Nov 7, 2008

The short lived ones…

Life is long yet it seems very short. People come and go, but you never stop. You can’t! Neither can you stop people going out of your life. Some, you wouldn’t want to, and some you want to. Not all that look beautiful taste good. Though these lines sound a bit depressing to the readers it’s something everyone should learn to accept and life wouldn’t be so difficult then.
Yes, I’m going to talk about such uninvited, yet delightful guests who lived with me only for a short period of time. These came as a trio, killing my lemon seedling, but I let them be, but soon one of them got tired and hid themselves into the earth.
Meanwhile, feet away someone else had arrived silently, which I failed to notice initially, as her presence wasn’t so noticeable!Within three weeks she grew into a mature woman, showcasing her beautiful flowers.

The two guys were slow in their growth but did look healthy and happy.

And another kiddo too grew up pretty fast that I didn’t even notice its arrival until it was about a feet high.

And the red-spined one! How could I forget him? He was hiding behind his roommate and even after weeks, he wasn’t clearly noticeable until you get closer to their room. (See if you can spot him. It's difficult as his leaves blend with his roommate's)

Miss Cucu, in spite of showing up late, put up a non-stop show of blooms, even during the hard rains. She soon began giving out fruits.

The lazy duo looking at her began a fight among themselves and tried their best to attract her with their blooms.

Everyone loved her.

And the kiddo too finally became matured enough to showcase his flowers.

Red-spined cocky was no lagger. He was ready with his first half-grown flower within days. He fell in love with his roommate, which became evident in his growth.

The first fruit of Miss Cucu was never tasted as an unidentified cruel stranger plucked it away before she could let it grow to its full height. This put her into a great depression. She started dropping her flowers and stopped drinking water, letting her leaves wilt. No matter how much I fed her and how much I facilitated her growth, she wouldn’t grow well.

The duo felt sorry for her and tried to cheer her up with their show, but she wouldn’t recover. The duo, who were madly in love with her, couldn’t see her dying slowly and they too began wilting away.

Before she bid goodbye, she gave me a dwarfed fruit as a parting gift and said, “Take me away, I can’t stay here anymore.” I looked at her grievously. She was not the usual cheery self. He proud flowers had lost their splendor and their leaves lost their freshness. I accepted her gift, my heart lamenting for her and did as she told me. Out she came, breathing out her last breath.

The duo shrieked at her departure and lamented aloud, “Let us go too. We can’t live here anymore.” And came out the duo, joining their brother.

The kiddo was too shocked at the scene that happened around him and he left me too.

But the only one who didn’t was the red-spined cocky. He was so in love with his darling that he couldn’t follow his companions. He did cry for a day, but his lover consoled him with her blooms.

Days after her departure, we tasted her gift , which tasted so bitter that the moment it touched my tongue I had to spit it out. No wonder it wasn't tasty, as she bore it in mourning. God knows who tortured her and snatched her happiness away! [sigh]

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

That was funny and sad but I can relate. The squash bugs killed a ton of my stuff. I've got to read up on those and see how I can prevent that next year.

Chandramouli S said...

Hi Anna, welcome to Plantville. I'm glad you liked it. The darned ants aided the bugs! I tried spraying insecticide but the continuous rains favored the bugs. Anyways, I guess I'll try them once again sometime in future.

Unknown said...

Wow, I can relate. It's a battle to keep my plants healthy with the war on insects.
The squash bug lays golden brown clusters of eggs under the leaves. That is where I make daily checks for an attack.
Also check into "squash vine borers" They tunnel into the vine causing the whole vine to collapse and die.

Chandramouli S said...

garden4life: Hey there! I learnt about them after my Cucumber's incident. My morning glory was also attacked by them, but I acted fast and saved it. Thank goodness!

Bob said...

A great story. There is usually sadness here when the squash borers kill the squash as well. My wife loves her squash and the squash in the market is not as good as home grown.

Chandramouli S said...

Hey bob! Thanks for the comments. I wish I had tasted my home-grown one too.

Green thumb said...

Hi Chandramouli! The sordid saga of life, also plant life, has been very accurately and succinctly put by you in the first few lines.
I am sure, in the spirit of true hindu philosophy that Miss Cucu will be reborn somewhere around you, and this time she will regale you with sweet juicy fruits:-)

Chandramouli S said...

greenthumb: I seriously wish she comes back. She was so beautiful! Thank you :)