The Tree That Taught A Lesson

In a quiet village, between green fields and hills, lived a little girl named Tania. Every morning, she walked barefoot to school, her heart full of dreams.

But at night something strange began to happen.

When Tania lay in bed, she would hear a soft crying sound. It was gentle but sad. Like someone was weeping in the dark. At first, she thought it was only her imagination. But the sound returned every night.

One night, curious and a bit afraid, she looked out her window. The whole village was asleep. Everything was quiet. Yet, the cries did not stop.

She didn’t tell anyone. She kept the secret to herself. But one moonlit night, she gathered her courage and decided to follow the sound.

It led her to the old Peepal tree at the edge of the village. She remembered playing under that tree when she was small. As she got closer—the crying suddenly stopped.

And then, to her surprise, the tree spoke. “Tania,” it said in a deep, sad voice, “I’m the one who cries at night.”

Tania froze, her eyes wide with shock. “But… why are you crying?” she whispered.

The tree said, “You are the reason for my crying. Tania got shocked, & mumbled, me!

But how!!

The tree replies if you became old at a young age, and all your hair has fallen down, or your skin has become so dry like you haven’t eaten anything for the past few days, didn’t you feel guilty and cry?

Tania said, Of course, yes. But how am I responsible for all of this, she said very angrily.

The tree sighed and said, “Look at me, Tania. All my green leaves have fallen. I look old and dry. Do you know why?

It’s because of you… and all the people in this world. Everywhere, you throw plastic. On the ground, in the soil. Plastic doesn’t disappear. It stays, stuck in our roots. We cannot drink water from the soil. We cannot get food.

And slowly, we become weak. My body is drying, and my leaves are gone.”

The tree’s voice grew softer. “Once, I gave shade to children. I gave homes to birds. I cleaned the air for your village. But now… look around me.”

Tania looked down. Her heart sank. Plastic wrappers, bottles, and trash covered the ground. The place where she once played was now filled with waste.

“Your people have forgotten to care,” the tree whispered. “Every plastic bag, every bottle thrown here… it hurts me. It is killing not just me, but the Earth too.”

Tania’s eyes filled with tears.

From that day, she made a promise. She started cleaning the area. She told the villagers and her friends at school about the dangers of plastic. She spoke for the tree, and little by little, the village listened.

The place became clean again. And the crying stopped.