The Wild Trees

There are trees and then there are the trees in the woods.

As a kid growing up, I had always been warned to *NEVER GO INTO THE WOODS*. We all knew why. The stories were quite clear. Even though the tree outside our house was friendly and benevolent, the trees in the woods were more like a street gang.

I loved my cherry tree. She and I spent hours in each others company. I would compliment her on her pleasant aroma and would feast on the cherries she produced. I took care of her, of course. Not that she needed me to look after her. She was a full grown tree. Planted by my great great grandfather when we first landed on this planet. He planted this tree from a seed from Earth and had lovingly raised it to the majestic tree I know and love. I could feel the love she had for our family. And I knew she was a lonely tree. Being the only tree of her type anywhere else on the planet. She got along with the other trees. But they were a strange breed. They seemed to laugh at her for being so giving and generous. But I could understand that. Those trees competed with each other for the resources they needed. While Agatha, my cherry tree created her own resources and of course had us to help her during droughts and such.

I remember my fifth birthday. Papa was so proud to present to me my very own doughgie. It was the closest thing we had to a dog on this planet. It was very young. I loved playing with it and it loved Agatha too. She giggled when the doughgie peed on her trunk. But later that day, after I got tired and laid down in the shade of Agatha, the little doughgie strayed over to one of the other trees. It attempted to pee on its trunk. A little whelp woke me up and we never did find the little guy. He just never came back home.

When I came of age, I was given a task by my father to take some provisions to our nearest neighbor. He lived on the other side of the woods. But I knew it was a 5 kilometer trip around the woods. Mom and dad renewed the stern warnings about the woods. It was totally unnecessary. I hated the woods. I knew they took my doughgie. I knew they were not nice to Agatha. I was actually scared to leave the house. But my father insisted. But I sensed the fear in his heart. My mother cried uncontrollably. I put up a good show for my parents benefit. And as I closed the gate behind me I looked back towards our home. Mom and dad stood underneath Agatha. She looked even more beautiful from here. Her colors so much more vivid and glowing than all the surrounding vegetation on this planet.

Before I left, my last time with Agatha, she dropped a cherry in my lap. It was unusual since it was not the typical cherry and stem. It was a small branch attached to the cherry and stem. I thought about why Agatha had left this with me. I could only think she intended it to protect me somehow? But how can a small branch protect me? I shrugged and smiled at Agatha.

The trip was hard. I had to wear the protective gear of the planet. I saw my father where it all the time. When ever he left the compound. The unbearable heat and the vicious wind forced us mere humans to take extra measures to protect ourselves. In the compound Agatha protected us.

The heavy gear made me sweat and drag my feet. I looked at the woods, thinking of a way to end this misery. The trees looked normal here. Not waving wildly as I’ve seen them in the past. Fighting with each other. I’ve seen sometimes, factions would form and a clear and distinct part in the woods would develop. But it was typically a brief respite. Soon enough the individual trees would turn on each other and there would be chaos again. Until they needed to rest, that is.

And it did look like they were resting. It was tempting. But I had no idea when they would wake up. Did they just start sleeping now? If so I could probably make it through, my Earthly based mind calculated. But time and time again, this planet had proved that Earth based thinking often did not work here.

It took me much longer to reach our neighbors place. I was literally dragging the pack I was supposed to deliver as I approached their compounds gate. Looking through the gate, it was quite a different compound from my home. The environment was harsh and unfriendly. The colors blended with each to make a drab and ugly environment. I pressed the aged button at the gate. I saw movement inside the house. A curtain was pulled aside and a young face looked out then disappeared. The door burst open and two excited kids ran out of the house, in enviro suits, towards me. Followed by a woman's voice screaming at them in agitation and alarm. But they ignored her. They opened the gate without hesitation and took the pack from me then ran back to the house.

The woman came up to me breathless. “I’m sorry for my rude kids. Please come in before… well you know.” I nodded and was invited into the foyer where I could remove the heavy gear. The place smelled bad. Dusty. Like no one ever cleaned up around here. But everything was in order, so I knew it was not due to neglect. The woman looked at me and sucked in her breath. “Well aren’t you a looker!” then “Jack! Come and see the Wilson’s kid all grown up.” A heavy set man came trundling around a corner. He too did a double take and stared at me, wordlessly.

“Um, I’d like to get back home before it gets dark. I should go now.” I really wanted to get out of there. “Hold on a sec you woman.” I finally got to hear Jack speak. His voice was surprisingly smooth and gentle for such a gruff looking man. “You need to take this back to your father. I loaned it from him last year.” It was a large and heavy looking piece of machinery. I gaped at it. “I can’t carry that.” I said simply. “It’s too large and I didn’t bring a wagon.” But in my mind I was screaming as I imagined myself hauling that contraption along the road. I could barely handle a simple rucksack. How could I deal with that?

Jack chuckled, “Oh don’t worry my boy will help you and I have a cart around back. Gregory!”

Gregory turned out to me a lean and tall young man. Definitely had a few years on me. I could see his father's gruff exterior and his mothers eyes. He came around the same corner Jack came from but he kept his gave down. It gave me the impression he was a broken person. Certainly none of the excitableness of his siblings. But Gregory turned out to be strong with the same soft spoken voice of his father. It was a jumble of characteristics that I could not form into an impression of what to expect from him. But I was grateful for the help and the company back home.

We set out, Gregory picked up the machine effortlessly and carried it to the back of the house where the cart was. He held it while I emptied the cart of its contents. Then he set it down gently and fastened the straps. He then picked up the carts handles and headed out. I felt like a third wheel at this point. My only real contribution being to lead the way to my place. But I am certain he could have figured that out. Then the sense that I was being setup came to me and I immediately became embarrassed. But it made sense. I had recently come of age. Here was a young man, my neighbor. I felt the heat in my ears. Embarrassed and angry at myself for being so naive.

As soon as we left Gregory’s compound though my thoughts were interrupted. Gregory seemed to change in front of my eyes. He stood taller, his gaze was much more directed and a smile came across his face. He looked at me with a mischievous expression. “Let’s go through the woods. It’ll be faster and much more interesting.” Shocked and fearful at his suggestion and his transformation I tried to respond in the same manner my parents did. “Never go into the woods. You know that!”

“I’ve already been there and back several times. Nothing bad happens. It’s just parents trying to scare us.” He had already started to pull the cart off the road.

“Wait! I don’t want to go there.”

He mocked me, “Are you afraid of the trees?”

He ignored me and dragged the cart across the field and into the forest. I watched as the quiet forest seemed to light up and the trees became active again. I heard Gregory scream. “Help!”

I shook my head and hesitated. Fool! Why didn’t he listen? I was prepared to leave him to his fate, but then I imagined explaining to his parents what happened to their son. I cursed Gregory and the situation and entered the forest with ho idea what I was doing or how I was going to get Gregory or myself out unharmed.

In the forest, the trees flexed and writhed around me. They didn’t seem to sense me yet so I wondered further into the woods my heart beating a million miles an hour and my eyes wide in fright.

I finally found Gregory and the cart. The cart had been overturned and the machine was hanging in the air as the native trees examined it greedily in their branches. They all fought like spoiled and rude children to play with a new toy. Pieces of the machine were being ripped off it. Gregory lay on the ground, roots wrapped around his ankles and his neck. I wish I had a knife or axe to be able to cut the roots. But I had come woefully unprepared for such a circumstance. Feeling inadequate and powerless in the situation I felt I should hide somewhere before the trees sensed me. But there was nowhere to hide in the woods. Not if you are trying to hide from the trees.

Then it happened. The trees saw me. I heard them mocking me. They recognized me as Agatha’s pet. They picked me up and dangled me by my ankle. There branches poking me painfully. I yelled at them angry now, “Put me down. Let us go!” The trees laughed at me. I felt more branches wrap around me. My other ankle, my neck. I knew this was it. I knew I was about to be ripped to pieces. I knew this is what happened to my doughgie. I knew this was going to happen to Gregory. But I was powerless to do anything about it.

Then something dropped from my pouch. Something brilliantly colored compared to the drab colors of this world. The trees all hushed suddenly as they seemed to watch this new thing fall to the ground. Time seemed to slow in that moment. I felt the tightening against my ankles and the tension building in my legs as they were being pulled apart from my body. I saw the bright object briefly as I was being pulled wildly about. The trees fighting with each other to grasp at me and have their part. It was Agatha’s small branch.

I saw it as it hit the ground and in slow motion watched as roots reached up from underground and grabbed at it. And, as soon as they touched it, recoiled violently. Things grew out of the small cherry branch and reached down into the ground. The cherry shriveled up and almost disappeared. There was a great writhing in the ground beneath it. I felt the strength of the branches hanging on to me weaken then let go. I fell to the ground and landed next to Gregory. He was free too. I got up immediately so that the roots would not grab me again. I took Gregory’s hand to lift him up and run from the woods as fast as possible. But the ground was moving too much. There would be no running at this point.

Then a small tree emerged from the ground. It was meek looking and weak. The surrounding trees seemed to sense this too and their branches reached down greedily to grab the small tree and pull it from their existence. But touching the small tree seemed to entangle their branches in its branches and they merged and the brilliant colors of Agatha shot up into their branches. Any trees that started to attack a tree affect as such also was instantly grafted onto and Agatha life force shot through it until the entire forest had been tamed. Agatha’s tiny child had infested the forest. A path formed through the trees and I could see my home through them. I could see Agatha smiling at me. Waving in the distance. And the forest seemed to be waving back. I had never seen Agatha so happy.

Upon seeing Agatha all tension and fear disappeared from me. I calmly helped Gregory up off the forest floor. As he composed himself, I gathered the pieces of the machine and put them back in the cart. I had no idea if my father could repair the machine, but I needed something to do while Gregory was trying to cope with the new situation. I lifted the handles of the cart and dragged it over the uneven forest floor leaving Gregory to catch up. As we left the woods a beautiful aroma emanated from it. It was similar to Agatha’s perfume, but was subtly different.

The woods were a much more polite set of trees after that. It was like Agatha had scolded them and showed them how to grow up and behave. They also taught her things too. Like I don’t ever remember Agatha greeting me at the gate before!