Once upon a time there was a little wood nymph. She lived in a magical tree surrounded by lush, moist greenery and damp, fertile soils. The sun rose in the mornings and set in the evenings. The birds chimed the comings and goings of the days and the crickets thrummed the hours away.
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This little nymph had a crowd of friends. Snails and earwigs liked to come over in the early mornings to wake her up. Later the butterflies and bumblebees would drop by with all the latest news and gossip. As the evening settled in the silvery spiders would swing past and shout hello as they began their nightly weaving. The cicadas were always raucous as they celebrated the end of daylight hours, but the little nymph didn't mind because she quite liked a good party herself.
The little nymph liked summer. She enjoyed the long lazy days and the chance to catch up with the ants and wombats. The flowers bloomed in beautiful, riotous colors and the world was busy and just a little bit noisy too. She liked the winter as well. It was quieter and cooler in the winter months. Some might consider it lonely with the birds flown south and the buds closed, but the little nymph stared in awe at the crystalline water drops on the leaves, and swam in ecstasy in the pools left by the rain.
Slowly, gradually, the little nymph started noticing changes. The soft, gentle breezes were becoming rough gusts filled with hard stones falling from the sky - not the refreshing downpours she was used to. Summers lasted longer and instead of the plants flourishing and blooming, the leaves were withering and dying. The earth was becoming hard and cracked, and when it did rain the water couldn't be absorbed into the soil to nourish and give life. Instead, the burning sun would emerge and take it all back, to quickly for even a quick wade. The world turned browner and browner wherever the little nymph looked. No birds were singing, the snails had moved away and the bumblebees never came to visit any more.
The little nymph wanted to do something to make things the way they used to be. She wanted to bring back the flowers and her friends. Life was lonely and uncomfortable now, and she was thirsty all of the time. Her skin was cracking and it became harder and harder to move.
The little nymph walked, and searched, and trekked, desperately tryin to understand what was happening and find a way to fix it. There weren't many insects or animals around to ask any more, and the ones she encountered were too exhausted and sick to have the energy to help her. None of them knew what was happening, they just knew they were in trouble.
One day, as she was walking along with her head bowed and not really looking where she was going, the little nymph fell. Her body was so dry and cracked her leg broke off. Crippled and unable to get hme she cried and cried and cried. The little nymph cried for a whole day and a whole night. The next morning she noticed that as her tears ran down her face and body, the cracks were starting to heal. The dirt beneath her had turned to mud and she was able to use that mud to fix her leg back onto her body and make herself whole again.
Walking home that day, the little nymph realized she had come across the answer. On her way she explained the truth to everyone she came across. The little nymph told them all to cry and that their tears would feed the earth. Nearing her home, the little nymph heard more and more sobbing. The crickets hiccuped, the birds cried, and the spiders and snails and bumblebees all joined in the chorus of sobs and cried and cried in an unstoppable flood of tears. Water flowed into the cracks of the earth and the plants were nourished. Life was renewed.
As the little nymph went to bed she knew she would sleep in peace because the world was now healing and everyone now knew how to keep it healthy. 'Goodnight everyone and sweet dreams' she said out loud.
END
