The Mango Tree and Other Stories

by Rachna Srivastava

at Tina. “And that’s the end of it. Did you like the story?”

  “Yes, it was a nice story,” Tina replied. “The ant was small, but it was able do big things.”

  “Yes, Tina. This ant’s story comes with a very important message: hard work is the key to success. You should do your work and not to be afraid. Fear takes you nowhere. If you are afraid of failing, you will never try, and if you never try, you can never succeed. Not trying is not winning. Succeeding or failing is part of life. So don’t be afraid to try.” Ms. Laura patted Tina with a smile.

  Ms. Laura’s kind words made Tina feel better, and she nodded.

  Ms Laura added, “Tina, if an ant can conquer its fear and be successful, I am sure you can do it. You are bigger, stronger, and more intelligent. Just keep your confidence and work hard.”

  Tina felt unstoppable now. She said, “Ms. Laura, I would love to participate in the contest now, and I’ll try to do my very best. Thank you so much for supporting me!”

  Ms. Laura smiled and said, “That’s the spirit! Good girl! Now go prepare for the contest.”

  Tina went home happily and told her mother about the math contest. At first, Mother couldn’t believe that Tina was suddenly so enthusiastic for a math contest, but she was very happy to see this change. She helped Tina to prepare.

  Tina worked hard to get ready. She talked actively in all the class discussions. Tina and Jenny solved many mathematical puzzles together. She now understood that there was no reason to be afraid. She felt confident.

  Tina tried hard in the contest. She did not win the bicycle, but that didn’t get her down. She performed quite well and was proud of herself. When she saw her parents cheering her on, her happiness knew no bounds. She promised herself she would never be afraid of anything, and would always try to do her best.

  The day after the contest, Tina picked the red rose from her garden and gave it to Ms. Laura. It was very beautiful and she couldn’t think of a better way to say “thank you” to her wonderful teacher.

  Innocence

  Every time Mother called Charlie a, “Big Boy,” it made him very happy. He was five years old now. He had questions for everybody about everything. At times, his funny questions would fill his home with laughter. He was the cute chatter-box of the house and a delight to talk with. He would try to help his mother in all the household chores. He especially loved to help her take care of plants in backyard. He enjoyed watering the plants and taking out weeds.

  One day at breakfast, Mother gave him his usual glass of milk.

  "Mom, I don’t want to drink milk,” said Charlie. “Why do you give me milk every day?”

  She insisted, "Charlie, milk is very important for our bodies. Come on, finish it quickly and be a good boy."

  Charlie did not want to drink milk and asked instead, "Mom, if I do not like milk, then why should I drink it?"

  Mother tried to explain this to Charlie. "Milk is very important for our fitness. It makes us grow fast, and healthy, and strong,” she told him. “Your dad and I also drink milk every day."

  Charlie always wanted to grow big fast, so that he could play lots of field games. He was convinced without another word, and finished his milk quickly.

  One morning, a week later, Mother came in from the backyard and called Charlie’s dad. She said, "The saplings I planted last month are dying. I see lots of bugs and ants nesting around the plants. They are eating up the roots."

  Charlie’s father also found this quite strange and said, “Why would bugs and ants be eating the plants?”

  Mother sat on the sofa, frowning and said, “I have absolutely no idea why it is happening. I see no reason for it.”

  Charlie cared a lot for his mother’s plants, so when he heard this discussion he came running. He asked, “Mom, what has happened to the plants?”

  Mother replied, "Charlie, ants are eating up the plants and they are dying."

  Hearing this, Charlie burst into tears. He muttered, "How can they die? I take very good care of them.”

  Mother said “Calm down, Charlie. I know you love the plants a lot and you take very good care of them.”

  Charlie sobbed. “I gave them milk to drink every day! That way they could grow up fast, and healthy, and strong! They can’t die,” said Charlie. “It’s not possible, Mom."

  Mother heard Charlie and understood what had happened to the plants. She calmed Charlie down and gave him a candy to eat.

  When Charlie felt better, she said, “Charlie, you put milk in the plants?”

  “Yes, Mom. I gave milk to the plants everyday so that they would grow up like you said,” Charlie replied innocently. “I wanted them to grow fast.”

  Mother smiled and hugged Charlie. "It was very thoughtful, Charlie. But milk is for us. Plants do not drink milk.”

  “But why can’t plants drink milk? If we can drink milk to be healthy, can’t the plants do it too?” asked Charlie with a curious look.

  Mother glanced toward Charlie’s father and smiled. Both of them couldn’t help but be delighted at Charlie’s innocence.

  “Charlie, ants are highly attracted to sweet things. They can smell sugar very well,” replied Mother. “When you put milk in plants, the soil and the roots get sugar around them. The ants nest around the plants and eat up the roots to get the sugar. This is why the plants are dying.”

  Charlie understood at once. "Mom, I did not know that ants would come to eat the plants if I put milk on their roots,” he said. “I thought the plants would become healthier. I am really sorry, Mom. Please forgive me.”

  Mother patted Charlie on his cheek and said, “It’s alright, Charlie. I will get us some new plants, and we can take very good care of them.”

  Charlie nodded with a smile.

  She added “Charlie, always remember that what works for one may not work for all. Everybody needs different things in life. Something that is healthy for people may not be healthy for trees.”

  "Sure, Mom, I understand. I won’t forget!” Charlie replied.

  He hugged his mother tightly with a sweet smile on his face and said, “I love you, Mom. Thank you for not being mad.”

  Mother kissed Charlie and he went outside happily to play.

  Change Is Life

  Peter’s family moved to Toronto when his father took up a new job there, and Peter absolutely loved it. His family had lived in Mexico ever since he was born, but he always loved visiting big cities. Now he was living in one!

  Peter was completely in awe of the city from the moment he first visited down-town with his parents. The car drove down the road and he was amazed to see the high-rises and skyscrapers on both sides, drawing the city’s skyline. Suddenly he exclaimed with joy, “Dad, look at that tower! That’s amazing.”

  “That’s the CN Tower, Peter. We will visit it sometime,” said Peter’s dad with a smile.

  “This is a very nice city, Dad. I love this place,” said Peter cheerfully.

  Peter’s father got a nice house with a big backyard in the first week there. It was a little far from the city, but it was in a scenic neighbourhood. The backyard was full of lush grass and beautiful trees. Peter liked it much more than the apartment buildings he’d always lived in before. There had not been many trees around those, and the neighbourhoods were all densely packed together.

  Of all the trees, Peter’s favourite was a maple tree. He tied a swing to one of its lowest branches and built a tree-house on the higher ones. The whole summer was fun; it was the best he’d ever had.

  Summer soon passed by though, and fall began setting in. The trees started changing colours and the bright green leaves turned yellow and brown. Meanwhile, Peter and his parents visited his grandmother; she had been missing them for quite some time.

  When he came home, he was completely shocked to see what had happened to the maple tree. It had lost all its leaves and stood there like it was a dried and dead tree.

  Peter was standing at the window and looking outside. When his mot
her saw Peter acting so quiet, she asked, “Peter, what happened? Why do you look so sad?”

  “Look, Mom! What happened to the Maple tree? It lost all of its leaves and it’s just standing there like a dried piece of wood.” Peter said. “Is it dead? Didn’t we water it enough?”

  Peter’s mother looked outside at tree and said, "Don’t be sad, Peter. The tree is fine. It will get its leaves back in spring. It is just preparing itself for winter. That is the way of nature; all the trees’ leaves fall down before winter, and they come back in spring."

  "But Mom,” Peter interrupted. “It must be feeling very sick without leaves."

  "I understand your worries, but imagine how happy it will be when it is decorated with beautiful new leaves in springtime!” Mother replied.

  She continued, “Peter, that's how life is, a combination of fall and spring, good and bad. We only really understand happiness when we find it after hard times. If there was only happiness, every day would be the same. We would forget to enjoy happiness and life will become dull and tiresome. Bad and good must be balanced for us to appreciate the good things when they come."

  She hugged him and said “So, be happy. You will get your beautiful tree back in spring and you can play with it again.”

  Peter kissed his mother and went happily to play with toys in his room.

  Better Late Than Never

  Charlie had become quite too lazy to brush his teeth these days. He found it boring and thought it was waste of time. He looked for every possible opportunity to skip brushing his teeth.

  Mother noticed