In the enormous, quiet and fragrant room called the Seed Archive, perfect order reigned. Imagine thousands and thousands of tiny wooden drawers that reached from the floor all the way to the high ceiling. Each had a shiny brass handle and a small label: "Round and Smooth," "Small and Dark," "Flat with Stripes," or "Pointed and Light." In this world of silence and the scent of dry wood lived two best friends.
One of them was Beanie. He was a big, smooth and shiny fellow, a bean grain as white as a little cloud. When he rolled, you could hear him like gentle tapping. He was thoughtful and strong.
His friend was Poppyseed, a tiny little poppy seed grain. She was so small that she could fit on the tip of a needle, and so light that even the smallest breeze could make her sway. She was immensely curious and observant.
"It's beautifully quiet today, isn't it, Beanie?" whispered Poppyseed from her drawer labeled "Small and Dark."
"Indeed, Poppyseed," replied Beanie in his deep, calm voice from the compartment "Large and Oval." "Everything is in its place."
But just at that moment, something unexpected happened. High under the ceiling, a small window opened slightly and a playful summer breeze blew inside. It didn't come alone. On one of its invisible currents, it carried a small passenger. With a gentle "tap," a new, unknown seed fell onto the wooden floor.
Beanie and Poppyseed curiously peeked out.
This seed was completely different from all they had ever seen. It wasn't round or oval. It had the shape of a small five-pointed star. Its surface wasn't smooth, but rough, with small protrusions, and its color was strange, changing from light brown to copper when light from the window fell on it.
"What is that?" whispered Poppyseed.
"I don't know," admitted Beanie and carefully rolled closer. "Let's examine it."
Poppyseed got down to the floor with his help and together they observed the mysterious seed.
"It surely belongs in some drawer," said Beanie decisively. "Everything here has its place. That's the rule of the Archive."
And so began the great search. First they headed to the drawers with round seeds. They tried to match it with peas and lentils.
"No, no," Poppyseed shook her head, having the best eyesight. "It's definitely not round. Look at those points!"
She was right. The star-shaped seed didn't fit there at all.
"Then let's try the flat ones," suggested Beanie and pushed the seed toward the drawers with pumpkin and sunflower kernels. But it didn't fit there either. It was much thicker and had a completely different shape.
"What about my drawer? 'Small and Dark'?" asked Poppyseed hopefully.
Beanie looked with a smile first at tiny Poppyseed and then at the mysterious seed. "It's at least ten times bigger than you, friend. And it's not dark at all."
Poppyseed sighed. Beanie was right. They went through dozens of drawers together: "With Stripes," "With Spots," "Light as Feathers," "Hard as Stone." It didn't belong anywhere. They sat on the edge of one of the shelves, tired and a little sad.
"So there's no place for it?" whispered Poppyseed, looking at the lonely seed lying on the floor. "That's terrible. It will be completely alone here."
Beanie was silent and thinking. He observed the endless rows of drawers. All were created according to the seeds they already knew. But what if...
"Poppyseed!" he suddenly called so loudly that his voice echoed off the archive walls. "What if it's not the seed's problem, but the drawers' problem?"
Poppyseed looked at him uncomprehendingly. "What do you mean?"
"Well, someone long ago invented all these compartments. He created them according to the seeds he knew then," explained Beanie, slowly rolling back and forth. "But this seed is new! It was never here before. That's why a drawer for it doesn't exist."
A gleam appeared in Poppyseed's tiny eyes. "So..."
"So we must create a new one for it!" finished Beanie with enthusiasm.
It was a wonderful idea! Never before had anyone in the archive created a new category. Everything was always just stored in the old ones.
"And what shall we call it?" asked Poppyseed.
"We must describe it precisely," said Beanie seriously, like a little scientist. "Let's look at it once more. What shape does it have?"
"Star-shaped," answered Poppyseed readily.
"Correct. And what kind of surface?"
"Rough. With small protrusions."
"Excellent! And color?"
"Copper, when it shines," added Poppyseed.
Working together, they found one empty drawer at the very end of the row. It was without a label, as if it had been waiting just for them. Beanie found a piece of charcoal that was used for writing nameplates, and Poppyseed dictated to him in her thin voice. Together they invented the best possible name. Beanie pressed down on the charcoal with his weight and wrote on the drawer in beautiful, though somewhat clumsy letters:
STAR-SHAPED AND ROUGH
With great ceremony and care, they then placed the mysterious seed in its new home. It fit perfectly there. It lay in the soft lining and looked content.
Beanie and Poppyseed stood before the new drawer and felt very proud. Not only had they found a home for the stranger, but they had accomplished something much greater. They discovered that order is not something that is given forever. That when something new and unknown comes, one needn't be afraid. One just needs to open their eyes, think, and create a new place for it.
"The Archive is now even more perfect," said Beanie and nudged Poppyseed.
"Yes," agreed Poppyseed. "It's richer by one new idea."
From that day on, they never looked at the drawers the same way again. They knew that the world is full of other undiscovered seeds and that perhaps one day they would have to create more and more compartments.
And what do you think? If you found something completely new, what name would you give to the drawer where you would store it?