A small village rested in a valley below a steep, rocky mountain. Growing on a cliff overlooking the village grew a wishing tree. Legend told that should someone climb into the tree and pick one of the wishing flowers their one wish would come true. But the tree would only grant a person one wish and the person would have to live with the consequences of their choice forever, good or bad.
One day a man ventured up the cliff and climbed into the wishing tree. As he picked his flower he wished for wealth. Happy with his wish he returned home to find a bag of gold that never ran out. However, soon all of the man's family and friends only loved him for his money. He grew lonely and sad with his bag of gold.
On another day a woman ventured up the cliff and hoisted herself I to the tree. Picking her flower she wished for all the beauty of the world. Returning home she received many calls from young, handsome suitors. However, becoming so beautiful on the outside led her inner beauty, the things that made the people of the village love and appreciate her, to shrivel away. No one wanted to be around her anymore, and she grew lonely and sad with her beauty.
On yet another day a man bravely climbed into the tree and wished for fame. He returned home to a great fanfare and the people of the village crowded around him. But he let his fame go to his head and began disrespecting the people of the village because he thought of everyone to be lesser than him. Pretty soon the people of the village did not appreciate being belittled, and they decided to forget the man. He grew lonely and sad knowing his fame led to his friends and family to regret knowing him.
Finally a young child made the trip to the wishing tree. The child carefully climbed onto a limb and admired the pretty flowers. They felt the soft petals and smelled their sweet fragrance. The child thought about what their heart desired, but decided to leave the tree without a wish, because they didn't want to pick one of the helpless little flowers. They thought the tree to be so beautiful that it did not deserve to be manipulated or used selfishly. As the child climbed down, petals began to fall down around them. The child laughed and danced amid the petals, breathing in their soft scent and feeling them brush against their face. That day, it took a young child to realize that happiness does not come from wishes, wealth, fame, or beauty. It comes from love and the things that only love can grow; kindness, respect, and contentment.
The tree now sits bare at the top of the cliff, but the child (who is now grown with a family of their own) still smells the scent of the soft petals every time the wind blows.
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