Once upon a time, on a particularly warm and sunny afternoon, there was a beautiful garden bursting with quintessential summer colors. In the center of this vibrant garden stood a tall sunflower named Sunny. She was the sunniest of them all and was known for her immense and joyful golden-yellow bloom that even the sun enviously glanced at.
Sunny was so happy and bright that everyone, including a colony of busy bees, a family of fluttering butterflies, and a proud but slightly dull-looking snail, liked to pass their time chatting with her. However, she did have one tiny little problem; well, perhaps two. The first thing was that she was a little too self-satisfied, but that, of course, is merely a flower’s egotism. The second was that she invariably forgot to water her friends the other flowers around her. They were all always drooping their heads and looked terribly wilted, whenever anyone passed by for a chat. It was even remarkable that no one had ever previously mentioned the fact to Sunny.
One day, however, a beautiful evening played a joke and turned in to a tempestuous and rainy night, during which all the flowers were soaked. The next morning, when the sun rose again, and all the little raindrops had dried, Sunny was astonished to see how bright and blooming her neighbors were around her. First, a very fine, red-rose tree blossomed in one corner, all the glories of the morning were in a bunch close by, a few daisies were neatly laid out on a rich patch of green moss, and nearby stood a whole population of splendidly-dressed graves. So that certainly was a pretty sight: one big flower bed with most charming varieties of flowers.
“I declare!” said our sunflower, throwing up her head proudly, “but I really feel ashamed to think that I should look so much prettier perched up there by myself than all those pretty little neighbors together!”
“But theirs is so sad and heartbreaking if they are to droop down now and then,” said an old tree that had listened to the sunflower’s conceited remarks. “It is so heart-stirring and delightful to fly past their brave heads and to see how each different flower looks up so cheerfully towards the heaven’s smiling face.”
“Well, but I can always look happy and smiling,” replied Sunny. “It is pretty tiresome, however, I must confess, for you know I alas! forget so terribly often to water my friends!”
“But don’t forget them, little friend, anymore. For now, surely, you have a remedy against that too,” said the old meaningful tree, and took a good piece of gum from his unfortunate trunk.
Sunny thanked him heartily, and the next morning she begged a waterman to keep her always with him for watering her friends. She put a pretty red flowerpot in her bosom, had her friend filled and sealed-up, and bore it as about 30-48 all good mothers do-in her bosom.
Now, at last, she could not possibly forget to water her friends! And now you will hear how entirely ordinary things are often turned into things more than original.
The sun was once more up in the blue dome of heaven, and all the flowers due performing their usual salutation-dues, it was so pleasing a sight to see. Now comes Sunny’s task-she must water them. But how should she do it?
First, she examined and saw how the pot was fitted up in the bosom: the water was above space enough, it was retained by the gum: could her friends suck the downtake? Oh yes! but she must extend it through her bosom, then let her side droop on the flowers; and thus, she only hoped, would all get a good soaking at once. She could, of course, never perform such an operation actually sitting up all the time. That would serve to endanger the whole nozzle by attaching it to the flowerpot only at its entrance, and THAT, of course, was not to be thought of! So Sunny was happy again, and took the following measures: she fanned herself with her petals till she thought they were in adequate condition to bear up her whole bosom covered with her leaf, and that all together.
She now sat as far down as possible on one side, and thus let her bounteous bosom drip over the flowers soaking them for the forenoon! But when she wanted once more to rise, to let her other side also take a refreshing dew-bathe, her bosom remained so unusual dumb and melancholy drooping pendant. She tried to rise again- and this alone shows that she was in spite of her other faults very good-natured! But fail she did. It was only then that she perceived that her red flowerpot was broken into a thousand pieces, and the water all let out into her bosom through some cracks she had overlooked.
Sunny sunk down motionless on her stem and began crying most bitterly, while her friends around her with tears in their voices sighed-to think that THIS should be the end of her gracious innovations!
But look, her influence was from henceforward also felt by her friends around-no flower ever drooped even their inspired by Sunny’s example. In the course of a few weeks, the whole flower-tribe had made one new compact, entered into arrangements of the nature of months, and appointed a Flower Union, in order to take care and look one after everybody else: each flower in turn was responsible for the rest companion-day and the whole day until had concluded. They seldom neglected their duty, and then-certainly the rainy seasons alone act properly up to their calling came and damped the efforts of the suns’ fire.
During all this time Sunny’s other faults also bad chiefly disappeared as follows: she gradually became less vain and self-satisfied. Perhaps of ourselves, my dear childish friends, would also not grow proud and peevish.