Perfect Herb

Once upon a time, in the Forest, the place where fantastic creatures, wonderful places and mystical plants exist, was living a small herb that was ignored by the other biggest herbs, flowers and trees, but it dreamed to be higher, to help everybody and to be a good friend.

All the other plants laughed when she played with the other plants, laughed when she tried to drink water in The Crystal River but needed to wait for a horse to make a small puddle, laughed when she said that someday, she would be so high and loved that everybody would love her.

One day, in the Crystal River, the small herb was waiting for a horse, or a monkey, or a tiger, or a rabbit, whatever, an animal that could make a puddle to help her, when her -best- friend Rose arrived, dancing and perfuming everything and all. The small herb said:

__  Hi, Rose, you’re so red today, much sun!?

The show-off flower answered:

__  Hum… hi, small! You’re SO patient today, no animals!? (boring laughter here) No, this has nothing to do with the sun, it’s just me, myself and I. I was BORN perfect! (presumptuous laughter here)

The other plants loved Rose, she was perfect, had perfect petals, a perfect stem, perfect leaves, but she was so smug. But with the small grass it was different, as if Rose liked to hurt her. Everyday the small herb tried to be a good friend, but everyday, too, Rose tried to be better than the small herb.

It was so sad, a little bit cruel, watching the small herb making everything to be a good plant and friend, on The Forest, and Rose only mocking her and showing off for everyone. Day after day, week after week, and season after season.

Another day was born, and it was the 100th birthday of The Forest, and everyone was prepared to receive the big mom Gaia, the most beautiful and powerful being on Earth. Everybody was happy, the birds have arranged their nests, the turtles have cleaned their hooves, and the small herb took an advantage a big puddle made by an elephant to take a good bath. When she was returning of their bath, looked at the Rose seeing herself on the water reflection, curious, she said:

__  What are you looking at?

Rose responded:

__  The best creature that big mom Gaia made…

The small herb, fast and smiling complete:

__  Yeah, the Crystal River is the best thing that The Forest had, it cleans and satiates everyone!

Rose, irritated and dissatisfied with the foolish ingenuity of the small herb, calming said:

__ HELLO, little small herb, IT’S ME! And I think that you need something to put in your head to seem more...more...more presentable...maybe a Sunflower petal, she could give you one.

The small herb smiled with the good idea, but she didn’t know how the Sunflowers were so rude, and how they hated every plant of The Florest, their garden was located in the best part of forest, where the sun shines all day. When she found the Sunflowers' garden, she tried to ask for a petal, but was interrupted by a wild wind made by one big Sunflower that saw her coming, and everything got more complicated when the others saw her too, all the sunflowers started to wind to as not to let her come any closer.

The small grass was devastated and dirty, but when she looked at the ground, she found small pieces of sunflower petal, perfect pieces to make a necklace. She made the most beautiful necklace the Forest creatures saw, she was dirty, but their collar took off all attention of her dirt.

When the Rose looked at her, she said:

__ Wow, you’re so brave, how did you survive my mission? It doesn’t matter, I don’t care, you’re just an insignificant, fool, dirty, small herb, you will never be perfect like me or any other creature of The Forest, sorry, but it’s the truth, little herb, sometimes we are just born to be a joke...or...to be you.

The small herb got devastated again, but at this time, because the Rose humiliated her, Rose didn’t like her, she saw that the Rose just wanted to play with her, just to laugh of her, and she was really like Rose said, less than a joke, she realized that everybody looked at her collar, but not to her, everybody was surprised about how she could make that necklace, then, maybe she shouldn’t be there. When she was leaving, the big mom Gaia arrived, the small herb just took off her necklace and went out.

In the middle of the party, Gaia asked:

__ Everyone, where is my perfect creation, I have a gift for her ?!

The pretentious Rose came saying:

__ I'm here, big mom!

And everybody applaused…

Gaia looked at her with pity, and quietly said:

__ Sorry, my little plant, I’m not talking about you, I heard that she made a pretty collar to show to me, where is my little yellow herb?

Rose, frustrated and angry, said:

__  WHAT? The SMALL herb, did you want to say?! She will not be perfect, ever, if you think it's possible, you're as foolish as her, and this party was a waste of time!

Gaia, quietly respond to her:

__ No, you're wrong, it's imperfect, I created you perfect, but you ruined yourself, hurting others, everyone here is imperfect, but you, you disappointed me, Rose, sorry. Please, bring me the small herb, I have a gift to her!

All were shocked, and from the crowd the perfect herb came out ashamed, saying:

__  Big mom, excuse me, why me?

Gaia sweetly responded to the perfect herb:

__ Why you? (majestic laughter here) Look at you, everybody here is clean, beautiful, trying to seem good to me, but you’re here just being you. You showed me how perfect my work was, remembering me how much grateful I got when I finished this, but today, I want to reward everybody here, and those who are coming, with my most perfect creation, you.

Gaia did start:

__ My perfect herb, CONGRATULATIONS, you will be the highest, loved and useful herb of Earth. Everybody will look at your yellow moons, everybody will want to know your perfection, but you will be a secret, my perfect secret.

The perfect herb started to grow...and grow… and grow...more than the Sunflowers and more than the others could see, and when she stopped growing, her yellow moons started to appear, first red with a heart form, after, started blow up in large emerald moons, and lastly, the most beautiful yellow moons that everybody in the Forest already saw.

Gaia interrupted the moment and said:

__  Rose, are you okey?

Rose was with her face red chromo of anger, and said:

__  You are THE MOST STUPID CREATURE THAT I KNEW, SAW AND HEARD! YOU ARE A FOOL!           

Gaia, disappointed, quietly said:

__  Sorry, Rose, but I need to scold you... -and started-  Perfect Rose, CONGRATULATIONS, you will be the most beautiful, common and feared flower of Earth. Everybody will look at your perfect petals, everybody will want to have your perfection, and everybody will have fear of having you. You’ll be loved and hated.

So, thorns started growing over her, and small sprouts grew from their stems. Her petals started to glow, her perfume got stronger, and her leaves increased. All of the presents got shocked with Rose’s perfection, but everybody had fear of touching her. Like big mom Gaia said.

After that, Rose came out and the party continued, below the perfect herb’s leaves, and when the party was over, everybody came out, too.

Until today the Rose and the perfect herb are in our life, maybe all happened the right way, maybe the big mom already knew how everything would happen, maybe Rose had a gift, too, but she got blind with her ego… It is sometimes better to be the banana, no?!

Fonte: http://mtahara.com/galeria-virtual/bananeira-2/

Author: Andrei Dias dos Santos.