• Five Peas from a Pod

    Andersen's Fairy Tales
    Inside a long, green sleeping bag, lived five little peas. They were all green and round, and very cozy. The world outside their pod was green, and the sun made their home warm.

    "I wonder what's out there?" whispered one pea.
    "Something exciting, I hope!" said another.
    "We'll find out soon," said a third, who was a bit sleepy.
    "I bet I'll go the furthest!" boasted a fourth pea.
    The fifth pea just listened, feeling the warmth and wondering too.

    One sunny day, CRACK! The sleeping bag, which was really a pea pod, popped open!
    "Whee!" The five peas flew out into the bright, wide world.

    One little pea landed right on a rooftop. "What a view!" he thought. But then, a hungry pigeon swooped down. Gobble! That was the end of him.

    Two other peas tumbled into a gutter next to the street. "A bit wet," they said. Soon, more pigeons found them. Gobble, gobble!

    The boastful pea who wanted to go the furthest? He landed with a splat in a muddy puddle. "Well, this isn't what I expected," he grumbled, and slowly sank out of sight.

    But the fifth pea, the quiet one, had a different adventure. He landed softly in a little crack of dirt, right under a window.
    Inside the room by the window, lay a little girl. She was pale and didn't smile much because she had been sick for a long, long time. Her mother often looked at her with a sad face, wishing she would get better.

    The little pea felt the rain and the sun. He snuggled into the dirt and thought, "Maybe I can do something here."
    And he did! A tiny green shoot pushed its way out of the dirt.

    One morning, the little girl looked out. "Oh, Mama!" she cried, her voice a little stronger. "Look! A little plant! It's growing!"
    Every day, the girl watched the plant. It grew taller. It got leaves. The girl started to feel a little bit better just watching it. She would sit by the window, her eyes bright, waiting to see how much it had grown.

    Then, one day, a beautiful pink flower opened on the plant!
    The little girl clapped her hands. "It's so pretty!" she said. She felt so happy, she got out of bed and walked a few steps to get a closer look.
    Seeing the flower, and feeling the sunshine through the window, made her want to get well.
    Soon, the little girl was up and about, her cheeks rosy, playing like she used to.

    And the little pea, now part of a lovely plant with a pink flower, felt very proud. He hadn't gone the furthest, or seen the grandest views from a rooftop. But he had brought joy and helped a little girl get better.
    And that, thought the pea plant, was the best adventure of all.

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