- No, mom. I don’t want to water the plants. I don’t like nature!

         - But, dear, the nature is not just made of plants. Nature was God’s creation and is a gift for us. It includes plants, animals, flowers, water, air, rain, sea, sky, clouds...

         - It doesn’t matter for me, mom. Nature didn’t need to exist, for me.

         Marcia decided to stay silent for a few moments and then asked:

         - What if nature didn’t exist for you, for one day?

         - It would be ok for me; the girl said. Actually, it would be really good for me.

         - Ok, we have a deal now. You won’t have nature in your life tomorrow. How about that?

         Marcia felt a bit suspicious with her mother’s deal, but decided to accept it in the end. She thought it would be good not to water the plants, clean the leaves from the front garden or moan the lawn.

         On the following day, she woke up, went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, but couldn’t. There was no water available. She then went to her room to find her school uniform, but couldn’t find her t-shirt. She then went to the kitchen to have breakfast, but didn’t find her coffee ready. Instead there was a note at the table where it was written:

         "The milk comes from the cow. The sugar comes from the sugar can, which is a plant. Coffee is also a plant. Bread is made of wheat and fruits are also coming from the nature, just as the wheat.”

         Marcia actually liked the fact she didn’t need to have breakfast, since she wasn’t hungry. Her mom didn’t insist for her to eat either. She asked her mom where her t-shirt was, but was told it was made of cotton. Since it is plant, hence Marcia wouldn’t be able to clothe it today. The girl missed her cat, which would always be there in the morning to spend some time with her. Her mom told her the cat was spending the day at her neighbour’s house, since animals are also part of nature.

         When she got inside the car, the girl found it really funny when her mom asked her to keep her eyes closed until they reached the school. She found out her mom wanted her to do that so she didn’t see all the beautiful trees and flowers that were on the around on that beautiful morning of spring.

         Marcia went to her classroom, opened her bag to look for her notebook and pencil, but couldn’t find them. Instead, there was a note written by her mom saying:

         "Notebooks and pencils are in fact coming from the trees. Kisses, your mom."

         She felt annoyed, but then asked someone to lend her a piece of paper and a pencil. They had a break later on. Instead of finding her snack, she found another note from her mom:

         "I could not find anything for you to eat that doesn’t belong to the nature. I am sorry."

         When Marcia arrived back home, she could smell food in the kitchen. She then searched for her mom; she wanted to talk to her....

         At this point in the story, the spiritist teacher should question the children: What do you think the girl did? What would you do if you were her?

         Marcia was very hungry and sorry for what she said on the previous day. Whilst she was speaking to her mom, her cat came close to her; to welcome the girl back from school.

         Marcia’s mum hugged her and asked the girl to do the prayer before they had lunch, as the family usually did. On that day, Marcia asks God’s forgiveness and thanked Him for the creation of the nature. She now realises it is a gift from God for all human beings. Without nature, it would be impossible for us to leave in the planet.

Claudia Schmidt

Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.