Write a story that weaves together multiple lives through their connection to a particular tree.

Posted in Spring on Oct 26, 2022

Submissions are closed

Sorry, we are not accepting submissions for this prompt as it is not part of an active contest. Make sure you don't miss our next contest by creating your free Reedsy Prompts account.

Or create a new Reedsy account:

Why not check out our active contest?

✍️ 246 stories

“The Monkey Tree” by Rachel Loughran

Submitted to Contest #90

He was born of the earth millennia ago, and in the beginning he had brothers and sisters around him who kept him sheltered and safe. His fingers crept through the soil, clinging to it; pushing aside rocks and boulders and searching for water to make him strong. Time meant little to him as he grew; there was only he and his kind, and days and nights told him nothing yet of the habits of mankind. Deep into the earth he mined, those fingers becoming arms and legs which twisted around his fellows in an underground orgy of limbs exploring the ric...

29 comments 29

Read story

“The Settler with a Blue Toe” by Arwen Dove

Submitted to Contest #90

There once was a village called Nottingham. The villagers were all just as poor as the next, so that one may think they had nothing. And yet, one would be wrong. The villagers of Nottingham were rich in their own way. They were full of hope. One could feel the hopeful sensation when walking past the village gates, which were always open to visitors. The people of Nottingham were very happy, despite their poorly state; They ate what little food they had, slept in their little heather beds, and were merry and made music. It was Christmas ...

11 comments 11

Read story

“The Magical Tree” by Caroline Fonteno

Submitted to Contest #90

The Magical tree Samantha Samantha Summers was a beautiful 12 year old girl. She lived on a farm in Texas. She had blond hair, brown eyes, and perfect teeth. She lived with her mother, father, brother, and dog Molly. Samantha loved to play outdoors and would have had many friends except for the fact that they lived in the middle of nowhere. Her only friends were the only people she knew. Her parents, brother, dog, and the neighbors, an old couple who did nothing all day but sit on their porch talking. They had a grandson but Samantha never...

5 comments 5

Read story

“A Tree in the Rain” by Kristin Neubauer

Submitted to Contest #90

**Author's note: Please see the note in the Comments for a fact vs. fiction breakdownSavannah, TennesseeApril, 2021I am dying. I do not need to feel the old man’s fingers probing my roots to know. Or his knife stabbing my bark. I do not need to hear the grunts as he shuffles around me shaking his head. Or his final pronouncement to the lady in the floppy hat and long skirt.“Can’t be saved this time, Effie. It’s gotta come down.”The lady dabs her eyes.“Oh, Cal. Are you sure? It’s the last of our Civil War trees.”“I know, I know. Hundred ...

39 comments 39

Read story

“Exchange of Letters” by Devansh Agarwal

Submitted to Contest #90

The ball hit the glass, and the glass cracked with a loud noise. Moss slapped his head and said to himself, "I am not ready to go through this again."Bellowing in anger, Nome came out of his house and roared, "You insolent fool! I will not spare you this time." He grabbed the broom and ran after Moss.Moss ran for his life yelling, "You old bum will never be able to catch me."Moss rushed inside his house and locked the door behind him. Nome banged the door and said, "Get out at once, or you will never get your football back."Nome's thre...

2 comments 2

Read story

“Coeden y Bywyd” by Rambling Beth

Submitted to Contest #90

(trigger warning: some violence)Lauren looked down, horrified, at the blood pouring from Joshua’s stomach. She couldn’t look at his mouth, but the distorted mumbling of her name told her all she needed to know. Whoever that stranger had been, they’d punctured her brother’s lung.“Lauren,” Joshua garbled. Lauren raised a hand to cover his stomach, staring as his blood continued to spill. “Lo.”“Shh,” she said at last, unsure what else to do. “It’s going to be okay, Josh. I promise. I’ll call an ambulance. Yeah, everything's okay.”She winced at ...

10 comments 10

Read story

“Cherry Blossoms✿” by 𝔘𝔤𝔬𝔠𝔥𝔦 𝔑.

Submitted to Contest #90

It was mid April and the trees were blooming, I still remember the park’s emptiness, its hard to believe that there was a time when that tree did not exist in that great park.But once that great tree was planted the leaves turned pink and flew with the wind bringing many people closer…That tree became a part of our memory in every season. That park not only became a beauty, no, in a way it became home.ღClaude and MaribelleღToday a young girl walked up to the tree, her hair blowing in the wind, she sat anxiously next to the huge cherry blosso...

19 comments 19

Read story

“When The Lark Laughs ” by Amelia Bowen

Submitted to Contest #90

Beth knew she was almost gone. Her organs had turned on her fragile body and the wind threatened to topple over her feather-light frame. She saluted the sky with her right hand, shielding her eyes from the white sun. She swayed in unison with the grass to the wind, gooseflesh gathered on her arms and legs. She turned toward the sound of a lark in the distance.Peter was tending his grandmothers garden when he heard the sound of the small, brown bird. His hand went up to shade his eyes, his other dropping the shovel he was using to join it. He...

6 comments 6

Read story

“If I Could Tell You ” by Kendi Karimi

Submitted to Contest #90

If I could tell you my story as little Rose, I’d tell you about my little chubby arms, always with a beaded bracelet on both my wrists. Nothing small, everything grand and majestic and exaggerated. But now I’m telling you my story as a branch on a tree, and mother bark is dying.In 1972, I was born as Rose Wamuyu, daughter of Njenga Wa Muguda and Beatrice Wawira Wamuyu. From as early as I can remember, I was fascinated by beads. My mother was the daughter to a member of the Mau Mau uprising. Although I never met my grandfather, who died with ...

8 comments 8

Read story

“A Tree in the Garden” by Philip Clayberg

Submitted to Contest #90

A TREE IN THE GARDENI sit on a bench in the garden behind the home where my great-grandparents once lived, a notebook and pen in my lap. At the center of the garden is a tree that my great-grandfather planted as a gift for my great-grandmother. Several decades later he passed away, but the tree remains: a tall, beautiful tree that symbolized my great-grandparents' eternal love for one another.In more than a hundred years the tree has grown from a sapling that would've been about half my height to a tall, beautiful tree reaching high into the...

13 comments 13

Read story

“Saved by the sycamore ” by Veda Vivek💎

Submitted to Contest #90

The sycamore tree rose tall and proud from the soft, velvety grass. Its bark holds ancient secrets, its roots are more powerful than an average tree, its leaves pure and bright. The sycamore tree reaches for the heavens. The tree is the savior of many, a hero to countless lives.A young girl looked out the window from her room, gazing at the tree in her backyard. Her eyes narrowed in concentration, squinting at the sycamore. She heard the stories, yet she refused to believe them. She was about to open her bedroom door, her fingers grazing the...

6 comments 6

Read story

“The Old Elm of Gorbio” by Shirley Medhurst

Submitted to Contest #90

Speaking to you from the peace and tranquillity of these my golden years, I would ask you to spare me a minute or two from your busy lives to listen to the ramblings of an old elm. I was planted here in the heart of my village in celebration of the Treaty of Utrecht some three hundred and eight years ago, although to be honest, I cannot remember much about that event, or any of my sapling years. In fact, I never really celebrated my birthdays at all until my third centennial, a truly momentous occasion I would like to tell you more abou...

32 comments 32

Read story

“The Lost and Found Office” by Santina Forlenza-Pihuličova

Submitted to Contest #90

Since Michael Angelini landed in New York, his parents did not stop reminding him that yes, he was not in Italy anymore, but he still was Leonardo Da Vinci’s descendant. He did not have to come up with a new Mona Lisa, they said, but with something acceptable at least.Michael was enrolled at the NY School of Art, and painting was his passion. He never painted anything good; his landscapes were fine ‘from the technical point of view,’ Professor Cracking said, however none of his canvas was selected for the yearly award.Besides painting Michae...

2 comments 2

Read story

“The Tree” by Michael James

Submitted to Contest #90

Here. Listen. If you ever find yourself on Digby Street, keep walking to where the road ends at a wide-open field. In the center of that field is a tree. You'll know it when you see it. It sticks out because it’s the only thing in the field, and it's offensively large. The grass is well maintained, although no lawnmower has ever touched a blade. They bend and point inward. There's a physical pull, and the ground slopes downward, almost as if the weight of the tree is a burden. To be clear, the weight of the tree is a burden. Inasmuch a...

10 comments 10

Read story

“The Cherry 🍒 Tree” by Rose Quartz

Submitted to Contest #90

It was a fact, everyone at my school loved the cherry tree. It was tradition for the students to take a leaf, and write anything they wanted on it. They were then instructed to tape that leaf back on the tree, and see who would last all four seasons. The winners would be announced to the class, and wanted mine to be the one to last. The significance of this was that whatever it was you wrote, it would only stay if you wrote it from The heart. I found this to be true because all the former student’s notes were heartwarming. This is not to say...

1 comment 1

Read story

Load more stories

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in which an endangered species (of plant or animal) plays a central role.

Middle School – 94 stories

Set your story in a world living with the consequences of a climate apocalypse.

Science Fiction – 134 stories

Write about a community that worships Mother Nature.

Summer – 82 stories

Start your story with someone sitting on a crowded train and end it with them looking out over beautiful natural scenery.

Spring – 258 stories

Contest #90

Enter our weekly contest!

This week's theme: Down to Earth

$50

Prize money

814

Contest entries

0

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 23, 2021 EST

Won by Nina Chyll 🏆

Title: The Tree Surgeon's Dictionary

View details

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

We'll send you 5 prompts each week. Respond with your short story and you could win $250!

Menu

CONNECT

BLOG

APPS

TOOLS

ABOUT

Write a story that weaves together multiple lives through their connection to a particular tree.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 246 stories

“The Monkey Tree” by Rachel Loughran

“The Settler with a Blue Toe” by Arwen Dove

“The Magical Tree” by Caroline Fonteno

“A Tree in the Rain” by Kristin Neubauer

“Exchange of Letters” by Devansh Agarwal

“Coeden y Bywyd” by Rambling Beth

“Cherry Blossoms✿” by 𝔘𝔤𝔬𝔠𝔥𝔦 𝔑.

“When The Lark Laughs ” by Amelia Bowen

“If I Could Tell You ” by Kendi Karimi

“A Tree in the Garden” by Philip Clayberg

“Saved by the sycamore ” by Veda Vivek💎

“The Old Elm of Gorbio” by Shirley Medhurst

“The Lost and Found Office” by Santina Forlenza-Pihuličova

“The Tree” by Michael James

“The Cherry 🍒 Tree” by Rose Quartz

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story in which an endangered species (of plant or animal) plays a central role.

Set your story in a world living with the consequences of a climate apocalypse.

Write about a community that worships Mother Nature.

Start your story with someone sitting on a crowded train and end it with them looking out over beautiful natural scenery.

Contest #90

Enter our weekly contest!

$50

Prize money

814

Contest entries

0

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: