The Tale of Merk
Merk was not an daffodil, alone in a field of sunflowers. Each year Merk would rise out of the ground first and educate the new harvest of annuals.
Merk was tall for a daffodil, standing several feet taller than the sunflowers for most of the year. Merk always though sunflowers where wise, as they always looked up for advice. So Merk had always looked down at them, telling them stories about how he survived so long in the sunflower field, being a daffodil and all. Of course none of the sunflowers were listening to Merk, since the first dawn they had all been fasciated at the sun that shined behind him in the morning.
But Merk though it was just typical of youths that their attention waned in the afternoon. They had always for several year been far more attentive to him in the morning. So dutifully he continued to tell them about the life cycle of their kin and how the weather would soon turn cold. But every day they would look right at him in the morning as the sun rose and every evening they would grow tired of his lectures.
All throughout the summer, Sunflowers passed their lives in the manner, and when Merk started to wilt of old age ready to close up for another year the sunflowers where almost his height. He could hear them whisper of the golden circle that they so inspired to be with radiant foliage. This made Merk very happy to hear as he closed up for another year.
After Merk had retired for another year the sunflowers continued to grow and towered above his hibernating ground. Once and a while at night they would look down at where he slumbered…
“Odd fellow thinking he was the sun.” whispered one to the others.
“True, but I liked his point of view.” they all replied.
