Fear of a Dark and Sad Future
Ana Maria Rebelo Alves
The little seed was taken by the warm breeze in the late afternoon.
Without knowing, she fell onto the dry and fluffy ground. She liked the feeling and decided to stay.
She realised her tiny roots and her arms were growing. She was happy because she didn’t want to leave that place.
Each day that passed she felt stronger and happier.
Later on, she watched the children that were playing and running freely in the beautiful garden.
There was a boy that every single day filled his flask with fresh and pure water from the fountain and, after drinking it, watered the young Planetree.
The two, the boy and the tree, continued to grow. The Planetree felt stronger and stronger and happier and happier, day by day, year by year until the boy who was called Peter became a man.
Peter has always been her friend. Sometimes, he hugged and spoke with her. One day, Peter stopped coming to the garden. Years passed after he had gained roots and the Planetree felt sad and lonely.
From his tall and long arms, she saw a dirty, grey and ugly city.
The air was heavy, papers flying and the sound of the horns was very noisy.
Season after season, she noticed how the climate had been changing. The winters became hotter than usual, storms broke out and the river overflowed, destroying houses and other things. Summers became unstable and, sometimes, it was very hot and all of a sudden there was rain and very strong wind.
There were almost no children and the Planetree felt lonely. She also heard that his friend Peter became very sick. She looked around and saw a sad and grey world.
Her arms, that once were strong and made a fresh shade, now felt weak and no longer used to cover anyone.
“I could finish this story with a happy end, in which rulers, environmentalists and big industrialists would meet to find a miracle solution. However, the only thing that remains is fear, fear of a dark and sad future.”