Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Richard and Reans heard a commotion outside the cave

and immediately all the Reans disappeared except Re who

came and stood near Richard.

Richard looked at the entrance without much interest and

he could see the flowering plants coming in .They were

not skipping as usual but they were gliding and two or

three of them together were carrying large leaves. The first

group came closer to him and dropped the leaf that they

were carrying. Richard saw some kind of seeds which

looked like millet on the leaf ...it must have easily weighed

one kilogram or more. The other groups did the same and

they kept on bringing until the floor of the cave was filled

with different plant products. He could see cereals like

seeds and huge seeds which looked like hazel nuts, few

fruits in blue colour, pink coloured root vegetables and

many more items which he couldn’t guess.

Re was amazed and communicated with the plants

effortlessly, ‘Thank you so much ...But why do you help

us? We have invaded your world....’

One of the flowers which looked like a florescent purple

tulip replied to him,

‘We were waiting for you people for a long time. We

were told that some creatures would come from the sky

and protect us so we kept a watch... When we saw the

huge creature fighting with the devil trees we knew he was

our saviour and tried to help him as much as we could’

Richard understood the gist of their conversation and was

really surprised that he could comprehend so clearly. He

thanked the plants in a loud voice as the whole cave was

filled with the gifts and plants.

The same tulip hopped beside him and said, ‘don’t go near

the big water down …use only the water in the hill. We

will be around here so be happy. We have sent the word

across the whole land. So you will not go hungry... take

rest now... we will be just down the hill and there is no

other way to reach this place’

Richard was so grateful and he thanked them so profusely

and made up his mind to ask many questions the next day.

As soon as the plants hopped back, he picked up one

strange round blue fruit and bit it cautiously. It tasted like

banana but much sweeter. He ate ravenously and asked all

the Reans to have their fill. It was a strange picnic… One

human and Reans all in human forms seated together and

had their fill. Few Reans brought water in small jugs from

the lake and they drank. Once their hunger was satiated,

they felt sleepy. It was very dark and the Reans brought

some of their MagLev lights and floated it around the

cave. Richard slowly got up and told them to sleep well.

He walked carefully so that he would not stamp on any

Reans and went out.

There was an eerie light seen down in the big water... He

couldn’t place the source of light but he thought illogically

that it came from under water. He decided to find about it

the next day. He sat at the entrance of the cave and

stretched out on the ground in front of the entrance. He

saw the star lit sky and the stars seemed to be much bigger

and brighter than the Earth’s sky. He thought of Frank and

Redim and wished they were here with him. Slowly sleep

engulfed him and he slept.

The silence was like a thick blanket covering the entire

area. Even the waves in the lake were so hushed…

Richard would sleep soundly even in the noisiest place on

Earth. But the silence in Proxima was disturbing him. He

was tossing himself and found it uncomfortable to sleep on

the hard rock.

Suddenly, he felt his right leg being pulled… He just

shook his leg without opening his drowsy eyes. But the leg

was pulled with force and it hurt him. He opened his eyes

to see a huge something towering over him and he looked

closely and could see just a silhouette of a tree!

He was not alarmed at first but the recollection of his fight

with the walking trees made him sit up… He gave one

kick and the tree jumped back. Richard kept the cleaver at

his side and now he took it in his hand and crouched to

strike the tree. He could see more clearly now and the

flowering plants that helped them were lifted high with the

branches of the tree and he could see many more trees

behind.

Richard rarely got angry but now his anger overtook his

caution and he jumped to cut off the branch that was

holding the flowering plants. The branch fell down with

the thud and the trees as well as the plants made such a

noise that the whole place shook. He stood at the centre of

the caves entrance and told in a clear voice,

;

I will track each and every tree in the area and kill them

all... Cut them to pieces and burn them down’

He took the lighter that he brought along with him from

the Earth and lit it. The trees became silent and the plants

hopped inside the cave.

Everything was absolutely still for some time and then one

of the trees came forward and spoke! He could hear the

rough voice coming from somewhere deep inside the tree.

He concentrated on the voice and he understood what the

tree was telling…

‘We are the guardian of the land and we had been given

the knowledge that giants and dwarfs would occupy our

land. But we tried in vain to kill you but we did not fight

with you wholeheartedly as we knew the predictions were

true and you would live with us!’

Richard was amazed to hear it as the flowering plants told

something similar.

‘But you came back again to kill us … Why?’

The tree did not speak for some time and then it said, ‘we

came to talk to you not to harm you but these plants

wouldn’t let us come... So we captured few ‘

Richard couldn’t help but laugh at this…’yes they are out

first friends in this planet and we will protect them. What

do you want to talk?’

The tree was again silent and Richard thought they were

trying to comprehend what he said.

The tree replied, ‘We would like to get your protection

too! We are the lords of the land and we do not have any

authority over the water. We have very less land but more

water. The creatures in the water are more powerful than

the land. They sometimes come out of the water and hunt

us down’

Richard was puzzled, ‘if creatures live in the water how

can they come out?’

‘They can stay on land as well as in water but they bring

their machines with them so they could hunt us down at

their leisure’

‘

But why do they need you?’ Richard wanted to know…

The reply came from the small flowering plants

They cut them and make furniture from the wood and

‘

these trees eat the water creatures so they are the natural

enemies. These trees sometimes will raid our grain storage

and empty the entire thing. They will eat anything and

everything’

The trees made guttural sound which indicated their

annoyance but they did not move forward.

One of the trees came forward and said, ‘yes, sometimes

there will be nothing to eat so we will raid them but ask

them if we had killed them at any time… We never

harmed them. But we will eat the creatures from water we

don’t like them’

Richard understood that there were some very intelligent

amphibious creatures and only plants occupied the land in

this planet. Now all the land creatures including him,

Reans and these native plants must have a truce so that

collectively the water creatures would be fought! At any

cost they must prove dominance or the small numbers of

Reans and a single human would perish!!

Richard said, ‘ if you want truce then you must not disturb

the flowering plants at anytime and you must take up

guarding the land properly so that the creatures from the

water would not come out and kill you all…’

The trees agreed to that and they would find a warning

system that worked well.

The tree that spoke first said, ‘well, we always keep our

words. So we will come and meet you all in the morning’.

They left noiselessly as they had come!

The plants moved down and once again Richard was left

alone... Re came and touched him…

‘Thank you Richard … you saved us and now you are the

leader of the land… Thank you’ Re felt justified…

Richard smiled in acknowledgement and told him to go

and sleep...

Richard was thinking about all the strange things and how

well he was getting adapted to the new environment. He

made up his mind to find more about the planet, especially

the day and night rotation and revolution of the planet…

He knew the remaining night would be without any

disturbance and he slept.

*

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