Chapter 1
Preface: A old person comes to his old place of childhood where he lived with his dad, he is planning to sell the ground of that place, but he sees the tree he buried with his dad:
The car stopped at the place, I looked at the house, it looked very old and it was covered with vines and moss, the wood planks were very fragile, Chimney looked like Santa won't be able to fit
anymore, Windows were all soggy and covered in spiders’ webs, Door looked like a horror movie’s starting gate, better not open it, I played with dolls in childhood, they would be still there.
It was very dangerous to go inside, things can fall at any time, Dad really worked hard to make this house I still remember how he said: “This house is ours, now no landlord will yell at you for drawing on walls”.
Ha, mom really had a stroke after hearing this, If I meet dad once again, I will thank him for letting me draw on walls, if he didn’t support me, I would’ve never got a chance to draw a most famous drawing, So many memories.
“Oh, the backside” I remembered, I got to the backside of the old house. I saw many scratches done with wood, and looked scribbled to anyone, but for me, I still remember the night of the first summer when I and all my friends gathered to camp here. Those all scribbles are the game play of us, we had to draw one line perchance, pretty sad it turned out to be a Scribble, I still have nightmares thinking what if mom would’ve seen us doing that?
The village faded a lot, and all of my friends are in other places in the world. There is nothing there except loneliness, I wonder if there is still the candy shop, that shopkeeper still scares me, but I made really nice candies, sometimes even gave us for free on occasion.
As I looked at the tree, the wicked tree, its leaves were all dried up, branches were very long, there were still plenty of leaves, also many branches, it was on top of the hill. It looked very beautiful…
My eyes were emotionless, the tree, we would always play under that tree, I and my dad buried that tree, 50 years ago…
Its growth was beautiful, every day watering it, the first month felt like I had a pet, The days passed, and I didn’t even realize when it started giving me shades on, Oh the dapple shades of summer, making drawings under the tree.
Time passes like a bird in the sky, it may look like it's very close in front of our eyes, but it disappears the moment we blink.
As I go near the tree…
Hey…Dad, you told me…The day you won’t be here, this tree would be here, for me. We planted it together, but why I will be seeing the end alone? There were leaves, but all dried up, it was completely wicked.
Mom said this tree will never be a tree, yet always watered it when I forgot about it, she knew how sad I would be if this won't be here, Mom, you were not a kind person, you should’ve given me a puppy rather tree, But still, you helped me a lot, I will remember you.
And I saw a heart on its trunk, The heart with an arrow in it. I still remember you, Myra, the first love is unforgettable, I touched the heart of the trunk, the texture…it reminds me of your fingers, Myra, the days of sharing one candy bar are still one of the best days in this 70-year-old man’s whole life…
I sat, below the tree, and thought about a second, it was already evening, I called my son, and told him I am not selling this land at any cost.
I saw the sky, there are many people, so many of whom I met So many unknowns, Clouds were not making any shape, But were very beautiful and meaningful, I lived one beautiful life, There are regrets, I won’t able to forgive myself for some mistakes, But still…
This life was one hell of a ride, I am happy with it…
I looked below the tree, on the ground, there was a shade, a dappled shade of tree…
-By Pranav Khande
