The boy and the purple flower

Once upon a time there was a boy who really liked flowers.

He lived in a farm away from the city and he had a big garden so he started planting many flowers there. Roses, daisys, irisis, they would all blossom very quickly because the boy was very careful with them, he just loved them.

But in the farm there was a guardian, a very old man who didnt like flowers, he hated them. When he was a child we wanted to have flowers as well, but he was never patient, he never really took care of them, so they all died and he was very frustrated at that. So whenever the flowers started to look really beaufitul, he would go to the garden at night and destroy them.

The boy was very sad every morning to see that all his efforts were gone but he wouldnt give it up. He tried to replant them but they didnt survive. But then he would plant new flowers and take care of them again, until they would blossom again. And so they did.

But then again, the guardian came at night and destroyed them. He would just grab them with all his strength and pull them out of the land until they were dead. And none of them survived.

And this went on and on and on for many years until the boy was sad and tired and gave up planting flowers because he was sure the guardian would come at night and destroy them anyway. He was contempted with the idea of having a garden without flowers.

One day a very beautiful flower rose in his garden, all of a sudden, out of nothing. It was a flower like he had never seen before. It was beautiful and elegant, and the flower was purple; a colour he didnt know could exist. Roses, tulips and orchids he had had before but none was like that unique flower. And moreover, the flower could smile! It was the most beautiful smile ever, and the flower was smiling at him!!! He was mesmerized by that beautiful flower that he did not resist and started taking care of it.

The flower grew very quickly and soon it was already the most beautiful flower he had ever had in his garden. The boy just loved that flower. He was so happy!!!!

He was then very afraid that the guardian would come at night and destroy the flower like all the previous times. It seemed unbelievable that such a beautiful and strong flower could be destroyed like that; but that had happened so many times before!!!! He wanted to believe it would not happen this time but he started getting very nervous and afraid of seeing it happening again. For a while he wouldnt even sleep anymore, on guard all night next to the flower, protecting it from the assaults of the guardian. But wow that was tiring. But he had to do it! He noticed that the guardian had already seen the flower and was making rounds every now and them. He was sure that the minute he would loose his concentration, the guardian would come and destroy the flower.

He was so afraid that the flower wouldnt be as strong as he hoped it was, and that with an easy grab the guardian would pull it out from the land like he had done before so many times and so easily with all the other flowers. So he went to check it himself.

He started grabbing the flower to see if he could pull it easily out of the land. But wow, the flower was really strong this time! He pulled, and pulled and pulled and the flower was still there and still smiling. He could hardly believe in it! Such a nice flower and so strong! He was sure the guardian would be after it whenever he could. He did one last attempt and this time he pulled the flower so hard that he finally managed to take the flower out of the land. Then he thought "oh my God, what have I done?"

Then the guardian who was only watching from a distance came closer with a sickening smile and told him: "you have learned the lesson my boy; This time I didnt even need to come and do the job, you have destroyed your flower yourself. Congratulations! My job is done." And then the guardian left, laughing… and never came back.

The boy was so sad and angry at himself! Immediately he tried to put the flower back into the land. He digged into the land and put the roots of the flower back there, and he started watering the flower again, hoping the flower would be still alive and that the flower would smile at him again.

Every day the boy was there in his garden, taking care of the flower and hoping that the purple flower would stand on its roots, because after all they were really strong roots, and that the flower would smile at him again. Whoever passed by could hear him saying "please my purple flower, forgive me, and smile to me again."

That could have been the end of this story.

But one day in the early morning the flower made a move, finally. It was the beginning of the spring and it was a beautiful sunny day. The boy was amazed! Immediately he apologized to the flower, who said "I am hurt and bruised... but I will survive." Then the flower asked, "why did you do that to me? I had always smiled at you, I didnt deserve that!" The boy had no words... he tried to explain himself, by saying "I am very sorry again, but all my previous flowers had died like that when I most loved them, so I was afraid the same would happen to you and that I would be left alone with no flowers in my garden again".

The flower then said "you should not have compared me to the other flowers, that was very unfair of yours. I dont know why they have died like that... but every flower is different and we all deserve a chance to survive, regardless of what has happened to the others before, dont you think so?" The boy nodded shyly, "yes".

It has been said lately that the flower has been seen smiling again and it is indeed the most beautiful flower ever in that garden. The guardian never came back indeed. The boy still wonders every now and then if he will ever return, but as his purple flower grows every day, he is more and more assured that its roots are indeed very strong and very reliable, and therefore it will always survive.