2 An Evil Sapling

I was conscious.

But it was different.

I couldn't see or feel anything. There was simply this white light in my eyes and there was no sense of any of my limbs. There was no sound or any other sensation as well.

I stayed like this for who knows how long. Perhaps it was minutes or years or even decades. My sense of time was all jumbled up.

After a long time, there was a change. I could sense.

I could sense that I was grounded. It was different from how I used to stand. This feeling was the feeling of being anchored. I felt a sense of belonging and also loss. It felt like I had lost a certain aspect of my freedom.

A long time passed before there was another change. This one felt like a breath of fresh air. Since I had gained consciousness there had been a pressing feeling of suffocation I had to endure. For the first time in a while I felt like I could breathe. It was different to how I used to breath but it had a similar feeling.

Slowly over time i gained more control and I could feel more as well. My feet were numerous and tiny. They dug into the ground and gave me a sense of stability. I was shackled to the ground but it wasn't so bad because by body was free. It could experience the cool breeze and warm sunlight.

It didn't take long after that for me to figure out what I had become. I was a tiny sapling that had managed to germinate.

I had a few roots and one stem with a single leaf at the end. I did not have the ability to move. The breeze swung me whichever way it wanted. The rain washed and refreshed me. The sun dried and warmed me. It was simple. It was fresh. But after a while, it was painfully boring.

During my lifetime I had made rivers of blood flow, perhaps this was retribution. The fruit of my Karma was particularly unpleasant.

Who am I?

A small plant?

No.

I am death. I am hate. I am the devil.

The body means nothing. It is the soul which is all powerful.

I refused to resign myself to this fate. I tried everything I could to move, exerted every bit of strength I could but to no avail. It was all futile.

Time slowly passed.

Suddenly I sensed a bit of commotion. Sound travelled in waves, so although I couldn't hear anything I could sense it. Air currents shifted swiftly and I could feel the presence of two huge figure moving quickly. Then there was a loud collision and something came flying towards me.

Before I knew, it was lodged into the lower part of my stem and nearly tore me into two pieces. The pain was unbearable but I had no way to cry out.

Then there was a shock wave as if something large had fallen on the ground. And after that everything became silent.