Matthew, The Tree

Bonnie Seach

Word count 1928

The aircraft spluttered, lost altitude and plunged into a tree. The pilot died instantly. His wife was able to carry their young child to a safe crevice in the rock laden hillside. She tenderly comforted him as best she could. She was injured and had lost blood. 

Water! She had to find water. Leaving the boy sleeping in a tiny cave she salvaged two water bottles from the wreck and hobbled toward mist in the distance.

Was that the sound of water nearby, flowing rapidly? She pushed her way through the jungle and came to the edge of the rocky hill that had sheltered her and young Tom. She gasped at the sight of a river about 30 feet below. To get down there was the challenge. Necessity egged her on. The pain in her body hindered her progress somewhat, however, she made it back to the cave and flopped down beside her son. They drank the water and felt refreshed. There were meagre provisions on the plane. 

Jane dug a hole in the soft soil next to the tree and managed to bury her husband’s body there. She said a simple prayer. Her boy’s Dad had been laid to rest in peace. She remembered the treehouse her father had built for her when she was a teenager. 

“Mommy’s going to build us a house in this beautiful big tree”. Tom was nonplussed. He was hungry and just wanted to sleep. He cried a lot and asked where Daddy was. He courageously made an effort to help his Mother.

With tools found in the plane, Jane gathered branches, bushes and palm fronds. She beat the fronds into stringy rope-like lengths for tying branches together. She used palm fronds for a thatch roof and made a platform. Added to this was a ladder made with branches and frond ropes. Their jungle home was ready in just three days of hard work. Blankets, toiletries, towels and other conveniences from the plane furnished their simple shelter with a measure of comfort. They felt secure from prowlers on ground level. Jane found a small firearm and ammunition. There was a flare gun for signaling. She stored these items safely in the undamaged part of the plane.

Curiosity got the better of some animals and they started to gather around the tree. Monkeys swung to and fro on their own versions of rope acts from the trees. A couple of chimpanzees sat on the ground next to the tree and picnicked on bananas while enjoying the live show. Jane realized that if she cautiously followed these animals they would lead her to food supplies. They did. The animals were playful, inquisitive and friendly. She and Tom were safe enough she decided. 

Well fed on bananas, two coconuts and fresh water, Jane and Tom felt energized and a little more positive about their circumstances. Tom laughed at the antics of the monkeys. The days wore on. The plane's radio wasn’t working and there was no other way that Jane could think of to contact anyone. 

In the luggage on board the wrecked plane were books, a Bible and emergency medication. Jane and Tom had extra clothing, hats and shoes. They were highly amused when they caught a few monkeys trying on their hats.

Each day other animals joined the group around the tree. It had become a daily jungle function and invitees were arriving from various places. Parrots sat on the tree branches and squawked with delight at the chance for some gossip. One morning a young elephant ventured into the clearing. It was followed by an anxious matriarch trumpeting warnings and instructions to the herd nearby. 

Warthogs arrived and snuffled in the sand. They didn’t stay long . No doubt what they were looking for was out of stock that day. They returned periodically to socialize with the increasing throng of visitors. 

Tom was growing stronger and proving to be compatible with life in the jungle. He had made friends with one of the chimps. He called it Chi-Chi. They were practically inseparable. They even used a type of sign language to talk with each other. Tom helped his Mom to reinforce and improve their tree house. Chi-Chi helped too. The chimp and his friends often brought bananas and coconuts to the tree house. Jane thought about starting a market where everyone could contribute and barter for their food. 

One year followed after another. Tom became an excellent swimmer, rope climber and navigator as well as an animal expert. He and the young elephant were growing up together. More animals joined the group at the Tree. Jane named it “Matthew” as a tribute to her husband. Tom was very much in favour of commemorating his beloved father. 

Tom was deep in thought. "Mom, what would we have done if this huge tree had not been here for us? Where would you have buried Dad?"

Jane did not reply. Her eyes swelled up with tears. That night before they went to sleep, Jane read aloud the Bible book of Matthew chapter 5 verses 3,4,5. They read: “Happy are those conscious of their spiritual need, since the Kingdom of the heavens belongs to them. Happy are those who mourn, since they will be comforted. Happy are the mild tempered, since they will inherit the earth…” 

Tom acquiesced. He understood. Mom had been teaching him about God. She taught him to read and write. He taught her about nature and the forest and the animals that had become interwoven with their lives. He learned so much about the importance of the Tree that stood tall in the clearing and protected them and their animal friends under its wide and spreading canopy. He understood that God made the trees and the animals and the people. It was good that they lived together, shared together and loved together. God watched over them.

Tom settled back on his grass bed, warm and cozy under the fading blanket. How well the Tree took care of them all, he marveled. Mom and he were safe and sound with a roof over their heads and a magnificent umbrella -- the canopy -- protecting them from harsh weather. The glaring sun was shaded, the rain was softened, the wind was slowed down. The animals resting beneath them on the ground seemed contented too. They were drawn to these two tall, erect animals who showed them affection and kindness, and made them feel secure. He thanked the Father and Maker of these good things and sank into a peaceful slumber.

At dawn about three months later Jane heard voices in the undergrowth below. She woke Tom, signaling him to remain calm and quiet. Whatever prompted her to remove the revolver, bullets and the flare gun from the plane wreckage to a hiding place in the tree trunk level with her bed, was indeed a blessing. She loaded the gun...

Jane and Tom quietly descended to the ground. The animals already foraging there started to greet them noisily with their grunts, barks and squawks. Tom beckoned to them to be quiet. They sensed the danger and scattered to hiding places in the vicinity. 

Crouching behind the massive tree trunk Jane and Tom watched across the clearing. The voices grew louder. Two men dressed in khaki uniforms appeared. They stared up at the tree shelter. 

”Hello! Hello! Anyone there? Please show yourself. We are police officers,” The man held up some sort of identification . 

Jane and Tom approached them. Jane warily pointing the revolver, stopped a safe distance away and asked them to explain their presence.  

The two officers introduced themselves. “We were informed by a surveillance aircraft that there were people living in this area. We heard sometime ago that a plane had gone missing around here. Rescuers gave up the search when they found no evidence of wreckage or survivors. We have come to investigate. Please identify yourselves.”

Jane and Tom told their amazing story. They pointed out that the huge tree kept them well hidden. The wreckage of the plane was hidden too by the twisted trunk and spreading branches of the tree. The canopy shielded them from the sky. Mother and son had been in the jungle for 6 years. Tom had grown to a strapping 13 year old! Their feelings were mixed. They had grown accustomed to their way of life among the animals and the Tree. Jane felt that Matthew was with them and they were together as a family in their green tree home. On the other hand Jane knew that it was necessary for them to return to their suburban house far away in the city. She had no idea what to expect. Matthew’s family would surely have taken care of his affairs by now. She and Tom were probably assumed dead. It was going to be a challenge returning to civilization and their former way of life.

Tom put a protective arm around his mother. She had burst into sobs…perhaps of relief for having been found at last; perhaps at the sadness of parting from their friends, the “little people” of the jungle; perhaps at the significance of the big Tree. 

The two officers arranged for Matthew’s body to be flown home for a proper burial. The paperwork was finalized and flights arranged for mother and son to follow. It took only two weeks and then it was time to say goodbye. The “little people” knew that something was amiss. There was a cloud of gloom overhead. Tears, sniffles, promises and expressions of affection and appreciation were muttered forlornly through it all.

Chi-Chi had tears dribbling down his dear face. The elephants looked down at the ground and swung their trunks from side to side. There was a commotion in a nearby bush and six warthogs appeared in the clearing. They weren’t rummaging. They rammed their human friends gently with their tusks and snorted and barked. Two mountain lions stood on the highest rock on the hill and watched, motionless. 

The two officers filled with dismay, stood to one side of the big tree. They were witnessing something they would tell their grandchildren and their great grandchildren. The lore of the Jungle was, after all, not much different from the lives of human families. There was a feeling of kin, and in this case it had crossed the barriers, the boundaries, and the fences separating man from beast. 

Jane sniffed and dried her tears. She opened her Bible to the book of Hosea chapter 2:18 which read: “ In that day I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals of the field, and with the birds of the heavens and the creeping things of the ground; I will rid the land of the bow and the sword and war, and I will make them lie down in security.”

The motor of the truck was idling and the two officers helped carry the belongings and keepsakes from the tree house to the vehicle. Tom and Jane watched through the rear window and waved goodbye. None of the animals chased after the truck. They accepted their circumstances, and as always made the best of what they had. 

Tom shouted: “ Chi-Chi, don’t forget me. I will be back!”

Twenty years later Tom and the film crew from a top Hollywood studio returned to the big Tree to make one of the early talking motion pictures of Edgar Rice Burroughs' legendary story about Tarzan. Chi-Chi the Chimpanzee, old and wizened arrived to investigate and he and Tom were reunited. Tom had kept his promise. He was back.