Let's Be Friends by Shristi Nangalia
wearedarshatha
16:00
“It’s Sunday! And it's friendship day! Let’s go fishing!” I was excited to test the
new fishing rod that I bought. Coco, my Labrador, came running to me. Behind
him, came my 9 year old son, Dhiru. But he did not look very happy.
“What happened, Dhiru? Why are you unhappy?”
“Papa, why do we have to go fishing?” he asked in a sulky
tone.
“Because... it is a holiday! Don’t you remember the fishes
we caught last time?”
“Umm.. but don’t you think fishes like it more when they are
under water? I mean, we only kill them for our dinner. We can have... veggies
too...” he said.
“Woah, where is this coming from? You had so much fun the
other day. I bought this new rod only for you.” I was confused and did not know
what to say. Coco was staring at Dhiru too.
“Thank you for it, Papa. But I think we should not use the
nature.”
“Use? Yeah, but we cannot do without using nature, buddy.”
“But we are using too much.... Everything of it. And in
return, we give nothing.” Dhiru made me start to think.
“Who told you all this, Dhiru? The TV guys?” I really wanted
to know.
“We had a guest at school yesterday. He talked to us. He is
a conversationist.”
“Haha, you mean a conservationist.”
“Conservationist, yeah!” Dhiru continued... “He said... Our
car harms the air, our garbage harms the soil, we use too much water
everyday.... and now we are eating nature too...”
“We are eating nature?” I was dumbfounded.
“The animals, Papa! We are eating the nature! Nature has
always given to us and we only use it without thinking.”
“But.. Coco likes to eat fish. And we love it too. Don’t
we?”
“Yes Papa, but that’s not love. If we love fish, we should
let them go. I cannot think of being killed and cooked... and eaten... and..”
“Don’t say that!!!” I shouted.
He went silent. He slowly put his head down in disappointment. I put my head down too... in shame.
Coco got really stimulated seeing us sad. He vigorously
started licking me and Dhiru’s face. Dhiru’s words, Coco’s expression, this
silence... everything made me stop and... think.
“Papa, he said we have already used the amount of nature
that was given to us for the whole year. It is only August. Now after this,
whatever we will be using is not ours... not ours yet.”
“Really? It was the overshoot day?”
“Yes, the overshoot day. Look at Coco... the trees.. the
lakes.. they are all our friends. They provide us with food, material and
health... and company.” He made sense.
“Hehe, yes...”
“But only they do their part...like a friend. But we are not
good friends to them. We only think about us. The wooden floor we are sitting
on was once a green tree. They oil we use were beautiful flowers... Nature is
all around us.. Helping us live.”
“That is true, Dhiru.” I understood what he was trying to
say.
His face was still dull. I wanted to cheer him up.
“Come with me.” I said. Coco stood up at once and his eyes
widened.
“Where are we going?” Dhiru asked.
“To the fishes.” I said with a straight face.
“Let’s just not go fishing, Papaaaa.” I could see tears
forming in his eyes.
“No Dhiru, we aren’t going to fish. Let’s pick some fish
food on the way and you can feed them all at the lake.” I smiled then.
“REALLYYYY... YAAAYYYY.” screamed Dhiru. Coco retorted with
running around us.... jumping.
“Let’s just do what we can, from now on. Let’s be good
friends to nature.”
“Yayyyyyy... Yes Papa, we will.” Dhiru’s eyes gleamed.
“Let’s go fast!” I said clapping my hands. Coco jumped more.
“Yes.. Let me get the car keys.” Dhiru stood up.
“No bud. We are walking.”
