A Story To Tell

A Story by Lyria

The lampshade heats up my cold hand. Its soft light brushed against my cheek. It is past 11 in the evening and I am reading the book that I have published a few years ago. “Star Stealing Girl,” a story of a girl who believed in the ever meaning of life in its grasp. I hear the sounds of peaceful sleep while I am scanning the most thrilling parts of the book. It makes me smile and this night brings back a lot of memories in my head. Fortunately it gives me the spirit of dreams that many of us still believe in. We are lucky, I am blessed more than blessed to brush the cheek of my wife whom is fast asleep now. “In front of us there is no road for us to see. . .” Indeed it is an exceptional promise from God. I remember the laughter I have had 10 years ago, back when I was in college. University of Arts and Sciences of Camarines Sur, a great name to commemorate the legend of Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges, I was reminiscing the past just when my daughter Ashe Loreline opened the door of our room rubbing her eyes and saying “Papa can you tell me a story?” “Sure pumpkin; here sit beside Papa.” I’ll tell you a wonderful story, I once told this story to your Mama.

Ashe eagerly smiles in hope that I would now start my story. She sits on my lap while hugging a teddy bear that belongs to her Mama. It is one of those super cuddly bears that Blue Magic once offers in their store. It is named Stringbean Jr. but my wife prefers to call it Bibean and so it was also called Bibean by Ashe. There she looks up to me while cuddling Bibean in her arms. I pause for a while to think of the exact story line that breathes life in the hands of human beings. I carefully scanned my thoughts and there it was hidden in my precious memories. Ten years passed but it is still intact in my mind and in my heart. “Listen carefully to the story that I will tell you alright baby? It would not seem any significance now but sometime in the near future you will understand these words from your old man okay?” “Okay Papa.” “In front there is no road for us to see but in the back there is a road made.”

As I tell the story, I scribble pictures in my greatest effort (I am a writer in nature so I don’t draw that good, neither write that legibly). Well it gives animation to the story that I am telling and it makes Ashe more attentive and interested. The story begins with that line. The road that we take is the road that we have created. This is the line that is always written below the canvas of a really great painter. He is only eleven years old but he paints with life and magic while mixing emotions in his colors. “Can I paint too papa?” “Yes you can honey and I bet that you would be the best of what you will become in the future.” “Really?” “Yes, now let’s go back to the painter;” “Okay.” The painter visits the same spot everyday just to paint the magnificent image of nature. He walks miles and miles for him to arrive at that garden where flowers bloom, cool breeze blows, and more importantly this is where five beautiful trees stands with greatness and might. He smiles as he now begins to sketch the first set of his paintings. Unknowingly the five trees speak to one another as they look at the child eagerly. “Can trees talk papa?” “Yes, they use their hearts and their thoughts are carried by the wind.” “Wow it’s just like magic,” these five trees are planted on the same day, they sparked life from the same seed, and now they are of the same height and broadness with the same number of magnificent leaves. They are perfect in every aspect and they also are perfect models for the paintings of the child. The first tree calls out to the second tree. Hey I want to be more beautiful. I will call out birds and I will befriend them. They will hum sweet music and their wings will make my leaves and my branches more colorful and through a distance I would look like as though as I am fluttering and blinking with light. The second tree said yes you would be more beautiful but for me I would be stunningly pretty I will concentrate night and day just for me to bear flowers. Then the boy would look at me and would paint a single painting of me and my beautiful flowers. Okay let’s just see tomorrow if who would be the one to be painted by that child. The third, fourth, and last tree never said a word. The day breaks and the boy now pack his things and goes home. “Is it finished papa?” “No darling not yet;” comes morning and the boy is setting up his canvas again to paint. The first tree is flickering in the daylight, blue, white, red and brown mixes with its magnificent leaves. The wings of the birds that he called brought a spark of life to its being. The first tree is happy that the boy looks in its direction; happy, very happy indeed. The second tree then blossom flowers from its empty branches. They are golden yellow with powdery violet aura. The tree majestically lightens up the field. The boy turned his head towards the second tree. The second tree is happier; happy, and happier indeed. The third tree turned to them, the third tree becomes aware of that distinct happiness and it felt really jealous. “What is jealous papa?” “It is when you feel that you are about to lose connection to something that is very important to you.” “Hmm, I don’t understand.” “Here, if Bibean would prefer hugging me than hugging you what would you feel?” “I will be scared and I will want Bibean more ‘coz I don’t want to be alone Papa, but I love you more than I love Bibean.” “That feeling honey is called jealousy.” Ashe smiles; that is now a signal for me to continue. The child looks away now, he looks far beyond the first and second tree. The child never moved a bit and it persisted until the child packed his things again and prepares in going home. The two trees were sad but more importantly they have been angered to one another. They blame each other for distracting the thoughts of the child and they begin to fight. The first tree orders the birds to destroy the flowers of the second tree. The birds attacked without hesitation damaging each and every flower of the second tree. Violet pollen clouded the area. The moon is now covered by the sun. Morning came again and both of the trees are now ugly and damaged. Dead birds scatter on the ground. The second tree’s flowers are poisonous its pollens are toxic even to humans. Likewise the flowers are now gone from the second tree’s branches. They are completely destroyed by the birds. The boy arrives and suddenly drops his materials. He is shocked to see that both of the trees died and withered instantaneously. He wept for them but he continued his work and started to paint again. The boy’s eyes are filled with tears. There are only three of the trees left. Spring is nearly over. Summer came, and fall came right after. The third tree is still thinking of what had happened last spring. It also wants to feel that kind of happiness. So it said to itself that I will be taller so that the boy would notice me from the other trees here. So it pulled some of it roots for it to extend and grow taller. That night the tree grew significantly and it is more magnificent than the remaining two. Morning comes again and the boy smiles as he sees the third tree from high above the ground now. It is really an amazing feat. Late that afternoon a storm brews. Afraid of getting the paintings wet the child packs early and goes home. The strong winds of the storm uprooted the third tree. After three days of hard winds and rain only two of the trees remained. Fall comes; both of the two remaining trees lost their leaves. They watch as the leaves fall one by one from their branches. The fourth tree abruptly said how many leaves do you have left? The fifth said five more, oh said the fourth tree; for there are ten leaves left on its branches. The child never came again, and so the fourth thought I want to be the last standing tree here in this garden. I’ll fan of the remaining leaves on the fifth’s branch by using all the strength I have left within me, I have ten more leaves so surely there will be something left even if I shake with all force. So the fourth did it, it shook with great force and a sharp wind (gale) is launched towards the fifth tree. The fourth hurriedly looks to the ground and it counted the leaves that had fallen from its efforts. There are fourteen leaves on the ground, Yes I succeeded when winter comes the roots cannot sustain the life of a tree of our age we need at least a leaf to make it through. Happiness is in the air again the fifth tree thought, but sadness embraces it as the fifth looks towards the fourth tree. The fourth tree has no leaves remaining. The fourth tree died without knowing that fact. The fourth tree’s actions backfired onto itself. Spring came and leaves started to grow again in the fifth tree’s branches. Now it sees the boy approaching from the same place. The boy starts to paint again. The fifth just sways in the wind and plays music as the wind makes its leaves rustle. Noon comes, and the child feels that it was so hot so he decided to take a nap under the fifth tree’s shade. He carried over his paintings. He laid them down on the ground facing the heavens. The fifth never noticed something, as the child approaches, he becomes more manly and on the time that he is near, he glows far more brightly than the noon sun. The fifth bows down and realizes that it was God who was painting the pictures of them. As He touches the trunk of the fifth tree, it bears golden fruits. The birds perch onto its branches and it grows a lot taller than it was before. Even though it was raised up it looks down and smiled. The fifth tree saw the paintings of God. Every tree is painted with exquisite beauty. God sees beauty in each and every one of us. The fifth realized all the mistakes that the other trees have made and for that it gained knowledge of good and evil and yes it was the great tree of knowledge and wisdom. It is the tree that resides in the Garden of Eden. “Papa, can I tell this story to my classmates too? Can I bring the pictures that you have drawn?” “Of course honey, someday you would realize the lesson of this story, let’s go back to sleep now, here you can sleep with mama and papa.” “Yay! I love you Papa, thank you for the story.”

The smile on my daughter’s face made me hope that someday she would realize the real meaning of this story. Humanity resembles the nature of those five trees. The first, abuses power and uses everyone to destroy something in his accord �" Deception. The second, never loved the child instead it love itself more than anything else �" Selfishness. The third, wanted to boast by rising up above it never looks down and so it made its foundations weak and in turn it falls hard in the ground �" Pride. The fourth conveys the very nature of humans, to be the survivor and to be the number one it created competition and intrinsic pride �" Competitive spirit. As we live in this world humans will be humans we must expect these harsh things in life, be what you are and not whom you wanted to be in killing the things that we love and by far we kill ourselves for what we want to have. The fifth tree is the favored by God. He rises up the meek and glorifies the humble. The fifth tree never thought of itself. It lives for the glory of God. Happiness is gained by serving Him with what we have and not of what we can gain from doing it �" unconditional love, humility, and kindness. Someday Ashe would live to see this in life. God always says “In front there is no road for us to see but behind there is a road made. . .” As we continue living forward we are leaving our own roads that we have created. The road is just in front of us; we must be like the fifth tree and keep Him in our hearts. Glorify Him in all means and blessings will come right after. There might be a mountain in front of our path but God already made a wondrous road for us to take beyond that mountain. “For living isn't the pinnacle of living itself,” a story to pass on to the next generations, a story to relay that in every heart there lies a wonderful gift that God given to us. We are beautiful in His eyes in every way and in any way for His love is unconditional and my friend this is a story for us to tell.