My Story: Seeds of the Paradise

Saliha

Well-known member
I wrote this little story for writing contest in one forum. Now voting there is closed and I can post it also to other forums.

I won by the way. ;)

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Seeds of the Paradise

Once upon time, there was a big garden in a small village. There was an old man, who took care of it. Every people who have walked by the garden, stopped to admire the flowers and the fragrance of them. Two little children, who lived in the neighborhood, walked behind of the fence at one day. They saw an old gardener in the garden. He was very old man with white hair and white long beard on his face. He looked kind and the children decided to talk with him. They, like many others, were curious about the secret how his garden was so wonderful.

The gardener greeted them with welcoming smile and asked what they want. "We like your garden so much. Here, there are some many different flowers and a lot of butterflies. How everything is so lush and bountiful here? So different than in other gardens?" said the little boy.

"It´s a hard work mostly", laughed the gardener "and the seeds of course. But now, as you are here, would you mind to help me a little? Then I will tell you the secret of these seeds."

So children, a sister and a brother, asked how they can help him. Gardener showed to them where they can get some water and how to watering the plants. They carried many buckets of water to the roses and carrots and to thymes. Work was hard, water buckets were heavy and soon a little girl said: "I am so tired. Let´s run to play for a while. This isn´t our duty to carry these buckets. Why doesn’t he do his works by himself?" But the boy answered: "It wouldn´t be kind. And remember, he promised to tell his secrets to us. Don´t you like to hear?"

So they continued and later old gardener taught them also to sow some new seeds. "What kind of seeds these are?" asked the boy. "They are the seeds of the Paradise", said old gardener. "If you still help me a little, I will offer to you some drink and a story."

The day was hot, sun was shining and children were tired when all work was lately done. The old gardener took them to sit to benches under the big tree, gave them glass of juice and sat himself too.

"Today you too have become gardeners, you two" said the old man and smiled. "But the seeds you have just sowed weren´t any kind of seeds. They were the seeds of the Paradise."

"How come? What kind of seeds they are then?" asked the little boy.

"Every time when you help some others, make good deeds, say a kind word to others, you sow a seed in the garden of the Paradise", said the old gardener. "You might see some of the flowers already in this world with the eyes and smiles of others you help but all those flowers of the good works will wait you later, in the garden of the Paradise.

Today, you sow your first seeds. I am old and tired and as you saw, the work here is hard to me. Day is hot and I was so tired but then you came to help me. It was a good work. Every good work you will do in this life is one seed."

"But do we then have to come here every day to carry the water buckets?", asked the little girl. "They are so heavy to us."

"No, not here. In your life, wherever you go you will see people in need, some hungry, some in trouble, some have lost all they hope. When you help them by any way, you are actually sowing a seed. These kinds of seeds are the beginnings of the most beautiful flowers as you sow them to other people´s hearts. The angels count every single seed and take them to the garden of Paradise. When time comes, and you, if the God wills, will enter to the Paradise, all those seeds will be waiting for you there. Or no, not just seeds but the flowers that have grown from them.

But be careful with those seeds; if you meet people who ask help but you just walk away from them without helping them, your seeds will not grow. If you do bad things to others, your seeds will not germinate at all. They will fall to the dry ground and die. By every dead seed also part of you, part of your heart will die. People whom their all seeds have died, have to carry the dead, rock-heavy heart with them wherever they go and that´s bitter, hard way to live. Kind of people don´t never see or feel any happiness in this life or at the hereafter. They have been bad gardeners, whose haven´t had wisdom to take care of their seeds. Let your seeds live, take care of them as they are fragile."

The old man stayed silent and smiled then to the children. "It´s time to go home as it´s late. Now remember my words and take with you some little bags of my seeds. Put them to the fresh soil, give them water and love and one day they will delight you with their beautiful flowers. And not only you but everyone who will see them."

The children said their thanks to the old gardener and left. At the gate of the garden, they stopped and turned to look at the garden for the last time. The old gardener still sitting on his bench, smiled and said: "Remember to sow your seeds, dear children. It´s all up to you regarding how they will grow."
 

Saliha

Well-known member
In that other forum we had the writing competition again, I took part to it and - won. Here is my story:


A King Without Crown

Once upon time far away from here lived a king. His life was perfect; he was richer than anyone in this world, he had marvelous palaces every corner of his country, beautiful wife, smart children, noble horses , luxorious cars and everything what a man could ever wish to get. But still, in the middle of all splendor and richness he many times felt like something was missing from his life. What it might be when he already had everything. Then he realised: he hadn´t a crown.

All kings and princes he had met had their owns. A lot of gold, silver, pearls, diamonds but he hadn´t. So, he wanted to get the crown.

He wanted to get the most glorious crown of the whole earth with gold and diamonds, made by the most lighted crystals. It should to be so an unusual and imaginative that nobody hasn´t never seen, something what people could image to see only in the movies or in the heaven. Shortly to say, it sould to be perfect.

He made an announcement to all goldsmiths of his empire to start to work for his new crown. He promised a lot of gold and luxurious life for the one whose could make to him such of crown.

When many crowns were ready, the king went to see them. All of them looked wondeful. The king took the first one and tried it to his head. It glistened like a drop of water in the morning sun. It was so heavy of so many pearls that the king hardly could lift it to his head. It looked perfect but it was so heavy that the king couldn´t keep it more than few seconds. He afraided that his neck would break.

The next one was made of silver that gleamed like the ice. But it was also cold as ice and he had to take it away before his ears would to be frozen. Next one gave his a massive headache, the next weighed his forehead. And the next and the next... None of them felt comfortable.

After trying every of them, he had to admit that none wasn´t enough fine to him. The king sended all goldsmiths away. He was sad and disappointed. Should he now live all his life without a proper crown?

After that he couldn´t get any rest from his dreams. Only he was thinking was the crown. Days after days he saw dreams about the crowns and many nights he couldn´t sleep at all as his mind was too full of this one thing: the crown.

His family became very worried as the king changed such a different person. He had been kind and generous person, telling jokes all over the days. He forgot his all old habits and friends and people around him talked how everything was better before the king started to want his crown.

His wife was the most worry about the conditions and suggested to the king that he should meet a doctor. But the king became angry, drove her away and threatened to close her to the darkest prison of the country. So, the wife was real worry about his husband´s health and asked advices from all of hers friends. Finally she heard about one wise doctor and went to meet him.

The doctor listened all story about the king and the wish to get the most glorious crown and said: "I think I can help him." The wife was very relieved when she heard it and demanded the doctor come to the palace at once.

The king became furious when he saw the doctor but finally accepted to listen him a moment. The doctor said: "This is very serious case and I can´t find any other medicine for this than fulfilment of your wish. Luckily, I know how you can find the perfect crown - suitable only to yourself. But it´s not easy to get it and it takes some time. You have to work hard to get it. Are you ready to try?"

"I do anything, absolutely anything, to get the crown.", said the king "It´s the only thing what my heart really wants. Just say what I have to do and I am soon ready to go."

"We have to travel very far, to the farest mountains and live there in a small village. I come with you and I am sure everything goes well. But we can´t tell anybody that you are the king."

In the village they arrived, was only few houses and they rented one of them. The king had eaten all his life a big meals but in the village he had to eat same like the poor people whose lived in there: a lot of vegetables, no meat, simple bread and olive oil. At the days the king worked on the fields with others and got to know those people whose lived there. The hot sun was shining when they worked outside on the fields, the work was hard and the days were long.

Soon the king started to change. He didn´t talk about the crown any more, he didn´t even remember it at all. He liked those people he got to know better and better and their simple life style. He took part to everything they did like one of them and shared their happiness and sorrows of the life. He cried with them and laughted with them. He learn to respect old people and kindly guided the young ones. He was always honest and kept the secrets in his heart.

At one evening when he was sitting with his doctor in their house, the king said: "We have been here now five weeks. I have to say I feel ashame a little. My thoughts and desires about some crown feel now so useless. I now know what is much more important in this life. What put me to want something like it so much that it almost ruined my life? You are a doctor, can you tell me this?"

"Well, when someone has always got everything he wants, he doesn´t learn to understand the value of life. Gold is not gold anymore when you get it easily. You had to learn how to make work for getting something you urgently need. And about the crown - I think you have already got it."

"What? I haven´t found anything else than potatoes from the fields. Not any diamonds or gold. Should I make my crown by potatoes?" the king laughted.

"These people here have got to know you and they have learnt to trust you. They like you as you are. They respect you. Your good deeds here are the crown you so desperately wanted before. Look to their eyes when you talk with them. From them you can realise how they see the shine of your very special crown. It shines more than thousands of diamonds."

"Remember, when you carry this kind of crown, all your deeds have some influence for it. If you do bad things in your life, you will lost pearls and diamonds, one by one. The shine of the silver will tarnish. Gold may change the rusted iron. But when you do good, nothing in this world can´t beat the glorious shine of your crown. Keep this in your mind, my king, when you carry this blessed crown."

"This crown will be like a blessing to you and not only to you but to all of your country. You can teach all others too make good for others and live a simple life and then - believe me, you and your crown will remain to the history forever. People after thousands of years of your time will remember you and your country and call it the era of happiness."

"Now", said the doctor, "tell me, which crown you like more - those ones which the most clever goldsmiths made to you before or this one, what you have earned by your own work?"

"I think I like this one", said the king (as he, like all the kings always, have wanted to leave their name to the history books) and smiled.
 

Saliha

Well-known member
In other forum I took part again to their writing competition and... won again.

:encore:

Here is my story:

The Lily-of-the-valley and the Nightingale

Once upon time there was a green valley. There were a plenty of flowers and birds living there and a little, lonely girl who took care about all of the creatures of the valley. At the evenings, after the work of the day, she usually walked around of the valley, sit under the biggest trees and listened the endless concerts of the wind and the birds. Every of them sang to her about the beauty of the Lord.

At one evening she again sat under her´s favorite tree. It was mild evening, wind was gently and the sun was falling into the rosy clouds. Then she suddenly heard the voice from the tree like someone would cry. She raised the look and soon she saw a little brown bird who looked very very sad.

- Hey little bird, she said, what´s wrong with you?

Little bird sighed and then it said: - How I could be happy as my friend is missing? It´s like half of my heart is disappeared.
- Who´s your friend and where she has gone? Please tell me, maybe I can help you.

The little bird flied under the tree near of the girl. The little girl saw big tears on its eyes.

- I´ll tell you what happened, the bird started. - I and my the dear friend used to meet each others at every spring evening, I sang to her and she sended to me her´s the most charming frangrance. No other flower in this big world can´t bring such happiness to my heart than she did. But then at one day she was gone. I saw that someone had digged her up and... all hers roots were disappeared. I afraid the worse has happened and I can´t ever see her again.
- But where...
- I flied all over the valley and outside of the valley and finally I found out where she was taken. There is a greenhouse far from here. She has been planted to there. But without the free air of the nature she only suffers there and soon she will die. And then I will die too as we are meant to live together forever.
- What´s hers name, whispered the little girl as because of her´s saddness she couldn´t speak.
- Hers name is the Lily-of-the-valley and I am the Nightingale. Please, can you help us?
- By the will of the Lord, I will try my best to release your friend and bring her back to this valley, the little girl promised. - Show me the way to this greenhouse now. Together we can do this - and of course the Lord is on our side if we trust Him.
- Thank you, little bird said. - I knew I will get help when I am in the greatest need.

And then they started their journey through the valley. All the old trees whispered to them good advices, all flowers sended their fragrange to them and thousands of the birds sang their greetings to them. By this the little girl got more courage to hers heart knowing it was right what she was going to do. Help someone who needs help was hers duty.

Soon they saw the greenhouse. It was huge and dark with no lights. The little girl saw the door, opened it quietly and stepped inside. It was full of many different kind of plants and it was like a jungle. Very quiet jungle as there was no sounds like birds or any other animals like in the real jungle. She didn´t know where to find what she was looking for but she kept walking. Then she stopped as very quiet sound of crying came to hers ears.

And then she saw it; very small flower which leaves had curled up and what indeed looked like it wouldn´t got any water for weeks. It looked like it will die in any time.

- Who can be so cruel to do this to any of the creatures of Allah, the little girl was thinking. She touched the leaf of the flower carefully.
- I came to you to bring you back to your home, she said. - Your bird friend needs you and all the valley is too sad place if you are not there. But who took you away from your home and why? I would like to know.
- She said she is a gardener, the small flower said in sad voice. - I tried to talk to her that I can´t live here but she didn´t understand me. Is it true, do you really bring me back to home?
- Yes I do, said the girl but then...

Somebody stepped near of them and put lights on. The little girl raised hers look and saw strange woman in front of her.

- Who you are and why you came to my greenhouse? Are you going to steal my flowers, woman said with angry voice. - I don´t like such thieves, just same if they are young or old. I will call the police if you don´t leave this place immediately!
- This flower is not yours, the little girl said bravely. - You took it from my valley and I want it back. It´s real place is in the wild nature, not in this man-made forest of yours. I don´t afraid the police as if you call them, they will arrest you, not me.
- Is it yours? I am so sorry, I didnt know it, said the woman and smiled. - I took it only because of it´s so lovely fragrance but in my greenhouse it has lost it at all. I am wondering why´s that?
- Because she is too lonely in here. Her´s friend is lonely too and if you don´t give this flower back to it´s home, they both will die to the sorrow.
- I have been as gardener for years but I didn´t know that flowers may have friends, said the woman. - Can you forgive me? I swear by the name of the Lord that my intentions weren´t bad. I too love flowers and all plants and don´t want to hurt them. Can you teach me more about these things?
- Sure but not in here. Let´s help this flower first to its home and you too are welcome to my green valley. I am sure you will like it more than this greenhouse.

The girl and the gardener took the pot where small flower was and carried it outside. After a walking back to the valley they planted it again carefully to it´s own place. The night dew gave to it fresh water to drink and soon it was enough strong to raise it´s flowers again with the most wonderful fragrance.

The little girl and the gardener sat together all night, listened the birds and talked together about all the flowers. And after that, the little girl wasn´t lonely anymore as she has got a friend. And the nightingale was so happy when she saw hers friend again that it sang all night all of hers the most beautiful songs to it and to all who wanted to listen. After that, the nightingale has always sang at the same time at the spring when the lily-of-the-valley is blooming.
 

QSis

Grill Master
Staff member
Gold Site Supporter
Saliha,

You write beautifully! Your stories remind me of those that were read to me when I was a child.

Could you publish your stories? I think you would have a market for them.

Congratulations on your wins!

Lee
 
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