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Srishti-2022   >>  Short Story - English   >>  Rage

Rage

 

That was the limit. He had made up his mind and now he awaited the next victim.

Four very strong men had interfered with his lonely yet peaceful life and had given him quite a pain. And that was when he decided to react. It caught them unaware. The first blow shattered the skull of the youngest, and possibly the strongest, of the lot. It echoed through the hillside like a gun shot. The puzzled look on the faces of the others nearly bought a smile to him even in agony. He could have never smiled like that a few years back. He had cared for them at one point.

They rushed to the lifeless body of their comrade but he had other ideas. The second one was swept off  the ground and smashed on to a nearby rock. His form slumped to the floor like a rag doll. Not even a single drop of blood was spilled.

"A broken thing. Pity. But no remorse. May be I should ease his pain." 

The body was lifted up and smashed again. "This time dead for sure."

The wound on his right side hurt severely in the process. Those sharp piercing rotor blades of the chainsaw had left a deep cut there on his right. He winced in pain.

" This is not the time for pain." ...  He thought to himself. 

The remaining 2 were now looking at him. They were perplexed for sure but it appeared like they had plans to confront him. He swayed regally to the third person.

A tall, dark one. The poor man had just witnessed something that no other human had. Two of his fellow beings dispatched from Earth by a mighty Oak tree. The last of its kind.

"Yes my friend. Enjoy the moment. They used to call me the Angel. Now you can try the Devil. We protected you all these years. We did everything that we could to prevent the massive climate change that you bought upon all of us including your children. We gave you protection from heat, rain and storm alike. And you re-paid us by hacking us down one after the other. Not learning a single lesson even after all these years of misery. Sorry to disappoint you but we are not going to take it anymore."

Amidst his thoughts the Oak tree saw the chainsaw rising up.

 "How should this one end? A good knock to the head would serve mankind well. OR should I leave him a cripple so that he can go back and let the others know what’s waiting for them?" 

The chainsaw was coming down at an angle. It went right through a branch.The tree felt the sharp blades. But he didn't wince this time. The rage was over the threshold and he barely felt the pain any more.

"Yes boy, you are free to take that limb. I have many more and I can grow many more. What if I take one of yours?" 

The saw cut again through another branch. This time the it served as a booster. He used one of the longer branches like a whiplash. One decent flick was good enough. The man got swept aside like a fly. The chainsaw came to a grinding halt. So did his breathing.

The giant tree turned towards the last man standing. He was barely a man; rather  a youngster with a well built stature.  He was rooted to the ground just like the tree but this was out of pure fear. He had no plans to take on the gigantic tree, which was on full display. 

It seemed like the human finally understood. The chainsaw was running in his hand but he himself was shaking with fear. 

The Oak took a moment & gave a vigorous shake. It felt like the whole place had come alive dancing, with leaves falling around. 

The young man gave out a sharp cry. He dropped the chainsaw, tumbled around and fled the place. He would never forget this day for the rest of his life.

It was over. For now. The lone tree stood majestically against the crimson sky.

There was a particular calmness in his mind when he dragged & pulled the three bodies underground.

"No clues left. No one is going to believe that kid. But they'll surely send another party to investigate. They're going to end up the same way. Then another. And another. Then finally the big shots themselves will be here and I'm going to drag them all down. Down to where they truly belong. That will kick some sense into them. 

Yes. I will be waiting for the next one."

------- ---–--- -------------

The Giant Oak tree on the Hilltop. 

He had nowhere to go and he had all the time left in the world. There was no one left of his kin. He had seen it all. The lush green, happy times & the dull, dark times. Now he was the loner. 

The guardian trees were respected during the age of the Wizards and Magii. They had combat experience and abundant wealth of knowledge. The arts were passed on to the trees to safeguard before they left the world.

His brothers were deployed all over the world  - The Guardian Elkwoods, The Sherman Sequoias, The Whomping Willows. They all had a single job. To protect the realm against intruders from other planets. They guarded the portals to our world. They were The Protectors.

Things weren't the same once these new era of humans took over. These so called civilized people were heavily dependent on what they called as 'machines'. They were acting as if they wanted to rule the world which was already their own. They were killing their own. They were clearing up forests, cutting down the guardian trees. 

The Protectors had taken up an oath that they would stand rooted in a place until the Wizards returned. 

They were instructed to stand still and watch no matter what these new age men did to their world. 

Of course, it was either until the next big cleansing in the form of a destructive Comet OR until something tragic happened to their brotherhood and only one of them remained.

It was the latter in this case. And he was the last one standing.

Now he had a job. To retaliate and initiate a resurgence. Help had been called for and he had to stand his ground until it arrived. 

But all these years of hilltop life had also made him care for these humans. He had provided the travelers with shade and shelter. He had let the kids play around him. 

All of that changed when he learned  that the supreme authorities, in their so called Global Environmental Summit decided to take down all the natural grown trees and re-plant them artificially like a giant glass terrarium. One per district or something like that. 

He knew that plan was going to backfire and whole world was going to suffer but he had no ways to warn them. He saw some sensible people pleading to the Governments to not do that. The power hungry never listened and oppressed their protests. People were instructed to stay inside their homes, until every last naturally grown tree was taken down. They actually went ahead and did that. 

No, that was not right. He was not going to go down without a fight. This was a fight for all the mighty warriors & the just humans who fought for a good cause. This was a fight for all those crushed saplings who died young, who had longed for a green and happy life. This was a fight for restoring the balance to this planet.

 

This... was WAR!