The Great Tree

Please, try to imagine a tree that was far more wide than any other. With a trunk thick and dense, and branches full of leaves. One that produced vast amounts of fruit that would stay ripe far longer than any other trees. If you can imagine that, then you can understand the distress in the man that found that tree, with it's apples that had just ripened in the morning already bitter by afternoon, and by that evening, he couldn't see past the flies that were eating the dead fruit on the forest floor. The only man that has ever seen this tree looked up at it's enormous trunk and said, "Where has your passion gone, what happened to you my friend?" The great tree sat quietly, the only sound it made was it's leaves, which used to be a lush green, rustling in the wind. On top of a distant hill a pine tree heard what the man had said, so it bent over and said, " What's happened to this great tree is quite clear to me young man, from up here it's easy to see. This tree grew for itself, it worked hard to be the best it could, but no other tree like it saw it's work. It has lost it's incentive after seeing so many seeds of apple trees from afar wither and die while it waited for a companion. As you can see, this old piece of wood has simply given up." Startled and sympathetic the man asked, "I've known this tree for only a couple of years, has always been alone? Surely it's had a friend." "Oh troubled boy rest assured, turn your head to the city." Said the pine tree, "Do you see the center building, the one taller than the rest? That courthouse was built from these woods. There was one other apple tree a long time ago, but they towns people decided it would be used for the chairs and floors of the building. Not only is the great tree alone, but he can clearly see his former friend in the distance. To add onto that, when the friend over heard what it was to become he tried to leave a seed for the great tree, but the friend was unable to produce proper seeds, so it couldn't leave this tree with another companion. He's become so disheartened by this that he's giving up." Upon hearing the words of the pine tree, the man walked out of the woods feeling depressed. When he came to his home he was unable to sleep, only tossing and turning thinking of the sadness the apple tree must feel. Soon he got up and walked out of his house, tired yes, but he walked with an air of purpose. He broke open the tattered doors of a building and he walked to the center of it's main room. Through walls you could here sounds of deconstruction, metallic bolts fall to the floor, and constant thuds from powerful blows. This proceeded throughout the night just until morning. The next day the man walked back into the forest, following his same path. This time he pulled a heavy load behind him, making him strain to move forward. Soon it began to rain but the man only pressed onward through the now muddy ground. Lightning and thunder made the children run back home, yet the man kept on his steady path. From a distance he saw smoke ahead of him. And a sense of worry ran through his body, he seemed to grow strength exponentially, pulling the load with ease. Finally, he came to the bare center of the forest. There was the great tree, leaves popping, and wood crackling. Billows of grey were escaping from it's darkening leaves, with an orange glow shown on the trunk. Although dangerous, the man continued to pull his load closer and closer to flaming tree. Soon he couldn't see because of the fast haze. Far away the pine could here the sound of limbs breaking and a faint, weak cough. The tall tree looked but couldn't see from the hard rain. Eventually the sounds faded and night was upon the woods. Patiently the pine waited to see what had happened. When the sun was close enough to the horizon the pine tree looked over once again. It looked and saw nothing but a charred stump .All the vast limbs were reduced to ash that covered the grass with a dull grey. By the absence of the great tree, sat the man. But he was found sitting on the city courthouse's finest bench. Made from the apple tree that used to stand in the forest long ago. The pine had wondered how the great tree had burned. Surely it had enough water stored to extinguish the flames. Although the greater question the pine had, was how had the man survived the harsh cold. The man woke up knowing the tree gave him warmth through the night with it's flames, and in the mans hand was the trees last fruit. It was a carmine red, without a bruise or a blemish, and it's wax-like covering was radiant in the morning sun. The great tree was content in leaving seeing the remnants of his old friend. Even more willing knowing the man had struggled so much to bring joy to the tree. Over on the distant hill, the pine was still and never said a word. Eventually the man left the stump and slowly walked home. He left the apple on his shelf, and it never decayed. The pine tree stood in silence, staring at the bench that had been dragged for miles, left to sit by the burned and darkened stump of that great old oak tree.