Kaali and the Piranha Tree
Kaali and the Piranha Tree is a fictional short story by Steven Andrew Haas. The story reads as a parable, folktale, and fairy tale. The book is available in Amazon Kindle and Paperback format and was published on September 28, 2018.[1] The paperback version is 38 pages.
Plot and Story[edit]
The story takes place in the Amazon Rain Forest. The main character, Kaali, is a young native Indian warrior. Kaali arrives to his favorite fishing hole by way of canoe. For years Kaali comes to the same spot on a monthly basis to fish. Shortly after his arrival he encounters a tree bearing live Piranhas. Puzzled by the tree, Kaali asks the tree, "Are you the Tree of Life"? His question is met with silence.
Filled with curiosity and confusion, Kaali decides to relax and observe the tree's behavior before partaking in any kind of fishing. The first incident Kaali observes is the Piranha Tree devouring a group of butterflies. Somewhat frightened, Kaali asks the tree, "Are you the Tree of Death"? Again, the tree neglects to answer.
Moments later the Piranha Tree eats a viper, scaling it down to the bone. Impressed by the Piranha Tree's aggressive nature, Kaali is now suspicious of the tree's intentions. After a brief nap, Kaali wakes up to the screech of a Scarlet Macaw. Once again the Piranha Tree rapidly devours the Macaw.
Kaali is now convinced the Piranha Tree is certainly dangerous and he keeps himself a safe distance from the tree. Kaali decides to free dive into the fishing hole. After a deep dive he emerges to the surface with a large Blue Lobster. Under the watchful eyes of the Piranha Tree, Kaali notices thousands of eggs clinging onto the tail of the Lobster, which indicates to Kaali that the lobster is pregnant. Kaali decides to return the lobster into the fishing hole.
Upon watching this, the Piranha Tree is perplexed and decides to speak. The Piranha Tree asks Kaali as to why he released the lobster back into the river. Kaali tries to explain to the tree that by letting the pregnant lobster live, there will be a greater cache of lobsters in the future. Had he eaten the lobster, he could potentially disrupt the future food supply. The Piranha Tree scoffs at his logic and labels him a fool for passing up an easy meal.
Kaali endeavors to explain his action by using a squirrel as an example. He points out that in times of plenty, squirrels will collect nuts and hide them for the future. The Piranha tree cannot see the logic in Kaali's example.
Just before dusk, Kaali enters his canoe. While on his way home, a flock of Green Parrots fly beside his canoe. Kaali is amused at their playfulness and feeds them the extra worms that were intended to be his fishing bait. While feeding the parrots, Kaali warns them about the Piranha Tree. Kaali then advises the birds to also warn all the creatures of the rain forest to stay clear of the tree.
The parrots fly off and send out a warning to all the crepuscular animals in the forest. The crepuscular creatures transfer the warning to all the animals that are active during the day. Soon, the entire forest knows of the Piranha Tree's fierce reputation as a killing machine.
A month goes by and Kaali returns to the same fishing hole. As a result of Kaali's warning, the tree has not eaten in a month and at is starving to death. Kaali is in shock upon viewing the shabby condition of the Piranha Tree.
Kaali feels hungry and he bends the base of an avocado tree making it easy for him to grab the fruit. The Piranha tree observes this, which inspires an idea.
The Piranha Tree asks Kaali if he would be kind enough to bend the tree into the river, which in essence would put the piranhas back into the water and save their lives. Kaali is uneasy to help the tree because of its aggressive nature. The tree convinces Kaali that it will bring no harm to the young Indian—stating that it would be suicidal for them to eat their only chance of survival.
Kaali trusts the Piranha Tree and agrees to bend the tree into the river. Once the tree picks up the scent of Kaali's flesh, it cannot help but to devour the Indian, despite the fatal consequences.
Another month goes by and the Piranha Tree is once again starving. A new human appears, a stranger with what the Piranha Tree perceives as on odd appearance. His skin is pale, his clothes plain. Unlike Kaali who had arrived in a customary canoe, the Stranger arrives in a large, loud, speedboat.
A new character appears in the canopy, the Lone Spider Monkey. The Lone Spider Monkey watches the interaction between The Stranger and the Piranha Tree.
The Piranha Tree eventually asks the Stranger to bend the tree into the River to help them survive. The Stranger is suspicious that the tree might kill and eat him. The tree assures the Stranger that they will not eat him because the consequences would be suicidal. The Stranger agrees to help.
The Stranger grabs the base of the tree, surprisingly the Piranhas resist their urges to eat him. The stranger uproots the tree and throws it into the river.
The piranhas are still attached to the tree; however, they are in the river, their natural element. The piranhas go into a frenzy eating everything in site. After consuming minnows, catfish, and bass, they search for their favorite food; lobster. They find a pregnant lobster and despite what Kaali had taught them about the preservation of food, the Piranhas feast upon the lobster and its eggs.
Night emerges and the Piranha Tree's strength is restored. The tree is exhausted and sluggish from the multiple meals and fall into a slumber at the bottom of the river.
Dawn arrives and the Piranha Tree awakens with the sun beating down on their bodies. For reasons unknown to them are no longer under water. All the water has mysteriously disappeared. Confused and angered by their situation, they search for answers. Upstream they see the Stranger standing on top of a large concrete wall.
When the Lone Spider Monkey awakens, the first thing he notices is an eerie silence. The sound of flowing water is absent. He sees the Stranger standing proudly on top the dam, which is a familiar sight to the monkey. It is revealed that the Stranger had built many of these walls in the rain forest with the construction of these walls death follows in the rain forest. His family had died as a result of these walls built by the Stranger.
The Monkey decides to search for a new home. As he jumps along the limbs of the trees, the Piranha Tree pleads to the monkey for help. They promise the monkey no harm, but the monkey rejects their requests. Searching for the sound of water the monkey leaves in search of a new home.
Characters[edit]
Kaali - Kalli is the main character of the story. He is a young American Indian warrior from an unnamed tribe of the Amazon Rainforest. Kaali uses a canoe to navigate the Amazon River. Kaali is a simple man with a strong moral compass and a compassionate nature; he respects his natural environment. Although he lives off of nature, he is aware to preserve the balance of the ecosystem. Kaali represents the voice, tradition, and customs of ancient man.
The Piranha Tree - A fictional creature that is a tree that bears live fire bellied piranhas on its branches. The Tree has one collective voice that is perceived to be slow and eerie in tone. The tree is a one-of-a-kind creature that lives on the bank of the Amazon River and has a ferocious nature to eat practically anything that comes within its reach. The Piranha Tree represents self preservation and the indifference of nature.
The Lone Spider Monkey - The Lone Spider Monkey is a nomadic primate that lives in the canopy of the rain forest. He has lost his family due to deforestation and is on the constant move because of the continual destruction of the rain forest. The Lone Spider monkey represents wisdom and the conscience of the rain forest.
The Stranger - The Stranger is modern man. In contrast to Kaali, his human features and dress are foreign to the indigenous creatures of the Amazon. He represents foreign interest and deforestation.
Themes[edit]
The story touches upon various literary, social, environmental, and political themes such as deforestation, Darwinism, Neocolonialism.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Kaali and the Piranha Tree". Amazon. Amazon. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
Kaali and the Piranha Tree[edit]
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