This beautiful story happened in an ordinary school garden in the spring. On warm May days, schoolchildren came in crowds to their garden to plant one more tree.
In this park there already grew an oak, maple, pine, spruce, birch, rowan, poplar, willow, lilac, and aspen. And the children decided that their beautiful and well-maintained garden was missing only an apple tree. The sapling was tall and seemed sturdy.
The children planted the little apple tree near the edge of the clearing, where an oak, maple, and rowan grew beside it. And as soon as people left the park, the trees came alive and talked to each other.
Look at this marvel! Who are you?
The handsome Oak asked with obvious interest.
Oh, what could be interesting about her!? Just another "plain" little tree that won't be able to decorate our garden any better than I do!
The Rowan said with clear displeasure.
And yet, who are you?
The Oak persisted.
I am an apple tree.
The sapling said barely audibly.
Well, an Apple Tree is not bad!
The Oak concluded, who apparently held the position of elder in this garden.
And what will you surprise us with, dear Apple Tree? Perhaps you have the fragrance of our Lilac, or bloom beautifully like our Willow, or maybe you have clusters of scarlet berries like our incomparable Rowan?
Hmph, well, I never!
The Rowan hastened to object to such an insulting comparison.
The little Apple Tree only lowered her thin, bare branches to the ground in shame.
I don't know.
She answered barely audibly. It was so unusual for her to observe such close attention from all the trees around. And she really didn't know anything about herself. How she bloomed, what her leaves were like, and whether she would have fruit. And around her were so many beautiful and unusual trees! She was especially captivated by this handsome Oak—stately, strong, and very beautiful.
We'll see.
The Oak only said. The trees exchanged glances with obvious disappointment, as they apparently wanted to see something special in their garden so that visitors would come more and more often. After all, how pleasant it is to see admiring looks around one's person!
Time passed... Summer gave way to cool autumn. Winter hurried after it, covering all the trees with its warm and snow-white blanket. And spring came again, and the trees began to wake from their sleep. They filled with colour, strength, and fragrance.
And only the Apple Tree remained almost unchanged. Buds rarely appeared on her. From them grew ordinary, unremarkable leaves. There were no flowers or fruit on her. She increasingly noticed how the neighbouring trees looked at her. Some showed obvious disappointment, others indifference, and still others dislike.
Only the Oak didn't show his negative feelings. And with each day, the little Apple Tree understood that she liked him more and more. So strong, warlike, and majestic.
By the end of summer, any tree in the area could have envied his crown. Children often ran to the park to him to hide from the scorching rays of the sun or drops of rain.
But there was another tree in the garden that could be called the "jewel" of the garden. It was the Rowan. Beautiful, slender, bright, and incredibly bold. No one could offer her their love, as she considered everyone unworthy of her attention, except for the handsome Oak, whom she loved. And the Oak, at times, involuntarily gazed at the beauty. And how could he not!
When autumn came, no tree in the garden could compare to her beauty. Bright orange and red leaves in which burned equally bright clusters of berries. And such beauty accompanied the Rowan all the way to winter.
Even under the white snowy cover, the juicy berries glowed red. From the arrival of autumn and throughout the deep winter, only the Rowan was not deprived of attention. First, children and adults come to look at her, and then her branches know no peace from restless flocks of birds.
And only the little Apple Tree observed all the transformations of the trees from the side. She had nothing to answer or show. And it seemed to her that it would always be this way.
But one day, already in late autumn, when not a single leaf remained on any tree in the garden, the very schoolchildren who had once planted her approached the Apple Tree, accompanied by their teacher. They looked at the tree with indignation and hurt.
It's a pity, but it seems our apple tree is unlikely to survive this winter. She's so weak and doesn't adapt well to the new place.
The teacher said.
What will happen to her if she doesn't survive the cold?
Asked a curious and sympathetic boy, sadly stroking the Apple Tree on a branch.
Then we'll have to dig her up and plant another one.
The teacher answered and led all the children back to school.
Only that same boy remained standing near the Apple Tree, who seemed to feel all the pain that this fragile little tree experienced from the teacher's words. He hugged the Apple Tree by the trunk and quietly said to her:
Please don't freeze this winter. I believe that you will still bloom and grow in our garden for a very long time. See you in spring!
Before falling into a deep winter sleep, the little Apple Tree begged and pleaded with winter to have mercy on her. And winter, hearing her request, helped by covering the tree with a thick downy blanket, and thus saved the Apple Tree from the harsh cold.
The Apple Tree dreamed a beautiful dream: as if she stood all in white, as if in snow, but the snow on her didn't melt, although it was already spring and quite warm. And around her reigned silent rapture and amazement.
Waking up, the Apple Tree understood that this was far from a dream, but reality. She really did stand all in white. But it wasn't snow, but snow-white flowers that enveloped her fragile branches in beautiful apple blossom. And what a fragrance these flowers gave off!
Everything around was fragrant. The neighbouring trees stood before the Apple Tree in complete bewilderment. Just last autumn she barely lived, but now spring had come and the tree seemed to have been replaced. Everyone admired the extraordinary beauty of the apple tree. Everyone, except the Rowan. She couldn't forgive that someone had surpassed her beauty.
Never mind, my time will come soon. Autumn will arrive, and then we'll see who is more beautiful.
The Rowan repeated each time she heard enthusiastic remarks about the Apple Tree.
And the little Apple Tree only bloomed and modestly remained silent to every compliment. And to the admiring glances of the handsome Oak, she shyly covered herself with branches, which made him all the more enchanted.
A hot summer passed and, finally, the long-awaited autumn arrived. All the trees began to change their green attire for gold and crimson. And the Apple Tree was no exception. Her leaves were not distinguished by originality in colour.
Which pleased her rival, the Rowan, very much. This was the Rowan's time! She had spread her orange-red leaves and, like fans, bright clusters of berries. Her attire challenged the Apple Tree and attracted the handsome Oak. No one was equal to the Rowan in the brightness of attire.
On that clear autumn day, many people came to the garden. Adults and children walked through the garden and admired the autumn trees. And suddenly, that same boy who had once hugged the Apple Tree ran up to her and shouted to his friends:
Guys, look, our apple tree has apples on it!
All the children rushed to the Apple Tree to see this marvel with their own eyes. And indeed, among the yellow-green leaves were appetizing red apples. The children reached for the branches of the Apple Tree, and each picked an apple for themselves.
The next moment, the children crunched appetizingly. The apples turned out to be so juicy and sweet that their juice ran down the chin of each child. They enthusiastically savoured the apple fruits, unable to stop.
Seeing this, the Rowan turned even more crimson, now from anger and envy that the Apple Tree had again managed to attract everyone's attention. In indignation, she decided to prove to everyone that she too had juicy and beautiful berries, and knocked a bright cluster of berries from her branch. A boy running past stopped, examining the fallen bunch.
Wow!
Exclaimed the boy and picked up the bright berries. The Rowan, meanwhile, smiled contentedly and her pride returned to her. The boy meanwhile tore off one of the berries and pleasantly put it in his mouth. And then his face was twisted by a grimace of disgust.
Ugh, how bitter it is!
He cried out and spat out the remains of the chewed berry to the ground.
These berries are for the birds.
Concluded the quick-witted boy, and skipped back to the now beloved Apple Tree for another portion of apples.
When the Rowan found herself completely alone, without the attention she was used to from those around her, only then did she understand what the Apple Tree had felt all this time when she was needed and interesting to no one, and only sighed silently.
And the little Apple Tree was surrounded by children well into late autumn, wanting to enjoy her tasty and sweet fruit. And the trees around looked at her now with respect and admiration. And the handsome Oak did everything to attract attention and please the newly minted beauty of the garden.
He praised himself and demonstrated his mighty strength, but could not interest the delicate Apple Tree. Because she was already infinitely in love with the young and slender Maple. The Maple had long been able to win the heart of the young beauty.
Into winter sleep this time they sank gently, their branches intertwined with each other.
