Once
upon a time, there lived a big mango tree. A little boy loved to come and
play around it everyday.
He
climbed to the tree top, ate the mangoes, took a nap under the shadow… He loved
the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
Time
went by… The little boy grew, and he no longer played around the tree.
One
day, the boy came back to the tree with a sad look on his face.
“Come
and play with me,” the tree asked the boy.
“I
am no longer a kid, I don’t play around trees anymore.” The boy replied, “I
want toys. I need money to buy them.”
“Sorry,
I don’t have money… but you can pick all my mangoes and sell them so you will
have money.”
The
boy was so excited. He picked all the mangoes on the tree and left happily. The
boy didn’t come back. The tree was sad.
One
day, the boy grown into a man returned. The tree was so excited.
“Come
and play with me,” the tree said.
“I
don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for
shelter. Can you help me?”
“Sorry,
I don’t have a house, but you can chop off my branches to build your house.”
So
the man cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad
to see him happy but the boy didn’t come back afterward. The tree was again
lonely and sad.
One
hot summer day, the man returned and the tree was delighted.
“Come
and play with me!” The tree said. “I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax
myself. Can you give me a boat?”
“Use
my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.”
So
the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and didn’t come back
for a long time.
Finally,
the man returned after he had been gone for so many years.
“Sorry,
my boy, but I don’t have anything for you anymore. No more mangoes to give
you.” The tree said.
“I
don’t have teeth to bite,” the man replied.
“No
more trunk for you to climb on.”
“I
am too old for that now,” the man said.
“I
really can’t give you anything… the only thing left is my dying roots,” the
tree said with sadness.
“I
don’t need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years,”
the man replied.
“Good!
Old tree roots are the best place to lean on and rest. Come sit down with me
and rest.”
The
boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled.
by STEPHEN