The Legend of the Mafumeira
Deep inside the forest there lives the tallest of all trees. They stretch their thick branches complete of leaves up into the blue skies and give us oxygen to respire. Their trunks are very wide and a lot of these stunning giants had been in the fore st for loads of years.
These amazing trees are known as Mafomeira (called Lapuna in Spanish) and there are numerous memories that declare the Mafomeira own a spirit that protects the woodland. One such tale become informed with the aid of an antique man whose call turned into Adao.
In the future, a totally long term in the past, Adao and his two younger buddies decided that they could earn their money by using reducing down trees within the woodland and selling the lumber to neighborhood farmers and developers. The three pals built a small cabin within the woodland and set out one morning to cut down their first tree. One tree supplied sufficient lumber for the three men to make an honest dwelling for the whole month. The farmers have been satisfied and so had been the developers. And for every tree they chopped down the 3 buddies planted two infant samplings that could someday develop into mighty Mafomeira. ‘that is how we preserve the forest wholesome and satisfied,’ Adao would say with a grin each time he planted a sapling within the earth. ‘And if we contend with the forest then the woodland will take care of us.’
Adao and his pals had been happy in the forest. They cherished their simple cabin and they loved their labours. They simplest ever reduce down one Mafomeira tree every month and they continually made sure to plant the child samplings so as to show respect for the forest. but then, nearly without Adao noticing, things started to trade.
Adao’s buddies commenced to observe the trees in a unique manner. One requested, ‘Why is it that we only reduce a single tree each month while we could be slicing many greater?’
‘We ought to earn ourselves a remarkable deal of cash if we cut down extra timber,’ stated the other.
Adao became very distressed to pay attention his friends speakme in this kind of manner due to the fact he respected the wooded area and did now not need to reduce down extra trees than have been wished. but his friends were now not to be dissuaded and in order that they accumulated their financial savings and acquired a large tractor and extra cutting equipment.
They set out into the forest with their new equipment and began slicing down tree after tree. The mighty trunks fell to the floor one after any other and as the forest filled with the crashing and tearing sound of the Lupuna timber Adao’s coronary heart filled with unhappiness.
‘What are you doing, my friends?’ he requested. ‘We need to not disrespect the forest in this type of manner.’
But the pals might now not pay attention; rather they chopped and stripped the bushes and loaded them onto the tractor one after the alternative. All they might reflect onconsideration on turned into cash; they did no longer care about the woodland anymore.
The 2 friends have become so skilled at cutting down the mighty Mafomeira bushes that very soon Adao become unable to update the fallen trees with enough saplings. He knew that what his buddies were doing became wrong but he changed into not able to stop them because they were blinded through greed. He was positive that he became alone in his quest to save you the forest from being disrespected and he become fast dropping all coronary heart.
However he turned into no longer by myself. The spirit of los angeles Mafomeira became watching and listening, and the spirit became very angry that the bushes were being cut down in any such disrespectful manner.
That night, as Adao lay unsleeping in his cot within the little cabin, he heard the potent bushes stirring inside the forest and turned into positive he felt a strange presence all around. at the breeze he should make out words whispered into the night. ‘You shall now not treat the woodland in this sort of way. You shall not go unpunished. i'm the spirit of the Mafomeira and i'm right here to protect and hold the bushes and animals.’
The following day things did no longer cross as deliberate for Adao’s friends. both guys woke up to a terrible pain in their stomachs and nothing they did appeared to ease the ache. regardless of their discomfort, greed pulled both guys from their cots and made sure that they gathered the reducing device and prepared for the day beforehand. however then the tractor would not start.
‘I do no longer care approximately the tractor,’ said one. ‘i'm nonetheless slicing down bushes today.’
‘And that i do not care about the pain in my belly,’ said the opposite as he grabbed his awl and made prepared to reduce down the Mafomeira tree nearest to him.
Bad Adao pleaded together with his buddies to forestall what they had been doing and spend the day planting saplings in the woodland, however neither guy could listen.
Just as they raised their axes a amazing wind blew thru the wooded area. The Mafomeira bushes swayed and creaked and moaned inside the wind and very soon a heavy rain started out to fall. The wind and the rain destroyed the cabin and overturned the tractor. Then one of the buddies dropped his awl and reduce his leg very badly. The wind grew stronger and stronger until there was not anything left of the cabin in any respect however a few torn planks. The tractor became washed away as a close-by river broke its banks and it become then that Adao’s friends grew very scared.
‘We need to run from here!’ they screamed. ‘The woodland has destroyed all of our equipment and there's nothing left!’
Then the 2 buddies ran out of the wooded area as fast as they might and in no way lower back once more.notwithstanding fearing for his existence Adao stayed where he became and allowed the winds to push him and the rains to fall on him and soak his garments to his pores and skin till he become cold and battered and bruised.
‘i'm able to not leave the woodland!’ he cried out at the top of his voice. ‘i'm able to live and plant new saplings to update the bushes that my greedy friends chopped down! I shall live and do that until I die and nothing will exchange my mind!’
Then, all of a sudden, the winds died down and the rains came to an abrupt stop. The clouds cleared and the sun got here out and dried up the forest ground.
Adao became very thankful the storm changed into over, and as quickly as he recovered his wits and dried his clothes he set approximately planting new saplings in the earth. He labored tough all day and sang to himself the whole time. He planted many saplings and every time he did so he prayed that the sapling could grow right into a effective Mafomeira tree.
All day and all night Adao labored inside the forest planting his saplings till he become too tired and too hungry to work any further. He grew afraid due to the fact he was exhausted and in need of food and safe haven and remembered unluckily how the cabin become destroyed by using the storm. but when he back to the clearing he turned into surprised to locate his little cabin standing there unhurt, a small fireplace in the hearth and a modest meal on the desk.
Adao knew then that the spirit of the Mafomeira had created the hurricane simply as it had again his cabin to him. the sort man sat all the way down to his dinner and seemed into the hearth with watery eyes. ‘I shall maintain to plant new saplings here until i am no greater,’ he vowed to himself. ‘and i shall simplest ever reduce down a single Mafomeira tree every month because that is all this is wanted.’
And this is precisely what he did. they are saying that Adao lived for almost one hundred years and that he took his remaining breath in the forest. they say that his spirit joined the Mafomeira just as all others who have exceeded away inside the forest have joined the spirit of the Mafomeira and assist to protect the beautiful forest from all folks that would disrespect the trees and the animals within.
This is the legend of the Mafomeira and this is why it is essential to preserve and respect the forests of the sector.
Best Regards: Expert Freelancer