It was only noon when the cloud stopped by to greet
his friend, who was a tree, and settled right above him.
“Don’t mention it, brother. I do this every day, for most of the
world.” The cloud replied dully.
“It’s sad how no one actually lends you credit for anything you
do.” The tree was concerned.
“I guess I’m now quite habitual to it. Sometimes it feels like a
religious duty. Making sacrifices every day; melting down, heating up, that’s
what my life is all about!” The cloud whined.
“That must be rough. The process is actually tedious, isn’t it?
But sometimes, my brother, I’m really envious of you.” The tree confessed.
“And why’s that?” The cloud asked out of curiosity.
“It’s such a beautiful world, they say. You get to see every
edge, but I swear, I’ve been standing here my whole life and all I’ve ever seen
is the short grass around me, the bright sun, I’ve seen some children grow up.
And brother, now I’m beginning to doubt if I’ll be standing upright for long.”
There were worry lines on his forehead.
“You’re right. It’s hard standing at just one spot all your
life, but it’s even harder melting to tiny drops every day, at a different
place every time.” Pain was dripping from every letter the cloud uttered.
“Let’s not compete, brother. I reckon we both have our own share
of grievances to worry about.” The tree wisely advised.
“Command accepted, friend.” The cloud beamed.
“You know what? Sometimes I don’t understand Humans at all.” The
tree gave him a puzzled look.
“How so?” The cloud questioned.
“In the beginning, I’ve heard, they used to be nature friendly,
because they were totes dependent on us. But with the passage of time, they
grew ruthless and started ruining nature which led to a holocaust.” The tree
explained.
“I’ve heard that nowadays they’re taking initiative to spread
awareness about conserving, aren’t they? And as far as I can judge, they seem
like good people.” The cloud retorted.
“That’s what everyone’s thinking, yet not implying. They could
use other materials instead of wood but they don’t pay much heed to the people
who’re actually willing to take a step against this destruction.” The tree
replied.
“But the amount of evil people is hefty!” The cloud concluded.
“I think we’re not supposed to be the ones thinking about it.
They talked till the sun went down and then
the gentle wind finally pushed the cloud away to another land, another tree.
But that tree never saw that cloud again. It was his call of duty, the tree
concluded.
And once again, he stood alone in the empty space. Perhaps
waiting for his friend, who was gone forever.
Forever.
