The sunflower that couldn’t reach the Sun

A SUNFLOWER that once lived in a garden loved to sunbathe during summer months. As he was not very tall, however, he found it hard to stretch higher than the other flowers that hid the Sun from him so they would stay taller. And so, August finally reached its final day, and the sunflower was yet to bloom.

One autumn day, it so happened that the Sun hid behind grey clouds. Along with him, the hope of our good sunflower also vanished, as without the rays of the Sun to feed him, he would stay at the same height forever. “It’s your fault for not trying hard to reach us”, the other sunflowers arrogantly told him and made fun of him for being short.

“You are unfair with me”, the sunflower replied and he decided to look for the Sun on his own. Yet, as it was hidden behind grey clouds and tall mountains, only a few of its sunrays could be seen. So, the sunflower left the garden, treading through valleys and forests, until nights became days and days nights. At one point, and much to his surprise, a magician appeared in front of him, and the sunflower thought of asking him to make the Sun appear again so he could bloom.

“I could not possibly perform such a miracle for you, but if you truly want to see the Sun, the only thing you have to do is climb to the top of the tallest mountain, above the clouds”, the magician replied and bid him farewell.

As soon as the sunflower heard it, he plucked up courage and took the long road to the highest mountain, aiming to reach the top. Half-way through, however, he saw snow falling, as he had already been travelling for months and winter had settled in.

The sunflower saw the snow and froze with despair, as he realized that even if he made it to the top, he would wilt from the cold. And even if he turned back, it was already too late for him to bloom, as it is unnatural for a sunflower to bloom during winter time. So, he came to terms with the fact that he would remain like that all his life. And he would have stayed at that spot crying forever, until the snow that started to fall on him made his bones shiver.

“It’s pointless…”, the flower whispered as he looked at the clouds above. The clouds then dispersed to reveal the Sun once more, and the first sunray fell on him, turning the ice that had covered his pedals into water. Plucking up what courage was left in him, he walked to reach the top.

A few minutes later, he came across a group of  strange flowers, the likes of which he had never seen before. “We are winter flowers”, they told him, and continued: “And if you feel your time has passed and you didn’t get the chance to bloom, you’d be happy to know that we bloom during winter and with cold.”

As soon as the sunflower heard it, he was astonished, as it had never crossed his mind that a flower could possibly bloom in snow. “If only I was like you that have no need of the Sun”, he admitted in front of them.

The magician then appeared again, touched him with his magic wand and turned him into a winter flower, a ‘late-bloomer’. Not only did he bloom in the midst of cold winter, but he even found a new family of winter flowers for himself that keep him company ever since.