The Day I Came

On the day that I came, the city was dark and unwelcoming.
Nobody talked to me. The streets were dull and dusty. Even the local park was bare but for a few benches and a wilting tree.

At first I didn’t do anything.
“The city is dark, I can’t go out,” I would mutter, “It’s too late to help. I can’t help.”

But then I had an idea. Just a small idea.

One day I planted a seed in the soil at the park. I didn’t think it would do much, but every day I watered it. But after many anxious weeks, it grew.
Just a tiny shoot at first……

….But I knew that one day it would become a beautiful tree.
So I planted more seeds, and they grew as well!
No one noticed to start with. Just like they hadn’t noticed me.
But a few months later, I saw a child, barely older than me, staring at the sapling I had grown.
And she planted a seed too.
She wasn’t the last.

As that seed grew as well, a small group of older children started planting their own seeds too!!
Maybe this city could be saved…

One warm and clear day, a crowd were getting on with their daily routine, when a group of them - adults and children - spotted someone else’s plant!
And they each planted a seed too.

Slowly, others noticed.
At first just a couple, but then many more.
More and more people planted their own seeds.

The more they planted, the more others noticed.
A hedge, flowers, curling ivy, and giant ferns popped up everywhere.
Animals started making their homes.
And the more the seeds grew, the more my hope grew.

After almost two years, people started to talk to me.
A girl asked me, “They say you’re the one who planted that seed. Is it true?”
I paused, then nodded, “Yes.”
It started becoming a constant question, but I didn’t mind.
After all, I had friends.

It took a while, but I noticed that they weren’t just planting seeds, but friendships too!
The seeds spread…

The once dark city was bright, kind and welcoming.
Violet, and blue flowers lined almost every path, bees buzzed around daisies, butterflies fluttered past, ivy clambered up lampposts, trees sprouted up, and plant shops popped up on streets.

Over the years I lived there, my sapling grew into a tree.
It rose from a patch of ferns.
Rose red and sunset pink blossom tumbled off the branches, elegant birds danced and glided around it, lime leaves covered the top, and dark green ivy curled round the trunk.

But then I realised I had to leave. I was scared, to tell the truth. I didn’t really want to go but the city was green enough. There were more places out there that needed help.

And on the day that I left, the city was green and friendly.
I hoped it would stay that way.