Shadey Tree

The Shadey Tree

By: Anasina R. Dupree-Aileron

Performed at Bardic 4/4/18

Once upon a dream, there was a tiny little tree. This tiny little tree had a dream of its own: that one day it would provide shade for dreamers to relax beneath.

So the tree waited, and waited, dreamers passing it by each day, occasionally gathering some of the nuts from its branches, though it had so few.

As it waited, it saw the spring flowers bloom...

then wither away...

As it waited it saw the stars come out...

but then disappear during the day...

And as it waited it saw dreamers wed...

and dreamers war...

all within the span of several years.

Time seemed to go on forever for this little tree, that merely wanted to grow to be shade.

...But it would never, ever, become shade.

For you see... the tree had grown just tall enough to be wood for the fire, and a carry case for a book or two.

In despair, much of it burned to ash, but a little bit of its spirit remained within that small carrying case. It carried books of history and fiction, and carried a journal of a young girl's conviction. This was a satisfying use of its life, but still it wished it could have simply have been shade.

But one spring day, out of the blue...

while this tree carried a book or two...

it found itself under the shade of a tree much like itself, and it felt familiarity. For the nuts that had been taken from its young branches had grown into many trees grown in a garden...

...trees that provide shade that the young tree couldn't.

So though that tree never stood quite tall enough, and it's leaves never grew thick...

It left behind a goal... a dream... fulfilled by ones once small.

Reference

https://forums.underlight.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=5145&p=18309&hilit=bardic#p18309