A Young Boy and His Tree

By: Kirana Kepakisan

 

The sound of a ringing bell fills the air as it echoes throughout a small school. In an instant, the empty corridors come alive with the presence of many young girls and boys dressed in white and red uniforms.

"Hey, move aside!" a young boy pushes his way through a group of older students who are busy chatting in the corridors. He swiftly navigates through the bustling crowd of students and teachers until he reaches the school gates.

"Over here, Oliver!" a woman waves her hand. She is Mrs Harrington, a history teacher at the high school.

"Coming, Mom!" Oliver runs past all the boys and girls eagerly waiting to catch a glimpse of their parents.

"Are we going to your school?" Oliver asks his mom, brimming with excitement.

"Yes, of course! I still have two more classes to teach!" Mrs. Harrington replies. "Come on." She opens the car door, allowing Oliver to jump in. Soon, they embark on a half-hour drive to Mrs Harrington's school.

Upon arriving, Oliver quickly jumps out of the car.

"Hi, Mr. Security Guard!" Oliver waves to the man.

"Hi, Oliver! Excited to explore the school again?" the security guard responds cheerfully.

"Yes!" Oliver shouts as he runs, ignoring his mom's calls to slow down.

Oliver maintains his fast pace, not even slowing down amidst the maze of high school students getting their lunch or when an old teacher greets him. He continues running until he finally finds a specific tree in the entire school.

"Hi," Oliver whispers to the tall frangipani tree. He loves plants and animals, but the frangipani tree is his absolute favourite.

"Oh, why are you sad?" Oliver asks the frangipani tree. Nobody knows how Oliver understands the meaning of rustling leaves or bending branches, and his parents often dismiss it as a young child's imagination. However, Oliver strongly believes that his favourite tree is feeling sorrowful.

In response to Oliver's question, a frangipani flower falls from the tree. Oliver becomes increasingly concerned.

"Oh no, don't cry! I'm here! What's wrong?" he exclaims.

 

Once again, the tree's leaves start falling as the wind blows, causing Oliver to panic.

"No! I told you to stop crying! Not cry harder!" Oliver's voice grows louder, filled with distress.

Suddenly, an older man approaches Oliver and the tree.

"What's the matter, young man?" the man asks. Oliver turns around and sees the school's principal with a smile on his face.

"The tree is sad," Oliver says quietly.

"And how do you know the tree is sad?" the principal inquires.

"It was crying," Oliver replies.

The principal looks towards the tree. "I'm sure she's going to be okay."

"No, she won't! She's very upset!" Oliver insists.

The principal looks weary. "Hey, what if we go and get some cookies and milk in my office? You can also grab a bottle of water for the tree," he suggests, trying to persuade Oliver.

Oliver ponders for a moment, then slowly nods. "I'll be back, tree."

Oliver hugs the tree and leaves with the principal. They head towards the principal's office, where the principal allows Oliver to sit in his chair.

"Can I have the bottle for my tree, please?" Oliver asks politely.

The principal's expression changes, showing concern. "What's the matter?" Oliver asks.

"Are you sure you don't want cookies first?" the principal forces a smile, holding a chocolate chip cookie in his hand.

Oliver looks at the cookie, then at the principal, deep in thought. Finally, he gives a small smile.

"Okay, I'll have one cookie."

The principal chuckles with relief. "Here you go, young man."

The two sit and enjoy their cookies for a while, and Oliver ends up having more than just the one cookie he initially wanted. Suddenly, he remembers his beloved frangipani tree.

"That's enough cookies. Can I please have the water now?" Oliver asks once again.

The principal's expression changes once more. "Um, are you sure you shouldn't be going home with your mother? I'm sure she's waiting for you."

Oliver starts to feel suspicious. "No, I'm sure. If she's ready to go, she knows to find me near the tree."

"Really? Because your mom told me to tell you to meet her at the teacher's office," the principal says.

Oliver hesitates, then makes up his mind. "Well, then, can you go tell her to meet me at the tree?" he says and quickly runs off before the principal can stop him.

Oliver sprints as fast as he can, a sense of worry growing within him. He has a bad feeling that something has happened to his tree.

As he arrives, his worst fears are confirmed. The tree is no longer there, only a small stump remains. Oliver bursts into tears.

"No... My tree! Where did it go?" Oliver cries out. Then, he notices a group of people hauling away what appears to be the branches of his tree.

"Hey! You wicked people! That's my tree!" he cries even harder.

None of the workers pays attention to the young boy. Oliver runs from one person to another, crying and demanding that they return his tree. Finally, one of the workers takes notice of his distress.

"What's wrong, buddy?" the worker kneels down.

"That's my tree! They cut it down," Oliver cries even harder.

The worker doesn't know what to say.

"Why did you cut it down?" Oliver asks softly, his sobs gradually subsiding.

"We were asked to by the principal," the worker replies. "But I'm sure he had a good reason," he adds.

"But... But it was a wonderful tree! How could he?" Oliver's cries intensify once more. "So that's why it was sad! And why the principal gave me cookies! He didn't want me to stop you from cutting them!"

The worker looks around helplessly, hoping someone will come to assist him with Oliver's tears. Unfortunately, his fellow workers have already gone to load the branches onto the truck.

Fortunately, he spots one of his friends who is finishing up with the last bits of branches and calls him over.

"What's the matter with him?" the other worker gestures towards Oliver.

"He's upset because his tree got cut down," the worker explains.

"Oh no, it's okay, buddy," the other worker kneels down as well, dropping his load of branches to embrace Oliver.

"How about this? I'll give you one of her branches, and you can plant it somewhere else?" he suggests.

"But it won't be the same!" Oliver protests amidst his tears.

"I know. It will be... like a junior! Just like you're your mom's junior!" the worker offers, trying to comfort Oliver.

Oliver considers it for a moment, then stops crying and reluctantly agrees. "Okay then," he says as he takes the branch.

"Go on, buddy. Go plant your tree," the two workers say, continuing on their way and leaving Oliver with his tree branch.

Once he composes himself, Oliver sets off to find an empty spot where he can plant the branch.

"There you go," Oliver says softly as he gently buries the branch in the soil. "You'll grow big and beautiful, just like my old tree!" Oliver tries to cheer himself up.

"I just hope no one cuts you down," he continues, his voice filled with a mix of concern and determination.

The branch stands tall and still.

"Yeah, I agree. More people need to love plants," Oliver realises.

The branch remains firmly in place, standing as a testament to Oliver's love and care.

"Maybe that's why they don't understand you. Because they don't love you yet," Oliver realises.

He gets back up and waves goodbye. "I'll visit you again tomorrow, little tree," he says before turning and walking away.