The Last Leaf

Once upon a time, a young girl lay in bed, stricken with a terrible illness.

One day, she asked her elder sister, who was gazing at the tree outside the window, “How many leaves are left on the tree?”
With tears in her eyes, the elder sister gently replied, “Why do you ask, my dear?”

The sick girl sighed and said, “Because I feel that when the last leaf falls, my days will come to an end.”
Her sister, trying to hide her sorrow, smiled and said, “Well, until that day comes, let’s enjoy our lives and make every day beautiful.”

Days turned into weeks, and one by one, the leaves fell. Finally, only one leaf remained.
The girl kept her eyes on that lone leaf, convinced that the day it fell, her illness would claim her life.

Autumn gave way to winter, and then a whole year passed, but that leaf still clung to the tree.

The girl found joy in her sister’s company and slowly began to recover. Her health improved day by day until she was completely well.

Overjoyed and curious, the first thing she did was rush outside to see the miraculous leaf that had defied the seasons.