Coconut Story, Episode 1

J'ai hésité à poster ce qui suit ici, parce que je n'ai prêté aucune attention au style. J'ai chez moi un carnet dans lequel je gribouille quelques mots ou quelques dessins quand l'envie me vient. Et quand j'étais à Boston, j'ai remarqué que le carnet était bien triste, tant dans les dessins que dans les textes, plus sombres que ce que je voulais faire il y a quelques années. Donc j'ai écrit une petite histoire, au départ dédiée au carnet :

What if this book were found some day by a pair of curious eyes? Should it be so sad and pessimistic? Don't be sad, little book. Here's a story to cheer you up.

Once upon a time, in a far, far away island, there lived a coconut who wanted to fly. She had grown up among the birds, you see, halfway between the sky and the earth, and for a few weeks she'd been convinced that she was a bird. Silly thing, some people would say. But you and I know better than that. For the coconut was far from being silly. She was funny, sometimes, but we all have our funny moments, and it's a good thing. Can you imagine being serious all the time? I can't. Anyway, back to the story.

One day, a violent storm came from the sea and ravaged most of the island. People were very unhappy, and several animals had to change homes after their nests were taken away by the wind, or after their burrows were crushed by some falling tree. Luckily, there were very few serious casualties among them. That day, however, our little coconut lost most of her brothers and sisters. As they all swung together, one by one they were detached from their tree by the playful wind, and went rolling away in the sand or swimming with bands of silver fish in the agitated sea. But Little Coconut held on, and when the storm was over, she was all alone on her tall coconut tree. And all that time, she had been watching at the clouds dancing in the sky, so when she realized that her brothers and sisters were gone, what do you think her first thought was? Of course, they had flown away! If coconuts were supposed to fly, what better opportunity would there be than a very strong wind to lift you away, and there you would be, tasting the ultimate freedom of the birds and the clouds, at last! The truth must be said, Little Coconut sighed a lot that day. She had been staring at the sky, as always, when she could have become a part of it, like her brothers and sisters. Her only consolation was the memory of what she had seen. The mighty dance of the clouds, the most beautiful and powerful painting ever. It raised her heart in that difficult moment, and she took the bravest resolution she had ever taken so far: next time the winds would rise, she would take her flight like her sisters and brothers before her. Yes, she would.

Except that no strong wind came ever again. Or at least, not in time for Little Coconut to be able to test her wings. For you see, there is a time in a coconut’s life – and actually in anyone’s life, including yours and mine – when she cannot stay any longer halfway between earth and sky, and, whether she wants it or not, she has to come closer to the ground, and see the reality from another point of view. It generally isn’t a pleasant experience, and it certainly wasn’t for Little Coconut.

She was fast asleep, and the moon was shining over the ocean, making the leaves of the palm trees shimmer softly. Imagine sleeping in such a place, with the sounds of the waves as your lullaby and the wind swinging you softly like a gentle cradle. This was all that Little Coconut had known, all her life, and it had been so sweet! But on that night, destiny decided that Little Coconut was not that “little” anymore: it was time for her to join her brothers and sisters, and to start a new life for herself.

Suddenly, she was not linked to her tree anymore! As she started falling, she woke up and thought something had gotten really wrong indeed. Where were her wings? Why wasn’t she going up, towards the moon? Almost without a noise, she hit the ground and started rolling and rolling in the sand, hurting pebbles and roots on her way.