Suraya the Hero

 Written by: Muhammad Asif Omar

Soraya was a six-year-old girl. Her father had died and she was living with her mother and 3-year-old brother, Gulab in a green village.

They had a house and a piece of land by the river and provided for their house from the land. One day, heavy rain caused floods and damaged the walls of the house and the land. Soraya's mother cried and told Soraya that if the flood comes again and destroy their land and house, they might face many problems.

Suraya asked her mother how her grandfather prevented the flood from their house and land.

The mother replied that there was no flood in those days. Soraya asked about the cause. His mother replied that she did not know the cause.

Suraya intended to find the cause of coming flood.

Next day, Suraya shared the issue with an old man of the village. The old man said that in the old days, the mountain was full of trees and the trees were absorbing the rainfall water and preventing flood.

The old mad added that villagers cut the trees of the mountain for firewood and other purposes and finally the mountain was empty of trees and now if it rains on the mountain, the water accumulates and makes flood.

Suraya suggested the old man to want the villager to plant trees in the mountain again. The old man replied that it’s not possible.

Suraya pulled out some saplings from streamside and planted in the mountain. Her friend, Zahra believed that Suraya work would not have a good result but she helped her in this issue and they planted about 10 sapling and watered them from the mountain spring.

The next day, when Suraya wanted to water the sapling again, she found that all saplings were pulled out. Suraya thought that the village boys had pulled out the saplings but that the boys said that they are not involved in this issue.

Suraya and her friends planted more saplings the they hid behind a big stone.

They saw that a villager, Mirgul came; brought out the sapling from the mountain and broke them.

Suraya asked him that why he broke the saplings. Mirgul replied that the mountain belongs to 3 villages and no one has the right to occupy a piece of it. Suraya said that they want to plan sapling in it not occupying it but Mirgul did not accept and said that planting saplings means occupying the land and he wanted the girls to go back homes.

Suraya remembered her mother saying that Mirgul takes benefit from blood because the blood destroys their land and his land expands.