This is the first time I have witnessed such a big storm, it knocked down my star fruit tree.
The storm came, sitting inside the house I could clearly hear the howling wind. The green trees in front of the house were swaying. Sitting inside the house looking out, I just prayed to God that the star fruit tree that my grandmother planted was safe. However, the big storm did not spare it. After just one night's sleep, I was shocked to see the star fruit tree uprooted, lying on the sidewalk in front of the house. Not only my star fruit tree but many other green trees on the street were also swaying, many large trees were uprooted. Looking at the rows of fallen trees, I felt heartbroken. My grandmother said that this was the second biggest storm she had witnessed, the previous big storm was in 1968. She said that year the wind was also strong, knocking down many houses and trees. The rice fields that were about to be harvested were flooded. After that storm, many people in my village went hungry.
This star fruit tree is associated with many memories of An and me. She was my close friend in the neighborhood since childhood. An is the same age as me. She was in the same class with me for 5 years of primary school. An has white skin, is shy, rarely smiles, and is not as active as me. An loves to grow flowers and green plants, so she often plants bean sprouts or grapefruit seeds with me to decorate the study corner. This star fruit tree was also brought from the countryside as a gift by An. I planted it before An moved to Saigon.
This is a star fruit variety, the fruit is small but crispy and sweet. She helped me plant it for 2 years, the star fruit tree has already borne fruit. The star fruit is not big, the skin is dark green but it is really crispy and fragrant. However, after only the first year of bearing fruit, the star fruit tree could not withstand the destruction of the recent storm. The day the tree fell, I was so sad. She knew I was sad, so she comforted me by saying that she would go back to my hometown to ask for another star fruit tree to replant. She also told me that An would not blame me because this was an unavoidable situation.
I know An will not be angry because I have taken good care of the star fruit tree. The day before the storm, my grandmother and I used ropes to tie the tree to poles very carefully. But it could not withstand the force of the storm. The most regretful thing about witnessing this storm is the green trees. There were old trees that were almost as tall as the roof of the 4th floor of my house, but they also fell over. Many trees had been carefully trimmed by the neighbors before the storm, but they still could not stand. I don't know when the row of trees in front of my house will be as green as before.
I have seen many storms on TV, especially the big storms that hit the Central region with days of flooding, water rising to the roof, but this is the first time I have directly witnessed such a big storm with terrible winds. This storm showed me the terrifying destructive power of natural disasters. I hope that there will never be another storm like this in our country again.
My grandmother said that to avoid natural disasters, children must know how to protect the environment. She said that if I planted just 1-2 trees each year, I would have contributed to limiting storms, thereby reducing natural disasters that threaten human life. I told myself that I would do that. First, from my star fruit tree. I had heard on TV that uprooted trees could still be replanted. I would ask my father to cut off the broken branches and leaves and replant them, who knows, maybe my star fruit tree could be saved.
LE HUONG GIANG (Grade 8A, Tan Binh Secondary School, Hai Duong City)