At the dawn of time, the first man and the first woman set up their
home together by the side of a great broad river. They had everything
they needed for a blissful life: Fruit, berries, meat and fish,
plenty of wood and fresh water and, of course, each other. They
lived as happily as any man and woman have ever lived together,
until their first quarrel. It started with a small thing. First
man said, Why didnt you cook this? and then, first
woman said, Why didnt you bring in the wood for the
fire? Pretty soon it got worse, with first man saying, Why
didnt you tidy that?, and first woman saying, Why
are you so messy? Pretty soon, both the insults, and a few
wooden plates and bowls, began to fly.
The first woman was so upset that she decided to leave the first
man. At the break of day, while he was still asleep, she set off
down the valley, heading towards the rising sun. She walked and
walked, always looking straight ahead of her, and not once turning
back. When the first man woke up and saw that she was gone, he waited
for her to come back, but she did not come back. He found her tracks
along the valley, but she had a long head start on him, as she did
not stop or look around.
The sun was now high in the great blue sky. It looked down upon
the first man, as he followed after the first woman, and it saw
that there was sadness on the face of an otherwise pristine and
perfect world and all his surroundings. The sun asked the man if
he was still angry with his wife. He said that he was not angry
with her. The sun asked if he would like to have her back. He said
that he would like to have her back. And the sun took pity on the
first man, and decided to help him. His gentle rays touched the
ground along the womans path, and a huckleberry bush sprang
up. Its fruit was shiny and enticing, but as she passed, her eyes
remained fixed on the distance, and she did not see the berries.
So the sun shone again on the ground up ahead of the woman. He
caused a clump of blackberries to grow up beside her path. She refused
to even glance at them.
Then the sun thought that he must create something entirely new;
something so vivid, so fragrant, and so delicious, that even the
first woman could not fail to take notice of them in her resolute
and unhappy mood.
He blessed the ground again with his rays, and the first patch
of strawberries spread over the ground. Their sweet scent filled
the womans senses, and her mood became lighter. She began
to look around her, and she saw the bright red fruit hiding beneath
the leaves. It looked so enticing that she picked one and tried
it. She tasted the strawberry on her tongue, and she began to remember
the happiness she knew when she first set up home with her husband.
She looked at the half eaten strawberry in her hand and saw a bright
red heart. She found she no longer felt the pressing desire to leave
him. She sat down on the ground and wondered what she must do. By
the time she had eaten a few more strawberries, first man had caught
up to her and sat down quietly and smiled. She gave him a strawberry
to eat.
They both then realized how much they cared for one another and
walked back home together taking a few strawberry plants with them
to plant at their home so they would not forget this lesson. Do
nothing in haste, consider all things thoroughly and always forgive
one another of your faults.
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strawberry
The flowers and fruits of a garden strawberry plant (Fragaria
×ananassa). This hybrid species is cultivated worldwide.
© red150770/stock.adobe.com
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