Today there is quite a commotion in the forest  - and the goblins are to blame!

Our little squirrel discovers this to its dismay. While it is busily gathering walnuts for the winter, one of those mischievous rascals sneaks up behind it and pelts it with twigs and walnuts - not the good ones, of course, but worm-eaten ones! As the saying goes, misfortune rarely comes alone. Perched on a nearby branch, a magpie watches the scene and laughs so hard that its black-and-white feathers seem to shake with delight.

The squirrel, however, refuses to be distracted. It calmly keeps gathering walnuts, pretending not to notice a thing. Before long, the old goblin grows bored and wanders off. The magpie also loses interest in making fun of the poor squirrel and flies away. The squirrel continues its work until it has buried a generous supply of walnuts. Only then does it decide it has earned a little rest. It stretches a hammock between two trees, curls up inside it, and before long is fast asleep.

Now the goblin children become busy. They are very fond of the squirrel and feel sorry for what the old goblin has done. So they begin collecting walnuts themselves, filling a sack to give to the sleeping squirrel later. They have great fun doing it, and the birds high in the trees seem to approve, singing their sweetest songs for the little helpers. A rabbit sits nearby, quietly watching them with obvious satisfaction.

Our squirrel sleeps through all of this! It wakes only when it hears the sound of heavy footsteps approaching. In an instant it jumps out of the hammock, swiftly makes it disappear, and sits down on a tree stump beside the path with the most innocent expression imaginable. It recognizes those footsteps - they belong to the forester, making his usual evening round through the forest.

The rabbit quickly hops out of the path and only reappears after the forester has passed. The two goblin children and their friends hide behind a tree, peeking out and giggling as they watch him walk by.

The forester continues peacefully on his way. Everything in his forest is just as it should be, and with a contented smile he turns toward home.

By now evening has truly arrived. The birds tuck their little heads beneath their wings and fall asleep among the branches. The squirrel climbs into its cozy tree nest, while the goblin children are called home by their mother for supper.

And so the forest grows quiet once more.

Anyone wandering through it now would never guess what wonderful little adventures can unfold there when no one is watching.