The Life Of A Tree

Look at me. Just look at me. I used to be the highest tree in the forest. People who passed by used to stop, point at me and say “that's a big tree”. When it started to rain, the leaves on my highest branches were the first to feel that rain. I could feel the wind blowing above the other treetops and when the sun was shining there was no tree tall enough to put a shadow on me. Some people used me as a way mark and they said to their friends “let's meet under that big tree”. Other times I heard people saying things like “oh, there's that big tree, now I know where I am”. I even got several nicknames like “The Giant”, “The Wondertree” or “Mr McTree”. Those were the glory days of my life but you were probably too young to remember me from those days. So just look at me and tell me, what do you think? Am I just an old fool talking about the past? Am I not the ugliest old stump that you have ever seen?

 

I remember once, many, many years ago when people arranged a party at my roots. They called it “The Wondertree Midsummer Party” and a lot of people came to celebrate, some even from countries far away. They hanged lights on my branches, put blankets over my roots and in the late night a couple carved their names and a heart in my trunk. I remember it like it was yesterday. Oh, how sweet those memories are. It was a sunny day, a warm night and everybody were happy. On that day I thought that they would arrange the same party every year, but I was wrong. The next year came and I was impatiently waiting for the party at my roots. The party had been announced and I was proud but the weather destroyed the whole party. The day was cold and rainy and only a handful of people came. The wind started to blow and later the thunder started to roar. Let me tell you it is no so good to be the tallest tree in the middle of a thunderstorm. I was angry on the weather for spoiling my party, but I was even more scared of the lightnings that I could see in the sky. I wanted to grab the wind and fly away with it to a safer place. Feeling so scared I only for a second forgot the danger of that furious wind and it grabbed one of my branches harder than ever before and then I could feel it, I could feel how that branch cracked. The few people who had come to the party did not hear the crack and suddenly, like out of nowhere, the branch fell right upon the people below it. Oh my dear, that was a real disaster. Later I heard people telling each other that no more parties should be held at my roots. They said that it was too dangerous while I was too old. Old? They dared to call me old, those little pricks. I was a tree in my best years, I was “The Wondertree”, I was “The Giant”, but they called me old and they said that my trunk was getting rotten. Rotten? If I would have had arms, I would have strangled that idiot who called me rotten.

 

The years passed by and I survived many more thunderstorms, but even for a tree with my strength, my worst enemy, time, can do a lot a damage. I could feel how my life was drained out, how my leaves grew thinner, how more of my branches were falling down and it became worse and worse for every year the went by. I was tormented over a long time and many were those days that I wished that the lightning would have hit me. That it would have destroyed me in one second instead of letting time torture me in the way it did. So do take a look at me and tell me, could you ever believe that I was the biggest tree in the forest? that it was me that they used to call “Mr McTree”?

 

Maybe I should just close my eyes, take a final rest and let time get rid of this ugly old stump. Yes I probably should, but did I tell you that I have a new friend. Maybe I forgot to tell you that. I'm too old to remember what I have told you. Now, where was I? Oh yes, I wanted to tell you about my friend. He's a small squirrel and he has made his home inside of me. I can feel his small feet running up my trunk and it tickles in a funny way. He's my best friend now, my only friend, and I think I will stay around for a while. At least for long enough to keep my friend safe while he is living in me.

 

What more could I tell you? Should I tell you about my life, that they used to call me The Giant, that they used to keep a party at my roots. Oh, maybe I already told you that. I'm getting old and I'm forgetting things. So just have a look at me. Am I not the ugliest old stump that you have ever seen?

 

Reviews

[Trystan]

I really liked it. It really intrigued me. I thought the characterisation was very good. Good job.

[Bhavya Kaushik]

Wow....what a beautiful and thoughtful piece of writing it is...
Awesome.....

[Natasha Ashway]

This is a remarkably endearing tale!
There are some grammatical errors you need to take care of -
"They hanged lights on my branches..." - should be 'hung', for example.

And yet only to perfect a sweet, sweet narrative.

"Oh yes, I wanted to tell you about my friend. He's a small squirrel and he has made his home inside of me. I can feel his small feet running up my trunk and it tickles in a funny way. He's my best friend now, my only friend, and I think I will stay around for a while. At least for long enough to keep my friend safe while he is living in me."

I definitely felt an 'Ooh' moment at that.

Nice work, Aren. Keep it up!

[Maylea]

This was good. In the beginning you wrote

"Am I just an old fool talking about the past? Am I not the ugliest old stump that you have ever seen?"

And that was a really good way to let people know that the tree was now a stump. It had good diction and flow and just appeared smoothly.
You did a good job with descriptions, only there were a few sentences where you could add some description and make your writing more smooth. But It was very well done!