Nature Fiction by Young Writers - Volume II
- Priya Mandal
- 1 hour ago
- 7 min read
This is an anthology of eight short fiction stories collated during a nature storytelling session for children on Havelock Island.
Stories have a wonderful way of helping us see the world from a different perspective. They can change the way we think about the place we call home and the many other living beings we share it with. This collection brings together some of the most memorable stories from a nature storytelling session. The young writers were given a simple question to imagine: “What if you woke up tomorrow and had turned into a creature? What would the world look like to you?”
We hope these stories inspire a greater love for nature and a deeper appreciation of the incredible natural heritage of these islands. A special thank you to the parents of these young writers for giving us permission to publish and share these stories. We truly appreciate your trust and support.
SECTION - I: THE SECRET LIFE OF ANTS
Eagle: The Apex Hunter of Birds by Daksh Nikhil
Comic by Sarah A.
The Story of My Bird Life by Sanchita Sana
When I was 8 years old, I used to think that if I could ever fly, I would become a bird and fly freely in the open sky. As I grew up, I slowly realised that a bird's life is often full of sorrow. Hunters cause them a lot of pain. They hunt birds, sometimes to eat them and sometimes just for fun. I also learned from my tuition didi that if the number of birds keeps reducing drastically like this, it will have harmful effects on our environment.
One day, I found myself standing in a different world, in a lush rainforest full of rivers and life. Its sky was filled with thousands and thousands of birds. There were eagles, kingfishers, and many other beautiful birds.
Suddenly, I woke up and realised that it had only been a dream.
The Good Nightmare by Piyush Mandal
Illustrations by Piyush Mandal
One day, I woke up and opened my eyes. I said, “Where am I?” because I was not at my house but in a tree near my school, and I felt so tiny. So I ran towards a leaf with a water drop on it. I said, “What the heck?” because I was not a human anymore, I had turned into a parrot!
I was not scared by anything. I shouted and then started exploring the area. Then I saw a piece of bread on a net, and I said “Oh, they thought I was a fool.” But I knew it was a trap. After exploring, I was super hungry and thought, “Maybe I am overthinking. I should just go take that piece of bread and come back fast.” But when I went to the net, suddenly a cat jumped in front of me and said, “Don’t even think about it. That’s a trap!”
Then the cat gave me some food, and I found a friend in this life. But suddenly, I was woken up by a voice that said, “Come, beta! Wake up!”
Life of a Bird by Binit Kirtoniya
Comics by Sarah A.
One morning, I woke up and dreamt that I had turned into a bird. At first, I was terribly scared because I was in a forest and had turned into a bird. Suddenly, I heard a gunshot. There was a poacher who had come to hunt in the forest. He started shooting at me and the other birds. Somehow, two or three of us escaped together.
I realised the pain that birds endure. Earlier, I didn’t think such activities were wrong. But today, I understood the pain of being a bird. Now that even I was a bird, this thought plagued my mind as I soared through the skies.
Then another bird came and told me, "Come quickly. There is a storm brewing." I went with him to his nest. After some time, the rain started pelting down. Once it passed, we went looking for food. After searching for hours, we couldn't find anything.
As we headed back dejectedly, we spotted a tree with fruits on it, and we started eating the fruits. Then we went to our nest and slept. The next morning, the weather was very pleasant. I saw that my friend was going towards a poacher's net.
As soon as I tried to stop him, I too got trapped in it, and that's when I snapped out of my dream. I was a human again, and I felt extreme sadness. From this, I have learnt that we must never hurt birds.
A Sparrow’s Story by Mandira Mallick
Illustrations by Priya Mandal
I was a sparrow, and I used to live in a big forest. One day, an old tree gave me fruits and a safe place to build my nest.
When I went searching for food for me and my children, I found food, but it was very far away. When I came back, I saw that someone had cut down the tree, and my children were crushed under the rubble. When I finally rescued them, I saw that one of my children was hurt.
I took my children and went looking for another home. We reached the riverside, where I left my children on a nearby tree while I went looking for a safe place to build my new nest. I couldn't find a safe spot, but I kept persevering. Finally, I found a spot on a high mountaintop. But I was exhausted, so I rested for a bit. I ate some fruits, drank some water, and carried some for my children.
Then I journeyed back to my children. When I reached the tree where I had left them, my children had gone missing. There was a snake sleeping under the same tree. I searched for my children desperately but couldn't find them. That's when I realised that the snake had eaten my children. I was shattered, and I cried a lot.
It started raining heavily. I left everything behind and moved far away. I didn't look back, and I never rested again or found myself another home. I just kept flying.
Baarish ka Mazaa (Pakshi hone ka Sazaa)/ The Joy of Rain (The Punishment of Being A Bird) by Megha Basu
Photos by Samuel John
I am a sparrow. One day, I was flying in the open skies, but that day the weather seemed cool. I saw that human women were taking water out of the well. As I proceeded further, I found my friends, and I flew along with them. We couldn't perch anywhere in such rain. As we proceeded further, the rain became torrential, and the fields started getting flooded.
We finally found ourselves a small dry spot and started living there. Birds have to face many challenges during the monsoon. Humans find this joyous, but birds think of it as a punishment. When the rain finally stopped, the leaves of the trees were soaked, and our home had also been destroyed.
SECTION - II: REPTILE FRIENDS
The Tuition Bay Island Lizard by Ranbeer Biswas
Photo by Priya Mandal
I am a Bay Island lizard. One day, I was roaming around, and while doing that, I strayed into somebody's house. I was immediately frightened because I realised I was lost and needed to find my way back home.
All of a sudden, tons of children entered the house, and I scampered to the back of the room. Then I realised that this wasn't a house but a place like a school, with tons of benches and tables, and the kids started settling down in this space. After a while, an older person entered and started teaching the kids. After their class was done, the kids left.
I climbed down and started looking for my way home. But alas, I couldn't find it. So I went back to the last spot where I was perched. Then I fell asleep.
After a while, I heard the kids again, and my sleep was broken. The children entered, and I was frightened once more. The same older person from before entered and started saying something. After a long while, they left. Then I resumed my effort to look for my way back home.
This time, I finally found my way back. But I didn't feel like going because this place had surprisingly started feeling like home. I understood that the older person was a teacher and that all the children were her students. Since then, I too have started learning about the human world, and now I am a well-educated Bay Island lizard.
SECTION - III: ANCIENT TREES
The Forest That Was Saved by Toma Biswas
Illustrations by Priya Mandal
One day, the weather was very pleasant in the forest. Early that morning, everyone and everything was very happy. But after a while, four or five people came into the forest and started mapping the land. All of a sudden, fear enveloped the forest. Everyone started thinking, "What is the purpose of them being here? Why are they mapping the forest?" I, too, was a tree rooted in that land.
Those people had come to cut down the trees. When they were about to cut them, two boys happened to be passing through the forest. They saw that these people were about to bring down the trees, so the boys went up to them and asked, "Why are you cutting down the trees?"
The men replied, "We want to clear out this forest."
One of the boys said, "Is the forest yours?"
The man replied, "No."
The boy replied, "You have no right to cut down the trees. If you still try to, I will call the Forest Department."
The man replied, "Okay! I won't cut the trees."
The boy replied, "Leave the forest immediately."
All of them left the forest together. All the beings in the forest were happy once more because no one was going to cut down the trees. We all whispered about how there are still good humans in the world who care about the natural world. If everyone thought along these lines, we would not be facing the climate crisis that we are currently in
About the author
The stories in this collection were translated and curated by Priya Mandal
Priya is a local girl from Havelock who is both an engineer and an educator. She has been teaching island kids for the past 3 years. She has helped and supported more than 300 children with school and empowered them to realise their dreams and ambitions.
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