The Lifeguard's Telepathic Tree

The Lifeguard's Telepathic Tree

It was the 4^th of July when I decided to travel for a short relaxation trip, never knowing that this would become one of those trips that would have a deep impact on me. I had been working tirelessly for the past month that it was time that I had taken a break from work so as to spend some quiet time by myself. And so taking an off from the hectic schedule, I decided to go for a short trip to Kochi. I rented a house owned by my friend to spend the weekend all by myself. The house was beautiful and it had wonderful scenery of the seashore which enhanced its beauty. There I encountered him! I planned for an outing at the beach so that I could bask in the sunshine and enjoy the beauty of the blue waves crush on the golden-brown sand of the seashore.

Who knew that I was destined to meet the man who would have a deep impact on my life. He was a life-guard at the beach and so naturally he would spend his time watching out for dangers at sea. He wasn’t a huge hunk but rather a lean young man with black hair that had a tuff of blonde colored in front. His bright blue eyes reflected the ocean waves on a bright summer morning. It also did bring a natural charm to him.

I hadn’t met him in those filmy settings where all the girls run behind the muscular lifeguards. Rather, my meeting seemed kind of unique. I had gone to surf amidst the big waves when suddenly I lost my balance and fell in it. Under normal circumstances, a surfer should know how to swim. But, I was no ordinary surfer; I was an extraordinary one who knew absolutely nothing about swimming. So, as I fell into the water, I began to sink into its depths. I tried kicking my legs to propel myself towards the surface but I managed to succeed only once. After that I began to feel my body giving way and my head going blank.

The next thing I remember was that I was lying on the sofa at the lifeguards’ lounge wrapped in a soft blanket. He came forward and offered me hot cocoa, more as a sign of courtesy.

“Good, you are finally up! It was a real challenge to get to you as the waves were quite rough. You would have lost your life if I hadn’t come on time.”

“Thank you so much. I had just gone to try out surfing. I did not consider what would happen if I fell into the water.”

“Now you know that you need to know swimming whenever you go for any activity in the water. Excuse my absent-mindedness! I forgot to introduce myself. I am Jai Kupur.”

“So good to meet you Jai. I am Anu. By the way, what type of surname is Kupur.”

“”Oh! So good you asked. You see, I am not your regular city boy. My family has its roots in an ancient tribal clan in Pallikkad. We have our roots there. In fact, we still use some of the techniques that our ancestors used to get along.”

I felt quite at home in his presence and I wished to stay much longer. But, we could speak only for some time. As I got up to leave, he walked me to the door and asked if I was free that night. I had come for a relax trip so for me every hour was free. Nevertheless, I agreed to meet him there itself at the stroke of eight.

That night he took me to a beautiful restaurant that gave a diner a tree-house feeling. We enjoyed each other’s company and I noticed the admiration in his eyes. To be honest I also looked back into his eyes and got lost into his bright blue eyes. The dinner did not last very long though for us it did feel a bit long. We then took a stroll along the seashore. As we walked the moonlight made his face seem more radiant. The starry sky made the walk more beautiful. To me it was truly a magical night. As he walked me home, he spoke of the exotic birds that he had seen when he received the chance to travel to various places around the world. Being an environmental enthusiast myself, I really enjoyed the company of one who had such vast knowledge of nature.

As I reached home he tried to fix a date for another meeting. I wanted to spend some more days with him but I was due to leave the next day. So, I decided to give my phone number. However, he was quite a simpleton. He did not believe in possessing communication devices as his family’s ancient tradition had another means of communication. He said that they would hold on to a tree, picture the receiver’s face in their mind and then say the message out loud. According to him, this method of communication had worked for centuries. But, the cautionary note was that the ‘telepathic tree’ had to be a coconut tree. I agreed to contact him that way as he too would do the same.

When I reached home, I tried this technique of telepathic communication. It had worked quite well and we would spend hours talking to each other telepathically. We did decide to meet again during the holiday season in December. I had even planned to extend my stay for a few more days than the previous trip so that I could spend some more time with him. However, when I travelled back to that place I didn’t find him. The surprising fact was that no one in the vicinity seemed to know who he was. He may have gone off for a long trip and may have not found any coconut tree so that he could receive the message. I hope that he returns soon enough or at least finds a coconut tree where he can receive my messages. The surprising fact is that this beach does not have any coconut tree.