Ivan the Great was a little musician. He lived high on a mountain.
He was brave, but a bit shy.
He carried a small drum and a shiny bell.
Tap-tap. Ding-ding.
One morning, the wind went whoooosh.
Ivan’s bell fell.
It rolled, rolled, rolled down the rocky path.
“Oh no,” said Ivan. “My bell!”
Teddy Bear sat in Ivan’s backpack.
Teddy was soft and kind.
“I will help,” Teddy said. “We go together.”
They walked. Step. Step.
Snow sparkled.
Pine trees swayed.
Far away, a deep cave yawned.
A big shape waved from behind a snowbank.
It was a Yeti.
The Yeti was tall and fluffy.
His eyes were gentle.
“I am Yoyo the Yeti,” he said.
“I know the mountain paths.”
Ivan held his drum close.
“I am Ivan the Great,” he whispered.
“I lost my bell.”
Yoyo nodded.
“I heard a tiny ding,” he said.
“It went near the cave.”
They went on.
Tap-tap went Ivan’s drum.
Teddy hummed, “mmm-mmm.”
Yoyo stomped, “thump-thump.”
The mountain listened.
At the cave mouth, they stopped.
A Wolf stepped out.
His fur was gray.
His eyes were sharp.
He blocked the way.
“Mine,” growled the Wolf.
Ivan’s knees felt wobbly.
Teddy squeezed Ivan’s hand.
Yoyo stood close.
Ivan took a slow breath.
He was a musician.
He could make sounds.
He could make calm.
Ivan tapped his drum very softly.
Tap… tap…
Teddy jingled a button on his chest.
Jing.
Yoyo clapped big paws.
Clap.
The sounds made a little song.
A gentle mountain song.
Not loud. Not scary.
Warm like soup.
The Wolf blinked.
His ears lowered.
His growl became a small whine.
He looked tired.
“I can’t sleep,” he said.
“The wind is too loud at night.”
Ivan nodded.
“We can help,” he said.
“Will you show us the bell?”
The Wolf shuffled aside.
Inside the cave, on a stone, sat the shiny bell.
Ding!
Ivan picked it up.
“Thank you,” he said.
Teddy asked, “Wolf, do you want a cozy place?”
Yoyo said, “We can build one!”
They worked together.
Yoyo stacked snow blocks.
Teddy tucked pine needles like a blanket.
Ivan tied a ribbon around the door.
Then Ivan rang the bell.
Ding-ding.
A soft signal.
The Wolf lay down.
His eyes closed.
“Ahh,” he sighed.
Back on the path, the sky turned pink.
Ivan felt proud.
He was still shy, but he did it.
He found his bell.
He made a new friend.
At home, Ivan opened a small wooden box.
Inside were three tiny silver bells.
A mountain treasure.
One for Ivan.
One for Teddy.
One for Yoyo.
They rang them together.
Ding-ding-ding.
The mountain sounded happy.