The Cherry Blossoms

Long ago, cherry blossoms dotted the lands. Ugly but sturdy, the trees stood for many decades, producing decadent fruit for the animals of the world. But when humans began to rise from the clay of the Earth, the blossoms found that they were under attack. Their sturdy, powerful wood was much desired, and as the trees were homely in appearance, humans cut many of them down. Alarmed yet powerless to do anything, cherry blossoms watched as lumberjacks tore through their trunks, hauling the corpses of dead trees away to be used. Coming together in solidarity, the cherry blossoms were hard-pressed to find a way to save themselves. The cherry blossoms first tried to offer the humans their fruit, but it was to no avail. When they realized that their one trait could not save them, the blossoms decided to trade their fruit for a chance of survival. Not knowing what would save them, the cherry blossoms tried to trade with the many animals around them. They offered to trade the fruit to turtles in exchange for the protection of their shells but were turned down. Many more offers were made to many more animals, all rejected, while the humans kept felling the cherry blossoms. Finally, after seeking salvation for many months, the trees made an offer to a flower mantis. In exchange for the flower mantis' beauty, the flower mantis would be given the enticing aroma of the cherry blossoms' fruit. The mantis agreed to the deal, and the cherry blossoms were saved. They began to shine in brilliant pink and white, blossoming beautiful floral patterns. Entranced by the beauty of the trees, no human could bear to cut down the trees. The lumberjacks put away their axes, and no cherry blossom felt the bite of metal ever again. Today, once each year, cherry blossoms shine brilliantly, gracing the world with their beauty. The fruit of the trees, however, remains bitter, with their own kind of glory lost to obtain a different beauty.