My early life was happy and carefree. As a tree in a forest, I enjoyed the warm sunshine, the cool breeze and the songs of birds. But happiness never lasts long. A day came when I was cut down and taken to a carpenter’s shop. The carpenter was cruel to me. He sawed me into planks. He hammered nails into my planks. He made a table out of me. All this gave me great pain but I had to bear it silently. They think that wood has no feelings. How wrong they are!

The carpenter sold me to a furniture shop. I was soon picked up by a school. I was placed in a classroom. The teacher was pleased to have me when I was new.

In this class-room I lead a hard life. If the class is noisy, the teacher bangs a ruler or duster on me. It hurts me a lot but I have to put up with it. Sometimes, when the teacher is out the boys scratch me with blades or etch out their names on me. It is a great torture but I can do nothing. I feel that I am bom to suffer and shall continue to suffer till the end of my days.