The Tree of Life

*Spring 2220*

Bob and Jill dug a hole and planted the seed next to a river in the Barren wasteland that was once a beautiful field covered in green. They didn’t expect much of it but at this point there wasn’t much to lose and all they could do was hope for an impossible future. They had wandered what was once the U.S. from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Mississippi River. Would their journey turn out pointless, or would this seed be the saving grace of life on Earth. All they could do was hope and believe that all the hard work they’d done until that point would pay off.

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After decades of unchanged behavior, humanity eventually dug its own grave, so much so that only two people remained on earth. Throughout the past two hundred years the earth went through four world wars, which included a nuclear war that took entire countries off the face of the planet, as well as major damage and radioactive waste across the globe. However the biggest cause for the rapidly decreasing population was the green problem, the continuous destruction of trees and plants throughout the world, which had left less plants than people. Efforts to restore plant life to its original state were only met with failure and an ever decreasing population in all life on the planet. However life only disappears when there is no more hope for the future, and this tale once lost in time shows that belief and hope can change any situation no matter how dire.

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*Spring 2220*

“I guess this is it huh,” Bob said, laying on the dirt holding a baseball sized seed in front of his face. “The last chance to create a new world.”

“Come on we have to get a move on, the river shouldn’t be too far from,” Jill said softly, as she struggled to tie laces on her left boot.

“Oh what’s the rush, it’s not like we have a time limit.”

The truth was that their time was limited, they only had about twenty four hours left before the serum coursing through their veins took full effect and their brains turned to mush. As a last ditch effort to survive days longer the last twenty people on the planet injected themselves with a serum that allowed them to survive without food and water, however the side effects caused their brains to deteriorate at a rapid rate.

“Come on let’s go,” Jill sighed, leaving her boot untied.

“Ok ok im getting up,” Bob said, struggling to get off the ground, “that serum’s really done a number on us, feels like i was hit by a truck.”

Bob and Jill continued on their journey until eventually they reached a large river about two miles wide. 

“Ahh, I’m beat,” Bob uttered before falling face first onto the soft soil near the river. “We can finally sleep without her screaming every morning” he whispered to himself.

“Hey, up now. We still have to plant that thing somewhere,” Jill screamed pointing at Bob’s hand which had the seed in it.

Bob picked himself off the ground and they began digging a hole for the seed, it was complete silence for the next two hours they spent digging a hole. Having lost their shovels a week prior they clawed at the soft dirt with nothing but their hands and although they were exhausted to the point they could barely stand they managed to dig a two foot deep hole. After creating the hole they nodded at each other and buried the seed in the soil. As soon as they sprinkled the last bit of soil over the small mound where the hole once stood, they laid on their backs and shut their eyes and drew their final breaths. Shortly after their final breaths a dark cloud kicked out the sunlight and a thunderous storm took the spotlight, a blessing and a curse for the newly planted seed.

*Winter 2220*

“It’s so cold,” a small voice called out. 

Dangerously strong winds and hail the size of small golf balls were pummeling a small plant near a large river. The plant was just barely peeking its body out of the ground, and although it was winter it was a thick green with bright green leaves blocking the stem from the harsh weather conditions. Throughout the past few months this plant had seen hell itself, from a boiling hot summer that reached over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit for weeks on end to a fall and winter season that reached temperatures below freezing on a daily basis. 

“Is it finally done for today?” A whimper came from the small plant, “It sure is a lonely world I live in.”

*Spring 2235*

“I hope one day I can stand above the clouds.” 

The only living thing that was visible was a small fruit tree, about the size of a single story house, that yielded several types of fruits; oranges, apples, and peaches. The past few years were as brutal as the first year, flaming hot summers that would’ve dried any living creature, winters that rained down golf ball sized hail on the ground. However the tree was undeterred and found a way to survive these hellish conditions. However a new challenge would soon appear.

*Spring 2300*

“So itchy what’s happening to me.”

The tree that was once a mere ten feet tall had exponentially grown to a height of a hundred feet tall, but its progress recently began to slow after the appearance of small insects that ate the leaves and fruits of the tree. The tree itself had adapted slightly to deal with the problem but more would need to be done, however the tree had fully adapted to the elements, having created a tough shell to deal with winter hail, and shedding the layer for summer. The tree began to spread its seeds to the surrounding areas in hope that more trees would sprout from it. Although the original seed was the size of a baseball, the new seeds were barely the size of a dime. But the tree still had so much more growing to do and its job was far from over.

*Spring 3300*

“I had so much time to think and yet I let my emotions get the best of me.”

After a thousand years the tree had accepted the insects that ate its fruits. After a hundred years of wishing to not be alone, the wish had been answered and yet it took another thousand to accept its fellow organism. The tree willingly gave the insects a small share of the fruits it produced, however when they overstepped their boundaries the tree would sweeten its fruits excessively and poison them. The tree wanted more communication, the tree wanted someone that could tell stories of the land beyond the river.

*Winter 5800*

“Is it finally time?” A thunderous voice echoed throughout the land.

A tree approaching a thousand feet in height towered over the land and could be seen from miles away. The tree that once bore fruit now housed several embryos at its base. That wasn’t the biggest change however, the biggest change was the surrounding land which was filled with hundreds of fruit trees. In preparation for the new world the trees would be necessary for survival.

*Spring ?????*

“Wahhh, wahhhh,” A baby's cries could be heard coming from the base of the tree.

“There there, everything’s going to be ok,” a mother’s gentle voice said before grabbing some apples from the tree and crushing them between two rocks and squeezing the juice into a clay bowl.

The tree that was once alone for several millennia was no longer alone. The tree that once bore fruit for no one other than itself now shared its fruit with everyone but itself. The tree that once prayed for shelter was now the sheltered of the small life that existed beneath it. The tree that was once a seed was now four hundred feet in diameter and towering over the clouds. The tree that had been through hell could finally enjoy the paradise it dreamt of every day since it had first been planted…

“The land beyond the river is beautiful, you wouldn’t believe it if i told you that there were mountains that you couldn’t see their peaks…”