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A tree with a cold

Once upon a time there was a little tree, a fragile Beech, standing next to her mother at a riverbank. Birkina, that was her name, felt so tiny next to her big mother. As much as she stretched herself, she could not see her mother's head. But she heard her talk in a soft voice, telling stories about her life, the river, the wind and the rain, about the sun, snow and ice. Birkina felt the warm summer wind on her three leaves and moved with him happily. She loved the sun, turned her face to him and let his golden rays flood over her.

"That is right, " said mother Beech, "always turn toward the light, light is life, but darkness means death."
"I love the sun so much, Mum", said Birkina swinging her tiny stem back and forth, "Look, I can see myself in the river!" "Yes, my little girl," answered her mother, " the light turns the water into a mirror."
Still, Birkina was sad in the evenings when the sun set and darkness came. The big mother Beech explained to her that the sun had to sleep, too, like the trees, the animals and the people. When the sun woke up in the morning and rose brightly over the sky, the little Beech was very happy all over again.
Soon, however, the nights got colder and Birkina started to shiver, because she had not yet learned to put the food juices she drew out of her roots in the morning into her leaves back into her roots at night. Also the wind became colder and it rained more often.
"Mummy," cried the little tree, "I feel so cold, my roots are wet and I am freezing!"
The sapling actually stood in a puddle which got bigger the more it rained. The water could not drain away as Birkina had been born in an earth hole that a dog had dug two years ago.
"You must know, my child", said the big slender Beech and bowed her head gracefully to her offspring. "We trees do not feel the wind or cold. We are not as sensitive as the flowers. You are still little, but you must learn to bend with the wind. If you try to fight him, he can hurt you and cripple you. Learn to dance with the him, to understand his language and when he asks you, dance with him. Take your food out of your leaves and stem at night and keep it in the soil, so that you won't feel the cold and wet. In the morning, when you are hungry, draw your food back out of your roots.
And call the wind to help, he will blow away the water around you."
But the wind did not come and Birkina tried very hard to follow her mother's advice and put her food back into the soil at night, the water

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