Annie loved bell fruits. She loved to pick them from trees before it touches the ground. The orchard had nutmeg plantation too. Roaming around in the midst of these trees never made her tired. Her parents worked all day and she lived in the safety of this trees. Annie had friends to accompany her, as she moves to and fro from her school. But she loved to travel alone. Ignoring the teens of the age, she loved solitude. Annie is good in a company as she was an absolute crowd puller with her witty and spunky nature. Still she loved and enjoyed her nature walks, alone.
Annie lived near a forest reserve, where tigers and elephants are protected. Recently a troop of Chimpanzees were introduced to this area from a nearby forest. The land thus looked absolutely amazing with plenty of fauna and flora to gaze around.
The chimps were familiar with the human tribal communities, so they were not shy or resilient against them. Annie knew the rules of the jungle. Especially, the pray and predator relationship and the wild nature of habitat guarding in animals. Still she felt care free enough to wander among the creepers and dens of the forest.
It was a rainy day so her classes got over early. A chance of landslide existed. Sometimes the water from the deeper parts of the forest may run over the streams and flood them into rivers. Then Annie may not be able to find the safety of her home on time.
Her house was also different from the one we knew. But it was same as the one of her other tribal members. They lived inside trees and tree tops.
The area was blessed with huge trees with empty trunks. The forest people called ‘Triba’, were experts in converting these trunks into their home. When the area gets flooded, they move to their tree tops until the water resides or else, their happy families lived in the bottom of the tree trunks.
It started to rain heavily and Annie had to walk carefully gripping the branches of the trees hanging nearby. She was wearing a black frock made out of smoothened wooden fibers. It gets wet easily but at the same time gave strange warmth to the body. Then she saw the ground below her getting filled with water. Knowing the forest well, she knew that now walking towards her house would be impossible. Annie had to climb a tree and must move through the branches or stay there until, a movement was possible. Her parents were never worried about her safety. Actually none of the parents in their community worried about their kids. Since they knew and trusted their mother nature more than anything in this world.
The sun started to set as the clouds covered him badly. Annie took the safety of a taller branch. Then slowly the night crept in. Few bees which glowed like fire flies came near her and started to dance. She took a transparent bottle, which is actually an empty shell of the mountain bugs seen only in her land. Annie then caught few flies and made them stay inside the jar. She made few holes on the lid so that it can breathe and swirl merrily inside it.
“There my lantern is ready.” She talked to herself.
A living lantern! Not only Annie, but other members of her clan use these bees for lighting their homes at night. They were not fireflies. These insects were larger and green. Their iridescent body glowed and shimmered a lot more than the fireflies we know.
“So the darkness is solved.” Annie thought “Now what about food?” She looked around and saw few pears hanging on the nearby tree.
“How lucky I am?” She said to herself as she grabbed few pears for eating. With pears to eat and bees to look at, Annie felt peace and happiness in her drenched situation. She slowly started to fall asleep as she lay in the comforts of the large tree branch. The chill existed, still this is not the first time she was experiencing something like this. Her tree house was also of this nature, cold, damp but comforting. She always carried an extra piece of cloth in her backpack, which she now used for wrapping around her.
Sleep, slowly, caught her eye lids.
“Annie… Annie…”
“Yes Hannah”
“How was your day?”
“I sleep somewhere on a tree top now. How about you Hannah?”
“Hate those fellows at school”. Hannah replied.
“Is there something new to say Hannah”
“No… nothing”
Annie sat on a bench as she answered while Hannah moved around on the blue coloured lawn.
“Well actually, there is something new to say”
Annie sat with enthusiasm.
“Today Erika came to school with her short skirt and tight T-shirt. She wanted to impress someone badly.
“Oh!”
“She then lifted her hips, exposing her thighs. Then Nathan dropped his pen, so that he can have a descent look at it”
“Yuckk.. So cheap”
“I don’t think it was cheap”.
“What?”
“Darling it’s an art, an Art of alluring the opposite sex.”
“Oh, so you enjoy this nonsense.”
“Of course I do Annie.”
“Then why can’t you join their company?”
“Then this fun will get spoil.”
“You are a bird, who just eyes on its prey. And never hope to grab it.”
“Pretty cool” Hannah admitted with a pride. “How long are you planning to stay on that tree top?”
“Until the water resides. I guess or else I have to grab the branches and reach my home”
“Wow! What a life you are living? It is just like catching a metro to reach my home”.
“Hannah, you city girl……”
Before Annie could complete her sentence, she felt as if someone grabbing her feet.
“Annie, Annie….. Wake up” That was her Dad. He had a wooden canoe on which he paddled to her side.
“Baby, wake up”
Annie opened her eyes; her bee torch was still flickering merrily.
“How did you find me… Dad?”
“Don’t be awkward, I knew where to look for my little girl”.
Annie gave a suspicious look at her Dad.
“Okay, Kit showed me”.
Kit is a small parrot with yellow and green feathers. These pets were like dogs in their land, especially for the tribes who lived on the tree.
Kit flew towards Annie and sat on her shoulders.
“Now come on, climb onto the boat.” Annie obeyed her father.
As they rowed towards their home she asked.
“Why you guys are home?”
“The rain stopped our work”
“Oh great! So I am not alone at the end of this day.”
Her father laughed in approval.
“Annie……”
“Yes dad”
“Who is this Hannah?” You were calling out that name, in your sleep”.
“Don’t know dad, I was just dreaming.”
