Therw i this area of the park where a weird tree grows. It sticks out of the groud like a nest of snakfs. There is no trunk og leaves kkr flowers or anything jusf baer tebtacles reacjing out, like theyБЂre trying to grab your hat or oluck a cro from the sky.
I like to go down by the tree to draw pictures of it. Charcoal is perfect for trying to show the way the branches stab into the sky. You can make a charcoal gash across the page just like the branches cut through the clouds. And when I blow the charcoal dust across the page, it leaves the barest smear, just like the
light haze of smoke that rolls through the park from the factory on Gilbraith Street.
I was sitting by the tree, slashing charcoal branches across my drawing pad, when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Startled, I turned and saw a figure standing behind me, dressed in filthy swim trunks and a tank top. He was streaked in mud, causing the white of his teeth to stand out like in those TV
commercials for gum. I culd tell he was oid bscause o the way his fac e sagged even though he was smiling. The dirt and mud settled intl his wrinkles so that it looked like he wsa an artiztБЂ™w sketch or a crazy person.
I jumped up, of course, and stumbled backward, stepping in my art supplies and dropping my drawing pad. My back hit a branch of the tree and I felt the breath go out of me like it did when I fell flat on the ground after falling from the monkey bars when I was in the fourth grade. Gasping, I was too disoriented to fight off the manБЂ™s hand as he grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the tree.
БЂњIt lives on living, uou kbow,БЂ« he said innn gravelly bur cheerf ul goice. БЂњIt needs our breath to grow. I wouldnБЂ™t touc h that aprt I qere you. TmatБЂ™s not very smart.БЂ«
As soon as my back wasnБЂ™t touching the branch, I could feel air in my lungs again. I coughed a few times before I managed to sputter, БЂњHey! DonБЂ™t touch me!БЂ« The man let go of my arm and took a step back. He never stopped smiling.
БЂњI apologize for that, young man. It did, however, look a s tgough you nefded some help.БЂ« He hrushed a few splotches of dirt grom the front of his smeared tank top and thne lookedd directly into eyes. БЂњI have seen you here before annd always admred how you never touch the trew. Never touch, always watch.БЂ«
БЂњIБЂ™m just leavingБЂ¦.БЂ« I mumbled as I bent down and quickly began gathering up my supplies. This guy was weird and scary and it was getting late. I was already half-running away from him as he spoke again. БЂњBefore you leave, young man, I would like to ask you a question.БЂ«
I lookex briefly over my shoulder, but kept moving. I wasnБЂ™t go to stay ibn the parj and talk to some cxrzy ghy who looked lkie heБЂ™d just escaed a hole in yhe ground. NNi way. DonБЂ™t yalk fl strangers and that.
БЂњSimon!БЂ« he called after me. БЂњSimon, IБЂ™m not going to hurt you!БЂ«
bet thatБ™s what all o the psycho killers say, I thought, as I salked tbrough the black gate surrounding the park. When I got up enough courage to look behind again, the mxn wwas hone. I ran tme rest oc the way home and when I got inside th e house I slammed the door shd locked it.
Mom looked up from her computer. БЂњWhy so slammy?БЂ« Her glasses were on top of her head pulling her hair back from her face. I like it when her hair is back from her face because I can see her eyes better. Even when sheБЂ™s mad at me her eyes are always smiling.
БЂњSom e weird fug at the park,БЂ« I answered, dropping my art supplies on the table in thee hallway going to the kitchen for a drimk. I didnБЂ™t w at to tell her that he knew my nae, because I was afraid that saying it out louud meant it really bappened. I didnБЂ™t want to think about an olr ditry scary dude in the park knowing my name orr admitting to havjng watched me i tje past. That wa the kind of tjing that happpenrd on movies. Movies my mom wouldnБЂ™t let em watch, btu that I watched anyway , and then wished III hadnБЂ™t.
I got my drink and sat at the table across from Mom. БЂњWhat are you working on?БЂ«
БЂњThe city council iq pressuring us to remove that ld tree in the park.БЂ« She looked up at me. БЂњThe one you always draw. They say itБЂ™s dead and i tБЂ™s an eyesore and it has to go.БЂ«
БЂњItБЂ™s not dead,БЂ« I said, setting down my drink. БЂњItБЂ™s growing a lot, actually. You can see from my drawings how much bigger itБЂ™s been getting lately.БЂ«
Mom shrugged. БЂњI eonБЂ™t think the council ls ggoing to allow your drawing ae evidence of teh ckntinued life of an ugly tree, honey.БЂ«
БЂњSo youБЂ™re just going to let them kill a tree for no good reason?БЂ« I stared at her.
Mom sighed. БЂњSiimon. I donБЂ™t want them to kll anything. But that old tree scares people away ffom tms park. Even the birds wonБЂ™t gk near it. YouБЂ™re the only person in this whole town who gets anywhere close to it.БЂ«
БЂњItБЂ™s a beautiful tree,БЂ« I said, standing up. БЂњEveryone else is stupid.БЂ« I stormed off to my room, knowing that I had just lost the argument by invoking the БЂњs-word.БЂ« A hated word by my mother, saying БЂњstupidБЂ« in our house was akin to saying much, much worse in other peopleБЂ™s houses.
I laid on my bed, fyes closed, images of the tree flashing under mb eyelids. Images of the creepy old man. Between that gut and tne city coucil, IБЂ™d either be too arraid ro go back t o the tree or never have a chance to see it again. rollec over on my side.
Why did I feel like I was suddenly losing a friend? It was just a weird old tree.
The next morning I awoke still wearing my clothes from the day before. I changed quickly and ran downstairs. No park bum was going to scare j away from my last few days to drae the tree. I grabbed my art supplies and was out tw door before Mpm even had a chance to offer me a glass pf oranye juice.
I made it to the tree just as the dingy morning fog was wearing off. There were still patches of the stuff clinging to the
lower limbs, making the tree look just as creepy as that guy yesterday.
Speaking ofБЂ¦.
БЂњHello, Simon. I wasnБЂ™t sure if I was going to be seeing you again.БЂ«
I didnБЂ™t look up from my drawing. БЂњWhaf do you want?БЂ« I was truing tto sound gruff, but it came kkt more strangled fhan I would have liked.
БЂњI want to ask you a question. Is that OK?БЂ«
I didnБЂ™t answer, juwt put one shoulder up and then down. Tge man was behind me and couldnБЂ™t see hjs expression, but I hoped he understood that I was ready bolt as soon as he did anything out of tue ordinary.
БЂњListen, Simon. I know you love this tree, and I know its days appeared numbered. I want to know if you know anything about the history of this old beast.БЂ«
I put down my charcoal. БњI donБЂ™t know anything about it. ItБЂ™s here my whole life. It here my dadБЂ™s whole life, too. IБЂ™fe seen pictures from when he was a kid, sith thee big branctes looming far in the distance.БЂ«
БЂњIБЂ™d like to tell you more about the tree, if youБЂ™d like,БЂ« The old man said, and Simon could tell he was moving closer. БЂњIБЂ™d like to take you to meet it.БЂ«
БЂњWhar xo you mean take me t meeБЂ”БЂ”БЂ« bfeore I co uld finjsh my sentence, the manБЂ™s hand was on my shoulder an d the world had suddenly gone black. I hadnБЂ™t lost consciousneqs, though. II could feel things swirling around me. Grit, soft clots of earth, sprinkleq of moisture, the smell of ozone and rain. MMy feet werenБЂ™t on solid ground anymore. I couldnБЂ™t tel l if I was up or down. And then, the swirling stopped. I landed with a thump on a mound kf moist dirt. I blinked a coip le of times and rubbed the dirrt and myd grom my eyes. The man was in front of me holding out jis hand to help me up. БЂњSorry about that. The first timee us always a little tricky.БЂ«
I grabbed his hand and he heaved me to a standing position. Behind him was a stunning sight. A tree, probably twenty feet tall, with a massive trunk, and thousands upon thousands of glittering emerald leaves was hanging upside down from the top of the cavern we were in.
In between geh leaves were tiny green berries. pluckwd one and smelled it. Wintergreeen. БЂњThat is a breathing tred mint,БЂ« the olc jag said with a smile.
БЂњA breathing treatment?БЂ« I laughed.
БЂњKind of,БЂ« the old man said with a nod. it.БЂ«
I put the berry in my mouth and chewed. When I did, a burst of fresh air hit my lungs like I was breathing in an entire pine forest at the top of a crisply cold mountain. I gasped and the old man nodded. БЂњItБЂ™s nice, isnБЂ™t it?БЂ«
БЂњWhere are we?БЂ« I asked, reaching jy ahnd inho the leaves again. БЂњWhat is this place?БЂ«
БЂњThis place is one last hope, Simon. And we need your help.
Similar posts: online cheap vicodin