Scientist Seeking

Once there was a girl who found a seed.

She new that within would be something beautiful. So she bought a pot and some soil and gave it a home. She tended to her seed, giving it water and warmth from the sun bleeding through the window. And with time, it grew, safe from the uncertainties of the backyard.

She watched as the soft green body poked through the soil. She marveled as its small leaves unfurled. She’d heard that this little flower could grow up to six feet tall! She was so excited to be a part of it’s journey. So excited to love something so amazing.

The flower grew and grew. Three inches, then five, then nine, then fourteen! But then, it stopped. She watched it but even as it’s crown began to bloom, it would grow no taller.

She asked her mother why her flower wasn’t growing. It should be as tall as her father, why was it smaller than herself? She had given it good soil, and good water, and plenty of light. What was wrong?

“Oh, love. You did everything right, but your flower has outgrown its pot. It cannot grow anymore if it stays here.”

“But I love it so! I want it to grow more!”

“Then you need to let it grow in the yard, where it can reach deeper into the soil and climb higher toward the sun. You loved it enough to help it grow; but now you need to let it be free.”

So the girl took her pot and a small shovel. She dug a hole and planted her flower. She kissed it’s small yellow petals and left it to grow. And it grew and grew. Eighteen, twenty four, forty eight inches tall! The girl watched as butterflies and bees danced on its face, beetles were shaded by its hefty crown.

When the summer days grew shorter, the petals began to fade. It’s soft seeds grew hard shells dappled in gray and white. Birds and squirrels gathered them, filling up their bellies for a long winter, and scattering others through the neighborhood, where they might bloom next spring.

The girl loved the flower, so she set it free. And the world was a little better for it.