Kenz and Sunny the Sunflower

On the balcony of Kenz's home there was a row of clay pots. Some had pink flowers, some had green herbs that smelled like mint, and one pot had nothing in it at all except brown soil.

"That one is yours," said Teta, Kenz's grandmother, one Saturday morning. She opened her hand. In her palm lay a big striped seed, grey and white, shaped like a tiny boat.

"What is it?" asked Kenz, leaning so close that her curls fell over Teta's hand.

"It is a sunflower seed," said Teta. "If you look after it, it will grow taller than you. Maybe even taller than Baba."

Kenz's eyes went wide. "Taller than Baba? From this tiny seed?"

"From this tiny seed," said Teta. "But a plant is a big job. It needs water. It needs sunshine. And it needs someone who remembers it every single day. Can you be that someone?"

Kenz stood up very straight in her pink dress. "Yes, Teta. I can."

Together they pushed the seed into the soil, about as deep as Kenz's first finger. Then Teta gave Kenz a present: a little green watering can, just the right size for her hands.

"Not too much water, not too little," said Teta. "The soil should feel like a cake, soft and a bit damp, not like soup."

The next morning, Kenz woke up and ran straight to the balcony. She filled her green watering can at the tap and gave the pot a careful drink.

"Good morning, Sunny," she said. She had decided that was the seed's name.

Nothing happened.

The day after that, Kenz watered Sunny again. Still nothing happened.

On the third day, Kenz's friend Lina came to play. They built a fort out of cushions and played shops and ate apple slices, and Kenz forgot all about Sunny until bedtime.

"Oh no!" she said, sitting up in bed. "I didn't water Sunny!"

Mama tucked the blanket around her. "It's dark now. Sunny will be fine until the morning. Tomorrow you can remember."

The next morning Kenz watered Sunny first thing, even before breakfast. Then, to help herself remember, she drew a little picture of a sunflower and stuck it on the fridge with a magnet. Every morning, when Mama opened the fridge for the milk, Kenz saw the picture and said, "Sunny!"

A whole week went by. The soil stayed brown and flat.

Kenz began to feel cross. "Teta, I've been watering every day, and nothing is happening. Maybe Sunny is a broken seed. Maybe I should stop."

Teta smiled and patted the bench beside her. "Sit with me, habibti. Do you know what Sunny is doing right now, under the soil, where we can't see?"

Kenz shook her head.

"Sunny is busy," said Teta. "First, the seed drinks your water and gets fat and soft. Then it cracks open, just a little. A tiny white root creeps down into the soil to hold on tight. All that happens in the dark, quietly. It's hard work, and it takes time. If you stop watering now, all that work stops too."

Kenz looked at the brown soil with new eyes. Somewhere down there, Sunny was working hard.

"Then I'll keep going," she said.

On the ninth day, Kenz ran out to the balcony with her green watering can, and she stopped so fast that a little water splashed on her pink shoes.

There, in the middle of the pot, was a tiny green loop, like a little bent elbow, pushing up out of the soil.

"TETA!" Kenz shouted. "SUNNY IS AWAKE!"

Teta came out in her slippers, and the whole family came after her. They all looked at the little green loop. Baba took a photo. Mama clapped. Kenz danced in a circle and laughed so hard she had to sit down.

After that, Sunny grew fast. The loop straightened up and opened two round leaves, like two little hands. Then came more leaves, bigger ones, rough and fuzzy. The stem grew thick and strong. Every week Kenz stood next to Sunny to see who was taller.

At first, Sunny came up to Kenz's knees. Then her tummy. Then her shoulders.

On some hot days, Sunny's leaves drooped and looked tired. Kenz knew just what to do: she gave Sunny an extra drink in the evening, when the sun was gentle. On windy days, Baba helped her tie Sunny to a stick so it would not bend too much.

Then one morning, at the very top of Sunny's tall stem, Kenz saw a big green bud. Each day it grew rounder. Each day Kenz checked it with her watering can in her hand.

And one golden morning, the bud opened.

A huge yellow flower, as wide as a plate, turned its face toward the sun. Its petals were bright as butter, and in the middle there was a big brown circle full of tiny seeds.

Sunny was taller than Kenz. Sunny was taller than Mama. And when Baba stood next to it, they were almost exactly the same height.

"You did it," said Teta, hugging Kenz. "You remembered Sunny every day, even when nothing seemed to happen."

Kenz watered Sunny and laughed with joy. "And look, Teta," she said, pointing at the brown middle. "Sunny made lots of new seeds!"

"That's right," said Teta. "Now you can give seeds to your friends, and teach them how to be good gardeners."

So that autumn, Kenz gave a striped seed to Lina, one to her cousin, and one to Sami from the park.

"It's a big job," she told each of them seriously. "Water it every day, even when nothing happens. It's working hard under the soil."

Lesson: Taking care of something means doing small jobs every day and being patient, even when we can't see the results yet.