Story by Nancy Battista Morgan
Illustrations by Holly Bell

 

 

In a meadow there was a nut. Inside the nut was a seed.

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The seed fell into the brown earth and started to grow. But it grew very slowly.

One seed close by became a flower.

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Another seed was a tomato plant.

I want to be like the other seeds,” the seed said. “I don’t want to take so long to grow.

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So the seed worked hard to grow. It grew tough, dark bark to make it strong.

It stretched its branches and spread its leaves to catch the sunlight so it could get bigger.

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Many years passed and the seed was patient. In time, it became a strong, beautiful tree.

Finally, the tree grew nuts. The squirrels in the meadow and the people who lived nearby came to pick and eat the nuts. And one nut fell to the good brown earth, just like the nut that became a tree.

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Be patient, little nut,” whispered the fine strong tree. “In time, if you are patient, you too will grow into a beautiful tree.”