The Teardrop Of Sweetness
There was a popular young group band in the 90s from Limerick known for songs that made many people sing and wiggle with gracefulness. The band's name (in plural form) has touched the lives of many youngsters and adults (yuppies and students). And it is my way of acknowledging the band's contribution to the music industry. Many other known bands made it to the Hall of Fame while some bands didn't even make it in the Billboard charts despite their uncovered skills and talents other than composing, singing and dancing.
The story on this page is about a fruit that heals, but only with limited consumption or use. The names Karonda, Sassamenesh, Pakim, Indian Cranberry, Seema vAkkAya are just some of the names that I am referring to.
Its origin commenced 12,000 years ago, but was only considered as a fruit and a tree in the 1800s in North America when this so called "tree" was introduced by the Europeans. Asians already had them, however, Europeans were the recognized pilgrims and explorers of the New World with ships and advanced education after the time of Magellan, a Portugese, in the 1500s.
Many big trees are beneficial to human survival while smaller trees are used as boats, furnitures and form of shelter. They are used as tools too for many purposes.
Many trees bear fruits, but not all fruits are of medicinal value. Trees differ in height, but as long as they bear edible fruits for nourishing the human body (and animals) survival is possible for both humanity and animal kingdom.
An old mother tree said, "I am the oldest tree now and I don't bear fruits anymore."
One of the younger, shorter trees surrounding her said, "We can hear your voice and we can feel you. We are younger trees that still bear fruits for animals, birds and insects. We honor your presence because with you, we are guided."
The old mother tree said, "There are creatures that move, walk and talk differently. They are not as big as we are. If they are the "humans" that the Sun god told me in my dreams, then they are the superior beings who will rule over all of us and help us live longer.
Another young tree said, "I've seen them before. They keep coming back to hunt in the forests, cutting down our neighbors and friends everywhere. After picking all fruits we bear, they chop us down for other personal needs. Can you explain why?"
The old mother tree replied, "Just like us, we need to survive. These humans have a learning we never had. They can explore the world and we can't . The male Sun God appeared to me many times. Everyday you can see him too as the sunshine that brightens our day. We can feel the warmth of his care and at night, the Moon goddess that lightens our abode in the darkness. Aren't you grateful?"
"I am and we all are." said the young tree. I'm just wondering why humans need to chop us down and never exist again?"
"No. We will! Our young and offspring will always continue to grow and propagate everywhere to keep our heritage."
One day, all trees disappeared because of human exploration. It is the area where the old mother tree stood for a long time.
Decades passed and only vines, shrubs and small plants bloomed in the said area -- not one tree survived from the old group of trees.
One night, a strange bee-size twinkling creature was seen by the vines and shrubs floating in the air. They were fascinated by the flying creature glimmering above them. It's actually the female Tree Fairy that their parents once told them about sometime ago. The Tree Fairy wept with just one teardrop after seeing no trees are standing anymore on the known happy and sacred ground of the elders. The Tree Fairy's tear dropped and sparked on the ground, creating a small hole very close to the vines and shrubs. The Tree Fairy vanished after being seen by all.
The next day, the young vines and shrubs were talking about what they've witnessed the past night. They surmised that a new beautiful tree will rise in front of them anytime soon. They waited. Five days passed and not a single stalk has appeared.
On the eighth day, a small red fruit came out from the small hole. All shrubs and vines were all excited, discerning a big, tall tree to grow and each day they waited again. Thirty more days passed and the red fruit has not transformed yet. On the fortieth day, the red fruit dried. On the eighty-eighth day, the dried red fruit transformed into a stalk. Months passed and the stalk has not grown still and they were all laughing at it. After almost a year of waiting, the stalk started to grow... not as a tree, but as a shrub.
No one knows the name of the newly-grown female shrub colored reddish-green though the shrub herself believed that she will grow someday as a tree.
The new shrub became the friend of everybody in the ground. All vines and shrubs welcomed her in their peaceful and fruitful haven.
Two years passed and all vines and shrubs have grown tall except for the reddish-green. She was sad because she is the smallest in size, both in width and height.
One afternoon, a typhoon arrived in their area and all vines and shrubs were shakened. For three days the ravaging rain and strong winds didn't stop and flooded the area. On the fourth day, the rain surprisingly stopped and the flooded area started to dry out quickly under the heat of the sun. On the sixth day, only one vine and one shrub were left standing on the ground -- a tall, brown-colored vine and the reddish-green shrub. The tall vine is staggering and can hardly breath because many leaves and stems of dead shrubs and vines were wrapped around and tied all over its body. The shrub was standing very close to the vine and offered her sap. The vine said, "I cannot accept your help." The shrub was astounded and asked "Why?"
"Your sap is poisonous to everybody. I am dying anyway..." gasped the vine.
"If my sap is poisonous I may have never existed on the ground nor lasted for over two years now. This is what I am and this is how I was created. I only survive with my sap as my natural blood. I cannot change everything in me. " the shrub explained.
The vine said, "I understand. Your creation is the reason why you don't grow big or tall. Secondly, not everyone here likes you, not even humans because you are a cranberry. You are poisonous!"
"I was made this way. I don't harm anybody and I never will." softly spoken by the shrub.
After an hour, the tall vine died and the cranberry was left alone in the ground. She grieved for six days and felt hopeless.
Each sunny day that passes by, she stoops down and at night she looks up, staring at the moon.
One night, from the devastated graveyard where she stands, she felt some vibrations underneath after saying a short prayer to the Tree Fairy who once appeared to her seven days later from the day the tall vine died in front of her. She was told that she will never be alone in that place, ever again.
From the roots underground of the many dead vines and shrubs that are still embedded for a long time, one by one, new vines and shrubs started to grow. Every sunrise, she sees a new vine and a new shrub from afar. And at night, a new shrub and a new vine started to loom very close to her that look very similar to her color and beauty. The cranberry was relieved and revived because she has new friends and neighbors again.
The cranberry learned that almost all vines and shrubs around her who have survived before her time were beneficial to humans in many ways. And she believes that someday she will be beneficial too.
As new shrubs and vines of her own kind started to rise near her spot, she now started to grow. She grew as high as six feet and still growing. She once believed that she will be a tree someday... and it happened!
At the present time, cranberries are now represented in three physical forms: shrub, vine and as a tree. They are now the new generation of red cranberries in many countries, helping the humans and other plants and trees to grow, heal and survive with limited use of its sap, juice and fruits.
What made the bittersweet taste of a natural cranberry out of the natural sweetness of any fruit (as expected)?...
It is when the sweetness is mixed with a teardrop!
Comments