Donald Graham, Contributor
IT WAS A very old tree that stood there on the bank of the river, for how long, no one really knew.
It was said to be a tree for hanging during the days of slavery. Stories were told about it by grandparents who heard them from their grandparents who heard them from... the only certain thing is that it had been there for so long that one could be excused for thinking it had been there since the beginning of time.
It had served as home for birds, bees and various other creatures throughout its many years of existence.
There were times when boys and sometimes grown men would use their slingshots to remove birds from its branches.
There were times when finger-licking honey was extracted from its trunk. And there were times when dead branches, which had fallen, would be gathered for firewood.
In recent times, the villagers noticed that its leaves were fading, which meant that the old landmark would soon be no more
Because of this, charcoal burners, who somehow managed to negotiate its huge trunk, had cut away most of its limbs. In fact, only two now remained and both were leafless.
EERIE
It was then 7:30 p.m. on a rather chilly October night. The rain which had been pouring down almost non-stop for all of three days showed no sign of letting up. There were also frequent flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.
During the brief periods of illumination the two remaining branches took on an eerie appearance they looked very much like two human arms stretching upward in a desperate appeal to the heavens.
In the gorge three miles away, a lone man lay on his bed listening to the soothing sound of raindrops on his roof.
This is something he had always enjoyed the rhythmic patter of raindrops on his roof. To make this more pleasurable, there was the deep rumbling of the nearby river.
Tied to a tree close to the house was the man's donkey which was certainly not enjoying the weather. It paced about nervously, and strained on the rope occasionally, in an obvious attempt to free itself.
By sheer instinct this animal knew that it was time to move to higher ground.
Not far away two teenagers sat together watching television. There were reports of floodings, land slides and downed power lines all across the island.
According to the weatherman, it would continue to rain for the next 24 hours at least. All persons were advised to remain indoors unless it was vitally necessary to go out.
Nearby, a small group of faithful, who had defied the inclement weather, gathered inside their little church, where with much ardour they gave praise to their God in song and prayer.
At the same time a short distance away an equally faithful few had gathered inside a bar where, with matching fervour, they gave praise to something quite different.
The trunk of the tree was approximately 18 feet in height and three feet in diameter. Over a period of time the swift running river had gradually washed away the earth from a portion of its base, exposing many of its twisted roots. In spite of this, it had always managed to hold its own against the onslaught of the hostile river. Tonight, however, would be different. Tonight it was destined to make its last stand.
CRACKS IN THE DAM
The dam, which was located in the gorge, was thought to be almost as old as the tree itself. This, however, was doubtful.
What was certain was that it no longer served the purpose to which it was constructed. This was to supply water to the hydro electric plant further downstream.
In recent times, cracks had began to appear at various points, but, of course, no one noticed. Now with the greater volume of water forcing against it these cracks opened wider while new ones appeared. Water was now seeping through them.
The river had long since overflowed its banks, and the earth was completely saturated. The tree tilted then steadied itself as if reluctant to surrender.
Suddenly as though pushed by a hand determined to get the job done, it moved again and hit the water with a thunderous splash.
At this point one of the remaining branches broke off when it hit the opposite bank.
The intact branch stuck in the soft earth for a while and prevented immediate movement. This did not last long however, as nothing would have been able to remain stationary in the path of the rampaging river. The massive trunk began to move slowly at first then faster as it started its journey downstream root first.
At the bend of the river the remaining branch was torn off and this caused the trunk to move even faster.
In the gorge, the lone man continued to listen to the pounding on his roof while smacking his pipe. The donkey became even more restless. The teenagers still watched the television, the church members sang and the barmembers drank.
All, with the exception of the donkey, with its animal intuition, were completely unaware that something unimaginable was shortly to take place.
"AS IF NOTHING EXISTED'
When the fast moving mass of wood hit the dam, the surrounding area shook the way it would during an earthquake, but no one was close enough to hear. For a moment nothing happened, then everything happened at once.
The old structure simply came apart, releasing a moving wall of death that rushed forward on a mission of total destruction.
It happened during one of the brief lulls, therefore the distinctive roar of countless tons of water, stones and other things travelling at high speed could be heard from far away, but no one would have been able to guess what was in fact taking place.
The first victims were the man and his donkey. Next were the two teenagers.
Then the church and the bar and those within were taken simultaneously. Onward, it went swiftly pushing aside almost everything it came upon. It was over within minutes.
When daylight came a helicopter was dispatched to survey the area. Though badly battered, a few trees could be seen. Somehow they managed to remain at the site where they were planted. It was obvious however that neither man nor beast was left alive in the gorge.
Sitting beside the pilot was the observer who looked down, shook his head in disbelief then muttered: "My God, it's as if nothing ever existed there."
It was still raining.
