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There was a
little tree
located right
next to a river
who felt full of
vanity. The tree
was really
conscious about
its beauty.
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It was a yellow
Ipê (common name
of several
Brazilian trees
and shrubs of
the genus
Tabebuia
with yellow
flowers).
The stem of the
tree developed
quite strongly
and with
flexibility. The
leaves started
to grow green
and bright. It
then felt full
of admiration
for its beauty.
When the first
flowers bloomed
in
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spring
time,
the
little
yellow Ipê
started to feel
full of pride
and vanity. |
There a
Jequitibá tree
located near by
the little
yellow Ipê. It
was a very high,
large and
majestic tree.
This giant of
the forest had
lots of marks on
its trunk which
shows the
experiences and
difficulties it
faced during its
life.
The little
yellow Ipê felt
quite confident
and arrogant
when it looked
at the big
uitibá tree. It
looked at it
with despair,
comparing its
youth with the
old age of the
respectable
Jequitibá tree.
— You are so old
and ugly! Your
leaves are so
pale now! Now,
look at me. I am
young and
pretty; my
leaves are
bright and soft.
You don’t even
offer flowers
anymore! On the
other hand, I
can charm
everyone with my
yellow flowers!
The old
Jequitibá tree
looked at the
little yellow
Ipê patiently,
as if it was
looking at a
very misbehaved
child. It then
said:
— Be careful;
beauty is not
everything. Life
is an excellent
teacher. You
have a lot to
learn, my young
friend. There is
nothing like one
day after the
other...
Time went by.
One day, the
trees heard a
weird noise.
They heard
thunder.
The little
yellow Ipê felt
quite scared. It
never heard
thunder before
in its life!
It was suddenly
raining a lot.
There were lots
of dark and
scary clouds in
the sky. The
wind was blowing
quite strongly;
a thunderstorm
was just about
to begin.
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A little bird
flew by and
asked for help.
The little
yellow Ipê felt
quite frightened
as it was
struggling to
keep standing
up. It then
shouted:
— I am sorry, I
can’t help you.
I need to save
myself first!
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The kind
Jequitibá tree
said: |
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— You can come
under my leaves
and hide here.
You will feel
much safer,
believe me.
A little rabbit
passed by and
then shouted:
— My friend,
please help!
The little
yellow Ipê
couldn’t help as
it was feeling
quite weak. The
generous
Jequitibá kindly
said:
— There is a
hole in my
trunk. Please
come in and hide
from the storm.
After some time,
the big
Jequitibá tree
was able to help
protecting many
animals:
squirrels,
monkeys,
rabbits, birds,
parrots and even
a sloth.
It soon began to
rain really
strongly. The
river was
flooded with
water destroying
everything that
was near by. The
little yellow
Ipê felt quite
lost as it
didn’t know what
to do.
It then felt
like crying for
help:
— Please help,
old Jequitibá!
The waters are
going to take
me!
The Jequitibá
tree, which was
very good and
generous,
lowered its
branches and
shouted:
— Please hold on
to me. Nothing
will happen to
you. Don’t feel
scared!
The little
yellow Ipê
grabbed on to
the old tree; it
then felt much
safer.
When the storm
ended and the
sun started to
shine again, the
little yellow
Ipê woke up. It
then realised it
was safe, thanks
to the Jequitibá
tree. The little
yellow Ipê felt
quite ashamed
and confessed:
— You were so
good to me. You
helped me so
much when I was
going through a
difficult
moment. I am
sorry for my
misbehaviour. I
now recognise
that without
your strength
and experience I
would not have
survived.
The Jequitibá
smiled:
— It doesn’t
matter, my
friend. You had
a tough
experience
today. I hope
this teaches you
a lesson.
— I used to
think beauty and
youth was
everything. I
now know there
are more
important things
in life!
From that day
onwards, the
little yellow
Ipê learned to
respect the
elderly ones. He
became a really
friend of the
old and wise
Jequitibá tree.
Aunt Celia
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