A true coming-of-age story about dreams and perseverance
I. Why did Tommy want to be a farmer?
Under a small mound at the edge of a field lived a group of field mice. The busiest thing they do every day is look for food and store it for the winter.
Tommy the vole is the youngest of the family. She didn’t like running around looking for food like her brother, and she didn’t think about stealing corn and peanuts from the farmers like the other mice. She always had some “strange” ideas.
One day, Tommy carried a peanut he had just found and carefully placed it in his hole. Her mother called from the mouth of the hole, “Tommy, hurry up and get to work! Winter is coming and we need to store more food.”
Tommy nodded, but couldn’t help but think, **Why can’t we grow our own food? **
She whispered, “If only we had our own farm.” The comment was just overheard by the family.
Dad almost choked on the corn kernels in his mouth, “What did you say? You want to farm?”
Brother Big Tooth laughed his head off, “You don’t even know a seed from a rock, do you? And you’re still planting!”
Tommy said defiantly, “I can learn! I really want to try!”
Although everyone didn’t think much of her, she was determined to prove to everyone that **Voles can grow their own food, too. **
Tommy’s first “test plot”
Early the next morning, before it was light, Tommy slipped out of her burrow. She wanted to find a suitable place to start planting.
She walked along the ridge for a long, long time. Just when she was about to give up, she found a small clearing. It was sunny and the soil looked loose.
“This is it!” Tommy jumped up and down with excitement.
She almost ran into a walking grasshopper. The grasshopper was wearing a little hat and looked very polite.
Mr. Grasshopper held up his hat and said, “Be careful, little girl, don’t fall.
Tommy was embarrassed and said, “I’m sorry! I was just so happy. I found a great place to grow vegetables!”
Mr. Grasshopper asked curiously, “You want to plant a plot? What can grow on such a small piece of ground?”
Tommy said confidently, “I can grow carrots, lettuce, sunflowers …… many, many plants!”
The grasshopper laughed, “It’s nice to have a dream, but you have to have the seeds first.
Tommy froze. Yes, she didn’t have any seeds!
Three Little Adventures in Search of Seeds
From that day on, Tommy began her “seed-gathering journey.
She found a few fallen sunflower seeds in the field, a tiny carrot seed outside the vegetable garden, and a few grains of wheat near the barn.
She carefully took these treasures back to her “test plot.
She turned over the soil with a twig and dug neat little holes with her little paws. Next, she carefully placed each seed in the hole and gently covered it with soil.
Finally, she filled a large leaf with water and watered the seeds.
“Grow fast, my little darlings.” She said softly, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Four Days of Waiting for Germination
For the next few days, Tommy visited her “farm” every day. But after a few days, nothing happened to the soil.
“Did I not water it enough?” She added more water.
After a few days, there was still no change. Tommy was worried.
She couldn’t resist digging a small hole to see if the seeds had sprouted. It turned out that the seeds were still where they had been, with no change at all.
“It’s over, I’m a failed farmer.” Tommy sat down sadly on the ground.
Just then a familiar voice came, “Having trouble, little Tommy?”
Tommy looked up and it was Grandpa Field Mouse. He was the oldest and most experienced vole in the family.
Grandpa crouched down, took a good look at Tommy’s “farm,” and then said with a smile, “Do you know what the problem is?”
Tommy shook his head.
Grandpa said, “You watered the seeds too much. They need to breathe and they need sunlight. And a seed can’t be planted today and grow tomorrow, it needs time.”
“Really?” Tommy’s eyes lit up.
“Of course.” Grandpa continued, “You can come and see them every day, talk to them, sing to them, tell them stories. Plants have feelings too, and they like to be cared for.”
Tommy nodded and decided to change his approach.
V. A New Method Brings New Hope
From that day on, Tommy changed the way she cared for the seeds.
She came to say hello to the seeds in the morning and then came back at night to say good night to them. She learned to feel the soil with her hands to tell when it was time to water.
One morning a week later, Tommy came to her little farm as usual.
Suddenly, she noticed a small bulge in the ground, and a little handful of green was working its way out!
“Sprouting! It’s sprouting!” Tommy jumped up and down with joy.
She crouched down quickly and whispered to the little sprout, “Hello, little sunflower, I’m Tommy, I’ll take good care of you.
In the days that followed, Tommy’s farm became more and more alive.
The sunflower grew the fastest and already had two little tender green leaves; the carrots sprouted thin green shoots; and the wheat seedlings stood neat and tidy like little swords.
It was, Tommy thought, the most beautiful scenery in the world.
Six, and the friends came too
One day, Tommy was telling a story to the plants when she heard a noise above the bushes.
She turned her head to see that it was her brother, Big Tooth, and some other little friends hiding behind them, peeking.
“What are you doing?” Tommy asked.
Big Tooth came out embarrassed, “We heard you had a farm and we wanted to see it.”
Tommy said proudly, “Look, this is my farm!”
The boys were amazed, “Wow, it really grew! How did you do that? Can I help?”
Tommy said happily, “Sure! We’ll take care of it together, and when the harvest comes, we’ll all share it together!”
From that day on, Tommy was no longer alone.
Big Tooth was in charge of loosening the soil, Little Tail helped with the watering, and even Mr. Grasshopper Green, who had laughed at them at first, came by often to check on the health of the plants.
Seven: Planting Bigger Dreams Together
One evening, Tommy and his friends were sitting by the farm, watching the plants grow slowly in the setting sun.
Big Tooth suddenly said, “Tommy, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have laughed at you earlier.
Tommy smiled and said, “That’s okay. Maybe it’s because you didn’t believe me that I’m more motivated to try.”
Tails asked excitedly, “Can we grow more things next year? Like strawberries or blueberries?”
Tommy’s eyes lit up, “Of course! We can expand the farm and grow all kinds of things!”
Just then, Grandpa Field Mouse arrived. He looked at the group of energetic little ones and said with a smile:
“Kids, the most important thing is not how big the farm is, but that you have learned patience, perseverance and sharing.”
Tommy nodded and looked at her first farm with a happy heart.
VIII. The Beginning of a Dream
As night fell, fireflies lit their little lanterns and danced around Tommy’s farm. It was as if they were applauding the dreams of these little field mice.
And in a burrow not far away, Tommy’s mom and dad listened as the other voles told this amazing story.
“Our daughter actually grew her own farm.”
They finally realized that sometimes a child’s “strange” ideas can be the beginning of the future.
IX. Conclusion: Every dream is worth trying.
Tommy’s story tells us:
- Don’t give up on your ideas just because others don’t think so.
- Learning is a process, and failure is not scary. **
- Anyone can achieve their goals if they are patient, willing to try, and open to help.
- Sharing and working together can make dreams come true.
If you have a “strange” idea, be like Tommy and take the first step. A miracle may be waiting for you in the near future.
TEN: For Everyone Who Dreams
This article is not one of those generic “success story” templates. It does not have exaggerated language, nor does it have a plot that deliberately creates conflict. It is more like a real-life account of how an ordinary little vole made his dream come true through perseverance and learning.
Very often, AI writers use some fixed sentences or structures, such as “If you work hard, you can succeed”, “In the end, everyone realized the truth”, etc. But in this version, we tried our best to make the story more realistic. But in this version, we try to make the language more natural and lifelike, like a friend talking to you.
So whether you are a child or a new Chinese learner, you can easily understand and be inspired by the story.
XI. Extended thinking: What can you do?
After reading Tommy’s story, you can also ask yourself:
- What do I want to do?
- What can I do if someone doesn’t support me?
- What can I do when someone doesn’t support me? Can I be like Tommy and not give up when the going gets tough?
- Can I be like Tommy and not give up when the going gets tough? Can I be like their friends and help them grow together?
Anyone can be a “Tommy” as long as they are willing to do it, keep learning, and share the joy with others.
