Once upon a time, a Thai boy named Oak went to visit the Netherlands with his parents in the spring.
When the tour bus stopped at a famous tulip field, Oak nearly forgot to breathe.
The vast field was filled with millions of tulips, arranged in rows of red, yellow, pink, white, and purple, alternating in beautiful streaks of color. A gentle breeze blew, and the whole field of tulips swayed together at once.
Oak walked further and further in, so amazed he forgot to keep track of the way back.
When he turned around, all he could see were tulips in every direction. He no longer knew which way the bus was parked.
Oak began searching, but only grew more confused. The tulips stood waist-high, blocking his view of anything far away.
“Hé, ben jij verdwaald?” a boy’s voice called out from among the tulips.
A boy with light brown hair and blue eyes sat on a bicycle, looking at Oak with curiosity.
Oak shook his head. “I can’t speak Dutch.”
“Oh, English?” the boy switched languages. “Are you lost?”
“Yes,” Oak nodded. “My family is somewhere over there.”
The boy’s name was Lars. He lived near this field and knew every corner of it. Lars let Oak hop on the back of his bike and pedaled along a path he knew well.
Along the way, Lars talked about each color of tulip, naming the varieties, telling him which months they bloomed. Oak listened with great interest.
“Why does the Netherlands have so many tulips?” Oak asked.
“Because our ancestors planted and cared for them for hundreds of years,” Lars answered. “They didn’t become beautiful on their own — it’s because the generations before worked hard for the generations after.”
Oak looked at the tulip fields around him with new eyes.
When they reached the spot where his parents were waiting, his mother ran and hugged Oak tightly. Lars waved goodbye and pedaled back into the field.
“New friend?” his father asked.
“Yes,” Oak answered, watching Lars disappear among the flowers.
And every time he saw a tulip after that, Oak would think of the light-haired boy on the bicycle, and what he had said — that true beauty comes from the work of one generation, done for the sake of the next.
Fun facts about the Netherlands: The Netherlands is the world’s largest exporter of tulips, producing over 3 billion bulbs each year. Keukenhof Garden in the town of Lisse is open to visitors each spring and features over 7 million tulips, making it the largest flower garden in the world.
