在很遠很遠的地方，有一座美麗的小島坐落在水晶之海正中間，它的名字叫作奇遇島。島上有一片小小的空地，就藏在荊棘藤蔓和長刺的灌木中。空地上長著怪裏怪氣的劈啪樹。這棵樹一點兒也不好看，樹幹歪歪扭扭的，還長滿了瘤子和疙瘩；樹皮粗糙的枝條上出人意料地長著許多小小的花蕾，但是這些花蕾永遠不會綻放。
奇遇島上有一個廣為流傳的故事：永遠不要碰劈啪樹的花蕾，更不要把它們吃進肚子裏去。因為如果吃了它的花蕾，這棵樹就會越變越強壯，而吃下花蕾的人卻會越來越衰弱。家長和老師會來來回回地把這件事講給孩子們聽：“千萬不要靠近劈啪樹，千萬不要吃樹上的花蕾！因為那些花蕾太甜、太誘人了，你隻要吃過一次，就一定會忍不住再吃很多次的！”
這樣的話乍聽有點兒讓人摸不著頭腦，而且說到底，故事隻是故事而已嘛。
Beyond the horizon, farther than far, in the middle of the Crystal Sea, is a beautiful island called Serendipity. On this island was heavy, dank thicket of thorny vines and branches that hid a small gloomy glade. In this glade there grew the strangest tree, the Crickle-Crack tree all twisted and gnarled. The tree was not pretty to look at all. On its scabbed bark branches grew mutated little flowers that only budded and never blossomed.
There is a story told by all on the Island of Serendipity that you are never to touch, let alone eat, the blossoms of the Crickle-Crack tree, for if you eat the blossoms you will grow weak and the tree will grow stronger. Families and teachers alike said the same thing over and over, “Never go near the tree and never, ever eat the buds. For the buds are too sweet and you’ll never be able to eat just one!”
When you heard it the first time it didn’t make a lot of sense, and then, again, it was only a story.