The Tale of the Tree Teacher

Once upon a time, in a peaceful village surrounded by green hills, there lived a curious little boy named Arjun. Arjun loved exploring the forest near his home. He would run through the trees, sing with the birds, and chase butterflies with a big smile on his face.

But Arjun had one small problem — he talked too much, and listened too little.

He often interrupted others, guessed answers before questions were finished, and sometimes missed the gentle advice his Valliamman (grandmother) gave him.

One morning, Arjun wandered deeper into the forest than ever before. Birds chirped, leaves rustled, and sunlight danced on the forest floor. Suddenly, he saw it — a tall, ancient tree with a thick trunk and golden-green leaves that shimmered even without wind.

Arjun stepped closer. A soft breeze brushed his ear.

“Come closer… and listen,” a voice whispered.

Arjun looked around. No one was there.

“Who said that?” he asked aloud.

Silence.

Then the wind whispered again, only when he stood very still.

“You talk too quickly, little one. But if you listen carefully, I can tell you something important.”

Arjun’s eyes widened. Was the tree talking?

He sat down quietly at the roots, closed his mouth, and listened. For the first time in his life, he was completely silent.

The tree whispered:

“A fire is coming in the forest. The wind will turn strong tomorrow. Warn your people. Save the animals.”

Arjun blinked. A fire? But how could a tree know?

He ran back to the village and shouted to everyone, “There’s going to be a forest fire tomorrow! We have to prepare!”

But the villagers laughed. “Arjun is always making up stories,” one said. “He probably heard a squirrel sneeze and thought it was a volcano!”

Arjun looked down. Maybe they were right.

That evening, his Valliamman sat beside him. “Arjun, sometimes when we want people to listen, we must first show them that we listen.”

Arjun nodded quietly, remembering the tree.

So the next morning, he helped the village elders gather dry leaves, clean old firewood, and make water buckets ready — without talking too much. He helped the forest animals find safer paths and told them gently to stay close to the stream.

And then… the wind howled.

By afternoon, thick smoke rose from beyond the trees. The villagers rushed out. A small forest fire had begun on the other side of the hill!

Thanks to Arjun’s early warning, the village was ready. They put out the fire quickly, and not a single hut or animal was harmed.

That evening, the villagers gathered around Arjun.

“We’re sorry,” said one elder. “You listened to something we could not hear. And now you’ve taught us the value of listening.”

Arjun smiled.

The next day, he returned to the magical tree. This time, he didn’t speak. He just sat quietly and waited.

And the tree whispered,

“Now you are ready to hear the forest’s secrets.”

 Moral of the Story:

Listen before you speak. Sometimes, the quietest voices carry the wisest messages.