The Girl Who Spoke to Trees
Lonely Leela gains wisdom and friendship from a talking banyan tree in her city park, learning life lessons from its grounded existence
Leela was a bright young girl who lived in a bustling city in southern India. Though surrounded by towering buildings, crowds of people, and traffic-clogged streets, she often felt lonely.
One day, while walking home from school past the small park near her apartment, Leela decided to stop and rest for a while on a bench beneath a spreading banyan tree.
Looking up through the tree’s winding branches, Leela sighed. “It must be nice to be a tree, with your roots planted firmly in the soil. You seem so peaceful and steady, not rushing around like everyone in this busy city.”
To her surprise, Leela heard a creaking sound followed by a voice! “Why yes little one, we trees do enjoy a tranquil existence. But it can get quite lonely here standing all day in the park without anyone to talk to,” replied the tree!
Leela couldn’t believe it—the tree was speaking to her! Jumping up excitedly, she exclaimed, “You can talk! What else can you tell me about your life as a tree?”
The wise old banyan tree shared how it soaked up the nourishing rays of the sun, gathered earthy wisdom from the soil, and gained fortitude from the storms it weathered over the decades. Leela listened closely, enraptured by the tree’s perspective.
From that day onward, Leela visited the banyan tree daily to have long conversations. The tree taught her many lessons, like the importance of putting down strong roots, standing tall in the face of adversity, and learning to bend instead of break when faced with the winds of change.
Through her friendship with the talking tree, Leela gained a new appreciation for perseverance, resilience, and the quiet joys of a simple life. And she no longer felt so alone in the big, busy city.