Once upon a time there were some children who liked walking in
the forests instead of watching TV or playing at making wars.
The days that were very hot and sunny they couldn't go to the countryside
because there wasn't any tree that gave shade to them, and they felt
very hot.
One day when their lessons were over they went for a walk and sat
down close to the bank or the river. Their faces got sad when they
saw the water that flowed down the river; it was so dirty... And then
they began to talk about how happy they would be if there were trees
in the countryside. They could play "hide-and-seek" amongst them,
they could sit down under their shades to tell stories and observe
the animals that could live around them.
As they were talking and talking they didn't notice that a man was
riding a horse towards them. When he arrived to the place in which
the children were he asked:
- Why are you sad? What are you talking about?
The children told him why they were sad. The man said:
- Don't worry; I will give you some magic seeds. You must plant some
of them each day and after a short time you will have plenty of glossy
trees in here. But don't forget to come here and take care of the
newborn plants.
The children obeyed the man, and little by little they planted all
the seeds. As the time went by the country began to fill up with plants
that didn't stop growing and growing. After a few weeks the plants
became small trees and in a few months the trees formed a forest and
the animals started living there.
The children always ran to the forest to take care of it after school.
The parents of the children were so amazed to see how happy their
children were that one day they decided to follow them to discover
their secret.
The parents couldn't believe what their eyes were watching. It caused
a great stir amongst all the population of the village. All of them,
young and adult people, children and elderly people went to see the
forest.
The authorities decided to name the forest a protected space; it means
that nobody could either cut down any tree and root out plants or
harm the animals that lived in there. From then on, all the inhabitants
of the village began to plant seeds. Thus, the countryside that one
day was sad and desolated now had become a green, glossy and rich
forest, and the river began to have clean and fresh water, thanks
to the big effort of the children.
