The last farewell to a young life is heartbreaking. Grief and pain encompass all those who came to say goodbye. But the old grandfather and his faithful dog sense something strange in the air.

He decides to check it out, approaches the coffin and hears a faint cry from inside. What he discovers turns his world upside down and makes everyone around him cry with happiness. You want to know what happened?

Stay with me. Ivan Petrovich Kovalenko, a 60-year-old resident of a small Ukrainian village near Kiev, suffered a terrible blow of fate. He lost his only son Andrei and daughter-in-law Oksana in a car accident on a slippery road after a heavy rain.

That accident orphaned their daughter, seven-year-old Alina, who fortunately stayed at home with her grandmother on that fateful day. Ivan Petrovich was inconsolable. His son Andrei was everything to him – a living reminder of his late wife Maria, who passed away ten years ago.

But not all was lost. Alina, a cheerful and bright girl, became the light of his life. Since then, her grandfather brought her up as his own daughter, and a strong, loving bond was forged between them.

Before the tragedy Ivan Petrovich was the soul of the company. In the village he was known as a cheerful, good-natured man, always ready to help. All his life he worked as a mechanic in the local machine shop, fixing tractors, cars and even motorcycles.

His yard was full of friends, neighbors and their children who came for advice or just to chat. But after the accident, he changed. He became silent and thoughtful, and a deep sadness settled in his eyes….

Nevertheless, he remained strong for Alina’s sake. Ivan Petrovich was an affectionate and devoted grandfather who did everything to make his granddaughter grow up happy. Alina answered him in the same way – her ringing laughter and endless questions about the world filled the house with warmth.

They often spent time together: walking in the fields, picking apples in the garden or sitting on the porch, looking at the stars. Ivan Petrovich taught Alina everything he knew: how to fix a bicycle, how to distinguish ripe cherries from unripe, how to listen to the singing of birds and guess which one was singing. He made sure that Alina studied well at school and supported her hobbies.

The girl adored dancing and dreamed of becoming a ballerina. Every Saturday Ivan Petrovich took her to the district center for classes at the dance studio. On the way they sang Ukrainian songs, and Alina told her grandfather about her friends and school adventures.

These moments were priceless to him. But there was something important missing in their lives, and this “something” soon appeared in a most unexpected way. One rainy fall day, when Ivan Petrovich and Alina were returning from school, a strong wind was driving fallen leaves along the road.

Alina, as always, ran ahead, humming a song, and her grandfather followed, carrying her backpack. Suddenly they heard a faint whimpering sound. The sound was so sad and desperate that they both froze.

As they got closer to the bushes by the side of the road, they saw a small puppy lying in the mud. Its fur was wet, its hind paw was bleeding, and its big brown eyes were filled with fear and pain. The puppy was shivering from the cold, its skinny body barely moving….

Alina gasped and immediately knelt down next to the puppy. “Grandpa, look how bad he is! We have to help!” – she exclaimed, gently touching the trembling lump.

Ivan Petrovich, looking at the pitiful creature, felt his heart clench. He could not leave the puppy to die. Alina gently lifted him in her arms, whispering: “Don’t be afraid, little one, we’ll save you.”

The puppy, as if realizing that he had found salvation, clung to the girl. His weak paws clung to her jacket, and his eyes looked with hope. Ivan Petrovich and Alina hurried home, wrapping the puppy in her grandfather’s scarf.

At home they warmed the baby and then took it to the veterinary clinic in the district center. The veterinarian treated the wounds, applied a bandage and said that the puppy would survive if well cared for. Thus began their friendship with the little foundling, whom Alina named Zhuchka.

The puppy turned out to be a girl, and her cheerful disposition quickly won the hearts of the grandfather and granddaughter. Zhuchka became a part of the family. She grew strong and healthy, and her devotion knew no bounds.

Every morning she woke Alina up, poking her wet nose into her face, and in the evenings she lay at Ivan Petrovich’s feet while he read the newspaper. Bug loved walks. She ran through the fields, chased butterflies and barked merrily when Alina threw her a stick.

Her presence filled the house with joy. Even on the hardest days, when Ivan Petrovich was overcome by longing for his son and wife, Zhuchka lay down next to him, put her face on his lap and looked as if she wanted to say: “I’m with you, don’t be sad”. Three years passed…

Alina grew up, she turned ten. She still loved dancing, but now she was also fond of drawing. Ivan Petrovich hung her drawings on the walls of the house – bright landscapes with fields, rivers and their faithful Bug.

Life seemed to be getting better. But fate was preparing a new blow.

That day Ivan Petrovich was working in the workshop, fixing his neighbor’s old Zhiguli.

Bug, as usual, was lying in the corner, watching the owner.

Suddenly a neighbor’s boy ran into the workshop, out of breath and pale.

“Uncle Vanya, trouble!

Alina… she’s been hit by a car!”

Ivan Petrovitch’s eyes darkened. He threw down his tools and rushed to the hospital where Alina had been taken. Bug ran after her, not lagging a step behind. In the hospital doctors fought for the girl’s life, but in a few hours they told the terrible news: Alina had died. Her heart could not withstand the trauma.

Ivan Petrovich could not believe it. He stood in the hospital corridor, looking into the void, and Zhuchka whimpered at his feet, as if sharing his pain. The world had collapsed. Grandpa felt devastated, lonely, unable to live on without his little girl. Zhuchka was also homesick – she looked for Alina around the house, looked in her room, but there was no friend.

The next day Ivan Petrovich gathered all his strength to organize the funeral. He decided that Zhuchka should be near him – after all, she was part of their family. The funeral was held in the village church. The whole village came to say goodbye to Alina. People cried, hugged Ivan Petrovich, but his gaze was empty. Bug sat at his feet, not taking his eyes off the coffin.

When the priest finished the prayer and the coffin began to close, Zhuchka suddenly jumped up and barked loudly. She growled, rushed to the coffin, not allowing anyone to approach. Ivan Petrovich tried to calm the dog, but its barking became more insistent. Suddenly he heard a faint sound, like a moan, coming from the coffin….