The Cherry Tree | CBSE Class 8 English Notes

This note covers Ruskin Bond's story "The Cherry Tree": a part-by-part summary, the characters, the themes, poetic and descriptive devices, key quotations and answers to the textbook questions.

Who wrote "The Cherry Tree" and what is it about?

"The Cherry Tree" is written by Ruskin Bond, and it tells the story of a boy named Rakesh who plants a cherry seed and watches it grow into a tree over several years.

The story is set in the Himalayan foothills near Mussoorie, where Rakesh lives with his grandfather on the outskirts of the town, "just where the forest began".

Rakesh's parents live in a village "fifty miles away", where they grow maize, rice and barley in "narrow terraced fields on the lower slopes of the mountain".

Since there were no schools in the village, Rakesh's parents send him to stay with his grandfather in Mussoorie "as soon as he was of school-going age", so that he could attend school in the town.

This separation from his parents, and his close companionship with his grandfather, forms the emotional backdrop of the story, which is divided into two parts.

The story follows the cherry tree's growth from a tiny seed to a tall, blossoming tree over several years, paralleling Rakesh's own growth from a six-year-old schoolboy into an older boy who can run, jump and climb trees as well as most boys.

It explores themes of nurturing, patience and the quiet bond between a child and nature, as well as between a grandparent and grandchild, through a series of small, everyday incidents rather than one dramatic event.

What happens in the story, part by part?

The story is told in two parts and follows the cherry tree and Rakesh together, year after year, in the hills above Mussoorie.

Part I: planting the seed

Rakesh, aged six, buys a bunch of small cherries in the Mussoorie bazaar for "fifty paise". By the time he reaches his grandfather's cottage after a half-hour walk, only three cherries remain.

He gives one to Grandfather and eats the other two himself, keeping the last seed in his mouth, "rolling it round and round on his tongue until all the tang had gone".

Rakesh asks if cherry seeds are lucky, and Grandfather says "Of course." When Rakesh says he will keep the seed, Grandfather tells him, "Nothing is lucky if you put it away.

If you want luck, you must put it to some use." Rakesh then plants the seed in a shady corner of the garden, pressing it into the soft soil with his thumb, and then forgets about it and runs off to play cricket.

Part I: the seedling appears

Through the winter, nothing happens, and the garden is "dry and bare". Grandfather tells Rakesh stories by the charcoal fire, while Rakesh reads him the newspaper, "Grandfather's eyesight being rather weak".

In spring, when the wild ducks fly north to Siberia, Rakesh finds a tiny rooted twig in the garden and excitedly calls Grandfather, who had forgotten about the seed. It is "about four inches high".

Grandfather tells Rakesh to water it "now and then", and Rakesh circles it with pebbles "for privacy".

Part I: growth and a setback

The tree grows slowly at first, then an inch after a week or two. During an early monsoon, the tree grows quickly, reaching about two feet.

Then a goat wanders into the garden and eats all its leaves, leaving only "the main stem and two thin branches". Grandfather reassures Rakesh: "It will grow again, cherry trees are tough."

Part II: cut but not killed

New leaves appear by the end of the rains, but a woman cutting grass accidentally slices through the tree with her scythe, cutting it in two. Grandfather scolds her, but the damage cannot be undone.

Rakesh fears it will die, but "the cherry tree had no intention of dying" and sends out several new shoots the following summer.

Part II: Rakesh and the tree grow together

Rakesh, now eight, goes home to his village that monsoon to help with "the planting and ploughing and sowing", returning thinner but stronger. The tree has grown another foot, "up to his chest".

A praying-mantis visits the tree, and Rakesh lets it stay; he also removes a caterpillar eating the leaves, telling it, "Come back when you're a butterfly." Winter comes early, the tree bends under snow, and Grandfather grows grumpy without his newspaper.

Part II: blossoms and the final scene

On Rakesh's ninth birthday in February, the tree is four years old and "almost as tall as Rakesh". Soon after, Grandfather spots the first "pale pink blossom" and calls Rakesh to see it.

The following year brings more blossoms, and the tree grows taller than both Rakesh and Grandfather.

Bees feed on the nectar of the blossoms and tiny birds peck at them, while bigger birds such as "bulbuls and scarlet minivets" later feast on the small cherries, which Rakesh finds "too sour" to eat.

One afternoon, Rakesh finds Grandfather resting in a cane chair under the tree, enjoying its shade and leaves. That evening, lying beneath the tree, Rakesh asks why this tree is so special among the many in the forest.

Grandfather answers, "We planted it ourselves. That's why it's special." Rakesh touches the tree's bark and wonders aloud, "Is this what it feels to be God?"

Who are the characters?

Who is Rakesh?

Rakesh is the story's young protagonist, who grows from six years old at the start of the story to an older boy by its end. He lives with his grandfather in Mussoorie because there is no school in his parents' village.

Rakesh is curious, affectionate and patient: he plants the cherry seed on his grandfather's advice, waters and protects it, and watches over it for years.

Bond describes him at eight as "a sturdy boy with curly black hair and deep black eyes", nicknamed "Blackberry eyes" by Grandfather.

Rakesh is also kind to small creatures, allowing the praying-mantis to stay and gently removing the caterpillar rather than killing it.

His final question, "Is this what it feels to be God?", shows his wonder at having created life through nurturing the tree.

Who is Grandfather?

Grandfather is Rakesh's companion and guardian in Mussoorie. He is a storyteller with "rather weak" eyesight, who tells Rakesh tales of "people who turned into animals, and ghosts who lived in trees" while Rakesh reads him the newspaper.

Grandfather is wise and encouraging: it is his advice, "If you want luck, you must put it to some use," that leads Rakesh to plant the seed.

He reassures Rakesh after setbacks, such as the goat eating the leaves, saying "cherry trees are tough". Grandfather grows grumpy in winter when deprived of his newspaper, showing his more human, everyday side.

In the final scene, it is Grandfather who explains why the tree is special: "We planted it ourselves."

What role does the cherry tree play?

Though not a human character, the cherry tree functions almost as a living character in the story.

It survives a goat eating its leaves and a scythe cutting it in two, showing persistence, until it finally grows taller than both Rakesh and Grandfather and produces blossoms and fruit.

Its slow, patient growth mirrors Rakesh's own growth from boy to a sturdy nine-year-old, so that the tree and the boy seem almost to age together.

What is life like in the Himalayan foothills in the story?

The story opens by describing the setting where Rakesh lives: in the Himalayan foothills, where "there were not many fruit trees." The soil is "stony", and "dry cold winds stunted the growth of most plants".

However, on "more sheltered slopes there were forests of oak and deodar". This explains why Rakesh is so struck by the cherries from the Kashmir Valley, which are different from anything growing near his own home, and why he treasures the single seed enough to plant it rather than throw it away.

The seasons shape the story's events: the dry, bare winter when nothing grows; the early spring when wild ducks fly north to Siberia and the seedling is discovered; the monsoon rains that make ferns and lilies spring up and help the tree grow quickly; and the snowy winter when field-mice shelter in the cottage roof and the road from the valley is blocked, cutting off the newspaper supply.

Life for Rakesh's family also depends on the land: his parents grow "maize and rice and barley in narrow terraced fields" in their village, and Rakesh himself helps with "the planting and ploughing and sowing" when he visits them one monsoon.

This hard, seasonal mountain setting, with its stony soil and cold winds, makes the small, stubborn cherry tree that Rakesh grows feel like a genuine achievement rather than something ordinary.

How does the story show the passage of time?

Bond marks time carefully through Rakesh's age and the tree's growth side by side. Rakesh is six when he plants the seed; by the time the seedling is found the following spring, roughly a year has passed.

The tree reaches "about four inches" when discovered, "about two feet" after the early monsoon, and is cut by the scythe before sending out new shoots the next summer.

By the time Rakesh turns eight, the tree has grown another foot, reaching "up to his chest". On his ninth birthday, the tree, now four years old, is "almost as tall as Rakesh".

The following year it becomes "taller than Rakesh, even though it was less than half his age", and later "taller than Grandfather, who was older than some of the oak trees".

This careful tracking of ages creates a clear sense of years passing and emphasises how closely the tree's life has become tied to Rakesh's own, so that each new measurement of height also marks a stage in the boy's own growing up, from a six-year-old running off to play cricket to an older boy who can "run and jump and climb trees as well as most boys".

What threats does the cherry tree survive?

The tree faces three separate threats across the story, and each time it survives despite the odds, which is part of why Bond calls it "tough".

First, a goat wanders into the garden when the tree is about two feet tall and eats all its leaves, leaving "only the main stem and two thin branches".

Grandfather calms Rakesh's worry by saying, "It will grow again, cherry trees are tough."

Second, a woman cutting grass with a scythe accidentally slices through the tree "towards the end of the rainy season", cutting it in two. Grandfather confronts her, but "the damage could not be repaired".

Rakesh fears the tree will die, and even Grandfather admits, "Maybe," when asked. Yet the text states firmly that "the cherry tree had no intention of dying," and by the next summer it has "sent out several new shoots with tender green leaves."

Third, smaller creatures interact with the tree without destroying it: a hairy caterpillar begins eating the leaves, but Rakesh removes it before serious damage occurs, while a praying-mantis is allowed to stay harmlessly as "the cherry tree's first visitor".

Together, these episodes show the tree's resilience and Rakesh's growing role as its protector, since in every case it is his care, or Grandfather's calm reassurance, that helps the tree through the danger rather than any outside rescue.

What is the significance of the cherry seed?

The cherry seed is the small, seemingly unimportant object around which the whole story turns.

Rakesh keeps the last seed from his bunch of cherries, "rolling it round and round on his tongue until all the tang had gone", suggesting his reluctance to let go of the last cherry.

He asks Grandfather if cherry seeds are lucky, and Grandfather's reply shapes the rest of the story: "Nothing is lucky if you put it away. If you want luck, you must put it to some use."

This single piece of advice turns a discarded seed into a tree that will shape years of Rakesh's childhood, and it is Grandfather, not Rakesh, who first suggests that the seed should be planted rather than simply kept as a lucky charm.

The seed itself is tiny and ordinary, taken from cherries that were "a little sweet, a little sour" and had travelled "all the way from the Kashmir Valley", yet it becomes, in Grandfather's words at the story's end, special simply because "we planted it ourselves".

The seed thus stands for the idea that small actions, carried through with care over several years, can grow into something significant, both for the tree itself and for the relationship between Rakesh and his grandfather.

How does the story show nurturing and patience?

Rakesh's care for the tree is shown through small, repeated actions rather than dramatic events, and this quiet, ordinary attention is central to the story's message about nurturing.

He waters it "now and then" as instructed, then gives it "a bucket of water" so eagerly that Grandfather has to warn, "Don't drown it!" He surrounds the sapling with pebbles "for privacy" and checks on it only "out of the corner of his eye" once he grows impatient with its slow growth, only allowing himself a proper look "after a week or two".

Even when it rains and watering is not strictly necessary, "Rakesh would sometimes water the tree," because, as the story explains, "he wanted it to know that he was there." This detail captures the emotional, almost relational quality of his care, treating the tree less as a possession and more as a companion that knows when he visits it.

His patience is rewarded gradually: an inch of growth here, a foot there, until years later the tree towers over him, showing that real growth, in plants as in people, happens slowly and requires sustained attention rather than one dramatic effort.

Grandfather's own patience matters too, since he waits calmly through the goat's damage and the scythe's cut, repeating simply that "cherry trees are tough" rather than giving up on the young plant.

What literary devices and figures of speech does the writer use?

Although "The Cherry Tree" is a prose story rather than a poem, Bond uses vivid descriptive and sensory language, imagery and figures of speech throughout to bring the setting and the tree to life.

He uses onomatopoeia to describe the winter wind that "went whoo-whoo-whoo in the deodar trees", making the sound of the wind audible to the reader.

He appeals to taste imagery when describing the cherries as "a little sweet, a little sour" and to sound imagery when describing the crickets and cicadas "tuning up" in the evening forest.

Bond also uses personification, writing that "the cherry tree had no intention of dying," giving the tree a will of its own, as if it were a determined living character rather than a plant.

Short, simple dialogue between Rakesh and Grandfather carries much of the story's meaning and figurative weight, as in the exchange about luck: "Nothing is lucky if you put it away.

If you want luck, you must put it to some use." The closing image, of Rakesh touching "the smooth bark of the tree that he had grown" and asking, "Is this what it feels to be God?", uses a quiet, reflective tone and a rhetorical question to bring the story's themes of creation and nurturing to a close.

Visual imagery is also strong throughout, from the "V-shaped formation" of wild ducks streaming north to the "pale pink blossom" that Grandfather calls Rakesh to see "before it falls".

What are the themes?

The rewards of patience and nurturing

The central theme is that patient, consistent care produces real results over time. Rakesh's regular watering, his protective pebbles, and his habit of watering the tree "even when there was rain" because "he wanted it to know that he was there" all show how nurturing, sustained over years, allows the fragile seedling to become a tall, blossoming tree.

Resilience in the face of setbacks

The tree survives being eaten by a goat and cut in two by a scythe, each time growing back.

Grandfather's repeated reassurance, "cherry trees are tough," and the narrator's statement that "the cherry tree had no intention of dying" show that growth is rarely smooth, but setbacks need not be final.

The bond between grandparent and grandchild

Rakesh and Grandfather share stories, meals and the daily task of caring for the tree.

Their relationship, shown through small exchanges like Grandfather calling, "Rakesh! Come and look! Come quickly before it falls!" when the first blossom appears, gives the story its warmth, and it is Grandfather's single piece of advice about luck that sets the whole story in motion.

Connection between humans and nature

The story shows a close, almost personal relationship between Rakesh and the natural world, from the praying-mantis he lets stay to the caterpillar he removes gently rather than killing, and finally to his wonder at having grown a living tree from a single seed, captured in his closing question, "Is this what it feels to be God?"

What are the key quotations?

The quotations below mark the turning points of the story: the advice that starts it, the two setbacks the tree survives, and the two closing lines in which Grandfather and Rakesh each explain what the tree has come to mean to them.

Grandfather's words about luck give Rakesh his reason for planting the seed rather than keeping it, while his later words about toughness carry Rakesh, and the reader, through the tree's two narrow escapes from the goat and the scythe.

The final two quotations, spoken beneath the fully grown tree, bring together the story's themes of nurturing, the grandparent-grandchild bond, and the quiet wonder of having created something living.

"Nothing is lucky if you put it away. If you want luck, you must put it to some use." — Grandfather, advising Rakesh about the cherry seed.

"It will grow again, cherry trees are tough." — Grandfather, reassuring Rakesh after the goat eats the tree's leaves.

"But the cherry tree had no intention of dying." — the narrator, after the tree is cut in two by a scythe.

"We planted it ourselves. That's why it's special." — Grandfather, explaining to Rakesh why this tree matters more than others in the forest.

"Is this what it feels to be God?" — Rakesh, touching the bark of the tree he has grown, at the story's end.

What are the answers to the textbook questions?

Why did Rakesh's parents send him to Mussoorie?

There were no schools in Rakesh's village, and his parents "were keen that he should go to school." So, "as soon as he was of school-going age, they sent him to stay with his grandfather in Mussoorie," where schooling was available.

Why did Rakesh let the praying-mantis remain on the branch of the cherry tree?

The praying-mantis was harmless and was "the cherry tree's first visitor." Rakesh seems to welcome it as a sign of life gathering around the tree he has grown, rather than treating it as a threat, unlike the caterpillar that was actually eating the leaves.

How is life in the Himalayan foothills described in the story?

The soil is "stony", and "dry cold winds stunted the growth of most plants," so there are "not many fruit trees" near Rakesh's home, though sheltered slopes have forests of oak and deodar. Seasons bring extremes, from bare winters to heavy monsoon rains and early snow.

What might Rakesh mean when he says, "Is this what it feels to be God?" at the end of the story?

Rakesh has nurtured the tree from a single seed into a tall, living, fruit-bearing tree over several years. Touching its bark, he seems to feel a sense of wonder at having created and sustained life, which he compares to the feeling of being a creator, or God.

How does the writer describe the relationship between Rakesh and his grandfather?

Their relationship is warm and companionable: Grandfather tells Rakesh stories by the fire while Rakesh reads him the newspaper, and Grandfather gives Rakesh the advice that starts the whole story. They share quiet moments together, such as sitting beneath the cherry tree as evening falls.

What can you infer about the connection between humans and nature based on the story?

The story suggests that humans can form deep, personal connections with nature through care and attention. Rakesh's bond with the tree grows from a single planted seed into something he describes in almost spiritual terms, showing that nurturing a living thing can be as meaningful as any human relationship.

Imagine Rakesh reflects on his wonderful experience of watching a seed being transformed into a full-grown cherry tree. Write how he must have felt.

Rakesh would likely feel proud and amazed that something he once held as a tiny seed in his palm had grown taller than both himself and his grandfather.

He might recall each setback, the goat, the scythe, and feel satisfaction that his patience and daily care had helped the tree survive and flourish, giving him a quiet sense of achievement and wonder at nature's resilience.

Glossary

• Stunted — prevented from growing to full or usual size, as cold winds stunted the growth of most plants in the hills.
• Outskirts — the outer areas or edges of a town, away from its busy centre, such as where Rakesh's cottage stood.
• Yielding — soft and easy to press into or shape, used here to describe soil that gives way without needing to be dug.
• Tang — a strong, sharp taste, such as the tartness Rakesh noticed in the last cherry he kept rolling on his tongue.
• Haunches — the position of sitting low with knees bent and weight resting on the feet, as Rakesh did to examine the seedling.
• Peered — looked closely and carefully, often with some effort or difficulty, as Grandfather did at the newly discovered tiny tree.
• Plodded — walked slowly and with heavy, tired steps, as Rakesh did through rain and mud on his way to and from school.
• Scrambled — moved quickly down a slope with some difficulty, using hands and feet for balance, as the woman cutting grass did.
• Scythe — a farming tool with a long, curved blade fixed to a long handle, used for cutting grass or crops.
• Foliage — the leaves of a plant or tree collectively, especially thick leaves, as in the heavy monsoon foliage the woman cut through.
• Praying-mantis — a slender insect that holds its front legs folded as if praying, and preys on smaller insects nearby.
• Grumpy — easily irritated or bad-tempered, as Grandfather became when snow blocked the road and he had no newspaper to read.
• Flitted — moved or flew quickly and lightly from place to place, as the larger birds did among the cherry tree's foliage.
• Reclining — lying back in a relaxed, resting position, as Grandfather did in his cane chair beneath the shade of the tree.
• Nightjar — a nocturnal bird known for its distinctive call, heard by Rakesh and Grandfather as evening fell over the garden.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: The cherry tree grows at a steady, even pace throughout the story. Correct: Its growth varies greatly with the seasons, growing quickly in the monsoon and slowly or not at all in winter, and is twice set back by a goat and a scythe.
• Misconception: Rakesh plants the seed because he wants a cherry tree. Correct: He plants it after Grandfather tells him, "If you want luck, you must put it to some use," showing the planting was prompted by advice about luck, not a deliberate wish for fruit.
• Misconception: Grandfather is certain the tree will survive after the scythe cuts it. Correct: When Rakesh fears it will die, Grandfather only says "Maybe," showing genuine uncertainty rather than confident reassurance at that point.
• Misconception: Rakesh lives with his parents in Mussoorie. Correct: Rakesh lives with his grandfather in Mussoorie; his parents live in a village "fifty miles away".
• Misconception: The tree's first fruit is sweet and delicious. Correct: Rakesh tastes a small cherry and spits it out, saying "It's too sour," though Grandfather says they will improve the next year.
• Misconception: The story is set during a single year. Correct: The story spans several years, from when Rakesh is six and plants the seed to some years later, when the tree has grown taller than Grandfather.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. What advice does Grandfather give Rakesh about luck? [2 marks]

1. Grandfather tells Rakesh, "Nothing is lucky if you put it away. If you want luck, you must put it to some use," meaning that simply keeping the lucky seed brings no benefit; only using it productively, by planting it, can bring good fortune.

Q2. Describe two threats the cherry tree survives in the story. [4 marks]

1. First, a goat enters the garden when the tree is about two feet tall and eats all its leaves, leaving only "the main stem and two thin branches", yet Grandfather assures Rakesh that "cherry trees are tough" and it will grow again.
2. Second, a woman cutting grass accidentally slices through the tree with her scythe, cutting it in two near the end of the rainy season.
3. Grandfather scolds the woman, but the damage cannot be repaired, and even he is uncertain whether the tree will survive, saying only "Maybe" when Rakesh worries.
4. Despite both setbacks, the tree recovers each time, sending out new shoots the following summer and eventually growing taller than both Rakesh and Grandfather.

Q3. Trace how the cherry tree's growth is linked to Rakesh's own age across the story, with the heights and ages given in the text. [6 marks]

1. Rakesh plants the seed at age six, and by the next spring a tiny rooted twig, "about four inches high", is discovered in the garden.
2. After the early monsoon, the tree grows to "about two feet" before the goat eats its leaves.
3. When Rakesh is eight and returns from his village, the tree has grown another foot, reaching "up to his chest".
4. On Rakesh's ninth birthday, the tree is four years old and "almost as tall as Rakesh".
5. The following year, the tree becomes "taller than Rakesh, even though it was less than half his age".
6. Eventually the tree grows "taller than Grandfather, who was older than some of the oak trees", showing how the tree's growth consistently outpaces and then overtakes the people who nurtured it.

Q4. Why does Rakesh water the cherry tree even when it is raining? [2 marks]

1. The text explains that even when there was rain, Rakesh would sometimes water the tree because "he wanted it to know that he was there," showing his emotional attachment and desire to maintain a personal connection with the tree, beyond its practical need for water.

Q5. Explain what Grandfather means when he says, "We planted it ourselves. That's why it's special." [3 marks]

1. Rakesh asks why this particular tree, among the many trees in the forest, matters so much to them.
2. Grandfather's answer suggests that the tree's value does not come from its size or beauty compared to other trees, but from the fact that he and Rakesh planted and nurtured it themselves.
3. This reflects the theme that personal effort and care create a special emotional bond with what one has grown, distinguishing it from everything else around it.

Q6. What does Rakesh's treatment of the caterpillar and the praying-mantis reveal about his character? [3 marks]

1. When a hairy caterpillar starts eating the tree's leaves, Rakesh removes it quickly rather than crushing it, and gently drops it on a heap of dry leaves, telling it, "Come back when you're a butterfly."
2. When a praying-mantis perches on the tree, Rakesh lets it remain, welcoming it as "the cherry tree's first visitor."
3. Both incidents show that Rakesh is gentle and protective towards small creatures, caring for the tree's wellbeing without needlessly harming other living things.

Q7. Describe the setting of Rakesh's home in the Himalayan foothills as given in the story. [4 marks]

1. Rakesh lives with his grandfather in a little cottage on the outskirts of Mussoorie, "just where the forest began."
2. The soil in the area is "stony", and "dry cold winds stunted the growth of most plants," meaning there are "not many fruit trees" nearby.
3. However, on more sheltered slopes, there are "forests of oak and deodar".
4. This barren, cold setting makes the small cherries Rakesh buys, brought "all the way from the Kashmir Valley," feel like something rare and special.

Q8. What final question does Rakesh ask at the end of the story, and what might it suggest about his feelings? [2 marks]

1. Rakesh touches the tree's bark and whispers, "Is this what it feels to be God?", suggesting he feels a deep sense of wonder and pride at having nurtured a tiny seed into a full, living tree over several years.

Key takeaways

• Rakesh plants a cherry seed on Grandfather's advice: "If you want luck, you must put it to some use."
• The tree survives being eaten by a goat and cut in two by a scythe, showing resilience.
• Rakesh waters and protects the tree faithfully for years, even when it is raining.
• The tree's growth is tracked against Rakesh's own age, from four inches to taller than Grandfather.
• A praying-mantis and a caterpillar are among the tree's first small visitors, treated gently by Rakesh.
• The first blossom appears when Rakesh is nine, after years of patient care.
• Grandfather explains the tree's special value simply: "We planted it ourselves."
• Rakesh's final question, "Is this what it feels to be God?", expresses wonder at nurturing life.

Test yourself

How much did Rakesh pay for the bunch of cherries?

He paid "fifty paise" for the bunch of cherries he bought in the Mussoorie bazaar.

Where had the cherries Rakesh bought originally come from?

The small, bright red cherries had come "all the way from the Kashmir Valley."

What was the tree's height when Rakesh first discovered the seedling?

The tiny rooted twig was "about four inches high" when Rakesh first found it in spring.

Why did Grandfather become grumpy one winter?

The road from the valley was blocked by early snow, so there was no newspaper for several days, which made Grandfather "quite grumpy".

What did Rakesh think of the first small cherries he tasted?

He found them "too sour" and spat one out, though Grandfather said they would be better the next year.

What creature became the tree's first visitor?

A bright green praying-mantis perched on a branch became "the cherry tree's first visitor".

What was Rakesh's final whispered question beneath the tree?

He asked, "Is this what it feels to be God?" after touching the smooth bark of the tree he had grown.