“Mother Nature”

Earth Day is known to be notorious for its vigorous activities and projects in Kamome Academy.
It was so notorious that it received the highest votes to “cancel the event”, but it was to no avail.
They did not know the importance of the blood, sweat and tears that needed to be put into this
one-day affair.

“After snacks we will be doing a clean-up drive near the lake, after we will be heading to the
Tree Planting, then we will..” The day seemed endless. Glum faces paid no attention to what
their teacher was saying, except for John, who listened intently to every word, took down
important notes, and was overly enthralled by it. He remembered what Mother Nature said to
him on last year’s Earth Day: to give your best to help the Earth be a better place.

Ring! The bell screamed. Crowds of students joined together like schools of fish, and the
classroom was noisy again. John scooted over to his own group of friends with an apple at
hand.

“Hey! Did you know Mother Nature spoke to me?” He said excitedly.

“What?!” Simon, John’s childhood friend, was shocked.

“Yes! She told me that we need to put in all of our effort to help the earth, or else our Earth won’t
be healthy anymore! Even after Earth Day!”

“That sounds like a funny joke to me.. ” James snorted.

“Hey! Don’t be so rude!” John retorted hotly.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.. It’s not like she’s real or anything, right? Besides, even if the Earth is
dying, we can’t do anything about that.”

“Guys.. please don’t fight-!” Simon tried to mediate the hectic quarrel.

“She is real! I’ll even prove it to you! And we can do something about it! It’s just you who’s acting
so lazy!”

“Why don’t you look at the mirror to see who’s actually lazy? And crazy too!”

“Everyone! Everyone! Let's form a line and head to the clean-up drive. We don’t want to keep
them waiting!” Their advisor’s voice spoke through the speakers, cutting off the heated
argument between the two children.

John shot a glare at his friend. He grabbed his backpack and stomped angrily to the front of the
line. He had one thing on his mind: to prove to James wrong.

James, on the other hand, didn’t look at him. Instead, he kept fidgeting furiously with the ends of
his pencil as he muttered inaudible complaints under his breath.
When Class 3-C arrived at the venue, they placed their bags uniformly at the side of the tree
and began to work. John hurried over with his backpack to the place where he first met Mother
Nature, the abandoned playground at the near end of a mini-forest.

Unbeknownst to him, James followed so he could apologize. After their argument, he realized
he acted rashly and he hurted him. When John stopped at a certain spot, the boy who followed
him hid behind a tree.

“Mother Nature, Mother Nature! I ask for your blessing!”

Like magic, a figure of deep, emerald green emerged out of thin air. Her motherly voice reached
out to their ears like a siren luring a pirate. “What is it, my child?” She asked warmly.

He hugged her. He nuzzled his head deep into her loving arms. When he broke from the hug he
asked if he could take a picture with her to prove his friend wrong.

“A friend? Is that your friend over there?” She pointed to the tree James was peeping behind.
He quickly hid when she saw her point in his direction.

“..James?”

James sighed and went out of his hiding spot. He scratched the back of his head
embarrassedly. “Hey.. John, I’ve been meaning to apologize for what I’ve said earlier. I was
being rude, I hope you can forgive me..” He smiled sheepishly.

“Of course, you’re my friend! I will always forgive you.. Just don’t do it next time, ok?”

“Ok.”

Mother Nature’s evergreen smile shone brighter than the sun. Her voice rumbling deep like
thunder, yet calmly like the ocean waves. She held out her palm, on it was a bleeding bird.

“James. What do you see?” She asked. “A dah-dying bird-!” His eyes wide with panic.

“Don’t fret. Now, will you save this bird or will you let it die?” The bird tried to beat its crimson
wings, its breath quick and shallow. “I will save it!” He exclaimed.

In a blink of an eye the bird’s injuries vanished. Its wings were no longer crimson, but deep
azula; its chest now the colour of soil; its eyes were the shade of clouds.

“Everything has its time, just like the earth. But you are given the chance to save it and give it
life. Don’t waste that chance, my child, for you are the future of humanity. Now, run along, you
still have a whole day ahead of you!”

Just when they were about to leave, James went over to her and hugged her. He apologized
and gave her a flower he picked up on the way, then he rushed off with his friend to the clean-
up drive.

Mother Nature smiled and held the flower close to her heart. She merged with the tree and the
birds chirped again. They held her words close to their heart. Not only did they change their own
bad habits, but they changed the people around them as-well