This beautiful story took place in an ordinary school garden in 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 young apple tree near the edge, where an oak, maple, and rowan grew beside it. And as soon as people left the park, the trees came alive and began to talk.
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 bloom fragrantly like our Lilac, or beautifully like our Willow, or perhaps you grow clusters of scarlet berries like our incomparable Rowan?
Hmph, as if!
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 receive such close attention from all the trees around. And she truly didn't know anything about herself. How she bloomed, what her leaves were like, and whether she would bear 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 enthusiastic 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. Spring came again and the trees began to wake from sleep. They filled with color, 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 fruits on her. She increasingly noticed how the neighboring 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 passing 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, couldn't help but gaze 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 equally bright clusters of berries blazed. And such beauty accompanied the Rowan until winter itself.
Even under the white snow cover, juicy berries gleamed red. From the arrival of autumn and throughout deep winter, only the Rowan received constant attention. First, children and adults came to look at her, and then her branches knew no peace from restless flocks of birds.
And only the little Apple Tree observed all the metamorphoses of the trees from the side. She had nothing to show or say. And it seemed to her that it would always be this way.
But one day in late autumn, when not a single leaf remained on any tree in the garden, the very schoolchildren who had once planted her approached with 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 not adapting well to the new place.
The teacher said.
What will happen to her if she doesn't survive the cold?
A curious and sympathetic boy asked, sadly stroking the Apple Tree's 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, as if he felt all the pain 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 deep winter sleep, the little Apple Tree begged and pleaded with winter to have mercy on her. And winter, hearing her plea, helped by covering the tree with a thick downy blanket, thus saving the Apple Tree from harsh frosts.
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 awe and wonder.
Waking up, the Apple Tree understood that this was far from a dream, but reality. She truly stood all in white. But it wasn't snow, but snow-white flowers that enveloped her delicate branches in beautiful apple blossom. And what a fragrance these flowers gave off!
Everything around was fragrant. The neighboring trees stood before the Apple Tree in complete bewilderment. Just last autumn she barely lived, but now spring came 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 managed to surpass 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 only made him more enchanted with her.
A hot summer passed and finally the long-awaited autumn arrived. All the trees began to change their green clothes for gold and crimson. And the Apple Tree was no exception. Her leaves didn't stand out in color.
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 outfit challenged the Apple Tree and attracted the handsome Oak. No one was still equal to the Rowan in the brightness of their outfit.
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, apples have ripened on our apple tree!
All the children rushed to the Apple Tree to see this marvel with their own eyes. And indeed, appetizing red apples gleamed among the yellow-green leaves. The children reached for the Apple Tree's branches, and each picked an apple for themselves.
The next moment the children crunched appetitively. The apples turned out to be so juicy and sweet that their juice ran down each child's chin. They enthusiastically tasted the apple fruits, unable to stop.
Seeing this, the Rowan turned even more crimson, now from malice 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!
The boy exclaimed and picked up the bright berries. The Rowan meanwhile smiled contentedly and her pride returned. The boy meanwhile tore off one of the berries and happily put it in his mouth. And then his face twisted in a grimace of disgust.
Ugh, how bitter it is!
He cried out and spat out the remains of the chewed berry on the ground.
These berries are for birds.
The clever boy concluded 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 by no one and of no interest, and only sighed silently.
And the little Apple Tree was surrounded by children well into deep autumn, wanting to enjoy her delicious and sweet fruits. 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 crowned beauty of the garden.
He praised himself and demonstrated his mighty strength, but couldn't interest the delicate Apple Tree. Because she was already endlessly in love with the young and slender Maple. The Maple had long ago conquered the heart of the young beauty.
Into winter sleep this time they sank gently, their branches intertwined with each other.
