The cruel Ruler and the beautiful flower

Long ago there lived a Ruler of a distant land. He ruled with a rod of iron. Everyone: his enemies and subjects, servants and advisers feared him. The Ruler had a son. When the boy began to understand how afraid people were of his father, he asked: "Father! Why does everyone fear you?"
The Ruler answered: "To rule the country I must be strong and cruel, then the enemies will fear and respect me and people will obey. You will grow up and take my place. Remember, strength and power go hand in hand. Kindness and love are a weakness." Whenever one of the servants displeased the little master, he was severely punished. This was how the boy was accustomed to become the future cruel ruler.

But the Ruler's son had one attachment, which he considered his weakness and hid from his father. The boy did not know what love was, and in his loneliness he often wandered to the farthest corners of the garden, where one day he saw a beautiful flower. For some reason, the boy liked this flower so much that he began to come here when he felt especially sad. He even secretly watered the flower and whispered his childhood secrets to it.

The years went by, the boy grew and when the time came, he himself became a Ruler and even surpassed his father in his cruelty. Parents used his name to frighten children, enemies trembled in fear before him and he entered the history of his country as the most cruel ruler. When the time came for him to die, the Gods, looking at his life, thought: "In this dark fate there is not a drop of light that we could cling to, to help this lost soul. Can anyone speak up for him?" And the Goddess of Flowers came forward and asked a word. "I am ready to stand up for this lost soul," she said. "As a child, this cruel person experienced tender feelings for a beautiful flower. In his entire life, this was the only bright feeling but it can save him." Breathing power into the tiny flame of love and tenderness in the soul of this ittle boy, the Gods gave him a chance and sent him to Earth for a new incarnation.

The boy was born into a poor family of a shoemaker. From early childhood he had to work hard. For every little offense he was severely punished. But sometimes the boy managed to run away to the neighboring garden. There he became friends with an old Gardener. He was the only person who was kind to the boy. The Gardener taught him how to take care of plants and the child happily learned this skill. The boy's father was angry with him and cruelly beat his son. He wanted his child to adopt his craft and become a shoemaker. But the boy stubbornly clenched his teeth and ran away again and again to his friend  Gardener. And one day the father gave up on him and gave the boy to the gardener as an apprentice.

Over time, the young gardener became a famous master of garden art. People from all over the world came to learn from him. And the varieties of beautiful flowers he created decorated gardens and flower beds in many different cities and countries.

And when the time came for the gardener to complete his incarnation, people remembered him with gratitude for a long time. The beautiful flowers created by his labor and love still adorn the earth.

 Marina Bogdanova-Vul

(Translation of Ellora Bogdanova)