Endless Tales of Corona - 13

Chapter 13: A Hope for Humanity

-         Vidya Lakshmi

As the growling grew louder and nearer, the three of them stood completely motionless. They did not want to be seen by the corona monsters. But unfortunately for them the clearing offered no solace as they couldn’t find a place to hide. A flash of memory struck Rudha as she had heard from her mother that the sycamore tree symbolizes protection and love. She gestured to Nik and Matt, to sprint to the tree and the three of them ran as fast as they could.

Short of breath and overwhelmed by emotions, Rudha whispered “as this tree is divine and is a symbol of strength and protection, let’s climb and hide among its branches.”

Nikhil, the taller of the three took the lead.

He grabbed Rudha’s bag and spoke weakly, “I will climb first and tie the rope on to the nearest branch and then both of you can climb up”. The smooth trunk of the tree posed a little problem but then on the third attempt, he managed to reach the first set of branches. Perched on a thick branch, he stopped momentarily to admire and feel the smoothness of the pale white bark.

A Hope for Humanity
Art by Anaga N

Though weary and frightened, something about this stately tree assured him that they will be safe soon enough. Without a moment to waste, he fastened the rope and threw it down. As Rudha picked the rope, they could hear the noise of the spikey monsters from behind their backs. She clutched the rope tightly and climbed furiously. Matt followed closely behind her and all three were ensconced safely in the thick branches of the sycamore tree. To their utter amazement, the monsters stopped a few feet from the tree and for some weird reason were unable to move forward.

It was as if time stood still for the trio and this was broken only by the soft rustle of the leaves brought about by the gentle breeze. 

Watching this incredible sight, Rudha gathered some courage and said, “My mother had mentioned about the sacred aura of the sycamore tree and that every part of the tree including its barks, leaves and fruits has healing properties.”

Her voice seemed to shake the boys from their reverie.

She proceeded to give instructions “start plucking the fresh leaves.”

While Nik & Matt started to collect the fresh leaves, Rudha quickly removed the tools – the mortar and pestle – that she had brought with her. The trio with their new-found courage worked hard, their sole aim being to get away from the monsters.

Each one was immersed in their own thoughts as they went about doing their work. Matt being a medical practitioner, his mind was filled with these thoughts – can humanity be saved, is this tree really going to provide the cure?

Nikhil was thinking on the lines of whether this was a business opportunity!

Rudha was wondering what happened to the monthly meeting of the tribals, were these monsters the cause for their sudden disappearance, what catastrophic event could have wiped away the tribals!

- To be continued - 

----------- 0 ----------

About the writer - Thoroughly enjoying her 2nd innings after two decades of being a homemaker, Vidhya believes in bringing about responsible people through careful nurturing of children with utmost care and affection. She is a thinker, writer prefers to be behind-the-scenes, enjoys dishing vegetarian fare for others and the most lovable mother.