Story 10: The Magic Passport Story 10: The Prince and the Humble Flower (A Story from Ancient Persia)
In a faraway land of dazzling palaces and fragrant rose gardens, lived a young Prince named Karim. Prince Karim had everything a boy could wish for: silk clothes, sweet pastries, and the fastest horse in the kingdom. But he also had a very proud heart. He thought that because he was a Prince, he knew everything and was the most important person.
One day, his father, the wise Sultan, called Karim to his side. “My son,” the Sultan said, “true royalty isn’t just about jewels and palaces. It’s about knowing the value of what truly shines. Go into the kingdom and find the ‘Greatest Treasure.’ Bring it back to me.”
Prince Karim smiled. “Easy!” he thought. He imagined finding a sparkling ruby bigger than his fist, or a golden crown lost in a secret cave. He rode off on his fastest horse, clip-clop, clip-clop, ready for adventure.
He searched in the bustling bazaars, where merchants sold colorful silks and spices. He saw glittering necklaces and carved statues. “These must be treasures!” he thought, but they didn’t feel “greatest.”
He rode to the highest mountains, looking for rare gems. He found shiny crystals, blink-blink, blink-blink, but they were just cold stones.
Days turned into weeks. Karim grew tired. His fine clothes became dusty. His proud heart began to feel a little bit smaller. He hadn’t found any “Greatest Treasure.”
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple, Karim saw an old woman sitting by a small, dry stream. She was carefully watering a single, wilting flower with a few drops of water from a tiny clay pot. It was just a simple, blue flower, no bigger than his thumb.
“Good evening, grandmother,” Karim said, feeling a little less proud than before. “Why do you spend your precious water on such a small, ordinary flower when the whole stream is dry?”
The old woman looked up and smiled, her eyes kind and wise. “My dear Prince,” she said, her voice soft like rustling leaves, “this flower may be small, but it is the ONLY living thing here. It reminds me that even in the driest times, there is still beauty to nurture. And it will grow seeds for many more flowers next year.”
Karim looked at the tiny flower, then at the woman’s wrinkled, caring hands. He thought about the sparkling jewels he had seen—they just sat there. But this small flower, given a little kindness, would grow and make more beauty. It was a secret kind of wealth.
A gentle breeze rustled the flower’s petals, swish, swish.
Suddenly, Karim understood. He carefully picked one tiny seed from the flower. He rode back to his father’s palace, not with a ruby, not with a crown, but with that single, precious seed held gently in his hand.
He bowed before the Sultan. “Father,” he said, his voice soft, “I did not find the biggest jewel, or the most famous gold. But I found a seed from the humblest flower, nurtured by the kindest hands. It showed me that the ‘Greatest Treasure’ is not what we take, but what we help to grow and what brings life to the world.”
The Sultan smiled, a proud light in his eyes. “You have indeed found the greatest treasure, my son,” he said. “You have found wisdom and a kind heart.”
From that day on, Prince Karim became a wise and gentle ruler. He always remembered the old woman and the humble blue flower. He knew that true power wasn’t about having many things, but about caring for the small, important things that bring life and beauty to everyone.
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