Beneath the Soil
What Are You Growing There, Boy?
One day in the hot summer a boy about fourteen was working out in the fields of his grandparents farm. He was planting seeds of all sorts in the ground. It was his favorite thing to do out on the farm, actually. He loved being the cause for the plants that come up from the ground looking healthier than ever.
"It was me that planted all of that!" he would say. "I did that!"
Not to say that he wasn't any good at his job though. He was excellent at it. Everything was mixed in together, and when the time came to pick it all, nobody wanted to because it looked so colorful and beautiful, especially the way he put flowers in between everything.
But year after year he got more and more cockier. "I'm the best!" he would say to himself. "Only I can plant the best of the best!"
But all those years of conceitedness finally caught up with him.
When the boy was almost done planting, an old man walked up behind him. He had a long beard and a giant straw hat that kept his whole face in the shade. He was a pair of faded jeans and a old button down plaid shirt.
"Why hello!" the old man said cheerfully to the boy.
The boy turned around to stare at the man with his sunburned face and sweaty forehead. He squinted his eyes at him. "What?"
"What are you growing there, boy?" he asked.
The boy just shrugged. "Everything, I guess."
"Everything? How nice!" The old man clapped his hands together.
"Sure. Whatever."
"So you're growing beans too?" It was oblivious to the boy why this random old man got so excited suddenly. "Oh I love beans!" he cheered.
"Uh...no. I don't think so." He scratched his head and looked around. "Nope. No beans here. Er...sorry, I guess."
The old man looked appalled. "But you just have to have beans!"
This guy was starting to get on the kid's nerves now. "Listen, old man, why don't you just let me do my job? I know what I'm doing. You're just a crazy old fool."
"Oh, no no no, sonny my boy! You must have beans, or all your crops will fail miserably!" he warned.
"Doubtful," said the boy as he spit on the ground next to the man's feet. "And I ain't plantin' no beans! And that's that!"
The old man frowned. "Very well. But you'll be sorry!"
The boy looked away at his beautiful planted seeds. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever..." But when he looked back, the old man was gone. "Crazy crack pot old fool!"
Months later, when it was time to pick all the goods from the field the grandparents that owned the farm went out wearing gloves and carrying baskets.
In the very small living room the boy sat lazily on the couch, watching some shows on the tiny TV screen.
"JOSEPH!" came the grandfather's voice from outside. The boy named Joseph jumped and quickly ran outside.
"What? What is it?" Joseph said.
"What's the meaning of all this, Joseph?" the grandmother asked. Her hands were on her hips and she gestured angrily with her head to the field in front of them.
Joseph was very confused. He looked around then was shocked to see that the field was full of trees! He walked up to one of the trees and looked closer to see what colorful little fruit was growing off the branches.
"Beans!" he said. He picked off a few and showed them to his grandparents. "Beans!" The little beans that sat in his palm were all the colors of the rainbow. He saw pink beans, blue beans, purple beans, and more!
"Why did you plant only beans in our field?" the grandfather asked angrily.
Speechless, the boy says, "I-I didn't! I swear! It was the old man! He...he was the one that did this!"
"What old man?" the grandmother asked. "We're the only people who live here for miles."
"But I saw him! He was there! He said that if I didn't plant any beans..."
"Oh, Joseph," the grandmother said, "all that TV and those comic books are getting to your head. They're making you see things that aren't really there!"
Joseph was punished. He was forced to dig up all the trees and put them in the barn for the cows and other animals. Then after that he had to do other chores.
"Stupid old man!" grumbled the very unhappy boy.
"I told you," said a quiet voice. The boy looked and saw that it was the old man again.
"You!" he said.
"I told you to plant some beans..." He chuckled and vanished into thin air.
And from that moment on, the boy Joseph always planted enough beans in the field for the old man that liked to visit often.
This story is dedicated to my little sister Lilly who basically came up with the idea without meaning to...
My younger sister Lilly is sitting next to me while I'm on Mibba. Lilly looks at computer screen and sees my story up.
"Beneath the...Soil?" she says, misreading the title.
I laugh. "No! Beneath the Soul!"
"Oh." She laughs along with me. "What's it about?"
"Demons," I tell her.
She doesn't hear me correctly. "Beans?" she says.
"No!" I laugh even harder. "DEMONS!"
And so I wrote this little parody just for her.
"It was me that planted all of that!" he would say. "I did that!"
Not to say that he wasn't any good at his job though. He was excellent at it. Everything was mixed in together, and when the time came to pick it all, nobody wanted to because it looked so colorful and beautiful, especially the way he put flowers in between everything.
But year after year he got more and more cockier. "I'm the best!" he would say to himself. "Only I can plant the best of the best!"
But all those years of conceitedness finally caught up with him.
When the boy was almost done planting, an old man walked up behind him. He had a long beard and a giant straw hat that kept his whole face in the shade. He was a pair of faded jeans and a old button down plaid shirt.
"Why hello!" the old man said cheerfully to the boy.
The boy turned around to stare at the man with his sunburned face and sweaty forehead. He squinted his eyes at him. "What?"
"What are you growing there, boy?" he asked.
The boy just shrugged. "Everything, I guess."
"Everything? How nice!" The old man clapped his hands together.
"Sure. Whatever."
"So you're growing beans too?" It was oblivious to the boy why this random old man got so excited suddenly. "Oh I love beans!" he cheered.
"Uh...no. I don't think so." He scratched his head and looked around. "Nope. No beans here. Er...sorry, I guess."
The old man looked appalled. "But you just have to have beans!"
This guy was starting to get on the kid's nerves now. "Listen, old man, why don't you just let me do my job? I know what I'm doing. You're just a crazy old fool."
"Oh, no no no, sonny my boy! You must have beans, or all your crops will fail miserably!" he warned.
"Doubtful," said the boy as he spit on the ground next to the man's feet. "And I ain't plantin' no beans! And that's that!"
The old man frowned. "Very well. But you'll be sorry!"
The boy looked away at his beautiful planted seeds. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever..." But when he looked back, the old man was gone. "Crazy crack pot old fool!"
Months later, when it was time to pick all the goods from the field the grandparents that owned the farm went out wearing gloves and carrying baskets.
In the very small living room the boy sat lazily on the couch, watching some shows on the tiny TV screen.
"JOSEPH!" came the grandfather's voice from outside. The boy named Joseph jumped and quickly ran outside.
"What? What is it?" Joseph said.
"What's the meaning of all this, Joseph?" the grandmother asked. Her hands were on her hips and she gestured angrily with her head to the field in front of them.
Joseph was very confused. He looked around then was shocked to see that the field was full of trees! He walked up to one of the trees and looked closer to see what colorful little fruit was growing off the branches.
"Beans!" he said. He picked off a few and showed them to his grandparents. "Beans!" The little beans that sat in his palm were all the colors of the rainbow. He saw pink beans, blue beans, purple beans, and more!
"Why did you plant only beans in our field?" the grandfather asked angrily.
Speechless, the boy says, "I-I didn't! I swear! It was the old man! He...he was the one that did this!"
"What old man?" the grandmother asked. "We're the only people who live here for miles."
"But I saw him! He was there! He said that if I didn't plant any beans..."
"Oh, Joseph," the grandmother said, "all that TV and those comic books are getting to your head. They're making you see things that aren't really there!"
Joseph was punished. He was forced to dig up all the trees and put them in the barn for the cows and other animals. Then after that he had to do other chores.
"Stupid old man!" grumbled the very unhappy boy.
"I told you," said a quiet voice. The boy looked and saw that it was the old man again.
"You!" he said.
"I told you to plant some beans..." He chuckled and vanished into thin air.
And from that moment on, the boy Joseph always planted enough beans in the field for the old man that liked to visit often.
This story is dedicated to my little sister Lilly who basically came up with the idea without meaning to...
My younger sister Lilly is sitting next to me while I'm on Mibba. Lilly looks at computer screen and sees my story up.
"Beneath the...Soil?" she says, misreading the title.
I laugh. "No! Beneath the Soul!"
"Oh." She laughs along with me. "What's it about?"
"Demons," I tell her.
She doesn't hear me correctly. "Beans?" she says.
"No!" I laugh even harder. "DEMONS!"
And so I wrote this little parody just for her.
