PEOPLE SAID PETER VAN HOOT WAS NOT VERY BRIGHT. HE BARELY LEARNED TO READ AND WRITE IN SCHOOL BECAUSE HE DIDN’T LIKE BEING INDOORS. PETER LOVED TO BE OUTDOORS. IN THE SUN OR IN THE RAIN, HE WOULD WALK FOR MILES ALONG THE CANAL BANKS.
EVERYONE SAID HE WAS HOPELESS. “HE WILL NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING.” THEY WOULD SAY AS HE WALKED BY.
“THERE GOES POOR PETER.” SAID A FEW PEOPLE WHO FELT SORRY FOR HIM.
PETER LIVED ON A TULIP FARM WITH HIS AUNT AND UNCLE. THEIR HOME WAS A WINDMILL WITH MANY WINDOWS. PETER WOULD SPEND HOURS STARING OUT HIS WINDOW AT THE TULIP FIELDS.
ONE DAY THE QUEEN ANNOUNCED A CONTEST. SHE WOULD GIVE A PRIZE SACK OF GOLD FOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL TULIP IN THE LAND.
“AUNT ELS, AUNT ELS!” CALLED PETER. “YOU HAVE BEAUTIFUL TULIPS. THE QUEEN WILL LOVE THEM AND GIVE YOU THE PRIZE!”
“OH NO, PETER.” SMILED AUNT ELS. “OUR TULIPS ARE LOVELY, BUT THEY ARE NOT EXTRA SPECIAL.”
LATER, AS PETER WALKED ALONG THE CANAL BANK HE SAW A SMALL BUD POKING ITS HEAD OUT OF THE EARTH. “TAKE ME HOME PETER, AND PLANT ME IN THE MIDDLE OF YOUR UNCLES TULIP FIELD.” SAID THE LITTLE GREEN BUD. BUT PETER WAS SO AFRAID HE RAN HOME AND HID UNDER HIS BED UNTIL SUPPER.THE NEXT DAY, AS HE WAS WALKING ALONG THE SAME CANAL BANK HE SAW THE LITTLE BUD AGAIN. THIS TIME HE HEARD THE BUD CRYING. “SOB, SOB.” CRIED THE BUD “I SHALL DIE ALL ALONE. I AM SO LONELY. PLEASE TAKE ME HOME WITH YOU.”
“I’LL HAVE TO ASK MY UNCLE.” PETER SAID, AND RAN OFF TO THE TULIP FIELD WHERE HIS UNCLE WAS PLANTING TULIP BULBS.
“WATCH WHERE YOU STEP, PETER.” SMILED HIS KIND UNCLE.
“MAY I PLANT A TALKING TULIP BULB UNCLE?”
“OF COURSE YOU MAY, PETER. SUCH A MAGIC BULB WILL SURELY BRING US GOOD LUCK.”HIS UNCLE ANSWERED.
QUICKLY PETER RAN TO GET HIS BULB AND CAREFULLY DUG IT OUT OF THE GROUND WITH HIS LARGE HANDS. HE GENTLY CARRIED IT TO THE MIDDLE OF THE TULIP FIELD.
“THIS IS YOUR NEW HOME.” SAID PETER AS HE PLANTED HIS BULB. “NOW YOU WON’T BE LONELY BECAUSE I WILL VISIT YOU EVERY DAY.”
SOON THE TULIP PLANTS WERE READY TO BLOOM. PETER'S TULIP BLOOMED FIRST AND AS PETER WALKED IN AND OUT OF THE TULIP FIELDS, HE BRUSHED POLLEN FROM HIS TULIP ONTO THE OTHER TULIPS.
ONE NIGHT HE WAS AWAKENED BY A BRIGHT LIGHT. WHEN HE LOOKED OUT HIS WINDOW HE SAW THE WHOLE TULIP FIELD BLOOMING WITH SPARKLING BRIGHT TULIPS. THEY WERE GLOWING IN THE DARK!
“UNCLE! AUNT ELS!” CALLED PETER. “COME SEE THE MAGIC TULIPS!”
“WHY THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!" CRIED HIS AUNT AND UNCLE AS THEY WATCHED THE TULIPS LIGHT UP THE NIGHT.
THE NEXT DAY THE QUEEN HEARD ABOUT THE MAGIC TULIPS AND CAME TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN THE WINDMILL. PETER GAVE HER HIS ROOM SO SHE COULD SEE THE TULIPS GLOW FROM THE WINDOW.
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT THE QUEEN WAS AWAKENED BY THE BRIGHT LIGHT FROM THE TULIP FIELD.
“YOU HAVE WON THE PRIZE.” SHE PROCLAIMED AS SHE RAN THROUGH THE TULIPS IN HER ROYAL LAVENDER NIGHT GOWN.
FROM THAT NIGHT ON, NO ONE EVER CALLED PETER “POOR PETER”. THEY STOPPED SAYING HE WOULD NEVER AMOUNT TO ANYTHING. THEY SMILED WHEN HE WALKED BY AND CALLED FRIENDLY GREETINGS TO HIM.
HIS AUNT AND UNCLE RECEIVED THE QUEEN'S PRIZE SACK OF GOLD. BUT THE BEST PRIZE WAS GIVEN TO PETER. THE QUEEN APPOINTED HIM THE ‘ROYAL TULIP FINDER’. THAT MEANT HE MUST WALK THE CANAL BANKS ALL OVER HOLLAND IN SEARCH OF SPECIAL BULBS FOR THE QUEEN'S GARDEN.
HE WAS ALSO GIVEN A ROYAL BADGE TO WEAR ON HIS SHIRT. PETER VAN HOOT WAS A HAPPY BOY.
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