Erin and Oring

           Once there was a dying Narra tree, so it said to its parts, “I am a royal tree of the forest, but I’m about to die and rumble to many pieces. My death will give you freedom and let you exist on your own.

“Many years will pass and a lot of things will happen to you. You will breakdown; you will decay. But time will come when the earth will collapse below you, and you will be swallowed by the earth into its bowel.

“This will not be your end though it will feel like being in hell. My only advice to you: go into the deep. Whatever it takes, my dear, go into the deep! Remember your royal lineage, it will give you strength in your trials.”

At this, the Narra tree took his last breath and expired.

Years passed, and all things predicted by the tree happened. They experienced cold, flood and fire. Then what was left, were two large part of the tree trunk, Erin and Oring.

Then one day, a horrible earthquake happened. The earth gave way to great abyss and swallowed the tree trunks.  They fell for a long time. At last, they reached a very hot, muddy bottom.

What was left in them was then scorched and they disintegrated.

Then Erin remembered the word of the tree that they must forced their selves to go down. So she convinced the Oring that they would do so.

They started forcing their way, but as they went deeper, the mud went hotter and the faster was their disintegration.

Oring thought it was insane to go deeper. So after sometimes, she stopped and worked herself upward and sideward, until it found a cool place.

On the other hand, Erin went deeper until the temperature was almost beyond bearing. Then she lost consciousness and remained insensible for a long time.

Then another earthquake occurred and the earth regurgitated a lot of materials to the surface.

The noise stirred the unconscious Erin. Then she discovered that she disintegrated so much that she is barely a fistful in size. But she noticed something wonderful about herself. She was now crystalline and hard. She was confused but has no way of finding explanation.

Then she looked around and saw besides her a dark object. For a long time they talked, and eventually found out that they are the same parts of the tree that fell down. By some lucky chance, they end up near each other at the surface.

In the end, Oring envied Erin who became a brilliant diamond while she ended up being a dark and ugly coal.

~ o ~ o ~ o ~ o ~

Marjonnel