A chunk of
malachite sat in a place filled with
cut and polished diamonds. The jagged green rock was different than the others, hiding when the diamonds rejected her. "You are ugly and vile!", the diamonds would cry, "Look at that hideous green color! You are not pure like us!" The diamonds' hardened exteriors cut into the malachite, scarring her. She was shunned and rebuked, her rough body cut deeply by the threatening diamonds.
And then one day, she managed to escape their torment. The broken stone now sat alone, away from the entitled diamonds. She finally was able to rest, though her mind was cluttered from their words and actions upon her. She began to tell herself that she was not wanted, unloved, ugly...
"Oh look at you!", another rock said nearby. The malachite did not realize that there was another there, a jagged chunk of
amber. "What a beautiful stone you are!", the amber spoke.
"What? How could you say that? I'm a monster!", the malachite cried.
"Nonsense, who would ever say you were?", the amber asked.
"Well...the diamonds told me I was ugly and impure.", the malachite told him.
"You actually believe those diamonds? Listen, diamonds have been pressed so tough that they believe everything they say is true. They don't like any other stones and think that if you're not a diamond, you are imperfect or just wasted magma. The thing about diamonds is that they're never right - they don't accept
anyone who isn't a diamond. In fact, they don't even accept who they
really are.", the amber spoke.
"What do you mean by that?", the malachite asked him.
"Diamonds are merely
hardened pencil lead.
