Short Stack

   My secrets were suddenly split open when a cloaked man approached me with my birth name that was written somewhere safe, secret in the forest. There weren’t many of us in these recent times, those who honored the trees. The young man approached with a jar full of opaque, gold, thick liquid; companioned with a glimmer of knowing in his eye. His vibrant, green eyes bored into me, making the hair on my neck stand on end. I felt as if he was a wolf and I a rabbit. He had not yet spoken anything to me, yet I felt the nearing of this sticky liquid being held captive. What this young man did not realize was I was, am, one with the tree he found my name in. The tree held my secrets. 

   Let me take you back about 10 years. I was in my early 20’s running from a life of abuse and captivity. In my desperate need for escape, for freedom, I ran to the wood that was warned about in hushed whispers. Looking back, I can see the naivety in my actions. I also knew whatever I ran into, even the most feared and hated wood, was better than where I had come from. 

   Once I dashed past the first few layers of the trees the wood enveloped, captivated, enchanted me. Somehow it even guarded my ears towards the yells and screams of those who hunted me. This is what the elders of the manor had warned about, this hazed and distant feeling that overcame you as you entered the wood. The smell of it was earthy, potent, and made me feel like I was gathering up the most inviting hug into my nose. Instinctively I knew I needed to keep going forward, deeper into the woodland. With each step that took me over branches and gnarled rocks, I was looking upwards towards the sky and tripping every few steps. There wasn't much sky; it was mainly the canopy of open dreams. The different hues of green captivated me, they shimmered and shined as the sun leaked through the small cracks between the leaves and branches. It was enough to keep my brain distracted from the conflict growing within me.

   All my life I was warned that this place was dangerous, that this place would ruin and kill me. As I walked through it I continued to feel more at peace than I ever had in the most sacred sanctuaries in our town. This baffled me. According to my teachings I should be terrified now. I had traveled for more than a few hours into this forsaken forest. Ironically, I felt the safest I had felt in all my life. 

   I don’t know if the forest protected me or the men had just lost hope of finding me, but eventually I was no longer able to hear the cries of those hunting me. Somehow I knew that it wasn’t just the life of the forest guarding me, the men were truly gone. It felt as if the thick, aqueous but invisible shield that had been protecting me, muffling my noises, had disappeared. The most prominent sounds were the wind whistling past the branches and the leaves fluttering in a consuming sound of singing and laughter. 

   Without knowing what they were talking about, I could feel they meant me no harm. I was not sure, mostly when men would speak of the dangers of the wood it was because they had come here with the intent to take trees to make firewood or houses. They spoke of trees coming to life and chasing them, murdering them. In my short time in this wood, I did not feel the same terror. I felt as if the topiary was opening up and inviting me in. After a few more hours running towards an unknown destination, I grew very weary. Coincidentally, it happened at the moment I found a small patch of grass, no bigger than a large bed, beneath five of the most welcoming trees. They were twice my height; bark marbled with whites, browns, and blues; and their canopy covered the top of the grass perfectly from any sun poking its way through. I laid down and slept for an unknown amount of time.

   When I awoke, five trees had become eleven. They appeared to have shifted around me and blocked me in. I still felt safe among them, they weren’t stopping me from escaping. I felt mainly they were curious about my human form making it this far into their territory. They were watching me with interest, not malice. 

   “Ummm… hi….. trees” I eventually mustered out of my voice box.

   “Welcome” their leaves sang in unison in a melodic chorus. 

   I froze. Confused. Did I just hear their leaves talk? 

    “Yes, you did” they replied

   Frozen, blank, because I did not say that aloud. How can they read my mind? 

   “We are you and you are us” they informed compassionately.  

   I held a blank, baffled expression. That response answered nothing. How could these things, these trees be me? How could they be me, I be them, and we be us? All I knew was I had to run away from where I was prior to meeting them and here I was. 

   A small tree, whose trunk was not much taller than myself shifted around one of the eleven trees. It peeked from behind another tree about 3 times its size to shyly peer at me with unseen eyes. Needless to say, I screamed a very princess-like scream and then lost my vision. Next I remember waking up in the lovely soft grass that had somehow grown even plusher. The same, smaller tree was leaning over me. 

   “hhhhhhh——aarrrreeeeeee yooouuuuuu oooooooooook?” The leaves on it breathed in slowly. 

   “Startled, but ok” I told them. 

   We both looked, if you can call what this tree was doing looking, at each other. I didn’t know where to go from here. I didn’t know what to say. The tree broke the silence but instead of speaking aloud I heard him in my heart, or was that my brain?

   “I want to keep you safe. I want to protect you always. Let me have your true name to keep within my branches and you will be free of the prison you were sold to”, he told me in true earnesty. 

   Without hesitation I told this friendly, young tree, “Take my name” and so the tree wrapped its branches around me tightly. Its bark sliced into my skin and then itself ripped open. My blood seeped into its sap and its life slipped into me. That is the day I gave my true name to a tree and became one with this tree. 

   Horrified, as I watched this man with the blood of my tree, my partner, I did not care about my own life. My greater concern was about what happened to that selfless tree that chose to have a human as its life mate. Was it still alive? What happened to my partner? The harm that will come to me because this man found me I am ready for. My fear is what he did to the forest that protected me like I was their own kin. I do not feel safe, I do not feel safe with my own kind like I did with the frightful wood. 

   “Sit” he finally speaks while holding a hand towards a table near to me. 

   I sit quickly only to obtain information as to what has happened to the tree, my protector in my moments of most need. The moment I sat down, the man holds up the jar and quickly slams it onto the table. The thud making me jump in my chair. Not breaking eye contact, he gives a low, menacing laugh. 

   A waiter member brings us pancakes, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, sausage, and butter freshly made this morning to our table. She sets everything down, gives a small curtsy to the man, and swiftly turns and walks away. 

   “I don’t know about you, but I adore having my pancakes swimming in syrup”, he announces while slowly removing the lid from the jar, “Are you ready to have breakfast, just the two of us? Oh my apologies, three of us” he speaks with wicked pleasure.