Shhhh don't pluck the flower, they are watching us. Father gently pushed away his son’s hand from flower and told. Who is watching us father? His four-year-old child asked out of curiosity.
His father looked above; the sun was smiling even though it was 12 in noon in summer. He had seen unbearable days of summer. He smiled back to the sun and made glace all around his farm. He was a farmer, working on his field, happily. That was the first time he took his child with him to his farmland. His curious child, as any child of his age would be, kept on asking many questions.
Why this plant is small and this is big father? Why we have so many pipes running on field? looking at dripper inserted drip irrigation pipe, he asked. He replied very informatively on all his questions. But for once, he stopped, thought a little and looked around before answering.
He had seen better crop in his life than he was looking at now. But truth is, he had seen much worst years as well. Looking back at those worst time, he smiles now, how foolish we were, all humankind. How easily we could have avoided all the worst part if only we were not in the rat race to make money. But he was happy as better late than never, humankind has understood the value of nature in 2054. Yes, in the year 2054.
He looked at his child again who was eagerly waiting for his father to speak. Answer to his question wasn’t an easy one. He thought to take him in the past. Let me tell you a story, he replied, finally. It's about 2020.
Once upon a time, in 2020, with the beginning of the year comes lessons for humankind, or maybe warning. People had become so careless, selfish, politically motivated, and blinded by hate and anarchy. They would only think of their interest, religion, community, the colour of skin, border of the country, profit in business and balance in the bank. In that rat race, they completely forgot what was far more important, nature.
Few claimed to be a nature lover, fighting to save it. But those were just words, barking like dogs in front of a camera in every opportunity. On the ground, there were no actions. People would cut trees, make paper out of it, and write "Save Trees" on that paper. They would make money to build big homes but has no time to stay in the home. They would arrange global meetings to save the environment. Attend it by going in private jets and do more harms than good. And in the end, no one would follow what they discussed in meetings. They would put stories on social media on environment day, mother day, Parents’ Day, but would never plant a tree or call mother even once, going to meet her is something far than expectation. People made videos on saving water by wasting a bucket on camera. We, for example, farmers, injected all chemicals, in many forms on earth and plants and fruits and everything. Everyone was busy making homes cold with AC but never thought if they make the environment happy and cold, they would never need AC. But you see, it was business. In the era of technology, human forgot the language of love.
Once, nature replied, enough is enough. One virus changed everything in the world. People were locked in homes, roads were empty. Loved ones were together. Streets were free for animals to roam. The sky was once again blue and rivers started appearing clean. It was like nature was claiming its space. Maybe nature was showing its strength to the whole humankind. And then, we, humans, realised our mistakes, we stopped taking natural resources for granted. and soon, nature was happy with us. After all, how any mother can be mad at her children.
But how plucking one flower can damage anything? And who is watching us? His son asked in amazement.
See, this flower has a role in nature. for example, many insects will use it for many things and flower also benefits from insects. Flowering plants and insects often exist in mutually beneficial relationships. It’s science, you will learn in school. We are not restricted to not pluck it but we shouldn't do unnecessarily. His father replied. Son was about to ask something and before that, father spoke.
And yes, they are watching us if we pluck it unnecessarily, nature, and every plant, every tree, every insect, every animal is watching us. If we don't care about nature then nature has ways to teach us lessons. But after 2020, we human learnt a lesson and so here we are, not plucking even a flower unnecessarily.
***
He wakes up in the early morning, looks at her only child, sleeping peacefully, with a mask on. He first looked at oxygen cylinder of his child and noted the oxygen level. It will still work for a day, he thought.
What a dream, he looked at oxygen levels of his cylinder. it was running low. Low oxygen, resulted in dizziness and that dream maybe, he wasn’t science man but he justified and changed cylinder immediately. Yes, it was the year 2054.
No, humans have not learnt lessons even today, he thought for a moment and went out to look at the factory which was standing on his farmland.
