Forums-->Creative works-->
| Author | Nature's Retribution (Short Story) |
|---|
Arthur was the only child of his parents. He lived with his parents in a small house surrounded by a big garden. He loved spending time in the garden all day, enjoying the nature as it is. He would spend hours without moving just noticing how the wind blows the leaves, how the flowers and the grass smell. Arthur’s father had a big farmhouse and many workers constantly working there. The farmhouse was managed by Arthur’s uncle Ben. So the family spent most of the time in their little house together. Arthur had no worries and was at peace with life.
One day Arthur was lying in the grass just looking at the sky when he heard a sudden explosion. His house blasted up in fire to ashes. He ran towards it as fast as he could but it was already impossible for him to enter. He immediately called for help, the fire brigade and ambulance arrived as soon as they could. After setting the house cool they found two bodies in the house. Arthur was an orphan now. He saw his parents in such condition still not a single tear rolled down his eye.
He was in some serious trauma. Just hours ago his life was perfect and now it had no meaning for him. Arthur’s uncle Ben arrived there and tried to console Arthur for his loss. He could not stop crying. Arthur stayed with Uncle Ben and his wife for a while and after that he was sent to university to study agriculture. Uncle Ben admitted him in the university hostel and told him to contact if there was any problem. Arthur denied a few times that he doesn’t want to study agriculture or be alone anymore but uncle Ben assured him that it was for his own good.
Arthur did not pay attention in his classes and was highly irregular. Professors would keep asking him questions and he would not utter a single word about anything. Uncle Ben received his complained quite a few times. Uncle Ben scolded Arthur to focus on his studies and start taking life seriously and Arthur always replied, “Okay” in a very low and shallow voice. But nothing changed Arthur’s behavior. So ,one day the university decided to expel Arthur since he was not attending any classes nor answering any questions from the professors when asked about his problem.
Uncle Ben was very angry and came to take Arthur back home. Arthur noticed Uncle Ben’s changed personality and heard some conversations of him on calls. He found that Uncle Ben no longer worked in the farmhouse but instead he had taken over all the business for himself. All of what should have been of Arthur’s was forcefully taken by his Uncle Ben. He could not handle having no one in this world caring about him and missed his parents a lot. All this broke down Arthur and suddenly when the car slowed down he jumped out of the car with his backpack. He escaped from there and Uncle Ben didn’t even try to find him out. For Uncle Ben, an unnecessary burden was gone and he didn’t want it back.
Arthur was walking down the street, thinking what should he do and where can he stay after all this. He saw a middle aged woman watering plants outside her house. He stopped and started staring at the plants just like he did at his home. The woman asked if he needed anything and he said, “Uh, No, Sorry I was just looking at the plants”. On which she replied, “Oh, do you like plants? I have been taking care of them since years, but this one plant has been going bad everyday and I don’t think it will survive”. Arthur said, “These type of plants must be kept away from heavy sunlight and only need water twice or thrice a week”.
The woman then noticed Arthur worried and in need of help, so she asked what is going with him. After a little hesitation he told the woman about his story and she felt sorry for him. Then she introduced herself. Her name was Alexa Simons and her husband was a pilot who died in a plane crash while saving many others by his bravery. She told that it is impossible for her to love someone again. Alexa decided to give Arthur shelter in her house. Everyday Arthur would tell her about pl | Everyday Arthur would tell her about plants and she would make him some delicious food. As time passed by their bond grew stronger and Arthur was like a son to Alexa taking care of all the little things.
Alexa worked in a pharmaceutical company and that is how the money came to kept them going. After some time Arthur thought that he can’t always remain dependent because being dependent on his parents had brought him in this situation. He thought that one should always hope the best and be prepared for the worst.
But he could not decide what he wanted to do in life. He would still just go to a nearby park and sit on the bench for hours. The sound of the birds and the wind blowing the leaves of trees would wander in his mind. He then noticed that the sound always has a similar pattern.
He focused more on it and calculated the variation of rhythm with the season and place. He even derived a formula for defining the pattern of sound of nature. After sleepless nights for 2 years he perfected his research and gave a paper on it. People from all over the world were amazed by this research. Arthur proposed that if our body can achieve resonance with the sound of nature we can feel ourselves connected to nature and be a part of the natural divinity. After that Arthur was given many awards by various organizations. He even wrote a book which sold millions of copies all over the world.
Alexa was very happy for Arthur and his success but she still couldn’t see the real happiness behind his smile. It had been almost 5 years since his parents died and he would still miss them every night. Alexa found out where Arthur’s house was and decided to make him visit the place once again. Arthur didn’t’ know where Alexa was taking him but she just told him that it was something urgent. When Arthur reached the placed he felt both relaxed and tensed at the same time.
He had all the good memories of his life in this place and also the worst one. He removed his shoes and socks, walked bare feet in the grass with his eyes closed, knowing every bit of the place. He could feel himself as a part of the nature. He could understand the nature talking to him, and then he heard his parents voice talking to him. They told how the explosion was not an accident but a deliberate attempt on killing them. They said Uncle Ben’s wife just left about an hour ago and must have left the gas outlet open in the kitchen. The light switch in the kitchen was rigged so when your mom went to the kitchen and turned on the light, the spark from the switch caused that explosion.
Arthur was shocked after hearing all of it and tried to find Uncle Ben and her wife. He found that Uncle Ben’s wife died shortly after he escaped. A tree fell in her way while she was driving throwing her out of the car into the nearby river making her drown. He then understood that nature takes care of everything. That if he can convey his love to nature it can give back justice to him.
No one ever truly dies or leaves us. When any soul leaves it just becomes part of the eternal nature. A good soul may become a flower in a forest while an impure soul may become a plant in the extreme temperatures of a desert. Love nature and love yourself. | | I only liked the title xD | | I like the story :) |
Back to topics list
|
