VITTA

Gumo was the name of our country back then located at the center of the Hajen continent.

Diba to the north.

Xinur to the east.

Falik to the south.

And munsah to the west.

The Gumo tree was obviously called that because in all the Hajen continent there hadn't existed a tree as large as that. Its height climbing as high as the "empire state building" its grith went far round as it would take to run a football field. The legends stated that it is actually the pillar that holds the entire Hajen continent together , that it was first to exist before the tectonic plates attached to it like a magnet and formed the Hajen continent.

Other legends stated that the tree itself is a god among the people of the land, standing guard to protect against: the waters when it's Araha(the great floods), Provide shade and water from its branches during droughts, Cover the fields from the munsah winds (winds originating from the country of munsah) and play habitat for the many animals living within and around it's vicinity.

Atop the branch, my branch, one of the many finger like smaller branches attached to a bigger branch that was firmly held by the stem of the Gumo tree. Though it extended out beyond the cover of the leaves and branches above, i liked it mainly because its surface had no irregularities and it was wide enough to sleep on without falling off .Here I would come many evenings at sunset. At this particular position, I had watched the Fuji Mountain color the night sky crimson during a major eruption. the kind that happens once in a millennium and one that I considered myself lucky to see in my lifetime.

I would stand tall holding my staff stick, overlooking the rain forest below. thousands of trees covered the ground like a thick spikey carpet that spread all the way to the horizon. From where I was standing, i knew just beyond the horizon there lays The vattu empire commonly known as Vat. Ahhh Vat sweet sweet vat. Vat my home. vat the place I love.

It was right next to the Fuji Mountain only that there was quite a distance of several hundreds of kilometers. If one were to use the wall clock to map the area from an aerial view, the Gumo tree would be at the center of the clock hands, where else vat and Fuji would be at the twelve and ten mark respectively.

I had found this spot on this tree during my age group circumcision period where I spent forty days and nights tending to my wounds. There in vat the tradition as I had found it was that at the age of ten all male kids were circumcised and sent to the forest to fend for themselves til they heal their wounds. The soul purpose I had carried during that period was learn how to depend on myself away from the safety of the empire all while suffering a body affliction. I quickly grew fond of the tree. Well, it is fair enough to say that the tree was inherently responsible for my survival in all the forty days.

Here I picked leaves that I would chew and make a paste ( a concoction of the sap and my saliva), one that I applied to my wound so that it could dry up and heal faster.

I would often catch squirrels that played their games up down the branches. Many are times I ate them raw. My diet was supplemented by green leaves and nuts that grew from the crevices of branches that were fortuitously planted by birds when they left their generous deposits.

Here, all alone within the cover of the dense rainforest, I enjoyed utter peace and tranquility. The nature around with all the animals. Animals I was quite fond of. Maybe because they let me play around, be my true self, express my happiness with a booming laughter, perform some weird dances, let out excitement by dividing in a pond or talk to myself anyhow I wanted. All without a single glare of disapproval, harsh expression of heavy judgement or rebukes and scolding.

Animals had a consciousness and people had a consciousness but I felt more human around animals unlike the rough trainers back in the empire or the hypocritical elders.