli že zdaj,« je rekel Veliki bratec. »Ja, zdaj bi bilo pa res zabavno!« je odvrnil Mali bratec. »Sonce bo vsak čas vzšlo in na nebu ni niti oblačka. Ničesar ne bi videli, če si ne bi s sprednjimi tačkami senčili oči, in če bi morali sprednje tačke uporabljati za to, ne bi mogli jesti.«
»Saj na zabavah se je, kajne?« je vprašala Mala sestrica, ki ni čisto razumela, o čem govorita. »Seveda!« sta zavpila njena bratca. »Zato pa so zabave.«
»Mislila sem, da se mogoče tudi malo pogovarja,« je rekla Velika sestrica. »Najbrž se je res treba tudi malo pogovarjati,« je rekel Veliki bratec, »ampak vem, da se je. Že velikokrat sem slišal pripovedovati o zabavah in vedno so najprej povedali, kaj so jedli. Prav zato je zabava sploh zabava.«
»Oh, ko bi bila že noč in bi lahko šli,« je zavzdihnil Mali bratec. »Jaz si pa tega ne želim,« je rekla Mala sestrica. »Prav nič se ne bi zabavala, če bi šla že zdaj. Raje počakam, da bom imela prazen trebušček.«
»No, tako!« je rekla njihova mama. »Otroci, dovolj dolgo ste klepetali. Zdaj se zvijte v klobčiče in zaspite. Ptice že pojejo svoje jutranje pesmi, sove in netopirji pa že zdavnaj sanjajo. Noč bo prišla veliko prej, če ne boste ostajali budni.«
»Saj nismo niti malo zaspani!« so v en glas vzkliknili mladi rakuni. »To prav nič ne spremeni,« je rekla mama, in to precej strogo. »Zdaj se stisnite k dnevnemu počitku, pokrijte si oči in nehajte govoriti. Ne pravim, da morate zaspati, nehati govoriti pa morate.«
Vedeli so, da jim ne preostane drugega, kot da ubogajo, kadar govori tako in reče »morate«. Zato so se stisnili skupaj in vsi po vrsti zaspali, še preden bi želod padel na tla. Mama Rakunka je vedela, da bo tako.
Ko so se naslednji večer zgodaj zbudili, se je moral vsak mladi rakun kar najbolj urediti. Treba je bilo razčesati dolgo dlako, umiti obraze in tačke ter iz repa Malega bratca pobrati triindvajset ježkov. Sprva si jih je pobiral sam, toda mama je opazila, da je vsakega, ki ga je iztaknil, prilepil na katerega od drugih otrok. Zato ga je okregala in mu ukazala, naj sam sedi na veji, medtem ko mu je odstranjevala ježke. Včasih ga je morala pri tem nehote pocukati za dlako in takrat se ji je skušal izviti.
»Saj si jih že dovolj pobrala!« je zavpil. »Pusti druge pri miru.« »Prej bi moral pomisliti, kako bo bolelo,« je rekla. »Že neštetokrat smo ti rekli, da se ogibaj ježkov, pa si še vedno prav tako nepreviden kot prvo noč, ko si zapustil drevo.« Nato je izpulila še en ježek in ga spustila na tla.
»Av!« je zastokal. »Spusti me!« »Ne, dokler ne končam,« je odgovorila. »Noben moj otrok ne bo nikoli šel na zabavo takšen, kakršen si ti.« Potem se je Mali bratec trudil sedeti pri miru in imel je dovolj časa za razmišljanje o tem, kako vesel je, da na druge otroke ni prilepil še več ježkov. Če bi jih, bi moral počakati, da bi jih mama spet pobrala z njih, in potem bi morda zamudili zabavo. Če bi bil zelo priden, bi bil vesel, da drugim ni bilo treba trpeti bolečin kakor njemu. A ni bil zelo priden in na to še pomislil ni.
Ko je bil naposled urejen, je mama Rakunka svojim štirim otrokom naročila, naj sedejo v vrsto, da se bo pogovorila z njimi. »Ne pozabite hoditi po prstih,« je rekla, »čeprav lahko stojite na celih stopalih, če želite. Če se le morete zadržati, ne bodite požrešni. V vodo pojdite, kolikor vas je volja, vendar se nikar ne poskušajte potapljati, tudi če vas bodo izzivali. Rakuni se nikoli ne morejo naučiti potapljati, pa naj še tako dobro plavajo. In hrano si obvezno umijte, preden jo pojeste.«
Vsi mladi rakuni so rekli: »Da, mama,« in bili prepričani, da si bodo zapomnili prav vsako besedo. Prvi lunin žarek je obsijal vrh hrasta in gospa Rakunka je rekla: »Zdaj lahko greste. Pridni bodite in ne pozabite, kaj sem vam povedala. Ne ostanite predolgo. Odpravite se domov, ko na vzhodu zagledate prvo svetlobo.«
»Da, mama,« so rekli mladi rakuni in se zelo spodobno odpravili proti ribniku. Ko so bili že precej daleč od hrasta, so zaslišali mamin klic: »Ne pozabite hoditi po prstih!«
Rakuni ne morejo hoditi prav hitro in ko so prispeli do ribnika ter srečali svojih šest prijateljev, je luna že močno sijala. Kako so se zabavali v plitvi vodi! Plavali so, se zvijali in obračali, z neutrudnimi sprednjimi tačkami zajemali hrano, tekali gor in dol po obrežju ter se valjali po pesku! Niti enkrat se niso spomnili, kaj jim je naročila mama, in vedli so se natanko tako, kot so bili vajeni vsak dan. Veliki bratec je ob vsaki priložnosti občudujoče pogledoval svoj rep, čeprav mu je mama posebej naročila, naj se ne vede, kakor da se sam sebi zdi lep. Mali bratec se je povaljal med kopico bodičastih ježkov in si tako zavozlal dlako, da je bil videti hujši kot kdaj prej. Velika sestrica je drugim rakunom pulila hrano iz tačk in nihče od njih se ni spomnil na hojo po prstih. Mala sestrica si hrane polovico časa sploh ni umivala. Seveda to ni bilo pomembno, kadar jo je vzela iz ribnika, toda kadar so kaj našli na obrežju in pojedli, ne da bi prej umili — to je bilo grozno. Noben rakun, ki da kaj nase, ne bi storil česa takega.
Mama šestih mladičev jih je opazovala z bližnjega drevesa. Otroci niso vedeli, da je tam. »Kakšno vedenje!« je rekla. »Nikoli več jih ne bom dala povabiti sem.« Prav tedaj je zagledala enega svojih sinov, kako je jedel, ne da bi si umil hrano, in glasno je zastokala. »Tudi moji otroci pozabljajo,« je rekla. »Stokrat sem mu že povedala, da bo tako ravnal tudi na zabavi, če bo to počel vsak dan, pa je vedno govoril, da se bo že spomnil.«
Mama štirih mladih rakunov je bila na lovu in pot jo je zanesla v bližino ribnika. »Kako glasni so ti otroci!« si je rekla. »Nočni prebivalci bi morali biti tihi.« Po prstih se je prikradla do kupa skal in pokukala skoznje, da bi videla, kaj se dogaja. Na pesku je opazila stopinje svojih otrok. »Aha!« je rekla. »Torej so vendarle hodili po celih stopalih.«
Zaslišala je, kako nekdo pleza z bližnjega drevesa. »Dober večer,« se je ob njej oglasil prijazen rakunji glas. Bila je mama šestih mladičev. »Opazujete otroško zabavo?« je vprašala prišleka. »Upam, da niste opazili, kako grdo se vede moj sin. Svoje otroke sem skušala naučiti lepega vedenja, a kadar jih ne gledam, so tako nemarni, potem pa v družbi seveda pozabijo.«
Ob teh besedah je mami štirih mladičev odleglo. »Dobro vem, kako je to,« je rekla. »Moji bi bili radi pridni, ampak so tako nemarni. Človek kar obupa.«
Mami sta se še dolgo šepetaje pogovarjali, potem pa je šla vsaka v svoje duplo. Ko so se štirje mladi rakuni vrnili domov, se je že začelo daniti in držali so se tesno skupaj, ker jih je bilo malce strah. Mama jih je čakala, da bi se prepričala, da so se spravili k dnevnemu počitku. Vprašala jih je, ali so se imeli lepo, in rekla, da je vesela, ker so se pravočasno vrnili. Bali so se, da jih bo vprašala, ali so si umivali hrano in hodili po prstih. Zdelo se je celo, da ne opazi skuštrane dlake Malega bratca.
Ko so se naslednji večer zbudili, jih je mama brž odpeljala k istemu ribniku, kjer so bili na zabavi. »Obiskala bom mamo vaših prijateljev,« je rekla, »vi pa se lahko igrate naokrog in se zabavate.«
Mladi rakuni so se spet imenitno imeli, čeprav je bilo Malemu bratcu z vsemi tistimi ježki v kožuhu precej neprijetno. Lovili so se po drevesih, jedli, plavali in poležavali na obrežju. Medtem ko so ležali tam, so štirje mladiči iz hrasta opazili, da njihova mama hodi po celih stopalih. Mesečina je bila svetla in vsakdo jo je lahko videl. Bilo jim je strašno neprijetno. Potem so videli, kako je začela jesti hrano, ki je ni umila. Tako jih je bilo sram, da si prijateljem niso upali pogledati v oči. Niso pa vedeli, da je njihovim prijateljem prav tako, ker so tudi oni videli svojo mamo, kako se grdo vede.
Ko so prišli domov, je Veliki bratec zelo plaho vprašal mamo: »Ali veš, da si pojedla nekaj hrane, ne da bi jo prej umila?« »O, seveda,« je odgovorila. »Tako nadležno je vse pomakati v vodo.«
»In hodila si po celih stopalih,« je rekel Mali bratec. »No, zakaj pa ne bi, če se mi tako ljubi?« je rekla. Otroci so zajokali. »D-drugi bodo mislili, da ne znaš l-lepo vesti,« so rekli. »T-tako zelo nas je bilo sram.«
»O!« je rekla mama. »O! O! Torej mislite, da se ne vedem tako lepo kot vi! Je to?« Mladi rakuni so se zelo nelagodno spogledali. »Saj tudi mi najbrž ne ravnamo vedno prav,« so odgovorili, »ampak ti si odrasla.«
»Da,« je odvrnila mama. »In tudi vi boste.« Dolgo ni nihče spregovoril in Mala sestrica je glasno zaihtela. Potem je gospa Rakunka spregovorila nežneje: »Sonce vzhaja,« je rekla. »Zdaj bomo šli spat, in ko se jutri zvečer zbudimo, se bomo potrudili lepše vesti, da nas ne bo treba biti sram drug drugega ne na zabavah ne doma.«
Ko so drugi že dolgo sanjali, je Velika sestrica dregnila Velikega bratca in ga zbudila. »Zdaj razumem,« je rekla. »Zanalašč je to naredila.« »Kdo je kaj naredil?« je vprašal.
»Ja, naša mama vendar. Zanalašč se je grdo vedla, da bi videli, kako je to videti.« Veliki bratec je za hip pomislil. »Seveda,« je rekel. »Seveda je! No, zaradi mene ji tega ne bo treba nikoli več početi.«
»Tudi zaradi mene ne,« je rekla Velika sestrica. Potem sta zaspala.
Izvirnik
089 THE YOUNG RACCOONS GO TO A PARTY
Naslednje strani prikazujejo izvirno besedilo za primerjavo.
It was not very many nights after Big Brother had tumbled from the maple-tree, when he and the other children were invited to a Raccoon party down by the pond. The water was low, and in the small pools by the shore there were many fresh-water clams and small fishes, such as Raccoons like best of all. A family of six young Raccoons who lived very near the pond had found them just before sunrise, when they had to climb off to bed. They knew there was much more food there than they could eat alone, so their mother had let them invite their four friends who lived in the hollow of the oak-tree. The party was to begin the next evening at moonrise, and the four children who lived in the oak-tree got their invitation just as they were going to sleep for the day. They were very much excited over it, for they had never been to a party.
"I wish we could go now," said Big Brother.
"Yes, lots of fun it would be now!" answered Little Brother. "The sun is almost up, and there are no clouds in the sky. We couldn't see a thing unless we shaded our eyes with our fore paws, and if we had to use our fore paws in that way we couldn't eat."
"You do eat at parties, don't you?" asked Little Sister, who had not quite understood what was said.
"Of course," shouted her brothers. "That is what parties are for."
"I thought maybe you talked some," said Big Sister.
"I suppose you do have to, some," said Big Brother, "but I know you eat. I've heard people tell about parties lots of times, and they always began by telling what they ate. That's what makes it a party."
"Oh, I wish it were night and time to go," sighed Little Brother.
"I don't," said Little Sister. "I wouldn't have any fun if I were to go now. I'd rather wait until my stomach is empty."
"There!" said their mother. "You children have talked long enough. Now curl down and go to sleep. The birds are already singing their morning songs, and the Owls and Bats were dreaming long ago. It will make night-time come much sooner if you do not stay awake."
"We're not a bit sleepy," cried all the young Raccoons together.
"That makes no difference at all," said their mother, and she spoke quite sternly. "Cuddle down for the day now, cover your eyes, and stop talking. I do not say you must sleep, but you must stop talking."
They knew that when she spoke in that way and said "must," there was nothing to do but to mind. So they cuddled down, and every one of them was asleep before you could drop an acorn. Mother Raccoon had known it would be so.
When they awakened, early the next night, each young Raccoon had to make himself look as neat as possible. There were long fur to be combed, faces and paws to be washed, and twenty-three burrs to be taken out of Little Brother's tail. He began to take them out himself, but his mother found that whenever he got one loose he stuck it onto one of the other children, so she scolded him and made him sit on a branch by himself while she worked at the burrs. Sometimes she couldn't help pulling the fur, and then he tried to wriggle away.
"You've got enough out," he cried. "Let the rest go."
"You should have thought sooner how it would hurt," she said. "You have been told again and again to keep away from the burrs, and you are just as careless as you were the first night you left the tree." Then she took out another burr and dropped it to the ground.
"Ouch!" said he. "Let me go!"
"Not until I am done," she answered. "No child of mine shall ever go to a party looking as you do."
After that Little Brother tried to hold still, and he had time to think how glad he was that he hadn't stuck any more burrs on the other children. If he had gotten more onto them, he would have had to wait while they were pulled off again, and then they might have been late for the party. If he had been very good, he would have been glad they didn't have to be hurt as he was. But he was not very good, and he never thought of that.
When he was ready at last, Mother Raccoon made her four children sit in a row while she talked to them. "Remember to walk on your toes," said she, "although you may stand flat-footed if you wish. Don't act greedy if you can help it. Go into the water as much as you choose, but don't try to dive, even if they dare you to. Raccoons can never learn to dive, no matter how well they swim. And be sure to wash your food before you eat it."
All the young Raccoons said "Yes'm," and thought they would remember every word. The first moonbeam shone on the top of the oak-tree, and Mrs. Raccoon said: "Now you may go. Be good children and remember what I told you. Don't stay too long. Start home when you see the first light in the east."
"Yes'm," said the young Raccoons, as they walked off very properly toward the pond. After they were well away from the oak-tree, they heard their mother calling to them: "Remember to walk on your toes!"
Raccoons cannot go very fast, and the moon was shining brightly when they reached the pond and met their six friends. Such frolics as they had in the shallow water, swimming, twisting, turning, scooping up food with their busy fore paws, going up and down the beach, and rolling on the sand! They never once remembered what their mother had told them, and they acted exactly as they had been in the habit of doing every day. Big Brother looked admiringly at his own tail every chance he got, although he had been told particularly not to act as if he thought himself fine-looking. Little Brother rolled into a lot of sand-burrs and got his fur so matted that he looked worse than ever. Big Sister snatched food from other Raccoons, and not one of them remembered about walking on tiptoe. Little Sister ate half the time without washing her food. Of course that didn't matter when the food was taken from the pond, but when they found some on the beach and ate it without washing--that was dreadful. No Raccoon who is anybody at all will do that.
The mother of the family of six looked on from a tree near by. The children did not know that she was there. "What manners!" said she. "I shall never have them invited here again." Just then she saw one of her own sons eat without washing his food, and she groaned out loud. "My children are forgetting too," she said. "I have told him hundreds of times that if he did that way every day he would do so at a party, but he has always said he would remember."
The mother of the four young Raccoons was out hunting and found herself near the pond. "How noisy those children are!" she said to herself. "Night people should be quiet." She tiptoed along to a pile of rocks and peeped between them to see what was going on. She saw her children's footprints on the sand. "Aha!" said she. "So they did walk flat-footed after all."
She heard somebody scrambling down a tree near by. "Good-evening," said a pleasant Raccoon voice near her. It was the mother of the six. "Are you watching the children's party?" asked the newcomer. "I hope you did not notice how badly my son is behaving. I have tried to teach my children good manners, but they will be careless when I am not looking, and then, of course, they forget in company."
That made the mother of the four feel more comfortable. "I know just how that is," said she. "Mine mean to be good, but they are so careless. It is very discouraging."
The two mothers talked for a long time in whispers and then each went to her hole.
When the four young Raccoons came home, it was beginning to grow light, and they kept close together because they were somewhat afraid. Their mother was waiting to see them settled for the day. She asked if they had a good time, and said she was glad they got home promptly. They had been afraid she would ask if they had washed their food and walked on their toes. She even seemed not to notice Little Brother's matted coat.
When they awakened the next night, the mother hurried them off with her to the same pond where they had been to the party. "I am going to visit with the mother of your friends," said she, "and you may play around and amuse yourselves."
The young Raccoons had another fine time, although Little Brother found it very uncomfortable to wear so many burrs. They played tag in the trees, and ate, and swam, and lay on the beach. While they were lying there, the four from the oak-tree noticed that their mother was walking flat-footed. There was bright moonlight and anybody might see her. They felt dreadfully about it. Then they saw her begin to eat food which she had not washed. They were so ashamed that they didn't want to look their friends in the eye. They didn't know that their friends were feeling in the same way because they had seen their mother doing ill-mannered things.
After they reached home, Big Brother said, very timidly, to his mother: "Did you know you ate some food without washing it?"
"Oh, yes," she answered; "it is such a bother to dip it all in water."
"And you walked flat-footed," said Little Brother.
"Well, why shouldn't I, if I want to?" said she.
The children began to cry: "P-people will think you don't know any b-better," said they. "We were d-dreadfully ashamed."
"Oh!" said their mother. "Oh! Oh! So you think that my manners are not so good as yours! Is that it?"
The young Raccoons looked at each other in a very uncomfortable way. "We suppose we don't always do things right ourselves," they answered, "but you are grown up."
"Yes," replied their mother. "And you will be."
For a long time nobody spoke, and Little Sister sobbed out loud. Then Mrs. Raccoon spoke more gently: "The sun is rising," said she. "We will go to sleep now, and when we awaken to-morrow night we will try to have better manners, so that we need not be ashamed of each other at parties or at home."
Long after the rest were dreaming, Big Sister nudged Big Brother and awakened him. "I understand it now," she said. "She did it on purpose."
"Who did what?" asked he.
"Why, our mother. She was rude on purpose to let us see how it looked."
Big Brother thought for a minute. "Of course," said he. "Of course she did! Well she won't ever have to do it again for me."
"Nor for me," said Big Sister. Then they went to sleep.
Nadaljuj z branjem
