The Chosen One

Every strawberry in the garden dreamed of being chosen.

“I hope I become jam!”

“I hope I become pie!”

“I hope I become shortcake!”

Only one strawberry hid beneath a leaf.

“I don't want to be picked.”

“Why not?” the others asked.

“Because I want to grow a garden.”

The others laughed.

“Strawberries don't grow gardens. They just get eaten.”

But the strawberry stayed.

Summer passed. The berry ripened, softened, dropped to the ground, and disappeared.

The next spring, a gardener noticed a new strawberry plant growing nearby.

Year after year, the little plant spread.

Before long, a whole patch of strawberries grew where one strawberry had once hidden beneath a leaf.