Week 13 Story: Good Company Blooms Where Planted

Peaches growing on a tree. Web Source:  Phxere

It was a beautiful Spring day in the town of Filbert, South Carolina as children could be heard laughing and playing nearby. Filbert had the lushest greenery and most beautiful flowers blooming every year. But one of the greatest pleasures Filbert could offer its residents was its abundance of divine and juicy peaches. Every Spring the town would hold a peach fair where tons of people from out of state and nearby towns would travel just to buy some of their peaches. The town used its wonderful peaches to make delicious food, natural beauty products, and homemade scented items. 

Everyone in the town looked forward to this time of year because it was filled with community and friendship. It also brought in great revenue and exposure for the small town in South Carolina. Although a small place to visit, it had all the love and kindness you could ever imagine. But there was one old man who had lived in the town that did not care for its people or the peach festival. His name was John Clark. Mr. Clark had previously been mayor of the small town of Filbert ages ago. The townspeople described him as witty, compassionate, and a class act. But no one in Filbert had witnessed those features of Mr. Clark for over thirty years. Mr. Clark had lost his wife to cancer during his time as mayor. That is when a dark cloud began to follow him everywhere he went. 

The kids were scared to approach him when he would sit on his porch looking at nothing but the dirt bare road. He hadn't watered his plants in years, so he let the weeds grow and dirt pile up on his lawn as the wind carried it. He would find every opportunity to grouch at his neighbors and never smiled. Mr. Clark was unpleasant, but there was a little girl who had always admired him from afar. Her name was Claire. Claire was 7 years old with short straight hair and big brown eyes. She took great joy in greeting people in her town. Her enthusiasm and child spirit brought happiness to those she encountered. Claire saw how grumpy Mr. Clark was and decided to invite him to the big peach festival tomorrow. Mr. Clark scolded her and asked why she bothered him. Claire told him that he looked like he needed a friend and she wanted to be his friend if he would let her. She wanted him to experience joy and genuine happiness like she did because everyone deserves that. But John insisted she leave his property and Claire ran off crying with sadness in her heart. 

The day of the peach festival rolled around and Claire was nowhere in sight. However, thirty minutes later, Claire and Mr. Clark showed up hand in hand to the great peach festival. The people began to cheer and happily shout as they were witnessing greatness. Claire had softened Mr. Clark's heart and he had returned to the man they once knew him as. Claire showed Mr. Clark that our bad experiences can mold us into better people and that we do not have to go through them alone.

Author's Note: For this particular story, I drew my inspiration from the Elephant Girly-face story. In the original story, the king has a beloved elephant named Girly-face. The elephant received its name because of how kind, caring, and genuine it is towards others. But one night the impressionable elephant hears some robbers talking about killing and showing no mercy towards the people they rob. So the elephant picks up on their language and starts acting in an aggressive, hateful, and malicious manner. He even kills his own keeper. Once the king finds out he sends his best and kindest men to talk kind and happy words in the courtyard where the elephant can hear, in hopes of him returning to his normal self. The plan ends up working and Girly-face is once again loved by all. I really loved the overall storyline of the original, which is why I wanted to make it my own and give it a twist. In my story, I use all humans and a modern perspective and background plot. I have Mr. Clark who was once kind and caring to the people of Filbert turn into a mean and angry old man. The cause of his behavior is related to the death of his dear wife. No one wants to approach him because they are afraid of him, but a little girl named Claire decides to try and show him kindness in hopes that he will come to the big town peach festival. Claire is disappointed when Mr. Clark scolds her and turns down her invitation. He even questions her motives. She ends up going home very upset. But the next day of the festival, the townspeople see Mr. Clark and Claire walking into the peach festival together holding hands and it brings so much happiness and joy to everyone. I changed the story to where the lesson focuses on being kind to people who may not seem kind to others, as a reminder to always be compassionate. Even if someone turns you away or upsets you, at least you know you have done the right thing and tried to leave a positive and fresh perspective on them. Even a little kindness can help someone bloom into the person they want to be or the person they truly can be. Sometimes all it takes is a little courage and a lot of willingness to set an example.

Bibliography: The Elephant Girly-Face