Reading time: 4 minSpring had finally arrived. The first flowers bloomed on the banks of the river and the sunlight glistened on the water. Bella, the young beaver girl, enjoyed the warm air and the soft scent of the fresh leaves. It was the perfect time to work on her new building project.
With skillful teeth and nimble paws, she carried twig after twig to her dam. She was proud of her work. “The best dam I’ve ever built!” she murmured contentedly.
Her grandfather had often told her that a good beaver should always consider how the water flows. “A dam must be strong, but never disturb the balance of the river,” he had told her. But Bella wanted her dam to be particularly high and strong. A little bit more couldn’t hurt.
Soon the first animals came by. Freddy the frog perched on a lily pad and croaked: “Bella, the water level is rising rapidly! My favorite sandbank is already completely flooded.”
Bella shrugged her shoulders. “Oh, that little bit of water! Soon everything will be back to normal.” She added another thick branch to her dam.
The duck family also paddled up in a hurry. Mummy duck quacked worriedly: “Bella, our nest is almost under water! The twigs and the moss in it are already all wet. If the water continues to rise, we’ll lose our home!”
“Well, well, it won’t be that bad. You ducks love water!” laughed Bella and continued to lay branches on top of each other without a care in the world.
But then, during the night, the rain set in. Thick drops splashed onto the river and caused the water level to rise even higher. The high beaver dam held back all the water and the banks slowly overflowed.
When Bella woke up in the morning and came out of her den, she stood rooted to the spot: The meadow by the river was completely flooded!
The ducks and geese waddled around excitedly, their nests had been washed away by the floods. Freddy quacked as loud as he could and tried to help the other animals.
The little mice from the nearby tree cave were also standing helplessly at the edge of the water. They couldn’t swim, but didn’t want to give up their home.
Now the excited animals discovered that Bella was standing on the riverbank. “There she is!” shouted Balduin the drake. “Now you see what you’ve done,” shouted Max the raccoon. The duck family came running frantically to Bella and shouted: “Now do something. Your huge dam has destroyed our home and that of the other animals too.”
Bella felt very queasy. Now she remembered her grandfather’s serious words: “A dam must never hold back more water than the river can carry!”
Had she really upset the balance of the river with her piled-up branches and twigs? Now there was no time for doubt – she had to act!
She jumped into the water with a loud splash. She bit and tugged at the thickest branches of her dam. Nothing happened at first. The branches had wedged too tightly together.
But then, finally! The water began to flow through the gaps. Slowly at first, then faster. The river level relaxed a little and began to drop steadily. The other animals were able to observe the change. The meadows were still wet, but the flood was visibly receding.
Exhausted, Bella sat down on the bank and watched her work. She let her eyes wander over the slowly sinking water level and sighed. “I only wanted to build a strong dam… but I didn’t think about what it would mean for all of you. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you sooner.”
Freddy the frog hopped closer and nodded approvingly. “At least you fixed it and acted just in time. That’s exactly how your grandpa would have done it.”
Bella smiled faintly. “It’s not size or height that makes a good dam,” she murmured, “but whether it works in harmony with the river.” From now on, she would certainly always pay attention to that.
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