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The Patience of Bamboo

devilt

Prompt

Once upon a time in a small village, there was a farmer who decided to grow a bamboo forest. He carefully planted the bamboo seeds and watered them diligently every day. While his neighbors planted crops that sprouted and bore fruit quickly, the farmer’s land remained barren.

Day after day, the farmer continued to water the ground where the bamboo seeds were buried. Weeks turned into months, and months into years, but still, there was no sign of growth. The villagers mocked him.

"Why do you waste your time on something that clearly isn't growing?" they laughed. "Plant something useful!"

But the farmer remained steadfast. "I believe in what I’ve planted," he replied.

Five years passed with no visible results. Then, one day, something incredible happened: tiny shoots began to emerge from the ground. Within weeks, the bamboo grew at an astonishing rate—some reaching over 90 feet tall in just six weeks.

What the farmer knew—and his neighbors didn’t—was that during those five years, the bamboo was growing an extensive root system underground, preparing to support its massive height. Without those deep roots, the bamboo would not have survived.

Style

Cyberpunk

science fiction, fiction

Characters

Hiro

Kwame