If Trees Could Talk!

Gooky's Group and the Fellers Join Forces

On that very day, finally, the self proclaimed residents of the island entered into that hut to negotiate with the intruders. It appeared as if they had taken the entire week thinking about how to deal with Jarod and his friends.

Gooky had initially planned to execute them for entering into the island and wanting to cut down the trees before he would. He then remembered a deal he made with Kareem. He felt disappointed since Kareem had not returned to start the felling process after an entire year.

After thinking about it for a while, moving around the island and listening to advice from friends, he finally decided to try making a new deal with these fellers. He was just too tired of living a local life of poverty and lack on the island yet he had wealth of the trees.

In his mind, he thought it would be possible to do controlled felling without Job noticing. He wanted some trees to be cut down but he feared encountering the talking trees again. He wanted neither his friends nor him to get injured. That is why he decided to negotiate with the fellers.

“You intruders, you are welcome here. My name is Gooky and all the trees on this island belong to me. You are criminals because you tried to cut down my trees without permission. This is because my grandfather passed on the responsibility of guarding the forest to my father, who later passed it in to me,” disguised Gooky.

I was thinking of punishing you but as long you accept my deal, we shall be friends,” he added.

“What is the deal?” asked Jarod.

Gooky replied, “I can let you cut down some trees. As long as I receive sixty percent of the money you expect, I will be your dealer. I want that so that I can develop this island again. If you cannot accept, we will then do it on our own.”

“The felling will be controlled because we do not want the other calamities to befall our island again,” he added.

“We are willing to work with you but sixty percent of the money means you will do sixty percent or at least fifty five percent of the work. That means our work is to do the felling and the selling. The middle work is yours to do. Other than that, there is no deal because that would be cheating us,” replied Jarod.

On hearing that, Gooky first moved out with all his fellows and then they discussed the matter. Had they not discussed the matter with him, Gooky would have made the wrong decision. This is because he was only after the money.

On going back inside Gooky said, “I have been giving you what to eat plus where to sleep. On top of that, I spared your lives after you invaded our place. If I killed you, you would not even earn a penny.

The best I can promise you is that we shall give a helping hand for all the middle work. That is in carrying, chopping, cutting into timber, burning to charcoal and loading to the ferry but you will also participate to some extent.”

With no objection, Jarod and his friends agreed to work with Gooky and his group. Quickly, Gooky commanded the others to untie them. After untying them, Gooky asked for their names. He shook hands with each one of them and thanked them for their cooperation. Gooky and Jarod as the two leaders hugged each other in agreement.

Jarod inquired, “When do we start?”

“If you have all the equipment, you can even start today,” replied Gooky.