We Eat What We Plant
Brothers James and Jordan
Once upon a time, there was a small village where two brothers, James and Jordan, lived. James was the elder, but he was very mean, impolite, and harsh with everyone.
— Get out of my way! — Oh, how rude! — Hey, you were in my way!
— I'm sorry, madam. — Your father is very lucky to have you, Jordan. James is too mean.
Yes, Jordan was the opposite of his brother. He was kind and caring, just as the woman said, and he loved his father very much.
Father's Advice
— Father, I've brought the fruits you wanted. — Thank you, son! James, can you hand them to me, please? — I'm going to meet my friends. Sorry!
— Oh, here you go, Father. — Listen, James, whatever you plant, you eat. Remember that. — What do you mean? Anyway, I'm leaving.
— Don't worry, Father. I'm sure deep down he's gentle, yes.
The Inheritance and Greed
One day, the brothers' father fell very ill and told them:
— James, Jordan, I don't think I have much time left. I want you two to divide this land equally between you. — What? — Father, don't say that. You'll get better. — Remember, family is very important.
A few days later, he passed away, leaving Jordan heartbroken. James, on the other hand, was angry.
— I am the eldest son. Father should have left everything to me. I should get this by law and kick Jordan out.
And that's exactly what he did.
— James, what are you doing? — Because I am the eldest son, I get everything, you know. We don't have enough to share, so leave. — But where will I go? What will I do?
But James didn't care. He laughed and slammed the door in Jordan's face.
A New Beginning for Jordan
Jordan didn't know what to do, but he decided to leave and start a new life elsewhere. Soon he arrived at a barren land, with a dilapidated house. He went to the neighboring village and immediately found a job. With the little money he had saved, he managed to repair the house, plow the land, and soon started a family.
But one day, Jordan lost his job, and his family had no money at all.
— Well, thank goodness we have the land to keep us alive.
But after a few days, a famine struck their land, and the family suffered terribly. Jordan tried to find work, but without success.
— What will we do? Two weeks have passed, and we have very little left in the house. Why don't you ask your brother for help? — Daddy, I'm hungry! — Oh, here, son, eat it all! — Yes, I think I will.
James's Rejection
And he set off towards his brother's house. There, James opened the door and laughed in his face.
— Ha ha ha! Look at that, poor Jordan. He's just a beggar now. You came here thinking I would help you. — Well, won't you? — Of course not! I have nothing more to do with you! Leave and don't come back! Ha ha ha!
He slammed the door in poor Jordan's face. James was very happy with the rich life he was leading. He hadn't changed at all; he was still a bad person.
The Magic Bird
Jordan was returning home sadly when he saw a snake ready to attack a baby bird.
— Oh, no! The little bird is in danger! Oh, no!
The little bird fell into a bush, and Jordan saw that it had hurt its leg.
— Oh, poor bird! Don't be scared! What could I do?
He took the baby bird home, tended to its leg, wrapped it with a piece of cloth, and made sure everyone would take care of it. In a few days, the bird was healthy and flew away happily. It circled the house three times, then flew far away.
— What a gentle creature! But my dear, we must find a way to get food. And quickly! Achoo!
One day, as Jordan looked sadly at his land, he heard a familiar sound.
— Hmm, hello there, little bird!
The little bird that Jordan had saved dropped a few seeds on the ground and flew away.
— What was that? Ooo!
Just then, the ground began to vibrate like an earthquake, and a watermelon plant emerged from the earth.
— Daddy, look, what huge watermelons! — Wow! Let's take them inside, shall we?
They took the watermelons inside, and everyone waited for Jordan to cut a slice. But as he cut, everyone was amazed when gold coins fell out of the watermelon.
— Oh! Oh, my goodness! — So much gold! I wonder if the others are the same?
He cut another one, and precious stones fell out of it.
— How boring! We can't eat this! — Oh, my dear, it's even better!
Jordan sold the gold and precious stones, and soon his family was happy again.
James's Greed Returns
One day, as he was telling a curious villager how he had become rich, a friend of James's was in the crowd. He went and told James everything, which made James even angrier, and greed took hold of him.
The next day, he went into the forest.
— Hmm, where do I find a bird with a broken leg? No?
Just then, a bird with an injured leg lay on the ground. James picked it up.
— He he he! Little bird, I'll only help you on the condition that you help me too! Ha ha ha!
James took the bird home and bandaged its leg. After a few days, it had recovered and was ready to fly.
— Leaving? Don't forget you must return to me with riches greater than my brother's. Understand?
The bird looked at James, and with its intelligent eyes, it saw that James was a very, very bad person.
— Fly! Come on! Bring the riches! Ha ha ha!
James's Harvest
The next day, James waited outside for the bird's return. Finally, it returned, and James was ecstatic.
— Take that! Finally! Come and plant the gold and jewels!
James watched as the seeds fell to the ground, and soon it began to tremble, and huge watermelons emerged.
— My goodness! These watermelons are huge! I'm going to be rich!
He took them all inside and cut one. But, instead of gold coins, dozens of giant spiders crawled out.
— Eww! Spiders! — What? Where are my golden coins? Maybe they're in the second watermelon.
He cut the second one too, thinking he would find wealth, but this time giant rats came out.
— Rats! No!
His wife and son ran away screaming, leaving James completely bewildered.
— One more! The third one is always the lucky one!
He cut the third watermelon too, but out of it came the biggest and most frightening snakes he had ever seen. He ran outside scared. He joined his family outside, frightened and confused. He watched as the other watermelons burst open, and swarms of insects emerged from them.
— My house! My land! No!
He watched as everything he had gained through greed was destroyed and turned to dust.
Reconciliation
— Now what do we do? Why don't you ask your younger brother for help?
James didn't want to turn to Jordan after the way he had treated him. But he had no other solution. He swallowed his shame and went to Jordan.
— Jordan! Jordan! Please, help me! — James, what happened? What's wrong?
James told Jordan everything, how he had been envious of him and how he was now sorry for the way he had behaved.
— Jordan, I'm sorry for the way I behaved. I shouldn't have kicked you out of the house. — James, it's okay. I forgive you for everything you've done. You're my brother, after all. Let's go and help you with your house. — Oh, you're the best brother!
The next day, as the two families worked together, James seemed happy. Then he remembered his father's words.
— Whatever you plant, you eat. — Oh, everything you told me is true. I planted greed and hatred in my life, and I received only destruction in return.
The Moral
Thus, James learned that if you plant with bad intentions, you will only receive bad results. And if you plant with good intentions, life will reward you with good things.
