The whole
village knew the Tapang tree. It had been there standing and overlooking the
village for a long time. It was the symbol and pride of the villagers. Nobody would literally know the existence of
their village without the tree. The Tapang Tree was synonymous with the
village.
It was a tall gigantic majestic tree
with a large canopy at the top. It was towering all the other trees and
standing straight as if it was trying to scrap the sky. The roots were massive. They had remained unchanged for years. Nature
had its hand on sculpturing a shelter out of the gigantic trunk. The shelter
was so spacious that it could accommodate a 3-ton lorry. It had thus become a
well-known shelter and a rest spot for
hunters and villagers alike. Once inside you could see nature’s creation at its
best. It was practically hollow as you looked upwards. It was pitch-dark.
Beling was alone. He had armed
himself with a long bamboo pole. A sharp long blade was fastened to one end of
the pole. He carried the pole inside the shelter. He was careful not to make
the slightest noise as he placed the long pole against the hollow trunk. He
looked upwards like the eyes of the most fearsome eagle. No matter how hard he
trained his eyes on his favourite prey, he could hardly find any. Not even a squeak.
He became emotional. He was quick to point his finger at Gamar and his gang.
They must have come earlier than him to look for the fruit bats. It had been
going on like that for the past few weeks. Beling had been catching nothing
even though it was the fruit season now. Fruit bats should be aplenty and
enough for everybody but not any more since Gamar also joined in the hunt.
Beling clenched his teeth and fist.
He had lost his cool despite his patience and humility. He had literally lost
his head as well. It was the final straw. He would not bother to come again for
the bats. He had decided to burn down the tree. He would not let anybody come
to hunt for the fruit bats again.
Selfishness overwhelmed him.
He had started the fire without
thinking of the consequences and since the weather was dry, the fire spread
easily. The fire was getting bigger. By the time, he departed, the Tapang Tree
was burning red hot. The whole tree was burning and cracking. The heat could be
felt even from a great distance away. It had been burning continuously for two
days. The smoke was unbearable. It descended on the whole village. It also came
with the black soot. The headman and his ‘anak buah’ could only watch
helplessly and there was nothing they could do to put out the fire. As darkness fell, it was a spectacular sight.
It had brightened up the whole area like a giant candle.
In the end, the Tapang Tree
collapsed. Once it hit the forest floor. It shook the whole village like an
earthquake. Men, women and children screamed and hugged each other as if the
world was going to end. Gone was the Tapang Tree. Gone was the only signpost to
the village.
Somehow word spread around that it was Beling who burnt down
the tree. Maybe he had sensed trouble and left the village without leaving a
word. Ironically, his name had lived and
it was on every villager’s lips. It had spread far and wide.