The Tree

‘Dadi’ is what Suman’s grandmother was called by everyone. Reason being that she was too old for anybody to remember her real name.
It was quite another matter that other women were extremely jealous of dadi who happened to be the best at knitting in the locality.
Suman returned from school one day to find dadi chatting with Vimla chachi who used to knit for a living too, like dadi. Vimla chachi was telling dadi about a tree which could respond to questions.
Had Vimla chachi discovered a magical dwarf too then? He decided to pay close attention to the conversation. Vimla chachi was telling dadi about a tree which moved one of its branches answering ‘yes’ in response to questions.
Suman was amazed nonetheless. Was it actually possible for a tree to respond to questions?
That evening he went across to Romu’s who had some new information up his sleeve. The magic tree was a piece of nonsense, Romu told him. It was simply a ploy on the part of the locality’s women to show poor dadi in a poor light.
“Youth hasn’t left the hands of that old bent witch, has it!” he’d heard Vimla chachi snigger. The rest of the locality’s women had sniggered too. Kamla chachi who was noted for black and yellow teeth had laughed in glee and said, “She’s quite mad as it is, after this incident no one will want to give her any business.”
The evil plan was this: Poor innocent dadi would be led to the mango tree next to Shyam Lala’s grocery and encouraged to ask questions of it. Bystanders and passerby would laugh themselves to death. What great entertainment, the women had decided. Suman could barely control his anger.
It was afternoon yet. Suman decided to have a word with the mango tree. He was worried though. Would the tree listen to him? More important: Would the ring’s magic work on it?
Suman was still pondering these questions when Vimla chachi turned up at the doorstep suddenly. “Dadi is not in,” Suman sounded surly. “Who is it, Suman?” Dadi shouted from within. “Oh Vimla it is you! Come on in, why are you standing outside?” Looking accusingly at Suman Vimla chachi said, “Your grandson was telling me such tall stories!”
“Oh don’t mind him, he’s only a child. But please tell me, does the tree really answer questions? God knows how many times I have gone past it and never known about its magical properties!”
“Hey dadi! Just come with me and you’ll know,” Vimla chachi almost dragged dadi outside the hut. “Wait!” Suman yelled from inside the little hut, “I am coming too.” He could barely contain his anger. How jealous and small-minded these women were who were trying to make fun of a poor old woman.
Vimla chachi did not lead dadi to the mango tree, after all. Rather she brought dadi and Suman to the backyard of her house where stood a thorny tree like a watchman on guard. Suman was now really worried. He’d never seen this thorny tree before.
Poor dadi, who was utterly innocent, now asked, “But Vimla , didn’t you say it was the tree next to Shyam Lala’s…”
Turncoat Vimla chachi replied, “When did I say that, dadi? It is the same tree I told you about, honest.”
Suman, who was between dadi and Vimla chachi, turned slightly. From the corner of his eye he saw the end of Kamla chachi’s sari fluttering in the wind. Sudden laughter rose from one of the rooms in the house.
“Can I ask questions of this tree then?” dadi asked.
“Of course you can,” said wicked Vimla chachi. “But you are only permitted to ask three questions.” Someone laughed once again from inside one of the rooms in the house.
Dadi had closed her eyes in the meantime. She called to the tree, “Dear tree deity! Do you know me?” The thorny tree swayed a little and then began to shed its thorns. Pretty soon the thorns had covered the entire backyard. So amazed was dadi at the tree’s feat that she forgot to ask the other questions.
Dadi’s jealous neighbors emerged from Vimla chachi’s home with their mouths open. How had this happened? Of course, no one had seen Suman pull out his ring and rub it.

(This work has been copyrighted)

Billoo

Billoo was one lazy cat. If there was one thing in the world he did well it was sleeping. He slept all day long in front of the grocer’s – Shyam Lala’s – shop. Suman, on his way to school – and back – would stop by to give the lazy cat a pat. Billoo would open his eyes once, look up, then go back to sleep.
No one knew where Billoo had landed from. Suman had learned that he’d been somebody’s pet a long time ago. But that was all Suman got out of him.
Needless to say, Veeru and his gang of bullies made no end of fun of Suman who could follow the language animals spoke. But the bullies were cowards too. Afraid of Suman’s “ticklish” powers, they would pass snide remarks from afar and flee for their lives.
Then Sheru had a brainwave.
“Lets tease the fat cat,” he told his cronies, “it will make Suman mad, won’t it? That idiot appears to be crazy about animals, yuck!”
The plan was this: pebbles and rocks would be rained on poor Billoo from a safe distance. Billoo’s pain and the inability to punish his offenders would drive Suman to tears.
“Sounds great!” Veeru thumped his brother’s back.
The bullies lost no time locating their victim.

The day was sunny. Under the mango tree, next to the Lala’s grocery, lay Billo in deep sleep with his head beween his two front paws.
“Get up lazybones!” Lagan struck the first stone. Billoo woke up, his sleep rudely broken.
“The lazy good-for-nothing cat doesn’t even know how to run!” Lagan threw a stone narrowly missing Billoo’s tail.
A crowd had collected. And worse. It was encouraging the bullies.
A fat man in pyjamas whose string was hanging loose, yelled, “All he does is eat all day; doesn’t move a step!” The fat man looked so comical that the crowd couldn’t help laughing.
And where were the three bullies? They had fled after stoning Billoo and watching the scene from a safe distance.
“Run Billoo, run!” The crowd turned in the direction of the voice. It was Suman’s.
“I can’t, you know that!” Billoo sounded tearful.
“Shut up! Just spring to that tree next to you.”
“I can’t spring anymore!”

The crowd, which could only hear Suman’s part of the conversation, was mystified. Some thought he’d gone mad. “Look at him,” laughed the comical man in pyjamas, “he’s talking to the cat as though to a friend!”
“The boy’s gone round the bend!” another commented.
Suman wasn’t paying attention to the banter around him. He was simply worried about Billoo being attacked once again by the cowards from their hiding places. Without a second thought, he rubbed the ring. Lo and behold! Billoo landed on a branch of the mango tree. The crowd was shocked into silence. Shyam Lala emerged from the grocery and watched as Billoo shook his tail from the tree top.
Now there was no stopping Billoo. Landing on the ground he ran in search of the bullies.
His first target was Lagan who was having chaat at a sweetshop. He landed chaat and all on the ground as Billoo tackled his knees with full force. Veeru and Sheru, who’d watched the commotion, picked up a stone each. But they were no match for Billoo who knocked them down as well. The cat had turned into a lion. The bullies fled, leaving their chaat behind.
“Say sorry to Billoo!” Suman was shouting. “You ought to be ashamed of yourselves, harming a poor defenseless cat!”
“Say sorry! Say sorry!” the crowd was chanting. The tide had turned for Billoo.
The crowd forced the three offenders to apologize to the cat. And Billoo? He actually thought he was the cat’s whiskers! At least now no one would say he was a lazy good-for-nothing cat.