How to Save Papaya Tree?

Isabelle decided to plant a kitchen garden. "I'm going organic," she announced to her parents one morning.

"No packaging cost, no transportation cost, no storage and certainly no chemicals!" Isabelle chirped. "Our teacher told us that eating fruits and vegetable from one's own backyard or terrace is the healthiest option."

While Isabelle's Dad had dismissed this as one of her latest whims, Mom decided to help her.

Together, they decided to grow papayas.

Isabelle's and Mom bought a papaya from the market. On mom's advice, Isabelle cut the fruit in half, scooped out the seeds and dried them on a newspaper. Later, she scattered them in the soil.

"Now so close to one another, Isabelle. 

Papaya saplings can grow really big," said mom.

Isabelle's mind began to race. She was reminded of one of her favorite fairytales-Jack and Beanstalk. She imagined that the papaya seeds were magical, and they would grow into giant plants overnight.

I'll have so much fun! I'll be able to touch the clouds and meet a giant who will chase me down the plant," Isabelle thought dreamily.

The next morning, Isabelle rushed to the garden, hoping to find giant papayas fighting for space. But all she found were little mounds of earth.

"Oh well," Isabelle sighed. "So much for magic." She decided to wait patiently and allow her plants to grow at their own pace.

Slowly, the saplings started peeping out of the earth. Isabelle was delighted. But there was still a long way to go before those plants would bear fruits.

Isabelle would often pester her mother. "mom, what if we used some magic potion to make the plants grow?" she asked.

"Well, we do get magic portion in the market. It's called fertilizers. But we don't want to add fertilizers because they contain chemicals.

You do remember what your teacher said about growing food without fertilizers or pesticides? 

It won't be natural and organic otherwise," mom reminded her.

"But the teacher said we can use manure. Please mom, can we add some manure? I can't wait for my plants to grow," Isabelle insisted.

"Alright, alright. We'll add manure," mom sighed. But the wondered, "How will the garden smell after the magic portin' is added? Can we bear the stink?"

"Anyway," mom thought. "It's a small price to pay to see Isabell busy."

Isabelle has been lonely ever since they had moved into a new house on the outskirts of the city. She didn't have any friends here and missed the hustle-bustle of her old life. Mom had agreed to the idea of the garden because she thought that it would keep Isabelle occupied.

Every day Isabelle rushed to the garden after school to check in on her plants. Her enthusiasm was infectious. She managed to convince her dad to buy her a book on gardening.

"Oh look, mom! The papaya saplings are growing. Look at the leaves," Isabelle beamed as she pulled out some weeds.

Soon there would be sweet papayas on the table.

One day when Isabelle came back from school, Isabelle saw her mom looking upset.

"What happened, mom? asked Isabelle.

"It was the monkey," said mom. "I was taking a nap, so I didn't notice when they came and went. they pulled out all the sapling.

Everything is ruined. I'm sorry, Isabelle.

A troop of monkeys lived nearby and sometimes they wondered into houses and created havoc everywhere they went opening taps, pulling clotheslines, stealing fruits and damaging plants.

Before her gardening days, Isabelle looked forward to the monkey visits. She liked to see the cute babies hanging from their mother's stomachs. But on that day she was saddened.

"Oh, never mind, mom. It was too much work anyway," Isabelle said. She dashed off to her room and cried until her eyes hurt.

All week, Isabelle went to school with a long face.

Mom tried to console her. "Why don't you forget about this garden business? Sara's daughter, Rebecca has joined a Hollywood dance class. Would you like to join too?

You love dancing, don't you?" But Isabelle was not interested.

Then one day suddenly, Isabelle spotted a broad-leaved sapling in the garden. She then remembered what she had read in her book. "Scatterer a lot of papayas sees. Soon you will have a lot of saplings.

Some will be weaker than others, some stronger. Not all of them will make it as trees. But some will. It is the law of nature."

Sure enough, one sapling had grown into a tree. The plant grew and grew. Isabelle waited for it to grow- she had learned to be patient.

Ten months after she had planted eth seeds, Isabelle smiled as she looked at one beautiful orange green papaya being at the though the leaves.

"Whoopee! Finally!" Isabelle exclaimed, clapping her hands in delight and doing a little jig.

For many, the papaya may be a lowly local fruit, especially in comparison to the king of fruits, the mango, but for Isabelle, it was special.

THE END