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The Fish and the Willow Tree |
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I wrote a story in two hours and designed a cover! Although you cannot see the cover, you may still read the story. Please enjoy.
The Fish and the Willow Tree
There was a field. The field was made of long reeds, and they would sing and dance in the wind. They stretched for as far as the eye could see. In the middle of the field was a willow tree. Around that willow tree was a perfect aqua ‘O’ shaped pond. In the pond, there was a fish. This was the only fish in the pond. It did not know how it got there, or how long it had been there, but it was there now, and it was a happy fish.
The fish was bright orange, with a white belly. It would swim in a circle, counter-clock wise, and listen to the reeds sing, and feel the caress of the willow tree’s branches as they wrapped around his smooth, scaly body when he swam through them. He loved the tree, and the reeds. He loved how blue the water was, and how the sun would warm his orange back as he swam in circles every day.
The willow tree was happy, too. The willow tree would let its branches droop into the water, and feel the small fish wiggle through them. It would tower over the field, and watch the shimmering patterns as the reeds bent to and fro. It would turn up its leaves to the sun, and be warmed by it, and it would take some water from the pond to keep hydrated, being sure to leave enough for the fish to swim around in its usual patterns.
The two were happy together. They looked nothing alike, and did not speak the same languages, but they knew they liked the same things. They liked the sun, they liked the feeling of contact between each other, and they liked the giggling reeds in the wind. They liked the water that surrounded them. The two had different views of everything. The fish was so meek, and the tree so mighty, but they did not see the differences; nay, they noticed what they shared, and that was enough.
One day, an ant came tromping along. It had walked far to get to the willow tree, for the willow tree could see no forests from its height that it stood. The ant, although small, was a very big change. Nothing but the fish had any noticeable life, and now it had come to invade their happy sanctuary. The fish and willow tree stopped their silent joy, and turned all their attention to this ant. The ant had seen their interactions, and was confused.
The ant asked how they were so happy in each other’s presence. The ant wanted to know why the willow tree had not gotten fed up with this little annoying fish that would only swim in circles, or how the fish could be so forgiving when the willow tree would spread its leaves and take all the sun. The ant did not understand how two totally different things could hold so much tolerance for each other, when they just didn’t have to.
The willow tree and the fish had not noticed that their needing of the same things might be bothersome. They did not think that this might be a problem somewhere else. With all this being brought to their attention, they were suddenly very annoyed with each other. The fish demanded a spot of light be left for him, and the willow tree started to suck down more and more water.
The ant saw this change, and thought he had done a good job. He’d shown them the light. And so he went back to where he lived.
But the willow tree and the fish continued their silent battle. The fish was losing water, and the willow tree couldn’t get sun when the fish demanded a spot of light to himself. They were slowly losing the balance they had so long maintained, and so, slowly losing their life.
The laughing of the reeds became annoying, and bothersome. They willow tree would cover the closest ones with its branches, and suffocate them. As it spread its branches, it gained more sunlight, which meant it was thirstier. It drank up the entire pond.
The fish died.
The willow tree realized what was happening when it was too late. The pond was gone, and so was its only friend. The little fish lay rotting, its right eye watching the willow tree with an eerie empty look. The willow tree knew that with the loss of the pond, it too would shrivel. The reeds around it were all dead. There was no more singing for it to hear. The willow tree would die alone, in silence.
As the days wore on, the willow tree lost the feelings in the tips of its furthest branches, and the black numbing would come creeping closer every day. It was a long, sad process. The willow tree was burning under the heat of the sun, and the dead fish was only bones now.
The willow tree died.
The ant came back soon after. It was not shocked to find death. It had seen much of it in its life. The ant turned and left the dead willow tree, fish, and field to go back to its life with its colony, oblivious to the happy life it had slaughtered.
The End
 Maco-chan · Tue Sep 01, 2009 @ 09:02am · 3 Comments |
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