the tree

There is a tree there on the edge of the cliff. The tree has a peculiar shape, you may notice. My grandmother once told me a tale about this tree. I’m not sure if it is true, but it is a strange tale and I will tell it to you all the same.

There was once a man with a great white beard. When his wife died he became very sad. he went up into the mountains and cried for ten years. His tears formed the lake at the top of the mountain and the river that runs down through the valley. 

When he ran out of tears he walked to the edge of the cliff and stared out into the distance. He watched as the city skyline grew larger every night. He watched the seasons change and the earth turn as the stars and clouds floated by. Over the years, vines began to grow up over his ankles and around his calves. The old man’s skin became thick and tough. His arms and fingers became long branches that reached up toward the sky. His toes became twisted roots that wound deep into the ground. His body twisted into a great and gnarled trunk and his beard darkened.

That is how that tree came to be as it is. That is why the tree on the edge of the cliff looks like a man with a long beard and a sad face.

 

the old man became a tree