Whispering Trees

by Student ID 24

In a deep, mystical forest, secluded by two surrounding mountains, Amrita lived with her kind grandmother. It was commonly said the various rivers found all over the mountain were able to heal people. Unfortunately, the rivers were incredibly difficult to find.

The little log cabin Amrita and her grandmother lived in was small, but it was stable, having survived for around a century. Her grandmother was rather like an owl, usually quiet, but wise. Often, Amrita would listen to her grandmother telling stories by the crackling fire, as her grandmother knitted in her rocking chair.

“Grandma, can you tell me a story?” Amrita asked her grandmother one day while she was only six years old.

“Of course, darling. What would you like to hear about?” her Grandmother responded.

“Did anything interesting ever happen to the forest we live in?”

“Oh, many things. Let’s see… Oh, right, there is that story. A girl named Elise and her mother lived in this cabin. It was decades ago, but they left their traces around the cabin.” Amrita’s grandmother pointed to the picture on the wall. It was an intriguing picture. Two trees were intertwined, their roots overlapping, right next to a river.

“What is that picture about, Grandma?” Amrita asked.

“I’ll get to that in a second, my dear. Elise and her mother lived contentedly, until her mother got ill.” Amrita’s Grandmother leaned back in her rocking chair. “As you know, this cabin is tens of miles away from any civilization. Therefore, Elise had to find a way to heal her mother on her own. She searched for a lengthy amount of time, until she found that tree. She put some of the water from the river in a bucket, but by the time she got back to give it to her mother, it was too late. It’s late, Amrita. Go to sleep.”

In her room, Amrita tossed and turned. The moon reflected on her green eyes as she looked outside.

“I really wonder where that tree is… I want to find it. I will find it.” Amrita thought to herself, drifting off into a deep slumber.

Ten years passed, and Amrita grew up to be sixteen. She decided she would find that river, especially since her grandmother’s time wouldn’t last forever. She tiptoed up to the attic and looked around. It appeared empty, but as she turned to leave, a loose floorboard caught her eye.

She lifted up the board to reveal a little red notebook. She quickly hid it in her jacket pocket. She scrawled a note to her grandmother, explaining that she was on her way to find the river, and left the house. She cracked open the notebook, and followed the directions Elise wrote so many years before.

After weeks, Amrita finally found what Elise described as “the wall of ivy.” Written in a scrawl, Elise wrote that right behind these leaves, was the river. Pulling back the leaves, Amrita was horrified. The tree was withered, and the water was dark brown. There were empty cans in the river, appearing to have flowed in from the outside. Distraught, Amrita pulled out the notebook. What Elise described as the “pink sakura blossoms” and “crystal clear waters” were no longer in existence. Amrita knew she had to do something.

Starting that very same day, Amrita picked away every bit of garbage. Gradually, over the course of slightly over two months, the water became clear again. After the water was purified, the tree began to blossom again. She was able to return to her cabin everyday because she could always find her way back. She put some water in a bucket and gave it to her grandmother to drink. It was unable to restore youth, but it was able to heal all ailments.

Amrita felt slightly disturbed at what outside civilization had done to nature. Determined, she started a long and difficult journey to get to the closest civilization. She began a movement to help the environment called “Project Sylvaguard.” To pursue her dream, both her and her grandmother left the mountains to tell more about nature to civilization.