Tree Stood Along

Tree Stood Alone



Tree stood alone. The stars were gone, the sky was gone, almost every leaf had gone. Tree sighed. Then, a gentle wind rustled his leaves. The quick movements tickled him. It was moments like these that tree remembered he was still alive. Tree looked out into the blank and empty world. He wished he was not alone, but as long as he could remember, the times people had been by, Tree had been wounded. His trunk bore every scar. Tree was silent. The world was desolate, and Tree wished for a different existence than he had ever known

One day, Owl landed on one of Tree’s limbs. The motion made Tree shudder.

“What's wrong?” Owl slowly turned his head to look at tree.

“I do not trust you,” Tree told Owl.

“But I am wise, the wisest bird ever,” Owl said. "To not trust me is to not trust nature itself.”

Tree's limb wilted just slightly. Yes, it was true that Owl was known for his wisdom, but
nature had changed, for she had removed the stars and sky from around tree. She had left his world white and colorless except for a few green leaves on his limbs.

“I cannot trust you, Owl,” Tree finally replied.

But Owl closed his eyes. “I am too weary Tree for your doubts, but soon I will leave, just as soon as I have a good rest.”

“Is it night?” Tree asked Owl. For the sky was always empty and white, Tree could no longer tell the day from night, winter from summer.

“No,” said Owl. “Look upon the sun.”

“Sun?” Tree's limbs shuddered more. “There is no sun.”

“Above you,” Owl whispered.

“There is nothing above me,” Tree replied. “Nothing around me. For you, Owl are the first person I have spoken to since I can remember.”

Owl murmured then closed his eyes for the final time. For Owl, it was bedtime. For Tree, just another moment in eternity.

Tree cracked a limb, hoping to frighten Owl away, but Owl was too deep in his sleep to notice. Tree shed another leaf.

Tree moved the tips of his roots. If only he could move, Owl would awaken, Owl would move, Owl might fall. Tree sighed. Trees do not move. Tree knew this better than any tree for he had been in this ground since the beginning of time. It had been fun at first, Tree sprouting, spreading his limbs, tiny pink blossoms sprinkling about his foliage, his soft fragrance drifting throughout the atmosphere. Birds sang songs about him, bees hummed his name upon the wind.

Tree had been straight and tall and beautiful. His shade stretched for nearly an acre. People would come from all around just to sit in Tree’s shade. Tree had been proud.

It had been man who had first injured Tree, digging his knife deep into Tree’s bark. But Tree had endured the pain, his bark bearing the initials, MS. Then, it was a storm, lightening splitting his trunk. Tree thought he might die, but slowly, his limbs began to sprout leaves again.

Hours later, Owl opened his eyes. “Wake up Tree,” Owl whispered, “For it is night. Time for me to find some dinner.”

“Night?” Tree scoffed. “There is no day, there is no night.”

“It is with sorrow, I leave you Tree, for you cannot see the stars that sparkle in the darkness, cannot feel the comforting warmth of the sun in the day. Open your eyes, Tree, so that you may live again as you once had.”

With that, Owl flew away. Tree watched the brown animal soar through the plain white space, until he too disappeared. Tree could still feel where Owl had slept. His claws had clutched Tree’s limb, piercing it slightly. Owl spoke of day and night, of stars and sunlight. Tree strained to see past the whiteness, but there was nothing. Tree shed a leaf. He watched as the delicate green shape floated effortlessly to the ground. For this leaf, Tree blamed Owl.

“And how many leaves have I now? With so few, what good are my leaves to me or anyone?”

Tree stared out into the emptiness. He was almost asleep when HMMMMMMM! The sound of Bee whizzed by his ear.

“I have heard of you, Tree” Bee said. His bright striped body covered in beads of pollen. “ I want to dance in your flowers,” Bee told him.

“Flowers?” Tree laughed. “There have been no flowers for ages.”

Bee circled Tree. “Look beyond yourself,” Bee told him. “There are the crimson poppies, the yellow daffodils, the sapphire blankets of blue bonnets sprawling to your feet.”

Tree looked down, there was only whiteness.

“You have a vivid imagination, Bee.” Tree told him. “Hum around my trunk, but be careful not to disturb my leaves.”

Quickly, Bee disappeared but Tree could hear him, could feel the vibration of Bee flitting around his leaves.

“Begone!” Tree grumbled.

Bee hummed once more then quickly departed. Two more leaves fell from Tree.

“Doomed,” Tree lamented. “My days in desolation are quickly numbered.”

And Tree shed his first tear in centuries. Life in desolation, Tree knew, was better than ceasing to exist.

One day, Rabbit came upon Tree. “I wish to huddle in the warmth of your massive roots,” Rabbit said.

“No,” Tree said, “For I have lost more than one leaf for every animal that has come upon me. Favor you, and I may lose every leaf I have possessed.”

“It is past time for you to shed your leaves,” Rabbit replied.

“A flippant reply,” Tree said, “By a trifling animal. Do not tally here long, for there is no burrow to be found near me. Look around me, there is nothing but white. Emptiness. If you nestle among my roots, I will lose all of my leaves then nothing will exist.”

“Yes,” Rabbit replied, “It is white and desolate, for it is winter. The ground is covered with the purest of snows, the animals have taken to hollows for winter. But look above you, Tree, for such an expanse of blue, azure and endless fills the sky. Nothing, you say, but you need only look beyond where you stand to see there is everything.”

Tree grumbled, “I am not mobile.”

“Yes,” said Rabbit, “And fortunate you are, every day you know where you will live and eat; animals must constantly move or they will die of thirst or hunger. “

Tree grumbled more, and as Rabbit approached the interior of Tree’s roots, Tree broke his longest limb, hoping to discourage Rabbit before he caused more harm to Tree. But Rabbit had been too quick for Tree and settled in for a long winter’s nap. And the limb that Tree tossed contained not one, nor two but five of his most precious green leaves.

Rabbit slept for a very long time. Tree could hear Rabbit’s heart beat, it was very slow. At times, Rabbit shivered. Tree concentrated hard, for Tree knew that he could generate heat for Rabbit, he just had to try. When Rabbit finally awakened, he had forgotten where he was.

“What a night,” Rabbit yawned.

“Night?” Tree scoffed. “You were asleep for centuries”

“Centuries?” Rabbit giggled. “I remember it was winter, late in winter, and you did not wish me to rest among your roots. Were you harmed,Tree?”

“A branch fell.” Tree replied. “My largest branch with five of my few leaves attached.”

“I remember,” Rabbit said. “But that limb did not fall, you broke it to keep me from resting in your roots. Look out, Tree. Do you not see? Spring is here. Trees are budding.”

Tree looked, but there was nothing. “I’m sorry Rabbit, but you are mistaken. I am glad you had a good rest, but you seem to still be dreaming.”

“I am sad for you, Tree,” Rabbit spoke sincerely as he pulled his head and body through the maze of massive roots. “I hope that you can see again soon, Tree, for there is a splendid wonderment about the life that surrounds you. Thank you again for letting me rest in your warmth, for it was a very bitter winter.”

“Winter, summer,” Tree laughed. “They do not exist for me. My world has no color, no temperature, no beauty but no pain.”

“How very comfortable you must be,” Rabbit spoke.

“Yes, yes,” Tree answered. “Comfortable and alive.”

“Look up and out,” Rabbit said. “For you are missing a beautiful life. I must go now, Tree, for I am terribly hungry. I must find carrots and my favorite beets. I will visit you again, Tree. By then, I hope you will have opened yourself to the wonders that surround you.”

“Eat, eat,” Tree called after Rabbit who was already quite a distance away. It was not long before Rabbit too disappeared into the blankness.

Tree sat and squinted and popped open his eyes wide. Still there was nothing but white before him. Owl spoke of the sun and stars, Bee of poppies and blue bonnets, and Rabbit of azure skies.

“When I close my eyes, I can remember such things. And yes, Rabbit was right, the visions were truly beautiful.” Tree closed his eyes for a very long time, reflecting on things he had seen in the past.

One day when his eyes were closed, Tree felt a pain. Tree had not felt pain since the world went white. “Owl and Bee and Rabbit were wrong,” Tree said to himself. “With the stars and the sun, with flowers and skies, there is pain. I will open my eyes,” Tree stated, “Never to close them again.”

And Tree stood, silently, with his eyes wide open. Still, the pain continued. “This is terrible,” Tree lamented. “I cannot see, there is nothing but white, but now I must bear this miserable pain” And Tree fell into sadness.

It seemed like eternity that Tree felt the pain, then one day it stopped. “I am dead,” Tree spoke. “The world is blank, and the pain is gone”.

Just then, Owl swooped past him and clutched his sharp claws around his limb.

“You think I had forgotten you, Tree?” Owl smiled.

“I thought perhaps, that I was dead, “ Tree spoke with great caution.

“Dead?” Owl laughed. “Tree, you are anything but dead.”

“But I had a terrible pain, then it stopped,” Tree explained.

“And why,” Owl asked, “Do you think the pain stopped?”

“I cannot think anything other than I had died.”

“Or that some great wound had healed.” Owl spoke with great authority. “Look around Tree and tell me what you see.”

“Nothing,” Tree closed his eyes. “It was when I began to remember the flowers and the stars and moon that the pain began.”

“And when you stopped remembering?” Owl questioned him.

“The pain continued,” Tree answered.

“Then perhaps the pain was not caused by the memories,” Owl replied. “Perhaps there was some other cause for your pain.”

“Perhaps,” Tree said. But Tree did not believe there was any other cause for his pain. For now, Tree agreed with Owl, for he had no other explanation.

“I will sit in your limbs,” Owl spoke softly. “ So that I may rest and so that you shall know that you are indeed still alive.”

“You would do that for me?” Tree asked.

“I would certainly do that for you or for any friend,” Owl assured him.

Tree sighed. For the first time in a very long time, Tree felt a slight comfort somewhere emanating from deep inside.

“You may close your eyes if you wish, Tree.” Owl said. “I will sit here all day and all night”.

Tree hesitated, then slowly closed his eyes. He had nothing more than Owl to see and the white that had surrounded him since nature decided to leave him.

Tree’s eyes were not closed long before he heard HMMMMM! Bee had returned

“It has been two seasons,” Bee said. “ But the pollen from you was ancient, unmodified by man. I was sent to seek more pollen from your leaves. Will you permit me?”

Tree opened his eyes. “You cost me two leaves,” Tree grumbled.

“But your pollen made the sweetest of honeys.” Bee answered.

Tree was tired. Owl was sitting on his limb, finally he told Bee that he could collect the pollen he needed.

Bee was grateful and promised to be careful of his leaves. Bee tickled Tree as he hummed in Tree’s ears and rustled through his leaves.

“I shall return,” Bee told him as he finished. “When it is time for more pollen or sooner if you would permit me.”

Tree sighed. “Yes,” Tree told him, “For you remind me that I am still alive.“

“Good then,” Bee replied. “I will return in the morning.”

Tree took a deep breath of air. It was pure and clean. “Yes,” Tree said to himself, “I am indeed still alive.”

Before Bee could return, Rabbit came by.

“How is your world?” Rabbit asked Tree.

“Still white and empty,” Tree replied. “So empty I thought perhaps I had died, but Bee and Owl here show me my presumptions were all wrong. “

Rabbit smiled. “I would like to nest my family in your roots.. You have such a large base, so warm in the winter, I know my family would be safe with you.”

Tree grimaced. “Look upon my branches,” Tree said. “I have but one or two leaves left. I am dying, “ Tree said.

Rabbit slid under his roots and soon shouted. “Tree, Tree, you must open your eyes and see what has happened.”

Rabbit had crawled in the area where his pain had suddenly begun and suddenly stopped. “See, see what nature has given you?”

“Another scar?” Tree asked.

“Perhaps,” Rabbit replied but so much more. “Please, focus and try to see beyond the white.”

And Tree squinted and focused and concentrated in the area where Rabbit stood and the pain had been. At first everything was blurry, but then, in the crook of one of his largest roots, he saw it. A new branch, rising from his trunk, attached to him. Tree was growing, again. Bright green and succulent leaves were sprouting from his very base.

“What, what is this?” Tree exuded. “More leaves than I have sprouted since the world went white.”

Rabbit smiled. “ When I bring my family, we will nestle upon the other side, so as not to disturb your new growth. Can you see beyond the white now? “

And Tree struggled to see more. He blinked and suddenly the sky was blue, azure and pure, and the yellow of the sun almost blinded him.

“It is day!” Tree shouted.

“Yes,” Owl rejoiced. “And at your feet, can you see?”

Again, the colors blurred but there was red and blue and yellow and green upon the ground.

“There is color,” Tree remarked gleefully. “ Indistinct yet vivid.”

Owl and Rabbit squealed with delight. “You are alive, Tree. Rejoice with us.”

And within a day, Tree and Owl, Bee and Rabbit’s family were all together. Owl making a nest in Tree’s strongest limb, Bee building a new hive under the new shade Tree was promising to provide. They all danced from dawn until dusk. And when sun was setting and the moon was rising, Tree saw it. The first star of the night, the violet of the setting sun, the orange glow of the rising moon, and Tree was happy. Tree was alive, and Tree was surrounded by friends.