#1
“The maple leaves on the way up to the top are very beautiful. Autumn is indeed the best season for scenery.”
“I agree! I like autumn, too. The maple leaves make the whole mountain colorful, right?”
The top of Mount Humble is noisy with people. Junee, a young dwarf juniper, wakes up by the noise. It seems like Junipy, Junee’s brother, has been up for quite a while. He’s paying attention to what the people are saying. But for some reason, Junipy doesn’t look happy. Did something bad happen to him?
“Junee, did you hear that? Everybody is praising Mapley. No one has ever praised me like that.”
Despite what Junipy said, Junee stretches her body with a smile so that her stems can spread out more. Junipy keeps on sighing and complaining.
“What’s the point of doing that? You’re not going to get any taller.”
Junee just keeps smiling. Junipy shakes his head as if he can’t understand her, and sighs again. Mommy tree asks Junipy in a worried voice,
“Junipy, why? What happened?”
Junipy jumps at grumbling: Mapley made fun of him for being short and looking boring like weeds, and so he was upset, but since people only praise Mapley, he feels miserable. Mommy tree comforts Junipy.
“You will be much bigger than him.”
“But I’m still going to be shorter than other trees.”
“Being tall is not the only way to be big. Growing wide too is becoming big.”
Junipy has no idea what his mom means by that. He can’t understand how he can be a big tree with his body that only grows sideways.
‘How can I teach Mapley a lesson?’
Junipy wonders until the sun is setting, and makes up his mind to grow tall, taller than Mapley. Then Mapley won’t be able to look down on him anymore.
“First of all, I need to hold up my branches.”
Hearing Junipy talking to himself, Junee opens her eyes wide.
“Junipy, no, you should never do that! Our branches are thin and weak, so they may break when a strong wind blows. That’s why Mom says we need to grow low and wide.”
Junipy already knows that, but right now he doesn’t want to hear that.
‘I’m sure my branches will be okay though they grow tall.’
Junipy decides to keep it in secret from his mom and Junee and to grow his branches tall.
#2
Junee continues to put down her roots and spread her branches wide with the nutrients from the roots. Mr. Rock who lives next to them praises Junee.
“Junee, you’re growing very well. It makes me happy. I’m sure your mom is pleased.”
“Really? I guess I’m growing well because I’m following my mom’s advice!”
Junipy, listening to Junee’s conversation with Mr. Rock, feels unhappy that he is not praising him.
‘I, too, have been diligently stretching my branches. How come he doesn’t praise me? I am a lot taller than Junee right now!’
While Junipy feels upset, a light breeze blows. It is Breezy.
“Oh, Junipy! You look so cool!”
“Why not? I am the cool Junipy, you know!”
Thanks to Breezy for recognizing that he has gotten taller, Junipy feels flattered.
“What brings you here?”
“Oh, there is this thing. Listen!”
Junipy is startled to find out why Breezy came here. Breezy said that Stormy, who sometimes goes on a trip far away, is going to do with his friend Cold Wavy this time, but the problem is that they’re going to pass through Mount Humble. Junipy’s leaves are shivering because last time Stormy came, a tree was uprooted and got blown away, and it turned the whole mountain upside down.
“I should also go to Mount Love to deliver this news. Can you tell the news to all other trees? Tell them to put down their roots more deeply before Stormy comes.”
“What? Oh, okay. I’ll pass it along to them.”
After Breezy leaves, Junipy falls into a deep thought. If he tells the trees that Stormy and Cold Wavy will be on their way soon, Junee and his mom too will hear that. Then his mom will probably try to stop him from growing tall. However, he knows that he still needs to let everyone know that Stormy is coming.
While he is wondering what he should do, what Mapley once said to him flashes through his mind.
‘You are smaller than any other trees in this mountain, and your color is boring like weeds. Ha ha ha ha!’
He burns with anger as he thinks of what Mapley said to him. Then Junipy makes up his mind just to keep focusing on getting tall and not to care whether or not Stormy comes.
#3
Mount Humble, which was tinged with colorful and pretty maple leaves, has turned white with snow. Junipy feels more and more uneasy as time goes by. He’s definitely got taller and nothing has happened yet, but he feels guilty that he hasn’t let the trees know that Stormy is coming. But if he tells the other trees about this, his plan will come to nothing. It doesn’t seem that Junee knows what Junipy is worried about. She has spread her roots to right by Junipy, and asks him,
“Junipy, are you going to continue to grow upward? Mom is worried. What if Stormy comes and breaks your branches?”
Startled, Junipy erects his leaves and gives Junee a look.
“What? You think you are better than me? Now that other trees praise you these days, I look like nothing to you, huh?”
Junipy is sensitive these days. He isn’t happy about Junee continuing to spread her roots toward him. And now she even hits the mark, so her concern sounds like nothing but picking a fight. Junee shakes her leaves at his unexpected response.
“No, no, I was just worried about you.”
“Whatever! Mind your own business! And move your roots away from me, would you? Why do you keep pushing your roots to mine? I don’t have enough room!”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
As Junee apologizes, Junipy thinks that he might’ve been too harsh on her, so he thinks about apologizing back, but then he shakes his head.
‘Well, Junee started it! It’s not my fault!’
To be continued.