The Golden Badger
A New World and a Hard Winter
Long ago, when the world was newly born, people found their food by hunting, fishing, or gathering fruits and berries from trees and bushes. They didn't grow their own crops, because the soil was too hard to work, and besides, they thought that what the earth offered was enough.
So, when winter came, the poor people were terribly hungry. The earth fairies saw this and felt sorry for them. They decided to call a meeting.
The Fairies Gather
— We must do something for these poor people. Otherwise, they will suffer winter after winter. — Why don't they plant their own fruit trees? What's the problem? — You're complaining! I planted three mango trees just because a child wanted to eat until they were full. Oh! — What if we found a way to teach them to harvest their own crops? — That's a good idea! We'll find a way to teach them. Very well.
Gifts for Sunflower
One day, it was the birthday of one of the fairies, Sunflower. She was turning sixteen, and all the other fairies on earth had to celebrate her.
— I'll give the dear one this gorgeous blue dress. I made it, so it will surely look amazing on her. — I'll offer her a crown made of the most beautiful flowers. When she looks in the mirror, she'll always remember me. — Ugh! You love yourself too much! But you, Robin? What gift will you give her?
Robin was the fairy of all birds and animals in the kingdom. She looked at the others' gifts and grew sad.
— Well, I haven't gotten her anything yet. I'll get her a gift just as beautiful as these.
That evening, she talked with her friend, Eli the elf. She told Eli all about the beautiful gifts brought by the other two fairies.
— Well, what would you like to give her? — I'd like to give her something that will protect her very much. — Oh!
The Birth of Gulin, the Golden Badger
Robin suddenly moved her hands and created a magical badger.
— Oh, a badger! Wait! Let's make him even more beautiful!
Eli used all her powers and made the badger golden. He shone and sparkled, and Eli's magic had made him even stronger.
Robin went to the party and presented the golden badger to Sunflower. Everyone was amazed when they saw the wonderful creature.
— Wow! I've never seen such a beautiful badger in my life! — That's because he's a special badger, just for Sunflower. He will be her pet and will grow up with her.
Sunflower named her badger Gulin, which meant golden. Gulin was very strong and fast. He could run for miles without getting tired and could dig deep into the earth with his small paws.
Gulin and the People
— Hello, Sunflower! You're enjoying the weather outside, aren't you? — Oh, hello, old man! It's so warm I couldn't help but come outside. Has something happened, sir? You seem a bit worried. — No, not at all! These people... — The people? Really? Tell me, I'll help. — Ha ha ha! Help me, if you can!
So he told her everything, and Sunflower fell into thought.
— What if we sent Gulin to teach the people? He could dig up the hard soil to make it easier for people to plant their crops. — Gulin? Yes! That would be an excellent idea! But my dear, wouldn't you miss him terribly? — Yes, but he would only be gone during the day. In the evening, he would come home. So it's alright, isn't it, Gulin? — Ha ha! Alright then! We'll send him to the people tomorrow.
Therefore, the next day, Gulin went happily and curiously to the people. Everyone stared at him, for they had never seen such a beautiful animal.
— What is this creature? — I don't know, but it's wonderful!
Gulin walked around cheerfully and suddenly began to dig into the earth.
— What is that silly animal doing? Has it gone mad? — I don't know, but I'm curious to see what it does.
Gulin dug with great speed and eagerness. Earth began to fly through the air, landing on the people too. Soon, the golden badger had dug up a large area of land, and as dusk fell, he looked up at the sky and left.
— What? And it left the earth like that? — How boring that was! — And it even made us dirty on top of that! — Exactly! Ugh!
When night fell, all the people left. The next day, the people came out of their homes and saw Gulin walking over the freshly dug earth. Beside him were many little birds.
— Look! He's back! And he's playing with the birds! — But what is he up to now? And what are those birds carrying? — Look! They dropped them on the ground! Ha ha ha! How funny! That funny creature is covering them with earth! Ha ha ha!
The People Discover the Magic of Seeds
Gulin had asked the birds to gather all the seeds for him, and now he was planting them in the earth. One of the birds dropped a seed near a woman.
— It's a seed! We can bake it to eat! — These silly birds are ruining our food! — Never mind, we can't stop them. Let them do what they want, if that's the case. We have enough seeds to eat this year.
Just then, it started to rain. The birds flew away, and Gulin disappeared too. Soon after, the people also went into their homes.
A few days later, two women were returning home from picking fruit.
— Ugh! I hate the rain! Especially since, after that silly creature dug in the earth, ugh! It became even muddier and stickier. I don't understand why it did it! Oh! Look! It's a peach tree! — What? You're right! And it sprouted in the very spot where the birds dropped the seeds! — Oh! It's starting to rain again! Let's go!
They ran back into their house and left the little plant to grow. Over the days, more peach trees sprouted, full of sweet and ripe fruit.
— Wow! The badger did this? — It seems so. So, you can grow trees from these tiny seeds? That sounds interesting! Hey, do you want to try?
The People Learn to Cultivate
The people were so fascinated that they began to plant even more trees and plants on the cultivated land. Of course, some plants grew more slowly, and others didn't grow at all. But the people were patient and quickly learned what to do.
— We have more fruit! We have more vegetables too! How wonderful that we know how to grow more plants! — Thank goodness that animal works the land for us. I wouldn't want to do that. — Yes, but I don't like the idea that that creature is better than us. I mean, shouldn't we be able to dig too? — But not with our hands! Maybe if we used a stone or a sharp stick, then yes. An animal can't be better than us! — Exactly! The badger is strong, but he can't cook or clean like us. We are smart! If he can dig, we can dig too!
So the people began to dig and work the soil. It wasn't easy at all, so they started to build tools to help them break through the soil.
— Ugh! It's so hard! Oh, my back! — Don't stop! Remember: if he can dig, we can dig too!
But as they began to work the land, the people grew stronger, and the work seemed easier to them. Soon, the badger and the people on the land began to work side by side.
— Hey, Digger! Will you hand me the pickaxe now? He he he! Thanks! — A seed here, a seed there! Ho, ha ha ha! You scared me, little Digger! — Digger? Who's Digger? — Since he digs a lot, we nicknamed him Digger.
Gulin's Legacy
But as the people began to work the land and grow their own crops, dear Gulin's visits became less frequent. Soon he didn't visit them at all. Over time, those who knew him began to grow old and forget him.
— Ugh, Mom! It's too hard! I want to play! — It was hard for us too, but a very strange and beautiful animal helped us. — A strange animal? — Oh, yes! I had forgotten about him! What did we call him? The Digger? — That's right! Digger was an animal who dug with us and taught us to grow crops. — An animal taught you to grow crops and other things? That sounds too strange! Don't you understand? And where did this animal go? — Hmm, I don't know. He just disappeared. — I don't believe you! — Well, if you think about it, a kind of magic appeared. But you don't have to believe it! — Ha ha! An animal taught us to grow crops and other things? That's too funny! I have to tell my friends!
Thus, Gulin soon became a story told throughout the world, which children adored.
The End.
