One morning, Star heard that golden mulberries had appeared on a shiny hill. These mulberries were the tastiest treat on the plain, but they had one condition: they only became sweet when the sun said goodbye to the pink clouds.

Star ran as fast as lightning and wind until she reached the bush. But the mulberries were still green and hard. She said sadly, “Why don’t you ripen sooner? I want to eat you right now!” Then she started circling around the bush.

At that very moment, Maral, a kind deer, came along. Maral walked very calmly and had a candleflower behind her ear. She sat beside the bush and looked up at the sky. Maral loved the quiet of the plain.

Star said to Maral, “Come on, let’s have a running race so time will pass faster!” Maral smiled and said, “Dear Star, let’s have a new kind of contest. A patience contest! Whoever is calmer will hear the song of the clouds sooner.”

Star tried to sit quietly. She closed her eyes and tried not to think about anything. She noticed that when she was calm, she could hear the sound of blue butterflies flapping their wings as they circled around her head.

Maral said, “Now listen to the sound of the wind as it twists through the leaves.” Star listened. The wind smelled like jasmine flowers and cotton candy. She was no longer in a hurry to eat the mulberries. She was enjoying the nice scent of the plain.

Little by little, the sky changed. The sun grew pale, and pink clouds like candy sticks spread across the sky. Suddenly, the green mulberries began to shine. One by one, they turned into a beautiful golden color.

Maral picked a golden mulberry and gave it to Star. Star tasted it. How sweet and delicious it was! Star understood that if she had hurried and eaten the green mulberries, she would never have felt this magical flavor.

Star and Maral stretched out under the starlight. Star said, “Being patient is like a contest too, but its prize is much sweeter.” Now she knew that sometimes the best things happen to those who stay and wait.