Mother Nature
※英語と日本語、両方読むと分かるのですが、少し内容が違っています。それは何故かというと、英語に直すときに、この言い方のほうがいいや、とか、宿題の決まりで、あの語法使わないといけなかったとか、そんな感じで英語バージョンでは変わっていったのです。基本的に、こっちがオリジナル。英語バージョンはマザーネイチャー改みたいな雰囲気です。
“What story are you going to tell me today grandpa?”
“Today, my child, I’ll tell you a story about our world.”
“Our world?”
“Yes, this is a story about how our world began.”
A long long time ago, the universe was god’s property. The universe was the country of the gods and goddesses. A lot of gods and goddess were living everywhere in the universe. In the gods and the goddesses, there was a greatest god of all, called the great god. The great god was bigger than any other god or goddess, and he had absolute power. He always sat in his big chair, looking out for everyone.
The god’s children were all nameless. Every child was called “my beloved child”. For the child to have a name, they must pass one test that was given from the great god. When they turn to thirteen, they’ll get a sphere shaped rock from the great god. It had a bit bumpy surface and was a size that fits perfectly in the child’s two palm. The test was to create a planet from that rock. But they couldn’t just create what ever they wanted to create. They had to put all the aspects that the great god told them to put. The child who was demanded to create the sun was told like this, “Create a planet that is big, hot, could shine on its own, and has gravity.” The child who was demanded to create the moon was told like this, “Create a planet that can watch over the earth.” Because the moon was created after the earth did.
If a child doesn’t pass this test, the children will forever be nameless.
This was a story of a nameless child who created the earth.
One day, one nameless child became thirteen. She was a girl. She was called from the great god and was demanded to create a planet that no one ever thought of. He handled over the sphere shaped stone to her, never leaving his big chair. She received the rock with a great care. But she was surprised because of the great god demanded only one thing.
“Is that all you want me to do?” She asked.
The great god responded with dignity, “Yes, is there any problem?”
“No, no. There is no problem with it,” she answered nervously, vowed once, and quickly went home.
After she was gone, the great god muttered, “That child is gentle, clever, and has huge imagination. I’m excited to see what she’ll create.”
She was having a hard time with the great god’s demand. She thought she would get more exact demand from him like the other children did. Instead, she got a demand that was so abstract. She was flustered, but she was also happy at the same time. Because the demand was a planet that no one ever thought of, she thought she could create a planet freely. In another word, she thought she could do what ever she wants to do on that planet.
She started to build up her plans and ideas. She drew her plans, she wrote her ideas. She thought about the balance of the planet, she thought what would be the idea that no one would ever think of. She drew, wrote, and thought about it for days and days. She soon found out that creating a planet freely wasn’t so easy. She couldn’t get any great plans or ideas that she thought it are totally original. She was at her wits’ end.
However she never gave up. She kept trying to come up with something. One day, when she was gazing at the sphere shaped bumpy rock that was floating softly up and down in her two palms, tears came out from her eyes. And some of those tears landed on the rock. Then, there was a change on the rock’s surface. Her tears were creating a puddle on the rock’s bumps. The puddle began to get bigger and bigger each time as she drops her tears. That’s when the ocean was born. Looking at the change, so many colorful birds flew into her mind. Each bird carried new and original ideas.
First, she created layers to keep the water evaporating from the planet to the universe. Then soon enough, she began to plant plants in the remaining land, where her tears didn’t cover it up. Small trees, big trees, grasses, flowers…she planted many kinds of plants all over the planet. After all the hard work she did at once, she felt tired and went to sleep slowly.
When she woke up after her long sleep, surprising thing had happened on the planet. She felt something that she can’t see, was whirling under the layers. She realized somehow, that the plants that she planted were creating them. They were making oxygen. They created it all by themselves. And the layer was keeping the oxygen in the planet.
She felt this planet didn’t need to be created anymore; it could grow up on its own. Even if she did nothing to it, this planet will be living its own time. So that means, there was no reason for her to keep this planet. And she knew she didn’t create this planet by herself. The planet started to create itself. She knew the rules that if she did not create the planet on her own, she won’t be able to pass the test and had to stay nameless forever. But she also knew what she had to do. She made up her mind and decided to meet the great god to tell the truth about her planet.
She rushed to the great god saying “For give me the great god, I couldn’t create a planet all by myself,” showing the planet inside her two palms.
The great god took the planet from her hand and he asked, “Oh this is great! What is the name of the planet?”
The great god was amazed at the plants, the ocean, the oxygen, and even the layer that were created to keep the water from evaporating.
“Umm…Earth. I named it Earth,” she answered with anxiety. She said the name that just popped up on her mind.
“Earth huh? Sounds like a great name! Well, why did you say you couldn’t create it by yourself? Did somebody helped you?” the great god asked.
“I had nobody’s help,” she responded.
“So, why did you say this Earth was not create by yourself? How’s that suppose to mean?” the great god wondered if nobody helped her, how could she not create the Earth on her own. He didn’t understand what she wanted to say.
“The great god, you already know that the Earth has a oxygen,” she said with a clear voice, “that oxygen was created from the plant that I planted, and layer kept them in the Earth. It wasn’t me who created the oxygen. This planet already could grow up by itself. It is alive.” She told everything to the great god.
“I understand…well, that means, what you said was true. You didn’t create the Earth on your own. Creating a planet on your own is the rule. If not, it means you couldn’t pass the test. You know that. And you know what happened after that, right?”
“Yes, I do. I do know that the great god.” She answered, disheartened.
“I would like to help you a lot, but you know the rule, it couldn’t be changed so easily. You failed the test and you are going to be nameless forever. But, I did demand you to create a planet that no one ever thought of. You created it successfully. You did very great job, ” he said with a sigh, gazing at the Earth. She stared at the great god hoping something good will come out from his mouth.
“You created a completely new thing, I think that’s very wonderful and important thing. So, I couldn’t give you a name, but I would like to grant your one wish,” the great god said as he stood up from his big chair. He handed over the living planet ”Earth” inside her two palms.
Receiving the Earth from the great god, she asked, “…Could you really…do that for me?”
The great god asked in a change, “did you know if you plant plants on the Earth, it would create the oxygen?”
“No, the great god.” She answered him.
“So that means, the independence of the Earth was not your fault. However, something or someone other than you did create a part of your planet. That’s against the rule for passing this test. But you created such a beautiful planet. I couldn’t let you get nothing for your effort. That’s too cruel to do.” The great god said with sorrow sounding voice. Then he looked at her and said it with dignity, “What is your one wish?”
She gazed over the Earth and told the great god her one wish. “Could you make me a nature of the Earth. With my responsibility, I will watch over the beautiful, living planet till the end.”
“Is that your one wish you want me to grant?” He said it, impressed by her pure mind.
She replied looking straight in the great god’s eye, “Yes.”
“Then, I shall make you the nature of the Earth,” as he swung his arms, he also said, “a blue bird brings a blessing to you.”
She didn’t understand exactly what he wanted to say. But when she was becoming one with the Earth, she thanked the great god, “thank you for granting my wish”.
After she became the nature of the Earth, the Earth changed dramatically. Many plants started to grow, mountains were formed, and rivers began to flow. The Earth was full of natures. Just then, small lives were born. And in the sky, there was always a blue bird that only the nature could see, flying, playing with the nature.
The great god wanted to give a name to her because of her achievement. But he couldn’t name her “goddess”. So, he thought and thought. And soon, the name that’s perfect for her flashed into his mind. The name was “Mother nature”. The name had the great god’s wish for her to be a mother of earth forever.
“The Earth was born like this, my child, with love of mother nature.”
“But grandpa, did the Mother Nature never felt lonely?”
“Yes, my child. She did get lonely sometimes. But there was always the blue bird from the great god. Also the great god demanded to another child to create the moon. The moon was created to watch over her, the Earth. He also placed the sun where the Earth could be warm and comfy.”
“Wow! The Earth was loved by the great god wasn’t it?”
“Yes indeed, and it still is. If we be gentle to the Mother nature, the Mother nature and the great god will be too.”
“Okay grandpa! Let’s plant some trees in our backyard tomorrow!”
“Sure. You might see a blue bird in the sky while we’re at it…”
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