Once, there was a big tree in a forest. It protected people from the sun and provided shelter to innumerable birds. At the foot of the tree there grew a little plant. The plant was very delicate, and bent over at the touch of the slightest breeze. One day, the big tree said to the little plant, “Why do you not plant your feet deeply in the ground, and raise your head boldly in the air as I do?” The plant said, “I am safer this way.” But the tree asked, “How do you feel safe? You are so weak.” The little plant kept quiet. One evening, a great storm arose in the region. It hurled the trees off their roots. Even the big tree was flung away with a great force. But there was one exception. The little plant, which had been tossed under the fury of the storm, stood upright again when the storm ended.
The Big Tree and the Little Plant
