The man and the tree
On a sunny afternoon where the sun looked like it wouldn't set and everywhere was dry to the bones, a boy walks up to a tree. Eyes downcast and worry written all over his juvenile face.
He sits by the foot of the tree with his his palms to his face and begins to sob.
The Tree bemused by this little boy begins to wonder what could make this child so sad.
"What seems to be the problem?",the Tree asks.
The boy frightened to hear the tree speak gets up with the speed of light.
How does the tree speak, he wonders as he cleans his tears with the back of his hands.
He takes a step back but doesn't run away, clearly wanting to hear the tree speak again so he knows his mind isn't playing tricks on him.
"Why are you crying little one?".
The Tree asks again.
This time the boy moves closer and touches the tree's hard bark, running his fingers through it's stem.
"My mother is sick and the doctors say she has just two weeks" The boys says holding back his tears.
The pain is too raw for him. He remembers seeing his mother through the transparent hospital windows.
He remembers how he couldn't see his mother in the woman that lay in the bed with cords and strings attached all over her. He remembers looking into her eyes and seeing that it had lost it's glimmer.
His mom used to be so energetic and full of life.
But now she's just sick.
He doesn't want her to die, he doesn't think he can handle it.
She's all he has left,if she goes it means he'll continue to live in a foster home till he comes of age.
His father died before he was born and his mom had raised him up to this point. He doesn't want her to go.
The tree continues to stare at the boy in bewilderment, studying him from his copper grey hair to his worn out boots.
"How am i talking to a tree?",The boys asks.
"How am i talking to boy?".The tree replies.
The boy sits back down at the foot of the tree and tells the tree all about his mother.
They talk up to when the sun finally agrees to go down and the moon begins to appear.
He tells the tree of how she makes the best apple pie, how he brushes her hair for her and how it smells like freshly cut grass in the rain.
He talks about how she always watches his favourite movie with him curled on her laps.
Boy, does he talk.
The Tree understands how it's hard for him.
The tree knows what it means for such a small child to go through loss.
The tree also senses that the boy is holding back so the tree asks him,
"Why are you happy though?"
The boy is taken aback and suddenly anger replaces his sadness .
"What do you mean I'm happy?" The boy shouts.
The tree knows deep down what the boy wants.
"You know you're happy but you feel guilty ". The tree says patiently.
The boys sighs and looks up at the tree's leaves.
The tree knows how badly he wants all this to be over.
The tree knows how much he's tired of him seeing his mum sick.
The tree knows that he's happy that his mother is finally going to die.
And with that the boy gets up and walks back to the hospital.
He sits by the foot of the tree with his his palms to his face and begins to sob.
The Tree bemused by this little boy begins to wonder what could make this child so sad.
"What seems to be the problem?",the Tree asks.
The boy frightened to hear the tree speak gets up with the speed of light.
How does the tree speak, he wonders as he cleans his tears with the back of his hands.
He takes a step back but doesn't run away, clearly wanting to hear the tree speak again so he knows his mind isn't playing tricks on him.
"Why are you crying little one?".
The Tree asks again.
This time the boy moves closer and touches the tree's hard bark, running his fingers through it's stem.
"My mother is sick and the doctors say she has just two weeks" The boys says holding back his tears.
The pain is too raw for him. He remembers seeing his mother through the transparent hospital windows.
He remembers how he couldn't see his mother in the woman that lay in the bed with cords and strings attached all over her. He remembers looking into her eyes and seeing that it had lost it's glimmer.
His mom used to be so energetic and full of life.
But now she's just sick.
He doesn't want her to die, he doesn't think he can handle it.
She's all he has left,if she goes it means he'll continue to live in a foster home till he comes of age.
His father died before he was born and his mom had raised him up to this point. He doesn't want her to go.
The tree continues to stare at the boy in bewilderment, studying him from his copper grey hair to his worn out boots.
"How am i talking to a tree?",The boys asks.
"How am i talking to boy?".The tree replies.
The boy sits back down at the foot of the tree and tells the tree all about his mother.
They talk up to when the sun finally agrees to go down and the moon begins to appear.
He tells the tree of how she makes the best apple pie, how he brushes her hair for her and how it smells like freshly cut grass in the rain.
He talks about how she always watches his favourite movie with him curled on her laps.
Boy, does he talk.
The Tree understands how it's hard for him.
The tree knows what it means for such a small child to go through loss.
The tree also senses that the boy is holding back so the tree asks him,
"Why are you happy though?"
The boy is taken aback and suddenly anger replaces his sadness .
"What do you mean I'm happy?" The boy shouts.
The tree knows deep down what the boy wants.
"You know you're happy but you feel guilty ". The tree says patiently.
The boys sighs and looks up at the tree's leaves.
The tree knows how badly he wants all this to be over.
The tree knows how much he's tired of him seeing his mum sick.
The tree knows that he's happy that his mother is finally going to die.
And with that the boy gets up and walks back to the hospital.
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