Brown Squirrel’s Raincoat

At the edge of Green Sprout Forest stood an old chestnut tree whose broad shade was so wide that at noon, flocks of little birds often flew back to rest on its low branches. Beneath the tree was the cozy little home of Brown Squirrel’s family. Squirrel lived with his mother and his younger sister, Chestnut Squirrel. He had glossy brown fur, a fluffy tail as soft as a feather duster, and eyes that always lit up with curiosity.

That year, the rainy season arrived earlier than usual. Gray clouds drifted one after another over the treetops, and although the morning was sunny, before long water was pattering on the thatched roof. Mother Squirrel worried as she looked at the slippery dirt paths and decided to sew each of her children a raincoat.

Brown Squirrel’s raincoat was made from large lotus leaves that had been dried in the sun. A thin layer of beeswax coated the outside, so water could not seep through. Mother sewed two chestnut buttons onto the front and edged the collar with soft grass fibers. The coat was pale green and fit Brown Squirrel so well that he could run, jump, and climb trees without feeling restricted.

Brown Squirrel tried on the coat in front of a water mirror inside a piece of bark. He turned to the left, turned to the right, and admired the round hole cut in the back for his tail. Mother Squirrel smiled and praised her son for looking so neat. Chestnut Squirrel liked her brother’s coat too, but hers was a little loose because Mother wanted it to last longer as she grew.

Brown Squirrel stroked the hem of the coat and said it was the most beautiful coat in the entire forest. He carefully warned his sister not to get it dirty, not to pull hard on the buttons, and especially not to borrow his coat without permission. Hearing this, Mother gently reminded him that raincoats were made to keep off the rain, and that no matter how precious an object was, it was never more important than kindness among loved ones.

Brown Squirrel nodded, but all he remembered was the praise for his coat. He thought that if he kept it perfectly clean, all his friends in the forest would know that he owned something special.

The Rain Comes Along the Way

A few days later, Round-Eyed Owl asked Brown Squirrel to bring a basket of chestnuts to the classroom in the part of the forest on the other side of the stream. The sky was clear that day, and patches of sunlight fell like spots across the ground. Mother Squirrel looked up at the treetops and told her son to take his raincoat in case the weather changed.

Brown Squirrel put on the coat, fastened both buttons, and cheerfully set off. He passed through the ferns, greeted Mr. Hedgehog, who was searching for mushrooms, and then stopped beside a cluster of purple flowers to watch a swarm of butterflies fluttering about. When he was not far from the classroom, thunder rumbled from the direction of the mountain. The wind blew hard, making the leaves rustle noisily. Before long, rain poured down.

Brown Squirrel pulled up his hood, hugged the basket of chestnuts tightly against his chest, and ran toward the classroom’s porch. As he ran, he heard a weak call from behind him.

It was White Rabbit. She was huddled beneath a low bush, her ears drooping from being wet. The cloth bag holding the flowers her teacher had assigned her to deliver was soaked through. White Rabbit tried to use leaves to cover her head, but the wind kept blowing them away one by one.

Brown Squirrel stopped. He looked at the pale green raincoat he was wearing, then at the road that was still quite far ahead. If he took off the coat for White Rabbit, he would get wet. If they both wore it, they would probably have to walk very slowly, and the basket of chestnuts might also be ruined by the rain. For a moment, Brown Squirrel remembered what he had told his sister about not touching the coat.

White Rabbit sneezed. She said she only needed a little shelter to get the flowers to class; otherwise, all the flowers would fall apart.

Before Brown Squirrel could answer, a strong gust of wind swept through. The leaf covering White Rabbit’s head blew into a puddle. Seeing her huddled and shivering, Brown Squirrel no longer felt happy about his coat. He suddenly understood that a beautiful object could not make him feel warm if someone right beside him was trembling.

One Coat, Two Friends

Brown Squirrel unfastened the two buttons at the front, pulled the widest part of the coat toward White Rabbit, and told her to stand close to him. He held the basket of chestnuts up high, while White Rabbit hugged the flower bag beneath the coat. The coat had originally been sewn for only one person, so the two of them had to walk very close together. Whenever the wind blew, Brown Squirrel used his tail to cover more of his friend’s back.

The road to class suddenly seemed much longer. Brown Squirrel had to walk slowly so White Rabbit would not slip and fall. White Rabbit also tried to step carefully so that water would not splash onto the basket of chestnuts. Neither of them worried anymore about whether the coat would get muddy. They focused only on keeping each other as dry as possible.

At a sloping section of the road, Brown Squirrel accidentally stepped on a tree root and slipped. The basket of chestnuts tilted to one side. White Rabbit quickly reached out to steady the basket, while Brown Squirrel grabbed hold of the tree trunk. A little mud splashed onto the hem of the green coat. Brown Squirrel looked at the stain and felt a moment of sadness, but then he saw that White Rabbit’s bag of flowers was still intact, and he smiled again.

When the two friends reached the classroom, Round-Eyed Owl ran out to greet them. She took the basket of chestnuts and the flower bag, then used a large towel to dry them both. She did not ask why the coat had gotten dirty. She only praised Brown Squirrel for stopping to help his friend, and White Rabbit for knowing how to take care of something they were sharing.

The other students in the class gathered around as soon as they heard the story. Little Hedgehog said that whenever it rained, he would bring an extra large leaf to shelter the smaller friends. Sparrow suggested that everyone gather dry lotus leaves and keep them ready in the classroom. Round-Eyed Owl said that from that day on, there would be a basket in the corner of the room called the Sharing Basket. Anyone who had something useful that they did not need could put it there, so that a friend in difficulty could borrow it.

A Lesson Beneath the Porch

After class, the rain still had not let up. Brown Squirrel and White Rabbit sat beneath the porch, watching drops of water fall from the edges of the leaves. Brown Squirrel confessed that at first he had been very afraid of getting the coat dirty. He had also been afraid that people would no longer praise the coat for being beautiful.

White Rabbit said that without Brown Squirrel, the flowers might have been ruined. But she also reminded him that he did not always have to give away everything he owned. When he wanted to help someone, he could clearly say what he was able to do and what he was not yet able to do. If the coat was not wide enough, they could find a large leaf or wait for an adult to come and help. Sharing did not mean forgetting to take care of oneself; it meant working together to find a way so that no one was left behind.

Hearing this, Brown Squirrel felt that White Rabbit was absolutely right. He had once thought that sharing meant giving the most precious thing he owned to someone else and suffering alone. Now he understood that sharing also meant cooperating, listening, and taking the trouble to think of a better way.

When the rain stopped, Mother Squirrel came to pick up her son. As soon as she saw the mud stains on the coat, she did not scold him at all. Brown Squirrel told her everything from beginning to end. Mother listened, then said that the coat could be washed clean, but kindness, if it was not used at the right moment, could sometimes wash away like rainwater.

When they got home, Brown Squirrel washed the coat with his mother beside the stream. He scrubbed the muddy stains on the leaf hem himself, while Chestnut Squirrel brought a cloth to wipe the chestnut buttons. The coat did not return to its former brand-new appearance. In one small corner, the beeswax coating had been scratched, making the color of the leaf lighter. Brown Squirrel felt a little regretful, but he was not sad. Each time he looked at the scratch, he remembered the rainy road and White Rabbit’s hand holding the basket of chestnuts for him.

The Basket Beneath the Chestnut Tree

The next day, Brown Squirrel asked his mother if he could use the remaining leaves to make several more rain shelters. Chestnut Squirrel also contributed soft grass fibers. The two siblings brought the leaves to the classroom. The friends in the forest folded, tied, and dried the leaves together in the sunlight. Before long, there was a large basket in the corner of the classroom holding raincoats, leaf shelters, dry towels, and small bags.

The basket was placed beneath the old chestnut tree, where everyone could see it easily. Anyone who needed something could take it, then return it after drying it out. If an item was torn, the borrower would repair it together with the others. No one asked who had damaged it, and no one kept the best things for themselves.

A few weeks later, another rainstorm suddenly arrived. This time, Little Sparrow was stranded along the way because his wings were still weak. White Rabbit took a large leaf from the Sharing Basket, Little Hedgehog found some grass cord, and Brown Squirrel ran to call Round-Eyed Owl. Everyone coordinated quickly, so Sparrow was brought safely back to a dry place.

Brown Squirrel stood beneath the porch, looking at the blue raincoat, which had been washed clean but still bore the scratch. He no longer thought it was a less beautiful coat. To him, the scratch was like a gentle reminder of the first time he understood that joy did not always lie in owning something new. Sometimes joy appeared when we used what we had to make a friend feel less cold, less afraid, or less lonely.

From that day on, whenever a friend asked to borrow a raincoat, Brown Squirrel did not quickly answer yes or no. He would ask what the friend needed, work together to find a suitable solution, and remind the friend to take care of shared belongings. The pale green coat continued to hang in the house, not as a precious object meant only to be admired, but as a reminder that kindness needed to go hand in hand with resourcefulness.

In Green Sprout Forest, the rainy season that year became warmer. Not because there was less rain, nor because all the coats were brand-new, but because the little friends had learned to stand closer together beneath the broad leaves. And whenever rain pattered on the roofs, Brown Squirrel would smile, remembering that one coat could shelter only a few people, but one kind thought could spread throughout the entire forest.