The Thorny Little Plant

Growing up can be hard, even for a plant.

The Thorny Little Plant

By Rachel B. Anson

Once upon a time, there was a farmer who lived out in the countryside with his wife. The farmer and his wife decided to plant a flower garden outside of their house. They planted seeds, hoping they would eventually have many beautiful plants that would give them years of lovely and fragrant flowers to enjoy.

When the first seed started to grow, it needed lots of care and attention. The farmer and his wife needed to make sure they took extra special care of the little plant so that it would survive. They made sure it had plenty of light and enough (but not too much) water. They put a fence around it to protect it from rabbits and other woodland creatures.

The little plant started to grow taller and taller. Soon, the little plant started growing many tiny flower buds all over. But there were too many and it made the small little plant fall over. It was not strong enough to hold up all of these flower buds. So the farmer and his wife put a stake in the ground next to the little plant and tied the plant to the stake to help it stand up straight and tall. Then they trimmed off the flower buds with scissors. This hurt the little plant. She was trying so hard to grow beautiful flowers. How would she ever grow them if the farmer and his wife kept cutting off her buds?

The farmer and his wife came back the next day to give the little plant water. The little plant accidentally pricked the farmer's wife with one of the new prickly thorns she had grown. The farmer's wife pulled her hand back and saw she was bleeding. She ran away from the little plant. But the little plant didn't mean to hurt her, it was an accident! What could she do?

The little plant saw the farmer and his wife tending to the other seeds in the garden that were planted after her. She thought they must have given up on her. She cried and cried. Now she was just an ugly, thorny stem with no flower buds at all. She bowed her head and wished she could just shrivel up into the ground.

But the farmer and his wife came back to the little plant and still took care of her. She was such an awful plant, she couldn't understand why they would want her. She didn't even want herself around. So, she stuck her thorns out as far as she could, hoping she would prick the farmer or his wife again. Maybe then they would leave her alone.

A few mornings later, a horrible storm blew through the farm. The wind was so strong, it felt like it was going to just blow the little plant away. The little plant thought the storm might finally put her out of her misery.

Just then, the farmer and his wife came running towards the garden. They took a large plastic sheet and covered their seedlings, including the little plant. She could see them through the plastic. The farmer and his wife were soaking wet and struggling against the wind. At one point, the wind was so strong, it knocked the farmer off his feet. But he got back up and kept protecting the seedlings. The little plant could see the love and determination in his face, and she knew he would do anything he could to protect her.

Soon, the storm stopped. The farmer and his wife removed the cover from the little plant and the other seedlings. She could tell they were tired. But she could also tell they were happy. They had been able to protect their little garden from the horrible storm.

The little plant looked up and saw that a rainbow had appeared in the sky. She thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The little plant realized the farmer and his wife must see the rainbow, too, because they were happier than she had ever seen them. But they weren't looking at the rainbow. They were looking at....the little plant! Suddenly, she realized she had bloomed! Little plant had beautiful flowers blossoming all over!

The little plant never realized how hard it was going to be to grow into a beautiful plant. Even now, there are hard days. The farmer and his wife still must prune her branches from time to time. Sometimes she accidently pricks them with her thorns. Dark clouds often bring terrible storms. But the rainbows always chase the clouds away. And the joy of seeing the farmer and his wife and the other beautiful plants in the garden every day make even the hardest day worth it!