Wishes for a best friend

Once upon a time, in some faraway mountains, a baby was coming out of the womb. With the first rays of the morning sun, he took his first breath in the open terraces of these high mountains. The birds were making their first flight of the day singing and welcoming him. It’s a beautiful day, clear blue sky with few scattered white clouds here and there in the open space after the night’s rain.His mother, after so many years of his birth still remembers this day as the most special day in her life. It was special because the whole delivery was pain free for her, she would say.

When he was born “I was feeling so light and full of energy that I actually worked for the whole day in the fields” she adds with a smile on her face. For her, her baby was an angel who could make any pain go away, even the most painful ones, as she remembers her giving a pain free birth. Many times she would be astonished by the wisdom of her child, she would find herself growing with her little angel, not just getting old.

6 years later after his birth, there came a time for a big change. He had to go and live with his grandparents because there was no proper school in the village where they lived. His mother never got a chance to study at school, so she was always clear, no matter what, her children must get the best education for better opportunities in life that she never got. As it had to be, this day came. With lots of questions in his little mind and silent tears filled in his little eyes, he said goodbye to his precious mother, his beautiful friend. He felt he was dividing into two, something was tearing him apart. He knew he will now, not find his mother when he wakes up in the morning, when he comes back from the school. And in the times when he needs, there would be no more warm cuddles. But still, he managed not to break down and cry because it would make his mother cry. With his tiny eyes filled with tears, he accepted silently, the painful separation and moved on with life.

It has been few months at his grandparents home now. He kind of liked it there. Especially, he was in love with this big papaya tree that was in the front of the house. He would look at this tree everyday and seeing the little baby papayas sprouting out from the little flowers and with time, turning into big yellow papayas, he would be greatly amazed. And at times when he was eating these papayas, he would miss his loving mother.. He thought as his mother fed him, the tree fed him too. Season after season watching the papaya grow, the tree became his best friend. He would talk with his tree, tell fairy tales and sometimes in the nights, he would sleep under it. He loved his long leaves dancing in the breeze and at times he would hug his tree, he really liked the texture of its trunk. It was strong and caring for him. Sometimes when the wind was very aggressive, he would stare from his window at his friend fighting against the wind. Often he made silent prayers to the wind for not to harm his friend. He was thinking that the next time when his mother would come to visit him, he would show her his best friend.

One morning, he was reading in his room when he heard some weird noise outside. Wondering what it was, he came out of his room. Suddenly his world went upside down. He froze right there, couldn't move, couldn't breathe, his world had stopped. He was feeling an excruciating pain in his chest to see his grandfather cutting his friend piece by piece with an axe, the half of its trunk was almost cut.

Grandfather said “the tree is old now and it is just occupying the land” …… “it is also obstructing the view” he added.

I guess he was too small to understand that. He just stared blankly to his friend being chopped off piece by piece.

Helpless and scared, he was questioning himself “where is the blood? I was bleeding when I had a cut”. “Don’t trees bleed when they are cut?" he was thinking his grandfather might stop if he would see the tree bleeding.

He gets a vivid visualization of how he is being tied up on the ground and somebody is cutting him stroke by stroke with an axe.

He screams “why can’t you feel the pain of the tree, it’s crying, it’s in so much pain.”

His grandfather was too matured to feel the child's pain. With his big ears he couldn't hear his grandsons grief. He was too much practical to let the tree stand there.

Looking the white little fragments of the tree trunk scattered on the ground he was whispering “I am so sorry, I am not able to protect you, please forgive me“

Time goes by, months passed, everyday he stares in front of the house and imagines his big papaya tree standing in the space which is totally empty now. For almost two months he remembers his grandmother asking him at the kitchen table” Why aren't you eating these days? What has happened to you?” He remains silent. Nobody ever noticed his heart bleeding silently with the dead tree that was lying on the ground for weeks, helpless and worthless.

Now a days, he walks alone in the nearby forest. He usually sits under the trees there and talks with them” You know, I will never hurt you. You all are like my papaya tree, you all are my friends, my best friends”.

He finds great comfort in comforting the trees and expressing his feelings to them. Talking with them would give him immense pleasure. Many people said something was wrong with this child because not many children talked with trees but for him it was normal. He knew he could hear the trees and the trees could hear him too. According to him, the trees also feel the love and the pain like we do. They also want to live, breathe , flourish and dance in the open space with the wind.

He smiles as the leaves whispers in his ears" Thank you for being you".

Thinking of his papaya tree and all the other trees he had seen in his life, he looks up into the open sky and makes a wish loud and clear.. "May all the trees live long. May nobody ever hurt them." After all, they were his best friends..

The sun was already setting down, the day light slowly fading away. He stands up, hugs the tree and moves towards his home.

Let us hope his wish is being heard. May all Live Love and Flourish.