Riška Sets Off into the World

Somewhere far away, beyond a green hill, past three meadows and one very old oak tree, stood a little cottage.

But it wasn't an ordinary cottage.

It was so tiny that if you put your shoe in front of its door, it would probably be bigger than its whole kitchen.

And in this very cottage lived Riška the mouse.

Riška was a small grey-brown mouse with round ears, a long tail and eyes that were always curiously looking at something.

You see, she was incredibly curious.

When something rustled somewhere, Riška had to go and look.

When something banged, Riška had to go and look.

And once, when she heard "Krrrr... krrrr..." from under her bed in the night, she carefully peeped under the bed.

"Who's there?!" she asked.

For a while it was quiet. Then again: "Krrrr..."

Riška carefully peeped under the bed and found a walnut there.

"You scared me!" she told it.

The walnut said nothing.

"At least say sorry."

Still the walnut said nothing.

Riška shook her head.

"Fine. Then I'll eat you tomorrow."

And she calmly lay down to sleep.

That was Riška. A little bit brave. A little bit stubborn. And very, very curious.

Every morning Riška went out in front of her cottage and looked at the road that ran across the meadow to somewhere beyond the big hill. She never knew exactly where it went.

"Maybe it leads to the sea. Or to the mountains. Or... to a gigantic cheese factory!" she would say to herself.

At that last idea, her eyes always lit up.