Missing...

I guess the pollution level of this city has gone up to the maximum level which is tolerable to human beings. It was so suffocating that it was difficult for me to drive back home from my work. But is it the pollution only? Are the trees (few which are still living in this city) giving us oxygen? It felt like they are on strike today; ‘no oxygen for today’!

Every evening when I come home, on my way back I see a guy sitting on a wall with his girlfriend beside her. His macho bike keeps staring at them. They are very young, at heart and at looks. Today I found the guy is alone and his bike staring at him in such a way, as if it’s mocking at him! The young girl is missing. I stopped by and asked him, ‘hey you…can you breathe properly? Aren’t you suffering from short of fresh air at your lungs?’
‘Yes dude, something must have gone wrong with the nature…the trees are on strike today, don’t you know?’
Yeah…surely I know it. All I wanted to know are they on strike only for me, or for the entire city or the entire world? I felt little better, it’s not only me alone who’s suffering from this today; there are some other souls on earth who are feeling the same.

As soon I keyed in the ignition of my car, I remembered about the roadside old gardener who sells small plants for home décor near to my home. I thought he must be wise enough to answer the question as it’s related to his core domain of business. I stopped by his shop and found it’s amazing! There are hundreds of people who are in queue to buy a plant for their home. I’ve never seen this kind of rush at his shop and he’s struggling to keep everyone happy with his limited stock.
I waited there until he finishes with his customers. But much before the turn of the last person of the queue, his stock of plants ended up. Due to sheer pressure of the customers, he even ended up giving away some pre-matured plants. And slowly, the crowd started moving, and in next few minutes I found his shop was empty. The old owner was busy counting his money with glittering eyes; he must have made substantial profit today.
By the time he ended up counting, he started breathing vigorously. I slowly approached him and asked, ‘why do you think these many people came to buy plants all together? What’s so special today?’
He tried to inhale few more puff of oxygen and then said, ‘not sure my boy, what has actually happened. I’m experiencing this for the first time in last thirty years of business. From this afternoon onwards, started coming few people, few couples and asked for plants. They complained they are suffering from short of air at their cozy homes. I thought they must be crazy, you can find lots of craziness among these affluent people.
So I started selling plants in premium rates and surprisingly none of them bargained. I thought of keeping the pre-matured plants with me, but couldn’t resist my desire to get richer quickly. I sold all of them, and now I can’t breathe. I’m suffering from the deepest point of my lungs, there’s no air remaining. Why did I sell all my plants?’
The old gardener kept on yelling until next morning.