Autobiography of My Chair

The night before they arrived, I was cozily wrapped in the deep green leaves, hugged, and surrounded by my other family. The dense forest we made together would often scare most men, keep them off, and keep us safe.

In my growing years, I had seen the members of my family and friends leave the forest one by one. I was curious to know where did they go? Are they in a better place? Slowly the density of our forest was decreasing. And with that, the courage of these men was growing.

Before we could grieve for one, the other was cut and chopped off. Our tears dried over time. Even the land holding our roots was loosening, perhaps from our dampened spirits. But none of us gave up the fight. We kept growing even in the worse conditions and held each other’s branches more tightly.

Like most nights, I slept safely that night. It had been a few months, and the trucks were nowhere to be seen. They may have found a better forest, we thought.

I woke up with the sun, gave myself a shake, and generated a fresh morning breeze. The birds had started playing around, and their chirpiness was getting louder and louder as if they had a message for everyone. And within moments, a loud grilling noise disturbed our morning scene. It was a familiar noise. I didn’t feel so good about it. “Looks like they are here again,”- said my neighboring branch. We did not know whose turn it would be.

“Why did they stop right under me?” – I asked around, and before I could believe it, I was loaded on the truck, separated from my siblings, and taken away.

I panicked and was worried about where I was going to end up. Many branches accompanied me, but I was sad. I was concerned about the forest, my home, and my people. What will become of me? What will become of those I have left behind? Is there a reason for all this? Why are these men taking us away one by one? For what? My questions would start and stop with me as there was no one to answer them. I will find my answers with time- I thought—no point in thinking and worrying for now.

The leaves on me were bending down, almost like forgetting to breathe, like losing hope.

After almost two hours of travel on a bumpy road, I was offloaded and taken to a large factory. Many twists and turns were given to me; it was a magical experience, different from what I thought. Two of my square parts were embossed with beautiful floral designs, and then they were glued together, almost like an L shape. Many hands cleaned me up and looked at me.

Soon beautiful four legs were carved out of me, and all my parts were united or assembled. I was painted in pastel colors and carefully cushioned in pink. I had never felt so pretty in my entire life.

From the factory, I was sent to an elegant place where I saw many branches like me, turned into different shapes and painted in vibrant colors. Everything here was so polished and shiny. The place was always buzzing.

Many people would come, sit on me and appreciate the comforting feeling. It felt good to hear these compliments.

One evening a pretty lady walked in and inspected every part of me. I felt the caress and care in her touch. She wanted to take me home, she said with a smile.

I got packed in protective covers and was loaded into yet another truck before I reached her place. So far, the only home I had known was my forest, and I was excited to see what her house looked like. I stayed packed in the box for the night, and the following day, she carefully unpacked me, gave me a clean, and looked at me fondly.

I was moved to different parts of the house for a few days until she let me sit near a window in her study corner. Every evening, she dusts off the cushion on me and places it back on my lap before sitting with a cup of tea and a book.

Most mornings, she takes me out, and we enjoy the sun. I gather she is an ardent reader. Sometimes she leaves a heavy book on me; sometimes, it’s just paper with her writing and illustrations.

I like spending the early mornings on the deck with her. I feel alive when I am here. Surrounded by many plants and trees, it feels like my family is around me, and I’m part of nature again. And this feeling is so soothing, so familiar.

The young lady loves her garden; she can often be seen picking twigs and leaves. The daisy flowers, the lemon tree, and the tall hedge are all swinging and singing most of the time. As if competing or responding to the whistling sound from the neighboring bushes. They are all my new friends, and I am getting used to this life now.

Seeing humans connect with nature and care for trees and plants is wonderful. This experience has made me see their other side.

Sometimes I wonder if my people back home are sad about me being taken away and if they still remember me. I wish they could see me now and realize how happy I feel to be reshaped into a chair. Perhaps that will take their worry away.

My new life is very different from the previous one. I was sad when I left it; however, now I realize everything was happening "for" me and not "to" me. It was all for these new experiences and learnings. I could have missed seeing the other side of the world and the human had I stayed.

My purpose in life has been fulfilled as I have found a place in the home and heart of this young lady.