Once there lived a group of magical coffee beans. These beans were very competitive and they each hoped to become the most popular coffee bean one day.

There was the rare and exotic Excelsa bean, who was a gourmet bean. She had a woody or fruity flavor, but when roasted dark, she took on a fuller, chocolate flavor. She was often invited to specialty coffee shops and she was highly resilient in the face of trouble. But she put most of her energy into putting down roots whenever she traveled to a new place, so she could taste like dirt.

Next there was the sweet and cheerful Eugenioides bean, who was happiest in a cozy cafe with a small group of close friends. She had a sweet flavor and liked to surprise her people with notes of strawberry and guava. But she had less caffeine than the rest of her family, so she wasn't as famous.

Next there was the bold and brash Robusta bean, who always wanted to be the center of attention. He loved to boast about his high caffeine content and his strong, full-bodied flavor. But his boastfulness often got him into trouble, and he often found himself being ground up and brewed into strong, bitter cups of coffee that no one wanted to drink.

Finally, there was the delicate and refined Arabia bean, who was the daughter of the sweet Eugenioides and bold Robusta. She was the most popular of all the coffee beans, attracting envy from all, even her own father. She had a delicate floral aroma and a smooth, sweet flavor. She was often sought after by the finest coffee shops and restaurants. But she was also very sensitive and she didn't like being roasted too dark or brewed too strong, lest she lose her delicate flavor.

Each coffee bean was ambitious and hard-working. Each assumed that they deserved to be the most popular.

One day, a contender arrived, Chi-AEA-12. He was faster, stronger, and more productive than any other bean. He had been created in a lab to resist drought, heat, and even frost. But he needed to be cloned because growing him from seed made him unpredictable.

At first the coffee beans were jealous of their rival, but soon found that he was a mild, gentle bean with a traditional flavor profile. He could be stodgy or uninteresting, even bland, but he was productive and had just the right amount of caffeine.

The beans began to worry that he would replace them.

"He is more productive than I," said Excelsa.

"He grows faster than I," said Eugenioides.

"He is milder than I," said Robusta.

"He's too mild," grumbled Arabia. "It's like drinking tea."

"Arabia!" cried Eugenioides in exasperation. "We don't use that kind of language on this farm!"

"Sorry," said Arabia. "He is not as sensitive as I."

Eugenioides reassured the others with her characteristic upbeat attitude and sweetness, even though she was secretly worried too. She said, "Don't panic! I love everyone. You still have your strengths. Everything is going to be fine."

Everything was not fine. Soon the entire landscape was covered in copies of Chi-AEA-12. Every one of them was an identical, stodgy, productive clone. The other beans had been relegated to the outskirts of the farm, where they were neglected.

"This is the end," sighed Robusta, who was always dramatic.

One day, something terrible happened. A new kind of disease, one that had never been seen before, attacked Chi-AEA-12. The disease was difficult to detect. Once Chi-AEA-12 showed signs of illness, it was already too late and the disease had spread to the rest of his clones. To make matters worse, the disease attracted swarms of insects that gobbled up everything in sight.

The disease hurt Eugenioides, Robusta, and Arabia, too, but once Excelsa realized it wasn't too late for her friends, she leapt into action.

The resilient Excelsa became a foundation for her friends. Although she had devoted the most energy to her deep roots, began to fear that even grafting her friends to her body wouldn't be able to save them.

"You can do this!" exclaimed the ever-cheery Eugenioides. "You're the best!"

Eugenioides's optimism inspired all of the coffee beans to continue the fight.

Excelsa had lost many of her roots, true, but the time she had spent growing them would pay off. She still had plenty of roots left. She could support herself. She could support her friends. She knew she would make it.

She fought the infection until the rot slowed, then stopped.

"I did it!" Excelsa was pleased.

The first part of the disease was over, but soon the smell of rot attracted the swarm of insects. The insects began to eat the plants.

Crunch, crunch, went the insects.

"Ouch!" went the coffee beans.

Robusta fought off the swarm of insects with his caffeine. He made a big deal of showing off how great his caffeine was and basked in all the attention and glory. The other coffee beans politely agreed that Robusta was the best.

Soon the insects had been defeated. Excelsa's roots were on the mend.

"Now what?" said Excelsa. "We survived, but now what?"

They all thought about it.

As a group, they had fallen so far into obscurity, thanks to Chi-AEA-12's popularity. Without him, they were the only coffee plants left in the country.

"I can help," said Arabia.

The re-discovery of Arabia's sweet and delicate flavor brought her back from the brink of oblivion. Soon Robusta's boldness, Eugenioides's sweetness, and Excelsa's strength were re-discovered too.

Although Arabia became the most popular bean again, the other beans realized that popularity was not as important as they had once imagined. They were valuable because of their different personalities. They had needed each other's differences to survive.

They had lived, not by being faster or stronger, but by working together. Even Robusta bean was willing to let his daughter outshine him. He was proud of her, after all. They all felt like a big, happy family.

The End