Who's afraid of the big bad human?
The tree was gnarled and twisted. The branches entwined in a deadly embrace of lovers and the leaves were withered with a dull brown - its life drained by death’s possessive grip that suffocates its inevitable prey. The ground, dry and arid, was barren as the womb of an infertile woman. The sun shone with bright, fierce rays on the hard workers that toiled endlessly the hard earth near the tree. Mud, leaves and gunk clutched on the worker’s bare-thread clothes soaked in sweat. Supporters hurried about, providing water and towels. Their clothes and dry, cracked skin were as worn out as the workers. Their appearance told stories about the hard work they endured for vast periods of time.
Curious children peered inquisitively at the hustle and bustle. Then, collectively shyly hid behind a tree when a tired worker glanced at them while wiping the sweat of his forehead with a towel. He smiled kindly at them while the lines on his face crinkled happily, bright as sunshine that illuminated the ground after a rainy day. The young ones peaked their heads out, quizzical. The man plopped onto the ground, disturbing a cloud of dust around him. Then, he gestured for them to come closer and sit on the floor around him. The children knew that he was infamous for his stories. He was the keeper of the traditional stories that were very, very old. They were eager to hear this new story.
The man waited patiently for the adolescents to settle down and plant themselves on the floor. His gaze was calm and peaceful. It was the type gained from experience and constant adapting to changing times that occurred during his lifetime. He eluded an ageless confidence that was unable to be tarnished and blemished. However, his eyes held a childlike glimmer in them and joy like a bright flame that burned brilliantly. His mouth curved and he opened his mouth, ready to speak suspenseful words. He took a deep breath and spoke,
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful earth filled with life and mankind prospered for many years. There were technological advances and creative, intellectual ideas that helped to revolution the lifestyle of humanity. Birth rates, life expectancy and standard of living increased. Those who would have died years ago were able to survive through new understandings and discoveries. Ironically, this resulted in horrible and cruel actions. Crime was rife and plentiful contrary today where our current society lives peacefully amongst ourselves and skirmishes are rare. Pollution and greenhouse gases that helped erode the environment was created through inventions that assisted the materialistic, leisurely lifestyle that was common at that time.
It was the pollution that originated from humans that destroyed the earth. Mother Nature turned away from us. Her rage was fierce and powerful. It was tragic for humanity with continuous natural disasters such as earthquakes, avalanches, tornadoes and storms that never really ended. Short respites were the, forgive the pun, eye of the storm. Our numbers dwindled from billions of millions to few thousands. It was like we were pests that were nuisances to the earth and needed to be exterminated. Loss was common and tragic but a part of people’s lives during that time. That was not all though. Legend (the same one that I am telling you now), describes that her champion, a nameless witch took revenge upon humanity. She-”
“Pfft. That’s weird. Are you saying that the reason why there aren’t many plants and stuff is because of a witch? What a lot of dung. That is the worst story that I have ever heard,” a boy incredulously exclaimed. The kids all knew he was brash and impatient, always eager to play and have fun. Dirt was inevitably smudged all over his clothes even when there were none in the vicinity as if a strange curse was placed on him.
A girl, with her bright sun-yellow hair tied-up tight in pigtails that swayed from side to side like a pendulum, demurely continued this train of thought in disbelief, “I have got to agree with Matthias. You have got to be kidding me. There is no such thing as witches now and thousands of years in the past. Where are you going with this?”
In amusement, the man laughed with the other workers and supporters who were all taking a break. It was joyful and bubbly. The two kids disliked the fact that they were being laughed at though. The man’s laughter died down into quiet chuckles. “I apologise but I actually said something like that when I heard this story for the first time. These old farts (‘Hey!’ yelled another worker) and I are just remembered that time. I understand your doubts but this is essentially a fairy tale. Some of it might be made up but other facts could be truth. Stories have to come from somewhere, you know.”
The man shrugged nonchalantly and leaned forward, asking, “So would you like me to continue the story?” There was a hesitant pause and the children nodded. He leaned back and scrunched his face in contemplation.
“What was I up to, agin? Ah, yes. The witch. Mother Nature, in outrage over humanity’s complete disfigurement of her beautiful earth, sent her beloved champion to take revenge that would be much better than what she could ever think of. A witch whose name is lost in time. We do not know why it is a witch or how she came to be. But it is told that her beauty was beyond the far reach of fair maiden nymphs in their prime. If portraits were to be painted, they wouldn’t achieve justice in depicting her wonderful looks. She was enchanting. However, a red apple with no bruises and marks does not mean that the core inside isn’t rotten. She was conniving and manipulative. She was the type to watch people suffer and laugh hysterically at their pain. And was also slightly mentally unstable which increased the danger she possessed.
After receiving the witch received Nature’s request, she wondered and pondered. How on earth could she ever conjure up a suitable retaliation for man’s crimes? It was quite a dilemma. Suddenly, the witch remembered a flittering idea that she was playing with for years. If she just adjusted it a little bit, then it would be just perfect. She began to darkly chuckle at her plan. Since homo-sapiens couldn’t appreciate the earth, she would just plant a lovely curse on them. Any flora planted by humans would die regardless of how old or young they were. The land around any human dwelling for around a ten kilometre radius would become arid and barren. Life was giveth and it can be taken away quite quickly.
That was not the clincher though. Humanity shall have a small chance to survive in order to extend their suffering and pain. There will still be plants that grow on the earth but they will not sprout and develop near any humans. Without fail, they will also wilt after 24 hour exposure to humans. Not only that but animals would never trust a human again. It would be too difficult to hunt them down because of the strained relationship between the humans and the other species. It was be much easier to gather plants to survive. Therefore, there would be no pets and companionship from animals. Additionally, humans would have to daily travel far to obtain nourishment. But individuals cannot obtain too much otherwise the items they have gathered would disintegrate.
“It would be beautiful,” the witch thought happily. Her mouth curved wickedly in glee and she rubbed her hands together like a stereotypical villain from black and white movies. She began skipping around with a bundle of energy and excitement, travelling among the earth’s surface to spread her curse. “That I would be able to watch their eternal torment for their misdeeds.”
That is why we have to constantly pick and collect plants to eat. Plus, the reason why we humans used to have pets that loved us but today, these particular animals seem to loathe us. It is through this drastic change from a (fairly) comfortable lifestyle to a hard one. We still have seasonal disasters every year that destroy our favoured gathering places with the best crops and basically everything important to us. Our ancestors, in atonement, began a tradition which is why we are here today to plant crops despite the fact that we know that nothing would grow. One day in a year, any able adults would toil the earth and plant crops to amend and pay restitution to the earth for humanity’s past crimes. To prevent further damage to the items that we treasure and give thanks that we have survived another year through adversity. Also, to give effort in the stewardship and preservation of the environment in theory because we can’t do much know since the earth is actually pretty much ruined through grievous actions in the past. That’s it,” the man concluded as he twisted his hands and stood up. Shrugging his shoulders and stretching his body after sitting still for long. He brushed the dust off his clothes and bade his goodbyes to the children in order to continue the annual tradition.
The children were contemplative as they reflected on what they had learnt and the moral of the story, which is to protect things that are important and never mistreat it because change constantly happens. The health of the earth is something precious that should have preserved but wasn’t. In the future, those same children that heard the story would grow up and participate in the yearly custom where one of them would pass on that ridiculous parable (with the unrealistic witch) to the next generation.
Curious children peered inquisitively at the hustle and bustle. Then, collectively shyly hid behind a tree when a tired worker glanced at them while wiping the sweat of his forehead with a towel. He smiled kindly at them while the lines on his face crinkled happily, bright as sunshine that illuminated the ground after a rainy day. The young ones peaked their heads out, quizzical. The man plopped onto the ground, disturbing a cloud of dust around him. Then, he gestured for them to come closer and sit on the floor around him. The children knew that he was infamous for his stories. He was the keeper of the traditional stories that were very, very old. They were eager to hear this new story.
The man waited patiently for the adolescents to settle down and plant themselves on the floor. His gaze was calm and peaceful. It was the type gained from experience and constant adapting to changing times that occurred during his lifetime. He eluded an ageless confidence that was unable to be tarnished and blemished. However, his eyes held a childlike glimmer in them and joy like a bright flame that burned brilliantly. His mouth curved and he opened his mouth, ready to speak suspenseful words. He took a deep breath and spoke,
“Once upon a time, there was a beautiful earth filled with life and mankind prospered for many years. There were technological advances and creative, intellectual ideas that helped to revolution the lifestyle of humanity. Birth rates, life expectancy and standard of living increased. Those who would have died years ago were able to survive through new understandings and discoveries. Ironically, this resulted in horrible and cruel actions. Crime was rife and plentiful contrary today where our current society lives peacefully amongst ourselves and skirmishes are rare. Pollution and greenhouse gases that helped erode the environment was created through inventions that assisted the materialistic, leisurely lifestyle that was common at that time.
It was the pollution that originated from humans that destroyed the earth. Mother Nature turned away from us. Her rage was fierce and powerful. It was tragic for humanity with continuous natural disasters such as earthquakes, avalanches, tornadoes and storms that never really ended. Short respites were the, forgive the pun, eye of the storm. Our numbers dwindled from billions of millions to few thousands. It was like we were pests that were nuisances to the earth and needed to be exterminated. Loss was common and tragic but a part of people’s lives during that time. That was not all though. Legend (the same one that I am telling you now), describes that her champion, a nameless witch took revenge upon humanity. She-”
“Pfft. That’s weird. Are you saying that the reason why there aren’t many plants and stuff is because of a witch? What a lot of dung. That is the worst story that I have ever heard,” a boy incredulously exclaimed. The kids all knew he was brash and impatient, always eager to play and have fun. Dirt was inevitably smudged all over his clothes even when there were none in the vicinity as if a strange curse was placed on him.
A girl, with her bright sun-yellow hair tied-up tight in pigtails that swayed from side to side like a pendulum, demurely continued this train of thought in disbelief, “I have got to agree with Matthias. You have got to be kidding me. There is no such thing as witches now and thousands of years in the past. Where are you going with this?”
In amusement, the man laughed with the other workers and supporters who were all taking a break. It was joyful and bubbly. The two kids disliked the fact that they were being laughed at though. The man’s laughter died down into quiet chuckles. “I apologise but I actually said something like that when I heard this story for the first time. These old farts (‘Hey!’ yelled another worker) and I are just remembered that time. I understand your doubts but this is essentially a fairy tale. Some of it might be made up but other facts could be truth. Stories have to come from somewhere, you know.”
The man shrugged nonchalantly and leaned forward, asking, “So would you like me to continue the story?” There was a hesitant pause and the children nodded. He leaned back and scrunched his face in contemplation.
“What was I up to, agin? Ah, yes. The witch. Mother Nature, in outrage over humanity’s complete disfigurement of her beautiful earth, sent her beloved champion to take revenge that would be much better than what she could ever think of. A witch whose name is lost in time. We do not know why it is a witch or how she came to be. But it is told that her beauty was beyond the far reach of fair maiden nymphs in their prime. If portraits were to be painted, they wouldn’t achieve justice in depicting her wonderful looks. She was enchanting. However, a red apple with no bruises and marks does not mean that the core inside isn’t rotten. She was conniving and manipulative. She was the type to watch people suffer and laugh hysterically at their pain. And was also slightly mentally unstable which increased the danger she possessed.
After receiving the witch received Nature’s request, she wondered and pondered. How on earth could she ever conjure up a suitable retaliation for man’s crimes? It was quite a dilemma. Suddenly, the witch remembered a flittering idea that she was playing with for years. If she just adjusted it a little bit, then it would be just perfect. She began to darkly chuckle at her plan. Since homo-sapiens couldn’t appreciate the earth, she would just plant a lovely curse on them. Any flora planted by humans would die regardless of how old or young they were. The land around any human dwelling for around a ten kilometre radius would become arid and barren. Life was giveth and it can be taken away quite quickly.
That was not the clincher though. Humanity shall have a small chance to survive in order to extend their suffering and pain. There will still be plants that grow on the earth but they will not sprout and develop near any humans. Without fail, they will also wilt after 24 hour exposure to humans. Not only that but animals would never trust a human again. It would be too difficult to hunt them down because of the strained relationship between the humans and the other species. It was be much easier to gather plants to survive. Therefore, there would be no pets and companionship from animals. Additionally, humans would have to daily travel far to obtain nourishment. But individuals cannot obtain too much otherwise the items they have gathered would disintegrate.
“It would be beautiful,” the witch thought happily. Her mouth curved wickedly in glee and she rubbed her hands together like a stereotypical villain from black and white movies. She began skipping around with a bundle of energy and excitement, travelling among the earth’s surface to spread her curse. “That I would be able to watch their eternal torment for their misdeeds.”
That is why we have to constantly pick and collect plants to eat. Plus, the reason why we humans used to have pets that loved us but today, these particular animals seem to loathe us. It is through this drastic change from a (fairly) comfortable lifestyle to a hard one. We still have seasonal disasters every year that destroy our favoured gathering places with the best crops and basically everything important to us. Our ancestors, in atonement, began a tradition which is why we are here today to plant crops despite the fact that we know that nothing would grow. One day in a year, any able adults would toil the earth and plant crops to amend and pay restitution to the earth for humanity’s past crimes. To prevent further damage to the items that we treasure and give thanks that we have survived another year through adversity. Also, to give effort in the stewardship and preservation of the environment in theory because we can’t do much know since the earth is actually pretty much ruined through grievous actions in the past. That’s it,” the man concluded as he twisted his hands and stood up. Shrugging his shoulders and stretching his body after sitting still for long. He brushed the dust off his clothes and bade his goodbyes to the children in order to continue the annual tradition.
The children were contemplative as they reflected on what they had learnt and the moral of the story, which is to protect things that are important and never mistreat it because change constantly happens. The health of the earth is something precious that should have preserved but wasn’t. In the future, those same children that heard the story would grow up and participate in the yearly custom where one of them would pass on that ridiculous parable (with the unrealistic witch) to the next generation.