The Sun peeped through the clouds and slowly wriggled out.
It sent its golden rays sprawling all over the green countryside. One of them
went right down through Billy’s window and winked at him. Billy had been lying
awake in bed and wondering whether he should be up. He had heard the birds
twittering in the trees in the backyard. He listened to the pots and pans
clanging in the kitchen below. But the delicious aroma of pancakes decided it.
He threw off his sheets and sprang up. It was a shame to be in bed on a
glorious day as this! He ate his breakfast as fast as he could and ran
outdoors. He skipped along the cobbled stones merrily. He paused to sniff at a
flower before jumping over the stile.
Farmer Oak looked up from his milking. The Sun was coming
up. “It is a fine weather for sowing the seeds,” he spoke aloud. “The seedlings
are sure to come up.” But he had to finish his morning chores first. He had to
milk the cows, feed the chickens and take the sheep out to graze in the pasture.
He looked up again. He had to sow the seeds today. “Oh, I wish I had someone to
help me today” he groaned, “the field is all ploughed and ready too!”
He smiled when he saw Billy coming towards his farm. Billy
was strong. He had an honest face and an easy smile. Farmer Oak liked him.
“Hello, Good Morning! Would you like to earn a few dollars today, young
fellow?” he asked. Billy had a brainwave. He had seen a beautiful shiny bicycle
in the little shop in town the other day. It had a bright red seat and a bell
with a lovely jingle. He just loved it. His father had said that he could have
it if he did some responsible work in the holidays. This was his chance! “Yes, of
course, Farmer Oak, what do you want me to do?”
“Good, you can help me sow the seeds. Come on, I’ll show you
how to do it” he said, leading Billy to the field. “Just make a small pit in
this soft mud and put three seeds in it. Then, walk three paces, and drop three
more seeds in. Continue this way till the end of the row” said the farmer.
“Oh, is that all?” said Billy, “it is easy work.” Farmer Oak
smiled. “I hope so!” he said handing Billy a pail full of seeds. “But remember we
get one plant for every seed,” he repeated, “so, not more than three seeds in
each pit. We want only 3 plants in each
pit” Billy nodded happily.
Billy picked up the seeds and started working. The soil was
soft and moist. He loved the smell of wet mud. He laughed as the cool breeze
ruffled his hair. Billy dropped three seeds and walked three paces. He chanted
as he moved on, “three paces..dig dig..three seeds” He had done the first row
in no time at all. This was fun! He did a small jig dance as he dropped the
seeds into the soil. So, his chant changed a bit -
“three paces..jig, jig…three seeds”
He went along the third, the fourth and the fifth rows.
“three paces..jig, jig…three seeds”
His daddy would be pleased with him tonight.
The Sun slowly rose higher. Very soon Billy started feeling
hot. He flopped down on the ground to rest a while. Some of his friends came
along. “We’re going for a swim, won’t you come with us?” they called out.
“Oh yes, I will” said Billy, “I’ll join you in a few minutes
as soon as I finish this work.”
The excited voices of the boys faded away and Billy picked
up his pail with a sigh. His heart sank when he looked at the pail. It was
still three-fourths full! He couldn’t possibly finish this in a few minutes. He
stopped dancing and started working faster.
It was almost midday now and the Sun beat down mercilessly.
It would be lovely to swim and splash around in the pool now. He looked down at
the pail with a sad face. This was getting longer than he thought. In fact it
might take him all day. Billy just felt like throwing it all down and running
off to play. But visions of the shiny new bike floated in front of his eyes. A
sly thought entered his mind. “Why not?”
He thought, “Nobody is here to count the seeds and I will cover them
with soil anyway!”
Well, now Billy’s chant became – “three paces..dig, dig…
five seeds”
After several rows Billy saw that the pail was still half
full. No, this would not do either.
So, what do you think he did?
His chant now became – “three paces…ugh, ugh..seven seeds”
This was much better. Now, it became rather easy to modify the chant after
every two rows.
It was now, “three paces…ugh, ugh… nine seeds” And very
soon, “three paces… ugh, ugh… a handful” He had to join his friends. They were
waiting for him. The seeds disappeared quickly into the pits he dug up. He gave
one last exasperated look at the pail and emptied it all into the last pit. He
covered the pit and heaved a sigh of relief. At last, it was over. The farmer
was quite surprised when Billy ran up to him with the empty pail. But he paid
him as he had promised. Billy ran all the way to the pool and joined his
friends. They swam and played a lot of games and had fun. But oddly, Billy did
not enjoy the swim as much as he had thought he would.
It was three weeks later that Farmer Oak called out to Billy
across the fence, for a walk in the field. Billy’s smile faded away. He walked
quietly as the farmer led on. Farmer Oak was quite right. The seedlings surely
had come up! As Billy walked along the rows, his face became redder and redder
and his head bent lower and lower. The farmer did not say a single word, neither
did Billy. Whatever was he thinking and feeling? Would you like to guess?
