Deep in the dark soil, nothing moved. Then — a single ray of sunlight fell. It touched the tiny seed.
The ray vanished, but warmth stayed — just on one side. The tiny seed uncurled slowly from its tight coil.
"Up," whispered the tiny seed. It stretched upward. The soil pushed back hard. A pebble rolled away with a soft thud.
The tiny seed found a brittle root. It wedged the root under its shell and pushed. Above, the surface shimmered with gold.
A beetle tapped above — tap tap tap — like a tiny drumroll. The seed dropped back down. The root snapped.
The tiny seed gathered every bit of strength. It shoved upward with all it had.
The soil gave way. The tiny seed burst through — into a circle of warm light!
Crack! The hard shell split open like a tiny drumbeat. A green shoot curled free, reaching for the sun.
The green shoot grew taller. Two leaves opened like little hands reaching for the sky.
A ladybug crawled onto the lowest leaf and slid down — whoosh!
The tiny seed — now a young plant — stood straight and tall. Sunlight danced through the branches above.
Pip watched the light dance. It had made it. Pip smiled.