If you haven’t shown some love already to the first parts of this story,
please do consider part 1, part 2
Suddenly, the driver pressed the brakes and the journey came to a halt. Everyone in the car was thrown forward. Rima and Rajesh managed to stop themselves by holding onto the seats in front of them. However, Devendran failed to brace himself and hit his head on the window on his side. He jolted from sleep in pain.
A tree had fallen across the road. It must have happened a few hours ago due to the heavy rains, and they were the first to be the victims there. It was a sharp left turn and the sight of the fallen tree came as a surprise to the driver who slammed the brakes hard.
“What should we do?” Devendran asked in resentment.
“The tree can only be removed with the help of locals, and that will take hours,” the driver replied.
It was a giant mango tree. Its trunk was the size of an elephant and the car looked pretty small before it. The tree must have shaken the whole place when it fell. The noise, however, must have been dissolved in the thundering rain. Tiny branches and leaves were scattered all around on the road and in the mud at the sides of the road. It looked as if the tree had failed before a monster which showed no mercy at all. The whole place looked like a battlefield. Among the debris, there was a nest. A crow was sitting by the side of the nest. It must have been its home, but not anymore.
It was impossible to see through the fallen giant so they could forget about crossing it.
“There is a different road but it would take an extra hour. Waiting here is of no use anyway.”
Devendran nodded in agreement to the driver’s suggestion. The driver reversed the car and they started to cover back the roads they had already travelled. Rajesh thought about that giant tree. It was the biggest mango tree he had ever seen. It must have seen decades of rain and shine. It must have endured storms and wind. But on that night, it decided not to fight back. For once, it decided to give up, marking its end.
That mango tree had no mangoes as it was not the season for that yet. They would flower in November and be full of mangoes from March. From squirrels to crows, and children to adults, the tree would feed many with its fruits. By June, no more mangoes will be left. Ripened mangoes are called ‘mambazham’ in Malayalam. As Rajesh reflected on it, he recalled a poem that his mother had taught him during his childhood.
to be continued…
