The Mango Tree

You'll never know the story behind a face.

It has been years since that incident, but its encharment ressurcts and forces me to smile everytime I think about it.
Mr.Reddy, the most infamous man in our colony, was known for his harsh words. Even a blooming flower would shrivel when he passed. He was an old man nearly aged, 65 -70 , a mixture of anger , scolds and rage.I'm still unaware what made my fate to be against me, Mr. Reddy, turned out to be my neighbour. Being a neighbour of his I got enlightened by some untold tales of his
.One thing is clear that the only thing beloved of his was his mango tree, and nobody knew why. Nobody dared to touch it. Undoubtedly, the mango tree bloomed magnificiently, for it was grown with eternal love . One morning he came banging on my door, shouting "Have you seen anybody stealing my mangoes? " I barely could believe my ears, the tree no one touched, now somebody brave was stealing? " No sir, I saw nobody. " I replied in a shiver. My reply was quite unsatisfactory to him, but still he turned saying thank you with an irritated sigh. I still remember the next day's afternoon of that cloudy Sunday, because of which I made my mind to sit in the garden. I suddenly heard a strange rustle from Mr. Reddy's house. I saw a nearly 10-year old boy climbing the mango tree . His eyes were glittering with the reflection of mischief of his childhood. His engrossment in stealing mangoes looked very melodious. But that very moment, I heard Mr. Reddy shouting " I found you, boy ! " In a hurry , that boy's mangoes fell on the ground, but still he failed to run out of the house. Mr. Reddy came running out of his house , but then he paused , instead of planting a slap on the boy's face, he picked up all the mangoes and gave it to him. I couldn't decipher what was happening that instant. My eyes automatically widened, I couldn't understand why on earth Mr.Reddy gave the mangoes? But when looked straight into Mr. Reddy's eyes, he wasn't staring the boy. He was staring a younger one I assumed the boy's brother peeping through as if eagerly waiting for the mangoes.I could vividly see the love for the fruit in his eyes. Mr. Reddy handed over the mangoes, patted him and waved him goodbye. But when he went inside I followed him through the window. He took out a photo frame out of his wooden cupboard and hugged it. I saw the black and white photo was of two little boys eating mangoes.

Reviews

[Vic]

Thank you for participating in my contest about something very old. Here is the promised review. Hopefully you can find something useful to help you with your future writing projects.

One thing I’d like to start off with is your formatting. It is easier to read and follow when the text is broken up into manageable paragraphs separated by a space.

“I'm still unaware what made my fate to be against me, Mr. Reddy, turned out to be my neighbour. Being a neighbour of his I got enlightened by some untold tales of his”. This sentence is a little odd. Perhaps try something like “I don’t know what I did to deserve Mr. Reddy as a neighbor, but living next to him gave me the privilege of learning a little more about his untold past.”

When you are explaining that Mr. Reddy loved the mango tree, you could share a couple scenes to show us how. Maybe he watered it every day, maybe he pruned it with careful attention, or selected each mango with special care. Yelled at pedestrians who walked too close or scoffed at the inferior mangos bought and sold at the market. Something like that.

You could also spend a little more time describing the appearance of the boy thief. Was he clean or dirty? Did he need the mango for food or was he just a boy getting into mischief with his brother to pass the time? What was he wearing?

“My eyes automatically widened, I couldn't understand why on earth Mr. Reddy gave the mangoes?” – You can cut ‘automatically’ and this sentence can end with a period instead of a question mark.

The ending was quite satisfying. It humanized Mr. Reddy and gave context as to why he would do something so seemingly out of character such as giving his prized mangos to a couple of kids.

This snapshot story was a nice read. Keep writing!

[Vasilees Sybissyl]

This one is a masterpiece, Soumya. I'm in love with your writing

[Shasha]

Fabulous story what about writing another story like this. See that no one steal this story. LOL. Keep it up.