The Buckwheat
Sometimes, after a big storm with lots of thunder and lightning, a field of buckwheat looks black and burnt, like a fire went through it. People who live in the countryside think that lightning caused it, but the sparrow has a different story. The sparrow heard from an old willow tree near the field that something else caused the buckwheat to look that way. The tree is very big and old and looks very wise, even though it’s a bit bent and worn out. Its trunk has a crack in it, and grass and thorny bushes grow out of the crack. The tree leans forward a little bit, and its branches hang down like long green hair all the way to the ground. Around the tree are fields where farmers grow different types of grains like rye, barley, and oats. The oats are especially pretty when they’re ready to be harvested, as they look like little golden birds sitting on the branches. The corn plants in the field look very happy and content, and the biggest and best ears of corn droop down low as if they’re bowing in respect. There used to be a field of buckwheat that grew on the other side of the old willow tree. Unlike the corn, the buckwheat plants didn’t bend down gracefully, but instead stood tall and proud, with their heads held high on their stems. “I am just as important as any other corn,” he said proudly. “And I’m even more beautiful! My flowers are just as pretty as apple blossoms, and looking at us corn plants is a real treat. Do you know of anything that looks prettier than us, an old willow tree?”
The willow tree nodded its head as if to say, “Yes, I certainly do know of something prettier.”
But the buckwheat plant puffed itself up with pride and said, “That tree is so silly! He’s so old that grass is growing out of his body!”
One day, a really scary storm came. All the flowers in the field curled up their leaves or bowed their heads down to stay safe, but the buckwheat plant stood tall and refused to bend. “You should bow your head like we do,” said the other flowers.
“I don’t need to do that,” said the buckwheat plant.
“Please, bend your head like we do!” shouted the ears of corn. “The storm’s angel is coming! His wings stretch from the sky all the way down to the ground. He’ll knock you down before you even have a chance to ask for help.”
“I won’t bow my head,” said the stubborn buckwheat plant.
“Close up your flowers and bow down your leaves,” advised the wise old willow tree. “Don’t look at the lightning when the storm comes. Even humans can’t do that! When lightning flashes, it shows us a glimpse of heaven, but it’s so bright it can even blind people. What do you think will happen to us, who just grow out of the ground and are inferior to humans, if we try to look?”
“Inferior? No way!” said the proud buckwheat plant. “I still want to take a peek at heaven!”
The proud buckwheat plant looked up with bravery as the lightning lit up the sky, making it seem like the whole world was on fire.
After the scary storm was over, the flowers and corn looked up again and felt better with the fresh rain. But the buckwheat was lying on the ground like a useless plant, blackened by the lightning. The branches of the old willow tree moved in the wind, and it seemed like the tree was crying because it had large drops of water falling from its green leaves. The sparrows saw the old willow tree weeping and asked him why he was crying when everything around seemed so happy. They pointed out the beautiful sunshine, the clouds in the blue sky, and the sweet scent of the flowers. The old willow tree then told them about the buckwheat's proud behavior and the punishment he received for it.
One evening, I asked the sparrows to tell me a story. They shared with me the story of the proud buckwheat and the wise old willow tree.
