The Magic Seed

Little Tommy as per usual was out in his garden watering his favorite plants. The sunflower had risen amazingly. It spread all of its petals and radiated as brightly as the sun. Tommy hoped the rest of the flowers in the two remaining pots would also have the luck of the sunflower and one day bloom just as majestically. Everyone knew about Tommy’s love for flowers and foliage in general. Every morning, when even the sun was battling the morning blues, Tommy would dress in his usual shirt and shorts and tend to his small treasure. His shorts were held up by suspenders which made him the subject of a lot of jokes. His quintessential sun hat was the talk of the town and although the children made fun of him, the adults seemed to want to imitate him.

 As Tommy grew, his love for the green and colorful inhabitants of the planet progressed and matured further. His hobby of gardening became his passion. He went on to pursue botany and became one of the highly regarded botanists on the planet. While Tommy was following his love for the mute inhabitants of the planet, his contemporaries were party to destroying those same inhabitants. In realizing their aspirations to touch the stars, they forgot all about the ground which held their feet. Dreams of exploring the unexplored corners of the universe had led them to forsake their motherland and her bounty.

The planet was on the verge of dying. Limited resources on the planet meant there was not enough for everyone. Wars ensued. People died. The strongest survived. But not for long. They had to leave the planet. They had to find other suitable worlds. The ones remaining focused all their energies on finding a way off the planet. The planet’s limited resources were used to build vehicles of transportation and relief for the endangered human population. Trees were cut aplenty and waters were polluted. No care was given to the rest of the local beings. The dark brown soil which once held a trillion trees had now faded. The blue of the water had turned black and slimy. The oceans and the seas, the rivers and the lakes had lost their purity and innocence.

On his thirtieth birthday, Tommy was invited to attend the address from the Leader of the World, Mr. Herald Low, in person. Tommy had grown in professional stature and was part of the core team which would help mankind make the newly explored worlds habitable. This address was to the world. Every person in the world would be watching agog for news of developments. The people of Earth were tired. They were thirsty and hungry. They prayed for some positive news.

Mr. Low cleared his throat. He was standing at the podium with his arms resting on its surface. He was wearing a crisp black blazer over a white tee. He was smiling. The news was good. The atmosphere in the hall had become hopeful. As he received the signal that the telecast was live, Mr. Low started.

‘People of the World! Welcome. I have great news. Our heroes who have braved the darkness of space and battled unseen and pernicious dangers, have found us a home.’ 

Mr. Low paused. He waited for their reaction. One moment the hall was silent, next, it erupted in a vociferous cheer. People hugged each other. They slapped each other's backs. They cried and smiled. Some joined their hands in silent prayer, some went down on their knees. They thanked the almighty silently. The circumstances would be the same all over the world. The news was joyous.

Mr. Low requested to continue after waiting patiently. His smile was wider. People had climbed the stage to hug him and thank him. He asked those people to take their seats. He was not finished.

‘Just another small thing.’ he said continuing, ‘Our space runners have not just found one planet. Nor have they found just two or three. We have discovered a whole planetary system consisting of hundreds of planets which can support us. Never again will we run out of resources. Never again will we be forced to leave our homes.’

‘It’s time we abandon this desert and journey to our home.’ Mr. Low finished with a loud thump on the podium. There was another loud cheer and the hall fell into a wave of claps. 

There was one person who was not clapping. He was not standing either. Once the applause died down and the audience started to animatedly discuss the innumerable possibilities that their future held, Tommy called for their attention. He was standing on his chair and shouting at the top of his voice to garner everyone’s attention towards him. He clapped his hands frantically to silence the murmurs on the crowds. Mr. Low, who was descending the stage, stopped in his tracks.

‘Is this how we repay our Mother’s love? Is this how we care for her? Do we leave her dying? Earth has provided for us for thousands of years. We have taken all she could provide and more, without giving anything in return. And now we talk of abandoning her to her state. The state which we have caused. We call her a desert and yet each one of us knows that we are the ones who have corroded her. Have you no shame! Have you no shame sir!’ Tommy was shouting. An eerie silence gripped the crowd.

Mr. Low signaled to his entourage and two men came towards Tommy. They forced him down from the chair and dragged him outside. All the way, Tommy kept shouting. Pleading. ‘Help me save her. Help me save our Mother.’

Tommy was branded a mad man. Over the next few months, when families made preparations to leave the planet, Tommy tried to inspire people to his cause. He conducted seminars and gave speeches. He even made videos and distributed them digitally to garner support from anywhere across the planet but found no takers. Billions of people left the planet without a glance back. They moved from one host to another, as viruses do, abandoning the weak host to its fate.

A hundred people were left when the last transport made its way out of the earth’s atmosphere. Most of them were old and dying and wouldn’t have survived the journey. Tommy and his small family stayed with a handful of supporters that Tommy’s pleas had managed to influence. Together they started to work on a way to heal the planet.

Tommy drew on the last of his knowledge and the wisdom left to him by his predecessors. He worked tirelessly for a solution. Sleep eluded him. He did not hunger or thirst. He ran experiments, tested hypotheses. He was always in his lab, wearing his fast fading lab coat. His wife and sons were always at his side. So were his followers, awaiting eagerly for his guidance. They prayed for a solution but were losing hope faster than a speeding bullet. Just when they were ready to surrender to their God, a miracle happened. 

Tommy rushed out from his lab holding a small, spherical piece. It was hard as a rock on touch but as light as a leaf.

‘This wonderful creation will heal her.’ he proclaimed.

‘What is it?’ his son asked.

‘It’s a magic seed.’ Tommy answered and the rest as they say is history.

They planted thousands of these magic seeds into the ground. The once dried lands welcomed a burst of tiny shoots of plants. The eroded soils once again began to grow dark. The seeds were scattered across the black, polluted waters and in days, they worked their magic. The blue of the planet was returning back. The green of it was returning back. The black and grey world which was comatose had woken up again. Land after land, street after street, country after country and continent after continent, the loyalists of Earth healed her. 

With the return of greenery, came the fauna. The oceans were alive again, with the population of sea creatures rising again. The air was healthy and the ozone repaired. The humans thrived and as did the other beings. They had learnt a valuable lesson. Sharing was caring. Never again were the planet’s resources invaded upon.

Thousands of millennia had passed since the day humans had abandoned their home planet. Remus Low, the descendant of the iconic Herald Low was tasked to search for a new home. The humans had exhausted the resources of the Dalmer planetary system. They were dying. It was imperative that a new world be found to support humankind. Remus’ space agents had come across a planet filled with the green of the flora and the blue of the life supporting water. Remus had wanted to see it for himself. He had landed on the planet a few hours back and was treading across its surface in pure awe. He had never seen so much greenery. He breathed in the fresh air and sighed in serenity. From afar, he saw two kids lying down on the green grass, under the shade of a tree, reading books. They were accompanied by another strange looking brown furry animal which was gagging continuously with his tongue out. Remus had never seen humans so far away from their adopted home. This was to be their new home. He sent out the transmission informing others of this blissful news.