The Tree that Couldn’t Grow Leaves

(another short story, I’m afraid… look away)

Winterlong the tall tree stood shoulder-to-shoulder with all the other trees beside the busy road that snaked through the forest. The tree spent the short days watching the ebb and flow of the traffic, wondering why and where all the people were going in their cars. As more cars appeared on the roads he felt his branches tingling more and more.

Spring came and as the sap rose in the other trees the forest grew noisier as the wind rustled the leaves that started growing on the other trees. But none grew on the tallest tree.

He started to grow sad, standing apart a little from the other trees. The other trees looked so beautiful with their fine greenery, and as the wind blew through the forest it seemed as if all the other trees were talking about him.

One day a bright red fox was exploring the forest and noticed that the tallest tree looked sad, his branches drooping.

“Hey, tallest tree!” she called.

The tallest tree looked around, hardly daring to believe that the fox was talking to him.

“Me?” he mumbled.

“Yes – you! What’s wrong? Why are your branches drooping?’ asked the fox.

“All the other trees have beautiful leaves and I have none.”

“So… you’re different from the other trees?”

“Yes.”

“But you must be here for a reason.”

“Really?” asked the tree, “Why are you here, fox?”

“I empty the bins” replied the fox.

“Oh. I don’t do that. I don’t do anything, except watch the sun rise and set and the moon wax and wane…”

“That’s something. Don’t you notice anything else?”

“My branches tingle sometimes. More in the day”.

“Listen to the tingles!” laughed the fox and she ran off deeper into the forest.

“Come back!” cried the tallest tree but she had left him all alone.

The sky lightened as the sun rose and the tallest tree watched the cars grow in number. The tingling in his branches got stronger and he remembered what the fox had said. He closed his ears, emptied his mind and listened to the tingling. And now he could hear the voices, so many voices and messages pulsing through his veins, words of anger, words of joy and words of love.