A little boy walked down a winding path, his cocoa brown feet turning grey on the dusty
ground. He stopped at the sound of a rasping voice. At his feet, lay an old woman, wizened and
entangled in dry roots. She begged for food, but all he had was his stuffed yellow bunny. He
looked in its mouth and found a tiny seed. The old woman seemed to shrink in size before his
eyes. He quickly placed the seed in her withered mouth. She disappeared.
The little boy dropped to his knees clutching his bunny. Tears streamed down his young
face and fell on the dry ground. He cried until he was empty. He lay his head on the ground,
curled up and went to sleep in his sadness. A tickle beneath his cheek awoke him. He sat up,
wiping grime from his eyes.
In the dust was a sprout, shining in its greenness. It grew, twisting and sending out
tendrils. Its roots spread, the surface greening as they went. The sprout stretched toward the sky,
growing branches, twigs, and leaves. It became a giant tree among giant trees. The ground
became lush with fronds, ferns, moss, and grasses. Crawling, hopping, and flying things filled
the land. Water began to flow near the roots of the tree, trickling away to join other waters until
it formed lakes and oceans.
The little boy looked in amazement and joy. He felt his yellow bunny soften before it
leaped from his arms. He heard his grandmother’s voice singing among other voices. She called
to him. He stood up and ran to her. The old woman thanked him for saving her and kissed his
forehead. They walked up the path together.