story by Kanisha Nawab and Mugdha Sangani 8F
THE TREE OF SOULS
A long
time ago, when the grass was still green and the clouds where still clean there
was a flourishing village in the outskirts of Athens. It was believed that due
the people’s devotion to god, the village flourished throughout the year, even
in freezing winters. The village was situated on a beautiful plateau. It had a eye-catching
lake in the midst of the village.
All
was well. But there was a hidden secret that the people had forgotten about.
There once lived a young lass called May in the village who was cursed by the
great Greek god Apollo. Apollo, the God of Sun and Music, loved her dearly. She
was extremely beautiful and had a rather sweet voice. She was tall and slender.
Her face was a fair face with blue eyes and flushy pink cheeks. Her hair were
really long and blond with streaks of chestnut brown hair. She looked pretty
impressive.
In love, Apollo asked her hand but she
rejected him as she longed for the attention of the Greed God of sea, Posiedon.
Apollo flew into a terrible rage and cursed May that:-
‘For
you dare to reject the greatest of all,
You
will become hysterical.’
‘For
you dare to reject the greatest of all,
You
will see near future.’
‘For
you dare to reject the greatest of all,
May
you lead an eternal life
And
face the pangs of my heart break.’
Time
passed…. May grew old…Her beauty and splendor started to fade, and so did the
memory of this incident. People started believing that she was a messenger of
Apollo. So they used to take her suggestions and consult her if a problem
occurred. They had completely forgotten about the curse.
One
fine winter morning, a young lad tumbled upon the roots of a gigantic oak tree.
As he strained to see what was up there, he saw a range of flowers. A flower
suddenly fell on the boy’s hands. He examined the flower. The magnificent
flower looked like the setting sun from the inside, but the shade of the petals
was pinkish red. The flower looked almost like a lotus on tree. The lad was
taken by surprise by the beauty that beheld the flower. He smelled it. It smelt
as if all the flowers of the world had given their fragrance to it. Delighted,
the lad ran to his mother in a single breath.
His
mother fainted by the glamour of the flower. She asked: “Where did you find
it?” The lad replied, “On the outskirts of village, Ma. On a neglected Oak
tree.”His mother gathered the residents and the young boy took them to the
tree.
As
soon as the villagers saw the flowers, they gasped in amazement. A florist
suggested. “This tree is too high to reach.” “We will have to cut it to reach
the flower. Someone said. Everyone agreed except May. She said, “Please don’t
cut this tree. The tree is dedicated to Artemis, the Greek goddess of Moon and
Hunting. You must not anger the Goddess.
“What
will Artemis do if we cut it?” fumed the florist. “I can see near future. If we
cut this tree, Artemis will slay us all,” snapped May. “What proof do you have
that you can see near future?” She
suddenly lost control over herself and slapped the florist had on his face. The
people gathered there, locked May in a dungeon, proclaiming that she was mad.
Axes
and blades were sharpened. Arrows were polished. Dancers and musicians were
hired. Delicacies were prepared. While all these occasions took place, May
sorted out an idea to escape. She fatally wounded a guard, stole the keys and
freed herself.
She
reached the outskirts of the village. But alas, the tree had been cut and the
people were rejoicing. May roared in anger. But was it her voice?!?! Artemis
spoke instead of May.
“As
the people of this village dare to dishonor me
By
cutting my sacred tree,
May the
disgraceful people of this village wither away just as my flowers will!”
May
regained consciousness. When she realized what had happened, she dragged her
wretched old body as quickly as she could and fled from the village. All the
people were startled for some time, but they continued to revelry.
Finally
when they started plucking the mesmerizing flowers from the tree, they
discovered that May was telling the truth. As soon as the flowers were plucked
from the tree, they started withering. They turned into a ghastly black, as if
they were some remains of a dead animal. Children started crying, the women
screamed. Men fought and old folks fainted. In fear the people bolted back to
their homes and banged the doors shut.
The
village now wore a deserted look. After the seventh sunset a strange malady
swept the village. One by one the people started to wither away. Slowly and
gradually, the village withered away and so did the memories. The empty houses
stood there, waiting for people to come.
One
fine day king Minos chanced upon this deserted village. The eerie stillness of
the village made Minos realize that he had set foot on a cursed land. So for
the well-being of his kingdom he built a huge wall surrounding the village and
forbid the residents of his empire to linger near it.
Behind
the walls, lay the cursed village which had once flourished. The dead tree
remained there, solemn and still, when the stump of the tree made way for a
sapling.
Written by- Kanisha and Mugdha, 8F.
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