The Traveler and the Flower

WARNING

A lovely traveler passed by a landscape that no one appreciated. She brought with her an exotic warm breeze that swept across the parched fields, brushed the treetops, and rippled the lake into a shimmering glow.

The fruit trees, utterly enchanted by this beauty, hurriedly blossomed and bore fruit; the birds in the forest scoured the land for the few remaining flowering branches, weaving them into a wreath to crown her head.

Strolling through the flurry of falling petals, the traveler, unable to refuse such generosity, plucked a few crimson fruits. Feeling guilty for taking without giving, she emptied her pockets of all the flower seeds she carried and scattered them across every cracked patch of earth.

Only the barren field felt shy and ashamed—what could it offer to this lovely maiden?

Summoning all its strength, the field urged the seeds to grow as fast as they could, hoping she might see the flowers in full bloom before she left.

But the traveler was never meant to stay long—the scenery here was truly beautiful, the trees and birds most attentive, yet this was not a place to call home.

When the traveler departed, the fruit trees, the birds, and the field all felt a pang of longing.

The field’s flowers never reached her hands, but perhaps the next traveler would see a splendid garden in their place.

Yet no one grieved over this,

for spring had once visited.