The Little Seed's Big Guess
In the heart of a sunny meadow, tucked snugly in the dark, damp soil, lived a tiny seed named Pip. Pip was very comfortable. The earth was warm, and it was quiet and safe.
But Pip was also incredibly curious. He could hear faint, wonderful sounds from high above him.
He heard the soft buzzzz of a friendly bumblebee. He heard the cheerfulchirp-chirp of a sparrow. And most of all,he heard the gentle swish-swish of something he couldn't see.
“What is that lovely sound?” Pip wondered. He asked his friend, the Earthworm, who was wriggling by.
“That,” said the Earthworm in a muddy voice, “is the sound of the tall, green grass dancing in the wind.”
Pip tried to imagine it. Tall? Green? Dancing? It sounded magical.
The next day, he felt a new sound. A gentle pit-pat, pit-pat on the soil above.
“What is that?” Pip asked the Pillbug curled up next to him.
“That,” said the Pillbug, “is the rain. It’s falling on the petals of the daisies and the leaves of the dandelions.”
Pip’s curiosity grew. Petals? Leaves? He had to know what they looked like!
A feeling, deep inside his core, began to stir. It was a strange, pushing feeling. It told him to move upward.
“But it’s so safe down here,” Pip whispered to himself. “It’s dark and known. Up there is bright and unknown.”
The pushing feeling grew stronger. It was as if his very heart was stretching.
“I have to know,” Pip decided finally. “I have to see the dancing grass and the rainy leaves for myself.”
So, with all his might, Pip pushed. He pushed a tiny, green shoot down into the earth to anchor himself. Then, he pushed a tiny, green shoot upward, toward the sounds.
It was hard work. He pushed past pebbles and worm tunnels. He pushed and pushed until he felt a change. The darkness began to turn to a faint grey, then a glowing gold.
With one final, mighty push, Pip broke through the soil and opened his eyes.
The world was brilliant.
The sun felt wonderfully warm on his face. He saw the sky, a vast and incredible blue. He saw the friendly bumblebee hovering nearby and heard the sparrow's song clearly now.
He looked around and saw the tall, green grass swishing beside him in the breeze. He felt a drop of rain fall on his new leaf and laughed with joy.
And then, he looked at himself.
He had grown a strong green stem and two perfect, green leaves. He was a seedling!
A few weeks later, a wonderful smell surrounded him. He looked up and saw that from his stem had grown a bright yellow flower, facing the sun.
The bumblebee buzzed over and landed on his petals. “Hello, beautiful dandelion!” the bee said.
Pip, now a bright yellow flower, swayed happily in the breeze. He had been so afraid of the unknown, but the biggest, most beautiful surprise had been waiting for him all along.
He was not just a seed. He was exactly what he was always meant to be.
