"When Kindness was Planted" by Aadya Agarwal
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
Spring was here and Hannah, Claire, and Evelyn wanted to start a garden on their middle school break.
“We are just in time!” called out Hannah excitedly as the other two friends followed her lead into the garden section of a local nursery.
“Here are some fresh plants, let’s get these!” exclaimed Claire, her eye caught by a row of green leafy shrubberies.
Everyone headed in different directions looking at plants that were all shapes and sizes. Hannah stumbled upon a strange looking shoot. With large, bright, rainbow-like leaves supported by a short, spotted stem, it had a charm that made it stand apart from the rest of the plants.
Beaming with joy at her discovery, Hannah announced to her friends,” This is the one! Let’s take it home.”
Claire and Evelyn shouted in agreement, “Yes!” gazing at the vibrant plant from the other side of the aisle.
As they picked up the plant and headed to the front desk, Evelyn noticed something very strange. A hat-clad store attendant, wearing a shirt that camouflaged with the background, was organizing a display and behaving rather oddly. His gaze kept flitting toward them, a mysterious, toothless smile on his face.
“Does he have some secret to share?” Evelyn thought to herself.
Claire interrupted her thoughts by pointing to a creamery across the street. It was their beloved dessert place and the hot sun made them think about ice cream. In the next moment, they were sitting on the wooden benches under the shade of a tree, eating their favorite flavors with extra toppings and chatting about the joy of planting a new life. Finishing their sweet treats faster than usual, they ran to Hannah’s house to get started on the job.
“Wait! I should get to plant it because I found it” cried Hannah.
“But that’s not fair, I should get to do it this time!” protested Claire.
“This plant can grow big and I have the most space for it in my humongous backyard, so why don’t I take it to my garden and plant it there?“ reasoned Evelyn.
The three started arguing vehemently when suddenly, Claire heard a thump as a heart-shaped note popped up from one of the tender stems of the new plant. It said -
“The kinder you are, the more magic you will get from me.”
The girls gaped in silence as they looked at the enchanted note.
Finally, Claire took a deep breath and said, “Well, I don’t know if we should believe what we just saw but let’s be kind and see what happens.”
The other two nodded in agreement. Without wasting any more time arguing, they agreed to let the plant be in Hannah’s garden and promised to work as a team; to be polite, kind and respectful to each other. They started saying ‘Thank you’ and ‘Sorry‘ more often.
After a few days, they noticed a fat, juicy, red tomato weighing down the plant’s delicate stem.
“Well, how did that plant grow a tomato so big so quick?” the girls gasped and just then they saw a shining dark purple eggplant hanging right behind the red tomato.
The girls looked at each other open-mouthed for a long moment. “I think the plant is magical.” whispered Hannah.
“And that’s probably why the attendant at the store was acting a bit strange,” recalled Evelyn, entranced by what she just saw.
“Unbelievable!” cried Claire in astonishment.
The encounter with magic transported the girls into a wonderful world of pure awe and joy. Every afternoon, they gathered around the plant to predict what color and vegetable would pop up on its stem. Sometimes, it decorated itself with beautiful, fragrant flowers in exotic shapes and shades. But to get more and more magic from the plant, they had to keep their good behavior intact.
One day, Evelyn brought a delicate China doll to show her friends, but when Hannah and Claire reached to hold it, Evelyn screamed,
“Don’t fiddle with it. It’s my doll. You can’t touch it.”
Next day, Evelyn found a note under the plant. It said –
“Sharing is Caring”
Realizing her mistake, Evelyn invited Hannah and Claire to her home letting them play with her favorite doll. The following day, Claire brought a puzzle set to share with her friends and they had a great time putting it together.
The plant taught them the “joy of giving.” Sharing things clearly multiplied their overall fun and happiness. The girls kept on showing acts of kindness to each other while the plant thrived. They fought less and played more together. They became strong allies, always ready to help and support each other. The little plant became their guide to developing strong friendship bonds.
They became more responsible too. They started helping with chores at home and keeping their things in order. Their families were thrilled to see them become such nurturing and compassionate human beings. This went on for a few weeks.
One day, as they stood by the plant waiting for another magic to pop up, nothing happened! They returned the next day and still nothing happened. The girls visited the plant every day anticipating a surprise, but neither a vegetable nor a flower appeared. It looked like any other ordinary plant. They were disheartened.
Seeing the girls so sad and joyless, Hannah’s mother sat them down and listened to their story as they took turns telling it.
She smiled and said, ”My little darlings, Magic comes in life to teach you something, to make you a better person. But it doesn’t stay forever. If it stayed forever, it wouldn’t be magic. It came to make your friendship stronger and teach you the beauty of goodness. Now, enjoy your better selves and spread the happiness and magic wherever you go just like your little plant.”
The girls smiled and hugged each other. While the magic of the plant was gone, the kindness it had planted in their hearts would last forever.
Aadya Agarwal is 12 years old. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey and attends Princeton Day School. Aadya’s interests are wide ranging – she likes to try new and unique recipes while baking, and a recent confection called “avocado buttercream” is now a family favorite. Playing with clay and making pottery pieces gives her a lot of joy, despite the “mess” it creates. The Mysterious Benedict Society is her all time favorite book series.
The inspiration for Aadya’s story came from the backyard vegetable garden she grew with two friends. Gazing out at the garden, she thought how exciting our world would be with a little magic unfolding in front of us when we least expect it. She decided her story would use magic and the experience of growing a garden to convey the need for more kindness in the world.