세 가 지 의 문 The Three Question There once was a boy named Nikolai who sometimes felt uncertain about the right way to act . “ I want to be a good person . ” he told his friends . “ But I don ’ t always know the best way to do that . ” Nikolai ’ s friends understand and they wanted to help him . “ If only I could find the answers to my three questions . ” Nikolai continued , “ then I would always know what to do . ” When is the best time to do things ? Who is the most important one ? What is the right thing to do ? Nikolai ’ s friends considered his first question . Then Sonya , the heron , spoke . “ To know the best time to do things , one must plan in advance , ” she said . Gogol , the monkey , who had been rooting through some leaves to find something to eat . “ You will know when to do things if you watch and pay close attention . ” Then Pushkin , the dog , who was just dozing off , rolled over and said . “ You can ’ t pay attention to everything yourself . You need a pack to keep watch and help you decide when to do things . For example , Gogol , a coconut is about to fall on your head . Nikolai thought for a moment . Then he asked second question . “ Who is the most important one ? ” “ Those who are closest to heaven , ” said Sonya , circling up into the sky . “ Those who know how to heal the sick , ” said Gogol , stroking his bruised noggin . ” “ Those who make the rules , ” growled Pushkin . Nikolai thought some more . Then he asked the third question . “ What is the right thing to do ? ” “ Flying , ” said Sonya . “ Having fun all the time . ” Laughed Gogol . “ Fighting , ” barked Pushkin right away . Then the boy thought for a long while . He loved his friends . He knew they were all trying their best to help him answer his questions . But their answers didn ’ t seem quite right . Then , an idea came to him . I know ! he thought . I will ask Leo , the turtle . He has lived a very long time . Surely he will know the answers I am looking for . Nikolai hiked up into the mountains where the old turtle lived all alone . When Nikolai arrived , he found Leo digging a garden . The turtle was old and digging was hard for him . “ I have three questions and I came to ask your help , ” Nikolai said . “ When is the best time to do things ? Who is the most important one ? What is the right way to do ? ” Leo listened carefully , but he only smiled . Then he went on with his digging . “ You must be tired . ” Nikolai said at last . “ Let me help you . ” The turtle gave him his shovel and thanked him . And because it was easier for a young boy to dig than it was for an old turtle . Nikolai kept on digging until the rows were finished . But just as he finished , the wind blew wildly and rain burst from darkened clouds . As they moved toward the cottage for shelter , Nikolai suddenly heard a cry for help . Running down the path , he found a panda whose leg had been injured by a fallen tree . Carefully , Nikolai carried her into Leo ’ s house and made a splint for her leg with a stick of bamboo . The storm raged on banging at the doors and windows . The panda woke up . “ Where am I ? ” she said . “ And where is my child ? ” The boy ran out of the cottage and down the path . The roar of the storm was deafening . Pushing against the howling wind and drenching rain , he ran farther into the forest . There he found the panda ’ s child , cold and shivering on the ground . The little panda was and scared , but alive , Nikolai carried her inside and made her warm and dry . Then he laid her in her mother ’ s arms . Leo smiled when he saw what the boy had done . The next morning the sun was warm , birds sang , and all was well with the world . The panda ’ s leg was healing nicely , and she thanked Nikolai for saving her and baby from the storm . At that moment , Sonya , Gogol , and Pushkin arrived to make sure everyone was all right . Nikolai felt great peace within himself . He had wonderful friends . And he had saved the panda and her child . But he also felt disappointed . He still had not found the answers to his three questions . So he asked Leo one more time . The old turtle looked at the boy . “ But your questions have been answered ! ” he said . “ They have ? ” asked the boy . “ Yesterday , if you had not stayed to help me dig my garden , you wouldn ’ t have heard the panda ’ s cries for help in the storm . Therefore , the most important time was the time you spent digging the garden . The most important one at that moment was me , and the most important thing to do was to help me with my garden . ” “ Later , when you found the injured panda , the most important time was the time you spent mending her leg saving her child . The most importand ones were the panda and her baby . And the most important thing to do was to take care of them and make them safe . ” “ Remember then that there is only one important time and that time is now . The most important one is always the one you are with . And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side . For these , my dear boy , are the answers to what is the most important in this world . ” " This is why we are here . "