Avatar: The Last Airbender One-shots

The Tale of the Cabbage Man

***Um... hi. I'm back. Or at least for a little while. But, this story is about the Cabbage Man since no one really knows about him but everyone loves him. It's not that good, just a little fun story. Hope you enjoy! And of course, all of this was created by the fantastic Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino.***

Gao Jin loved his job.

 He loved it so much that he thought of his cabbages as his children, protective of each and every one of them. Really, those precious little cabbages were his family, and he was theirs.

 So it came to a surprise to him when that day, his babies were attacked viciously by the earth bender guards at the entrance of Omashu, his rickety wooden cart shooting off the path and down into the dark expanse. 

"No! My cabbages!" Gao Jin yelled, frantically swinging his arms. 

Gao Jin turned around, pointing an accusing finger at the guard. "What do you think you just did!?" he yelled. 

The guard scowled at him. 

"We don't accept rotten cabbages on Omashu. Now, scram!"

 Gao Jin begrudgingly turned away, making to give the guard a good scowl before turning and marching his way back up the path. 

"Stupid guards..." he muttered. "My cabbages would never be rotten. I only sell the very best, not the worst!" 

He trudged his way up the long path, grumbling and mourning for his lost vegetables. Once he got to the nearest village, he begrudgingly dragged his feet down the street and got another cart full of cabbages(Don't ask me how he got them, because I don't know. Only the cabbage men know.) 

He then made his way through the twisty curves of the village, down the steep hill, then through the narrow bridge to the gates of Omashu, where the same guards who disrespected his cabbages were standing. 

"Hey!" they shouted. "What is an old man like you doing back here?" 

The cabbage man crossed his arms together, placing himself between the soldiers and his precious cabbages. 

"I'm here to sell my cabbages. So I need to get through." 

The guard looked back at Gao Jin, then at his cabbages. 

"We already told you your cabbages were grimy and dirty. Go back home, old man, and take a bath!" 

The guards began laughing as Gao Jin glared at them. 

"I don't think it's me who needs a bath." he muttered. "What did you say old man?" the guard snarled at him. 

Gao Jin huffed. "I didn't say anything for you to hear." 

The guard snarled. "I would watch your tone, old man, or else your cabbages are going over the edge again." 

Gao Jin eyes widened in horror as the guards laughed. "Not my babies!" he yelled. 

The guards laughed even harder. 

Finally they stopped, wiping the tears from their eyes. 

"Alright, get out of my sight you old man. I'm tired of seeing you and those cabbages." 

Gao Jin huffed and glared at the guard as they opened the gate, the gigantic slabs of rock separating. 

Gao Jin watched in awe, even though he had seen this happen every month for the past five years of his life. 

"Hurry along!" Gao Jin quickly shook his head and timidly stepped through the entrance, pushing his cart in front of him. 

He walked into the city, gazing up at the layers and layer of buildings, forming a pyramid with the palace on the very top. 

The city of Omashu was marvelous, always leaving him speechless. 

It was a castle on a hill, a safe haven for his dear cabbages. 

Gao Jin smiled, whistling a tune and heading into the city, forgetting the task that lay ahead. 

***

It had been an hour, and Gao Jin had barely made any progress. 

His shirt was soaked in sweat and his hat kept falling down over his eyes. The sun was blazing down on him, making the streets seem a hazy golden color. 

If he didn't sell some cabbages soon, they were all going to be as scorched as roasted ducks! 

Gao Jin hurried on his way, his tired feet moving faster. 

So far he had seen few people as he made his way up the city, most being children running around or earth benders working the delivery system. 

Finally he stumbled across a  partially shaded area in one of the streets in Omashu. He meticulously set up each cabbage in a perfect pyramid, looking at his artwork with pride. 

Gazing around at the soldiers and people walking through he prepared himself for the final goodbye to his precious cabbages. 

Suddenly a dark cloud seemed to shroud over him and his cart. 

He glanced up to the sky, eyes going wide as he saw three kids... maybe? One had white coarse hair that stuck straight up as he stared up transfixed as the 3 kids got closer and closer to his cart. 

Boom! 

Cabbages and wood flew everywhere as three skinny kids laid in a heap on the remains of his precious cabbage cart. 

"My cabbages!" he screamed. 

Now, that is the infamous tale of the cabbage man. I wish I could say that the luck for him and his precious cabbages grew, but sadly it did not. 

But, one thing we can all take from this is, "My Cabbages!" 

***I hope you enjoyed this! I'm sorry that I was gone for so long, if any of y'all are still here. As always, thank you for reading my writing. I'm always so encouraged reading all of your comments! I hope you all have a great week :)***