The Salamana Tree

By Miguel Ochoa

Can the Soul of Man be changed?
Can his predatory, power-seeking drives be transformed into a submissive passivity?
Can He be happy in trading his conquering instincts for a vegetative state in a harmonious blend with Nature? This theme, so central to the modern quest of Man for his role and place in the cosmic order, is treated in fictional form. The author uses fantasy to highlight and dramatize his point of view. An entire town succumbs to an ancient spell from which there is only a single way outor so they believe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 26, 2002
• ISBN: 9781469744407

Miguel Ochoa

Born in Cuba the author is a retired pathologist. He has published extensively both in English and Spanish. Among his previous publications are: Letters to Arthur, The Salamana tree, Ironies and El Ultimo Aldabonazo. His wife Josefina and him have three children and four grandchildren. He presently live in Chicago. Illinois,

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All Rights Reserved © 2002 by Miguel Ochoa

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To my family

‘Your garden is very beautiful, Mr. Simon.’

‘Thank you, thank you, Joan.’

‘I wonder how you can keep it so well.’

‘Dedication, just dedication, my dear. You have to take care of everything . It takes time, but in the end, it pays.’

‘I can see that. Only an expert could do it this well.’

‘I think you will like that rose bush over there. You see?’

‘My goodness! I have never seen such roses anywhere.’

‘It is not easy to cultivate beauties like them. It takes a lot of care and imagination to cross-breed the right colors.’

‘Amazing! Frankly, I have never seen anything like it.’

‘Then you’ve got to see those flowers in that corner.’

‘The glare is too strong.’

‘Come with me. From here it is impossible to appreciate its quality.’

‘I feel as if I am walking through paradise, Mr. Simon…maybe you are the vizier of Eden.’

‘Ha, you certainly have a sense of humor. Anyway, I appreciate very much your charming comparison. I’m only a humble man who tries the best he can.’

‘I should say, it is more than enough.’

‘No, I don’t like to think that way. That is complacency, and I don’t tolerate it in any way. I only allow very few people to enter this private enclave.’

‘I am very grateful for your kindness in taking time to give me a walking tour of this marvelous garden.’

‘I like you. That is the reason why I do it.’

‘Gee, Mr. Simon, it takes forever to reach the opposite corner of your paradise’

‘I can guarantee you it is worthy of your effort and time.’

‘My gosh! I can’t believe it. What is that color?’

‘Actually, it is a new color, still indescribable in human words.’

‘Yes, you are right. I’ve never seen anything like it.’

‘I told you it is worthy of your time. Never again will you see anything remotely similar.’

‘I thought you were kidding. There are no words to express my admiration.’

‘Yes, yes, but come close to it so you can also smell the seductive odors flowing from the flower petals’

‘Hum…absolutely exquisite, with no parallel to anything I have ever smelled before.’

‘Again, you impress me with your talents as a connoisseur, but don’t let a simple flower carry you away. Breathe, breathe deeply the exquisite fragrance. You may never have another chance; these flowers are very transient.’

‘It must have taken you many years of hard work to build this marvel, hasn’t it?’

‘Yes, yes of course, it hasn’t been easy, you know…’

‘I can imagine; many, many years of persistent effort would be necessary to develop such an exotic place.’

‘You are very flattering, very flattering indeed’

‘Oh, Mr. Simon, not at all. I’m only giving deserved recognition to your merits’

‘And…I would also like to do the same. You see, I’m an admirer of beauty in any of its multifarious manifestations, and that is why I do not tire of contemplating you’

‘Come on, Mr. Simon. You…’

‘No, it is the truth. You just admitted I’m a man of good taste, very good taste’

‘I feel kind of dizzy.’

‘You are like a wild orchid, full of pristine beauty, of unspoiled freshness.’

‘Mr. Simon, please…’

‘Your lips, they resemble open petals seducing my imagination, overwhelming my senses.’

‘Mr. Simon…NOW, STOP THAT…I feeel sssso dizzzzy…’

‘It is all your fault; your charm is overpowering. I cannot resist your tempting form anymore.’

‘I haaaaave to ssssit. Everything is ssspinnnning around. Mr. Simmmmon…HEEEEEEELP MEEEE!’

‘Just lie here, my love, rest here next to me. You look so pretty. Soon it will be all over.’

‘SSSSOMEBODYYYY HEEELP!’

‘Don’t worry about a thing. You will remain at my side forever. ONLY MINE FOR AN ETERNITY!’

‘Hello…I’m looking for Mr. Milton Simon.’

‘Yes, that’s me’

‘Oh…we are Pricewood’s police investigators, Mr. Simon. Here are our identifications…’

‘My eyesight is very poor. You will have to excuse me if I don’t try to verify your credentials.’

‘That is quite all right, Sir. We don’t want to distract you from your duties for too long, but we do need to ask a few questions’

‘In reference to what?’

‘Mr. Simon, do you know Miss Joan Rodney?’

‘Yes, yes indeed; but come, come and sit here please. I have to apologize for being so rude. I’m kind of tired I guess…’

‘Thank you. We will be brief, Mr. Simon. Basically, we are wondering how long you had known her.’

‘Actually, for quite a long time. You see…she is my customer’ ‘In what other capacity had you known her?’

‘What do you mean? I told you that she is my customer’

‘I mean if you knew something about her private life, like…’

‘I don’t like your way of talking in the past tense. Has anything happened to her?’

‘Well, yes…She has disappeared from her home a week ago’

‘A week ago? My gosh! I can’t believe it.’

‘Why?…Why can’t you? Tell us’

‘Look…what I mean is that…it is hard for me to conceive something bad happening to her. She was such a charming lady and so congenial. I hope you find her…you’ve got to find her!’

‘Wait, wait Mr. Simon. Don’t go away…We haven’t finished yet.’

‘Well…as I told you, I don’t know anything about her private life, nor was I ever interested in it’

‘Then, did you ever hear her mentioning any boyfriend?’

‘No, no, our association was strictly business. I never heard or asked for any details of her private affairs, nor would she ever intimate anything of that kind to me. Our association, as I told you already, was only business, that is, nothing personal.’

‘Was she very well versed and interested in flowers?’

‘Absolutely. In fact, she was something of an expert. I guess it was her hobby’

‘Was, there any kind of flower she particularly liked?’

‘Oh, yes! Of course, she liked roses’

‘And you are an expert in them, aren’t you?’

‘Well…yes, I believe that is an accurate characterization of my expertise’

‘Was that the reason why she came here so often?’

‘I guess so. She used to come at least once a month to buy and to exchange ideas’

‘Ideas about what?’

‘About roses, of course…as I told you she was a great hobbyist’

‘Would she make large purchases?’

‘Occasionally she would, but not always. In many instances she would just come to chat and ask for advice’

‘I see…and the conversation would be strictly business…’

‘Most of the time it was’

‘Then, what else did you talk about?’

‘Nothing else in particular. She was trying to raise a very difficult and delicate flower, something only very few have been able to accomplish. She was very enthusiastic and always came to tell me what she had done and to seek advice as to what was best’

‘Can we see the garden?’

‘The garden? What do you think you are going to find?’

‘Nothing…nothing, Mr. Simon. This is a routine investigation.’

‘Fine, fine. Come this way’

‘I hope you realize our problem. We are given the task of searching for everything’

‘I understand perfectly well. It is your duty, and I’ll be glad to comply. Come, come in. This is the garden’

‘My goodness! This is more than I ever expected it to be’

‘Thank you. Perhaps now you will understand why Miss Rodney wanted to come here’

‘A marvelous place indeed. Frankly I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m sure it has taken a lot of your time to develop such a gorgeous place’

‘You are right. It hasn’t been easy. I have expended quite a bit of effort and have been very dedicated to it.’

‘I see flowers here I have never seen before’

‘Some of them were brought from distant tropical lands, like that one, for instance’

‘Very exotic little thing, and it has a very powerful scent, also’

‘Look at this one here. It only flowers once a year, and from the flowers oozes a delicious nectar. Taste it, it is very sweet. Don’t be afraid.’

‘No, thanks. I don’t care too much for sweets, but it is a real marvel. What is that rare bush over there? It resembles a dancing ballerina’

‘Yes, it is a love flower from China. The foliage looks like a flowing veil, always in motion. You are not going to find another like it in the entire country’

‘Hey!…I even see a little pool there’

‘It is a lotus pond. Lotuses are sacred flowers in many places. According to a Greek legend, eating lotuses incites a state of oblivion’

‘And what about that splendid specimen over there?’

‘Oh, yes…It is a unique flower tree never seen before in this part of the world. It originates in India, where the natives think it is enchanted.’

‘It looks recently planted…the soil is loose beneath it’

‘You are correct. I just planted it there yesterday’

‘What is the thing hanging on that branch?’

‘What thing?’

‘Don’t you see it, Mr. Simon?…Right there’

‘Oh, yes…Ha! It looks like…’

‘A torn piece of cloth, that’s what it is’

‘Thanks for mentioning it. I…’

‘Let me see it, please…Hum, it looks like a piece of clothing.’

‘It must be from the lady who helps me with the work’

‘It has an small spot of dried blood’

‘She must have cut herself in the process of planting the bush’

‘Is she here now?’

‘No, she is off today’

‘Well, we will have to test her blood and compare the results with the analysis of this stain. That is the only way to know if they both belong to the same person. I’ll be back tomorrow. Tell her to wait for me…I’ll be here about noontime.

‘What did you find, Lieutenant?’

‘Unfortunately, not much, Captain. This man runs a very tidy operation. He has a large, beautiful garden with an amazing variety of exotic flowers, and evidently he is very successful. I found no traces of the lady.’

‘Was he cooperative?’

‘Yes, I can’t say he wasn’t. He showed some annoyance to have his garden inspected but finally consented.’

‘Did he know Joan Rodney?’

‘Yes, he readily admitted so. He claims she was his client and expressed some shock at her disappearance.’

‘How did he explain the fact that the available evidence indicates she was going to his shop?’

‘Well…I didn’t touch on that issue with him.’

‘Did he seem relaxed and cordial at your inspection?’

‘I’d say so. He was cooperative at all times despite our questioning and search.’

‘So the search led us nowhere, eh?’

‘A thorough search of the garden only yielded a small piece of blood-stained cloth hanging from a branch. He claimed it could have belonged to a maid who also works at times in the garden. I returned the next day and took a blood sample from her for comparative analysis with the smear in the piece of cloth…I just received word that they didn’t match.’

‘Don’t you think, Lieutenant, that that IS an important finding indeed? You should have started by telling me so!’

‘Sorry, Sir, but I feel this evidence leads