Appu's Dream
Appu, a young boy, lived in an old house in Thiruvananthapuram. In the courtyard of his house, there was a large mango tree. This tree was his best friend. He had no other friends to play with, so he would talk to the tree, climb it, and swing from its branches.
One day, while Appu was playing at the foot of the mango tree, he found an old box. The box was full of old toys. Among the toys was a one-tusked elephant. Appu picked up the elephant, cleaned its tusk, and wrapped it in a new cloth.
That night, when Appu went to sleep, the elephant appeared in his dream. The elephant spoke to Appu, "You are my friend. I have a secret to tell you. There is a treasure hidden at the foot of this mango tree. That treasure is for you."
Appu woke up with a start. The next morning, he went to the foot of the tree and started digging. After digging for a while, he found an earthenware pot filled with gold coins. He jumped with joy.
Appu went to the mango tree and said, "Thank you, my friend. You kept this treasure safe for me."
Appu's family was astonished when they saw the treasure. They used the money to buy a new house, bought Appu new toys, and enrolled him in a good school.
Appu made new friends. He played with them, went to school, and studied. But he never forgot the mango tree or the one-tusked elephant. Every day when he came home, he would first go to the tree and say thank you. His mango tree would nod its head happily, looking at him.
The Poem of the Sea
It was a morning after a great monsoon. The waves on the beach were touching the shore more ferociously than usual. Appu, a twelve-year-old boy, walked on the wet sand. The wind and rain from last night had washed many secrets onto the shore. Shells, conches, different kinds of wooden pieces, plastic bottles... It was then that Appu saw it.
A small, shiny blue bottle, which must have once been part of some ship. Algae had grown on it over time. Appu was surprised. He had seen many bottles that the sea had taken, but never one like this. It was not an ordinary bottle, but like a treasure box, tightly sealed with a stopper, hiding something inside.
Appu carefully picked it up. The wooden stopper was rusty, so he had a hard time opening it. Finally, when he pried it open with his finger, a faint smell of saltwater came out. Inside, a rolled-up piece of paper!
Appu's heart beat fast. Could it be a treasure map? Or a message asking for help? With anticipation, he unrolled the paper. Faded letters appeared on it. It was not a message, but a poem.
"Like the surging waves, In the blueness of the sky, Stars flash and disappear. In the silence of the depths, Even silence becomes a melody. The sea, which cannot be held in the hands of the wind, Is the depth of my dreams."
Appu was amazed. Although the words had familiar meanings, he did not fully understand the depth of the poem. But its beauty imprinted on his mind like a wave. He treasured that poem like a treasure.
Appu was a painter. He used to draw the sights he saw at sea, the fishermen, the boats shining in the red sunlight... he drew these on pieces of wood. But after reading that poem, his paintings got a new color. He painted the sky and the sea on the same canvas. He imagined stars swimming in the sea like fish and waves floating in the sky like clouds.
When the elders in the village saw his paintings, they were astonished. An old fisherman told Appu, "Son, the sea has many stories. They are the poems of the depths." It was then that Appu realized that what he had received was not just a piece of paper, but a sea story. A message sent through the sea by a traveler forgotten by time.
From then on, each of Appu's paintings became a story of the sea. Every time he heard the sound of the waves, he would remember that poem, and his hands would be eager to paint a new story. The sea not only made him a painter but also gave him the opportunity to be a listener and a storyteller. That bottle and the poem in it opened up a new world for him.
The Story of a Little Crow
Once upon a time, there was a little crow in a crow's nest. He loved flying in the sky, but he was afraid of falling. So he always stayed huddled in his nest.
One day, his mother crow told him, "Son, how will you see the world if you always stay in your nest? Don't be afraid, I am with you."
His mother taught him to fly. At first, he was trembling with fear. But the courage his mother gave him became his strength. He slowly spread his wings and flew up.
At first, he flew short distances. Then, slowly, he started flying longer distances. His fear disappeared, and he was immersed in the vast beauty of the sky.
He flew all over the sky, saw new places, and made new friends. If he had been afraid and huddled in his nest, he would not have been able to see this world. He realized that only by overcoming fear can one move forward in life.
