by Anuradha S. Bannore

‘What a beautiful day it is!’ she murmured to herself. ‘ Why am I wasting it by just sitting on my verandah? I think I should go out somewhere & enjoy it.’

She quickly got up, ran indoors, changed & was out within no time. She skipped & danced all the way to a nearby park where there was a lake. The sound of the flowing water & of the bird’s chirping seemed to mesmerize her. On the green grass, she lays down gazing at the beautiful white clouds dancing in the blue sky. She looked around & the lush green trees both short & tall almost reaching the sky urged her to climb one of them & touch the clouds. She got up & lost in thoughts, approached one of the tall trees but was disappointed as she knew she wouldn’t be able to climb it at all. Greatly frustrated she sat under the tree looking around for a way to climb it but to no avail. She returned home as it was getting late but the thought of climbing the tree wouldn’t leave her. It kept haunting her. She felt her head would burst so she tried to divert her mind towards other things but the more she tried the more it bothered her. It stuck to her mind like a leech. No matter what she did she failed to succeed in shaking it off. So once again she ventured out & walked towards the park. Some people were still there talking & laughing.

For how long she stood there she didn’t realise. Suddenly furiously she yelled out when she couldn’t take it anymore, ‘ O you stupid thought why can’t you leave me in peace? Are you trying to drive me mad? Please stop it! I know it was a stupid idea but that doesn’t mean you can haunt me in this way! My thoughts are mine so you have to listen to me. Get out of my mind at this very moment, that’s an order!’ Venting it out calmed her a bit though now she was shaking head to foot knowing not what she was doing screaming in that way. She quickly opened her eyes to look around if people were staring at her wondering if she was crazy talking rather than yelling at no one in particular! She felt relieved but also scared to see that there wasn’t anyone there besides her standing all alone surrounded by elegant trees, shrubs & so on. She felt as if they were staring at her angrily but also with pity. She couldn’t hold herself back & stamped her foot down fiercely on the grass which felt like a cushioned carpet.

She took deep breaths to relax when she was startled on hearing a soft voice firmly say, ‘ My dear, you humans are really very difficult to understand! You all seem to be the weirdest creatures of the universe. God too must be wondering, ‘ Did I actually create such an absurd species? Did I do it while I dozed off? Now even the Great Lord can’t help me & this breed is surely going to destroy this beautiful world of mine with his preposterous thoughts & ideas. They yearn for something, then scream for not being successful in achieving the unachievable goal/ target. Help me Father to rectify the greatest mistake of my life before this species does unthinkable harm to my aesthetic creation, ‘The World’ ‘

The voice continued, ‘ Try to set an achievable goal before you so that in your anger you harm neither yourself nor others & in turn it will bring peace to one & all. Trying to achieve your goal is good but not at the cost of selfishness. If you wanted to climb a tall tree you could have used a ladder but you still wouldn’t be able to touch the clouds for they are beyond human touch. They are precious gifts of God to be seen, enjoyed & not be tainted by human touch for that’s what humans usually do. Taint / destroy what you can’t have so why let others have it. It’s just one of the meanest of the mean human tendencies. Please try to be calm & have a hold over yourself because God doesn’t want his Children to suffer. Tell me one thing, didn’t you come out saying it was a beautiful day then why did you ruin it? You not only shattered your peace of mind but also the serenity, the cool calmness of the tranquil surrounding. You caused a disturbance in the smooth flow of life of the birds & animal kingdom too besides the vegetation. Aren’t you humans very selfish thinking of only what you want & wish to do without giving a thought to how it affects others? You all call yourselves highly educated living in an advanced world but let me tell you that yes though the world has undoubtedly advanced but have you? Just give a deep thought to it without getting agitated. You will undoubtedly get an answer to it within a few moments. Reflect on it & mend your ways before you tear this precious world apart! Stay within your limits & please don’t go overboard. Trash, not God’s gifts bestowed on you. Respect & take care of them by saving them from the giant selfish monsters within you waiting to devour them. Be thankful to God & treasure His benevolence!’

The girl felt ashamed of her behaviour & bowing before the tree she quietly but quickly walked towards her home lost in analysing what she had done & what the tree had advised her.

About the Author:

Anuradha S. Bannore is a prolific writer and an alumni of Jabalpur University with M.A in English. She retired as a teacher and currently lives in Vadodara India.