Theme: Honesty

The seed of truth

Once upon a time there was a boy who was very fond of plants. He was very dedicated and had learned from his grandfather how to take good care of them. They used to work together in the garden, which was big, beautiful and with plants of all kinds.

They lived in a kingdom ruled by a fair and good king, who had no children or other heirs and was concerned with finding a good person to be his successor.

One day the king called all the children of the kingdom who were old enough to carry out the task they would be given. The boy gardener was one of the children who attended the palace on the appointed date.

The king, receiving them, thoughtfully, explained:

– I need to choose an heir to the throne. I have decided that my successor will be the one of you who best accomplishes the task I am going to propose to you.

Each of the boys then, excited, received a seed that was to be cultivated for a year. After this period, the children were to return to the palace and present to the king the result of their care and the lessons learned during the execution of the task.

The boy's little heart was filled with hope, as he knew that he was an excellent gardener and that he had a good chance of doing well.

When he got home, he prepared a vase with good soil, planted the seed, put fertilizer, didn't forget water or sun and started to take care of it every day. But despite his dedication, time passed and the seed did not sprout.

The boy did everything he could for a whole year. He didn't give up on taking care of the seed all the time, but he didn't get the result he wanted.

On the day of presenting himself to the king, the boy felt ashamed and did not want to go. But his grandfather encouraged him by saying:

– My grandson, you have dedicated yourself a lot. Tell the king the truth. Take the vase with the seed that didn't sprout and tell everything you've done for it. You shouldn't feel ashamed if you've done your best.

The grandfather accompanied his grandson to the palace, where there were already many children with their vases. All of them with beautiful plants with lush foliage and flowers of rare beauty.

A huge line formed to talk to the king. The boy, saddened, placed himself at the end of the line.

The king was calling the children and talking to them. He didn't smile or look satisfied. The boy thought: “Imagine when he sees my vase then”.

When his turn came, the boy was nervous. With difficulty he said:

– Sir, I am a good gardener and I have dedicated myself a lot. I did everything I could and persevered until the last day. Despite this, as you can see, my seed has not sprouted. I have nothing to give you but the truth of what happened. I am ashamed and I ask for your forgiveness.

The king smiled, went to the boy and hugged him saying:

– Do not be ashamed or ask for forgiveness, my child. What you cultivated was the seed of truth. And it was only her that I saw sprout here today. All the seeds that were distributed were first burned. They couldn't have turned into the beautiful flowers the other children brought. Sometimes the truth is not as beautiful as a flower, but we need to face it boldly, as you did. You will be my successor!

The boy started to frequent the palace and when he became king he ruled with great wisdom. He and the entire kingdom never forgot that lesson in honesty and courage they received with the seed of truth.

(Adaptation of text by Patrícia Engel Secco.)

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