A Fairy Tale of Trees and Other things

There once was a meadow who's majesty was incomparable to that of any other, hidden from the world by a shroud of thick woods. It was filled with beautiful white flowers, covering every inch to where the meadow bordered all that surrounded it. The flowers were so plentiful in fact that you could only see green through the little gaps in between.

In the meadow there stood a cabin to which two did reside: a man, Adam, and his loving wife Isabelle. The cabin was modest in size, made of big logs, part bulging from all four sides, each complimented with a small glass window. Each window was accompanied by a large sill, where more flowers stood dancing in the wind. Atop there lay a green tin roof, so green that it seemed as though it could have been painted with the very grass that was around them, all hidden under a veil of flowers. This all was surrounded by trees for miles, with no other cabins taking residence nearby. There did however exist a dirt road that, after a few hours walk, would lead to the forests edge.

Adam and Isabelle spent every moment together in that meadow, except for those spent to go into town for food or other such necessities. They would cook together and do other such things, and with all their free time, they would go out into the meadow and lay there, pointing at the clouds, narrating what they saw. They were few moments that made them quite as happy as those spent lying in the meadow with each other, talking of all the wonders they saw above.

One day, when Adam and Isabelle were beginning the preparations for supper that evening, a terrible windstorm began. As Isabelle was readying the food, Adam went out into the forest for wood so they could tend to the stove fire on his return.

Hours passed, and soon Isabelle became worried. She threw on a coat and, fighting the ever strong wind, rushed out through the meadow toward the wall of trees towering over. She began to call for him, wanting with all her being to just hear a word, a syllable; anything. She looked for days, always hopeful she would find him, unrelenting till she would; and she did. A week had passed before she had, him lying there motionless, pinned by an infinitely long tree, it's ends lost in the distance.

She became manic, but soon after slowed to a calm thoughtful silence. She was left alone in their cabin, in the middle of a meadow, in the middle of the woods, far from anything and everything. Sadly, all that was left to accompany Isabelle was the winds occasional whispers and a sapling that began to push its way through the floorboards.

Years later, a few men, midst their hunting venture, stumbled upon a dirt road that lead deeper into the woods. As their curiosity would allude, they followed it to a large meadow where a lone cabin did stand. They felt compelled to meet the cabins owner and to their surprise they found this beautiful woman Isabelle and whom they sought to be one in the same. She entertained their company, but soon enough they were on their way.

Word spread throughout the neighboring towns, bringing suitor after suitor to her door. She was always very pleased to have those come visit her, as she didn't have company often prior, but she never for a moment jousted with the idea of accepting their proposals. Instead, with exception to the occasional visitor, she remained there alone in her cabin, cooking and cleaning and watching the sapling grow.

As time went on and she got older, the suitors no longer visited her. The house wore and dirtied, losing the majesty it once had. The once beautiful tin roof rusted brown and detached in one of the corners. The windows were murky with age and the once beautiful flowers that sat on the windowsills were no more than the dirt they sat in so long ago. The flowers that filled the meadow slowed their coming, until one year they did not grow at all. In their place the grass grew just the same, but seemed to take on a much darker hue. The windstorms still came too, more consistently even, and when they did the house would creek and whisper in a somewhat haunting manner.

Despite it all, the tree, contained in the sunless house had flourished. It continued to grow on through the tin roof and above all the others. The house had gone up with it, almost one with the tree now, all the while Isabelle remained inside.

Isabelle showed signs of aging to much an extent as well, her hair silver and thinning. Her skin had become bags carrying what little fat she had left, rolling over in layers. She slumped over too, her body stiff and irregular in its stance. None of this mattered to her though, for her beloved Adam was not there to witness what she had become.

More time passed and still she continued to care for the tree. But time is not everlasting, and she knew the day would come when she could care for the tree no longer. She became worried, but let it pass, knowing there was not much she could do otherwise. Soon enough she became ill; now too weak to care for herself. She spent what time she had left in the tattered remains of their bed, opening her eyes ever so often when she could summon the strength, to gaze upon the once sapling that had now flourished into the behemoth that stood in it's place. The tree, her condition considered, continued to grow, into the sky and through the clouds now.

Isabelle's condition grew worse, losing what little strength she had left. There was no one to feed her, no one to care for her, and she began to thin rather quickly from her already skeletal state. Her breaths became heavier as did her body, until all at once, it was all gone.

There was a knocking at her door.

Confused at first, Isabelle not having had company in a while, hurried to put on her best dress which had grayed with age, she too excited to take concern. She rushed to the door her angst almost overcoming her. She reached for the knob and opened the door with a sort of premeditated grace to find Adam standing there, among the clouds, looking as he did that day.

She wanted to go to him, but after a moments thought, she began to pull away fearing Adam would not want or even recognize her in her old age, not looking as beautiful as she once did.

As she began to retreat Adam reached for her, putting her hand in his own, and then began to whisper into her ear.

A smile met her face in an instant and remained until soon after she began to cry. She continued, uncontrollably now, her tears piercing the clouds like rain for all that was below.

After a few moments, as her tears slowed, she looked up and began to smile again, trying to wipe her face of all the tears that hung there. And in this effort, he brought his hand about her face and with his thumbs began to wipe the tears from her eyes too: the ones that just wouldn't go.

The End