The Whispering Earth

Noor was five when she first heard the forest speak.

The sensation she experienced was different from hearing words.The sensation created a tender stillness which wrapped her in an embrace similar to a delicate blanket.Baba Jan grasped her small hand when they left their village boundary to enter the vast green forest which extended like an ocean over the hills.

“Listen closely,” he said, crouching beside her. “The earth speaks softly. You have to be quiet to hear it.”

She did not comprehend his words but she made an effort to understand. She shut her eyes while paying attention. The wind produced a gentle melody by moving through the leaves which resembled a lullaby. A bird made a sound from a high position above. The moss that touched her fingers felt cool and damp as if the forest exhaled.

That moment stayed with her.

Baba Jan expressed himself through few words yet he regularly discussed matters about the land. Through his teachings Noor learned to predict rain from the sky as well as to track foxes and to remain still until butterflies reached her shoulder. According to his belief the earth required love instead of usage.

“We are guests here,” he’d say. “And good guests take care of the home they visit.”

But the forest didn’t stay the same.

As Noor grew older, the trees began to disappear. The trail she once walked with Baba Jan was paved over.Baba Jan expressed himself through few words yet he regularly discussed matters about the land. Through his teachings Noor learned to predict rain from the sky as well as to track foxes and to remain still until butterflies reached her shoulder. According to his belief the earth required love instead of usage.

Baba Jan passed away when Noor was sixteen. She didn’t cry at the funeral. She cried two weeks later, when she visited the forest and found a bulldozer parked where they used to sit.

The city became her new home for university studies in environmental science. The teaching staff consisted of excellent instructors while her fellow students showed deep commitment to their work. During the lectures the professors presented numerous graphs together with alarming data about glacier melting and temperature increases and species extinction. The information created an overwhelming sensation. The issue closely resembled the difficulty of shouting amidst a strong tempest.

During her phone scrolling at night Noor discovered an image which featured a polar bear stuck on melting ice.She stopped. The image was not unfamiliar since she had encountered many similar pictures but this one triggered her memory of the forest. The image brought to mind Baba Jan as well as the peaceful silence.

She closed the app and walked outside.

The urban atmosphere contained dense exhaust pollution. The celestial bodies remained invisible due to the air pollution. She continued her walk despite the conditions until she reached the outskirts where several resilient trees remained. One tree featured initials which belonged to her and Baba Jan. She made contact with the bark in a gentle manner that resembled meeting a familiar acquaintance.

That night, she started a blog called The Whispering Earth.

1. The stories did not require elaborate narratives since their inherent power stood on its own. 2. She shared tales about locations she retained in memory along with creatures she encountered through reading as well as living beings who paid attention to sounds. 3. The stream which flowed near her home during childhood was once pristine and fish-filled but now contains numerous plastic waste materials. 4. The elderly lady dedicated herself to planting wildflowers inside vacant city lots. 5. The young boy constructed birdhouses from leftover wood materials before he placed them across empty urban passageways.

She wrote about Baba Jan. And the way he taught her to love the land like family.

People started reading.

Not millions. But enough.

Enough to start a community garden. Enough to organize a cleanup. Enough to make a city council member pause and say, “Maybe we should protect that patch of woods.”

Noor didn’t become famous. But she became something better: a reminder.

A reminder that saving nature isn’t about grand gestures. It’s about remembering. About listening. About caring.

She began visiting schools, telling children about the forest and the hush.She arrived with seeds to plant along with jars containing soil from her grandfather's garden. She explained to them, "Anyone can protect the Earth without scientific training."You just need to love it.”

One spring, she returned to the forest trail. What was left of it.

She brought her own daughter this time, socks mismatched on purpose.

“Listen,” she said, crouching beside her. “The earth speaks softly. You have to be quiet to hear it.”

Her daughter, Amina, tilted her head. “What does it say?”

Noor smiled. “It says thank you.”

🌿 Reflection: Why This Story Matters

Nature doesn’t ask for much. Just that we notice. That we care. That we remember we are part of it—not above it.

The earth whispers every day. The rustle of leaves along with the rhythm of rain and the silence of snowfall. It tells stories older than any book, and offers beauty no artist can replicate.

But it’s growing quieter.

We must listen. We must act. We must teach our children not just to protect the planet—but to love it.

Because when we save nature, we’re not just saving trees or rivers. We’re saving the soul of the earth.

And maybe, just maybe, we’re saving ourselves too.