Mango Tree and Mithu

It was the month of June, there were summer holidays for kids. As the temperature outside was boiling and electricity was also not that good during the daytime. It was a savior for them to spend their time on mango farms.

Ankur had his farm spread in acres and his father had gifted him a new model of the cycle a few months back. Chintu and Mintu, two brothers had their farms close to Ankur. Pappu was the guard’s son employed to protect the mango trees at night from thieves. They had one more friend Golu, he was the teacher’s son from the same government school where all these boys were studying. Golu’s house was within walking distance from these boys’ farms. Ankur was in the eighth standard and the boys were one or two classes behind him.

There was one mango tree on the corner of their farm in Ankur’s land. This tree was only one of its kind in the whole farm and height almost one and half the height of a palm tree. This tree was straight up to the top with very limited branches at the bottom. After the middle of the tree, there were dense branches towards the top. One day kids were playing kancha beneath this tree when they saw a parrot flying almost near to the top of this tree followed by one another parrot. These parrots spent some time from one branch to another monitoring the branches and then flew. Boys continued playing kancha again.

The next day all reached the same mango tree, after some gossips they saw parrot couple visiting that mango tree and monitoring the branches again. They were sure that parrots are searching for a location to make a nest. Ankur asks the boys to have a bet. He asks them when the parrot lay eggs whoever brings the baby bird parrots will be given a treat by him of two samosas and cold drinks.

Boys tell him that this is not a good bet as the challenge is tough. The mango tree is not having many branches in the beginning and to reach half of the tree is the toughest. They agreed to put twenty rupees each in the bet. Ankur puts one more condition that he will keep the baby bird parrots with him, and for this, he will put 50 Rs more in the bet. Now the winner will be getting two samosas with cold drinks plus 150 rupees as a reward. This was a lucrative bet for all, but after they all agreed Ankur discloses that as he has his board exam coming at the end of the year, he cannot risk and won’t participate.

The boys tell Ankur that as he is elder to them, every time he does some tricks and cheat in the bets. Last time also he cheated when they were taking the challenge to cross the tunnel filled with water on a rainy day on cycle from one end to another. Ankur tells them that they lost the challenge to him and he did not cheat.

Few days went by and the parrots were busy bringing dry grass and tiny wood materials for their nest. In the next two-three days, they settled down in the nest. And in the next one or two days, boys noticed that now only one parrot is flying in and out of nest frequently and one is slow while flying. So, they were sure the female parrot is to lay eggs now. Another day when they were playing, they noticed one eagle flying around the nest of parrots. Till now none of them had started climbing the mango tree and now this eagle is attempting to kill their wishes of having some cash and samosa treat.

They all took some stones from nearby and started throwing on the eagle. Ankur takes a big stone and throws very fast towards the eagle. It hit eagles’ leg very hard and the eagle flew from there. They did not see that eagle coming back again. All five decided that eagle might come again and the female parrot might have laid eggs so they shall start climbing.

Golu, the teacher’s son starts climbing the tree first. He was the shortest among all. Hardly he had reached a few arms distance that Chintu and Mintu shout “Snake”. Golu used to fear snakes. He loses balance and falls from the tree on the hard soil. He got hit in his arms and legs. All four started laughing at him. He left from there after abusing them in anger. He tells them they are the cheater and he won’t participate now.

Now three participants were in the race. The next day Mintu, eldest of two brothers attempted. He was easily climbing the tree when he felt a few drops of rainfall on his head. He came down as climbing while raining was risky, he might have slipped. Ankur saw that Mintu can climb the tree and he was afraid of losing all the bet money.

Ankur was studying at night when Chintu and Mintu came running to his house. They told him in mango farm few thieves were roaming. Golu’s father was coming after giving tuition when he saw them and came to inform Chintu and Mintu’s father. All the kids and their male family members went there, and they caught the thieves who were stealing mangoes. As it was very dark, they did not saw them. Once they captured them, they saw guard was also there involved with thieves Guard was their staff only who in daytime took care of their animals and at night guarded their mango farm.

The next day Pappu did not come to the mango tree out of embarrassment, all the other four boys came. Only Chintu, Mintu was in the race now. Today Mintu was in no mood to climb as last night he got hit with a wooden stick by thieves while running to catch them and he had swollen arms. Now only Chintu was there left to climb. When Chintu starts moving towards the mango tree Ankur tells the boys that last time when they were betting for water tunnel race he promised Chintu to lose and help him win for two sponge because anyhow he can not win as Ankur was having new model cycle which was very fast and he was elder too. Also, Mintu would not have given a single penny to Chintu if he had won. Chintu accepted his offer.

When the boys heard this from Ankur, they had a huge fight with Chintu. Mintu suddenly put a hard slap on Chintu’s face. In the last race, Mintu had a good chance to win but for two sponge Chintu disturbed Mintu. Boys were having their regular fight when they noticed dense clouds with a storm coming. They left for their house.

The next day was sunny but there was all water near the bottom of that mango tree, so boys left from there. Ankur was regularly looking if the tree was dry or not after the rain. He thought in the next hour or two it will be completely dry.

The next day at 5 A.M in the morning, Ankur was sleeping on his cot when he heard a sweet voice of baby parrots in his courtyard– “Mithu, Mithu”. The last day when everyone left, Ankur had gone there again. He climbed the tree and brought the baby parrots as they were small and were not able to fly. He cannot see both parrots around, so he brought the four baby parrots with him fearing eagle might harm them.

Mangoes had been sold and the boy’s vacation was over. On next Sunday four boys gathered. Ankur brought 8 samosas and a cold drink for all. Boys asked Ankur that if he knew he can climb then why he put the bet. He tells them because he enjoyed seeing Golu fall and Chintu Mintu fighting together more than winning the bet. All boys abused Ankur a lot for his cunningness. The boys then planned to go for running in the morning starting from their house to Government school. But Ankur tells them they all will have to carry some wooden sticks while going in the morning because he had heard from a few people that there is a ghost in the fields behind that Government school. Boys agree to join Ankur tomorrow morning.