Child of the Tree - by Charlotte Minett

Written by: Charlotte Minett
Edited for FalWriting by: Eoin Murray

We were best friends – him and I. From the day the daisies began to blossom and a small green stalk sprouted from the ground, we had an unspoken promise. A promise carved into the bark of his chest. A promise to forever be here, until we couldn’t. 

That explained what I was doing here, sitting against his rough, loving skin that caught hold of the snags on my old sweater. It felt as if the mute soul hidden within his trunk was trying to grasp my withered, ageing hand for the final time.
A final goodbye. A final I love you.

For it was true. The years were a testament to such and here we were, almost ninety years later, still loving each other. 

Before my eyelids coated my vision in a spotty darkness, I peered up to admire my finest friend. He stood tall. Much taller than when we were first alive. His branches were larger too, spreading themselves to take hold of the adjacent trees, their leaves of varying colours brushing against each other in the midnight breeze. 

I felt relieved to know that I wasn’t leaving him alone, that he had other companions, ones that could last for his forever. So as the sun began to rise over the brow of the bank, I bid my farewell and stayed planted beside my best friend.