The Big Turnip - A Short Story Adaptation

One sunny morning a man decided to plant some turnip seeds.

He fetched his fork from the shed and dug a patch in his vegetable garden. It was hard work. 

He made sure that there were no weeds or big stones.

Then, very carefully, he sprinkled the tiny turnip seeds in a row. The man took great care of his turnip seeds. Every day, as soon as he woke up, he went down to his vegetable garden and gave them some water.

In only a few days, little green leaves started to appear. “These are going to be fine turnips,” the man said to himself. The turnips grew very quickly, as turnips do. But one turnip grew faster than all the rest.

Soon it was twice as big as the other turnips. The man was astonished. “I can almost see it growing!” he said proudly. But the turnip didn’t stop. It grew bigger and bigger until it was…ENORMOUS.

One day, the man decided that it was time to pull up the enormous turnip. Then all the family pulled up the turnip. “We can have it for our dinner,” he said to his wife. “I am sure it will taste as good as it looks,” said the wife.

And he and the family ate it for 32 days.

And the family’s tummy was full.

And the man was very sick. 

But he was very happy too.

The End

Written by Manula Mihisara Palliyaguru