Pippi Longstocking and the Strange Olive Tree
One morning, Pippi Longstocking woke up in Villa Villekulla and noticed that something very unusual was standing in the garden. Between the horse on the veranda and Mr Nilsson in the apple tree, a gnarled tree with silvery-green leaves had suddenly grown. ‘I've never seen anything like it,’ said Pippi, and without further ado stood on her head to get a better look. ‘It looks like it comes from a country where the sun is always on holiday.’ Tommy and Annika came running over. ‘It's an olive tree!’ cried Annika. ‘They only grow in the south.’ Pippi grinned. ‘Well, there you go! Then it must have got lost. That happens to me all the time.’
She nimbly climbed the tree and shook it gently. Small green olives tumbled down. ‘They look like marbles you can eat!’ laughed Pippi. ‘Perfect for a Mediterranean-style picnic.’ A short time later, the three children were sitting in the garden eating bread with olives, while Pippi explained that olive trees can grow very old. ‘So this is a really wise tree,’ she said seriously. ‘It can stay. Every garden needs someone who has seen a lot of the world.’
And so Villa Villekulla not only got a new tree, but also a little piece of the south – without having to pack a suitcase.