The Heart Tree

When they first met, she gave him a seed and he planted it in the meadow where he spent most of his time. It was the first time he had to care for something so small and fragile so he was extremely cautious in the beginning. He watered it carefully every day and made sure no weeds grew up around it or no hungry creature dug it up and ate it. As time went on the seed sprouted and the seedling grew however, he often wondered whether it was worth all the effort. Somehow though a part of him knew it would be worthwhile so he continued to care for the tiny plant.

More time went on and the seedling grew into a juvenile tree, strong and sturdy though somewhat short. He became very fond of the tree. He would often lie nestled in its roots enjoying its shade as he listened to the birds that sang from its branches. The birds seemed to be as fond of the tree as he was, he noticed, as he watched them flutter merrily from branch to branch, the sound of their beautiful voices filling the air. Many a day passed like this and the tree was now a year old. He no longer needed to care so attentively for it and so began to spend less time with it, no less fond of it but confident that it could survive on its own.

Then one day she told him she was going to go away for a while and that he should wait for her under the tree. He agreed happily, she left and the tree grew a single white flower that day. Now he was back to spending almost all his time under the tree. It was now tall, strong and thick enough to shelter him from the cool rains that fell occasionally and the sun’s rays by day. At night, he would curl up in its roots and sleep soundly as it kept the cold winds at bay.

The single white flower had withered and in its place a little round fruit now grew. He watched it grow little by little each day, from green to yellow to a pale orange and finally a vivid peach. He was content to let the birds that sang to him have the first fruit as he knew there would be many more to come. For days he watched them pick holes in it, their beaks smeared with its yellow flesh. It seemed to him the more they ate the sweeter they sang.

It was now months ago that she told him to wait and so he began to worry. His worry however, seemed to affect the tree. The leaves on its lower branches turned yellow and began to fall one by one. This worried him even more and his increased worry just seemed to hasten the shedding. The birds seemed to know something was wrong and all flew away, leaving the half eaten fruit hanging in solitude among the now sparse branches. As more and more leaves fell, his worries turned to pain and finally anguish, as the last leaf drifted slowly down to rest in his lap, brown, dry and dead. He sat on the root, his head in his hands, grief stricken, for he too understood. He didn’t notice the dark clouds gathering above and when they burst and the rains fell, the clouds didn’t notice his tears.

 

He rose slowly in the freezing rain and took a few deliberate steps then turned to take one last look at the tree. In its branches swaying in the wind was the half eaten fruit, now rotten and black. As he stood watching the tree the smell of ozone filled the air and every hair on his body stood on end. He saw it all in slow motion. A single bolt leapt from the clouds above and zig zaged wildly down toward its target. As it connected, a brilliant explosion. The world spinning, his vision blurred and a high pitched ringing in his ear he fell to the ground limp. His last thoughts were of how beautiful it all was.

When he finally came to the sun was shining. The entire landscape seemed to have been washed clean and restored. The distant hills were a lush green, the cloudless sky above an electric blue and the grass around him swayed happily in a cool breeze. The tree lay some distance away. Lightening had split it clean down the center. He walked slowly towards it and as he stood there staring in amazement; he noticed that the seed from the fruit still hung from the dead branch. The rotted flesh had all been washed away exposing a heart shaped seed. He plucked it from its stem and placed it in his pocket, a weary smile crept slowly onto his face.

Slowly he turned and walked off and kept walking, on and on and on, taking in the sights and sounds as he walked, never once turning. Over hills and down into valleys, through swamps and across a desert. He swam lakes and climbed a snow capped peak, until finally he came to a place where the land ceased abruptly and a void stretched as far as he could see. Far off, tiny stars twinkled invitingly.

He sat on the edge and dangled his feet into the darkness and gazed deep into the vast nothingness, deliberating. When he finally made his decision he stood and took the seed out of his pocket, held it in his hands and truly looked at it for the first time. It was a beautiful thing, heart shaped with ornate markings on its smooth brown shell. A wistful smile found its way onto his lips as he chucked it as far as he could into the void.

He stood there for a while, stretched, cracked his back then took up the invitation of the tiny twinkling stars.

Reviews

[Kristan A. Mohammed]

This is truly a beautiful piece of work here. Such a beautiful storyline that left me wanting more. I love the structure of the the story. Perfect like the structure of a tree. I also really admired how you thought to write in that the tree would feel his frustration and anguish and wither away with his hope. But I feel like you should write a part 2 because I would like to know if the girl ever came back. I enjoyed reading this and I hope you continue to feel inspired.

[Sean]

I appreciate your review, means a lot to me as a new writer now testing the waters. I am working on a part 2 but it probably will not be what you expect.