Finding
TREE
Love
Monika Wiśniewska
Copyright © 2022 by Monika Wissniewska All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
FOR MY MAMA
Thank you for your unconditional love.
You are my best friend, my hope, my joy
and the most important person in my life
because you gave me life
to experience all the incredible things
which have taught me so much
that I can now share
a piece of my heart and soul
with the rest of the world.
You are true love.
Contents
Chapter 1- I AM A TREE
Chapter 2 - ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS YOUNG
Chapter 3 - ETHEREAL BEAUTY
Chapter 4 – QUACK
Chapter 5 - MASTER TREE
Chapter 6 - INVISIBLE
Chapter 7 – TROLLS
Chapter 8 – CRADLE
Chapter 9 – STAR
Chapter 10 - WRONG TREE
Chapter 11 - JINGLE NUTS
Chapter 12 - RIVER TRIP
Chapter 13 - DRIFTING AWAY
Chapter 14 – LIGHTNING
Chapter 15 – I AM DANGEROUS
Chapter 16 – SACRIFICE
Chapter 17 - WEEPING WILLOW
Chapter 18 – TRUTH
Chapter 19 - TO LOVE IS TO LET LIVE
Chapter 20 - TREE MASTERS
Chapter 21 - FOREST MOTHER
Chapter 22 - MOONLIGHT DANCE
Chapter 23 – ACORN
Chapter 24 – BUTTERFLY
Chapter 25 - BURNING FOR YOU
Chapter 26 - EAGLE WINGS
Chapter 27 – CROSSROADS
Chapter 28 - THE END IS THE BEGINNING
EPILOGUE
Chapter 1
I AM A TREE
‘If you’ve ever thought you had a bad day
imagine turning into a tree
and...
think again.’
- Rupert
Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, or maybe not that far, depending on where you are really, there lived a prince whose name was Rupert.
He was the only son to the King and Queen of Deer Wonderland Kingdom, where thousands of deer lived in the surrounding forest in peace and harmony, protecting their territory and females. The males had the biggest antlers imaginable, allowing them to scare off even the most dangerous predators. The deer were under the king’s protection and anyone who would do any harm to them would be captured and put into prison for life. Nobody in the whole kingdom had therefore ever tried killing a deer, petrified of this severe punishment.
Prince Rupert, a rather handsome, dark-haired, and brown-eyed young man, had a kind and caring nature thanks to his parents’ loving upbringing. He was, however, a bit temperamental and spoilt due to his various privileges from birth. He enjoyed riding his horse into the depths of Deer Wonderland forest where trees were tall, streams were flowing with crystal clear water, and animals such as hares, beavers, foxes, bears, birds, and of course deer, lived in perfect harmony. Rupert quite liked nature and one day he had an urge to venture out to the depths of the forest to test his new bow and arrows, the gifts that he had received from the king for his thirtieth birthday. The bow was gilded with golden eagles and the arrows were made of pure silver, shining in the sunlight. The king told him that the arrows should only be used in mortal danger but on that warm and humid summer evening having noticed a perfect spot, Rupert decided to try it out. He got off his dark horse, pulled back the arrow in the bow, aimed at the old oak tree standing majestically on the other side of the stream, and just as he had let the arrow go, confident that it would hit right in the middle of it, a huge deer ran in front of it and stopped as if it grew into the ground, piercing Rupert’s eyes with his huge, sparkling eyes. The deer’s gigantic antlers were glowing with warm, blue light as if they were set on fire, which merged with the sky. A blue butterfly was flying around its head, glowing with a pulsating light of different shades of blue. Staring at Rupert, the deer did not move an inch, as if it knew that his death was inevitable and he was ready for it. In that split second, which seemed like an eternity for both of them, the silver arrow pierced the deer right into his heart and he fell on the ground with a big thump making his antlers stop glowing with the blue light and the butterfly fly away into the crowns of the trees.
Rupert was horrified, taking a big gasp of air. He would have never wanted to kill a deer, not in a million years. He felt great sadness and tears swelled up in his eyes. A moment later, his feet started to sink into the ground, as if he was now standing in the middle of a swamp, getting trapped in a muddy soil that turned solid once his ankles were buried into it. He was now unable to move. Looking in front of him, he saw an old man in a long brown cloak and a hood which was covering the majority of his long grey hair, holding a long, wooden stick emerging from behind the trees. His pale, wrinkled face was expressionless and his cold, lifeless green eyes were fixed at Rupert’s.
‘Why did you kill the deer?’ he asked without even blinking an eye in a low but firm voice that could move a mountain.
‘It was an accident, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was aiming at the tree and the poor creature just ran in front of it. I would never kill a deer on purpose’ Rupert quickly replied in a shaky voice, feeling guilty for what he had done.
‘You will be punished for it,’ the man replied in a voice that gave Rupert shivers through his body.
‘Me?? Oh, no! You don’t understand. I’m the king’s son and I know my father very well. I know what the punishment for killing a deer is but he will not put me into prison because of this... little accident. He loves me and wants me to be the king when he dies’ Rupert replied, gasping for air, feeling his pounding heart in his chest as if it wanted to jump out but he still tried to keep a brave face.
‘The king is fair and he treats everyone in his kingdom the same way,’ the man replied ‘and therefore, you will be punished’ the man continued with his statement, mercilessly.
‘I will explain everything to him and he will understand. He is my father. He gave me this arrow for my birthday. He loves me and cares for me!!’ Rupert exclaimed in a more desperate and pleading voice this time.
‘You will not have a chance to explain it to him,’ the man continued ‘you shall stay here... forever!’ the man added, making the word ‘forever’ sound as if it was the scariest word in the world.
‘What do you mean... forever? Why? How?’ exclaimed Rupert frantically but the old man swiftly turned around and disappeared behind the trees.
Unable to move his feet which were now stuck firmly in the ground, Rupert called for his horse.
‘Helios, come here buddy, come closer, please! I can’t move, can’t you see? You need to come here and help me!’ Rupert shouted but the strong wind started to move the leaves of all the surrounding trees and huge dark clouds covered the whole sky as if the night had suddenly fallen.
Rupert looked at his feet stuck in the ground which were now turning into long tree roots, quickly growing into the area around him and his legs turning into a massive tree trunk.
‘Oh no! What’s happening to me??? Help!!!??’ he screamed in panic one last time before his whole body turned into a tall oak.
The branches were slowly getting covered in millions of green leaves and the roots were now stuck deep into the ground. Rupert opened his eyes, or rather two small cracks in the bark, and his heart sunk from despair.
‘I am a tree??? Nooo!! That’s impossible!! Oh God, this is only a bad dream and I’m going to wake up from it any minute. This is only a bad dream!!!’ he exclaimed, stuttering in despair from a large brown huba, a crescent-shaped fungus, which was now his mouth. The smaller huba, just above his new mouth, became his nose.
‘Oh no, I have no hands, no hands!’ he exclaimed in horror when he tried to move but all that he could see was two of his biggest branches moving slowly, making a crackling and swooshing sound.
He then saw the same old man slowly emerge from behind the trees and stand right in front of him. He was accompanied by a group of giant spiders following him, which freaked Rupert out even more because he had never been fond of spiders, especially gigantic ones. The dark thick fog surrounded them now and the old man spoke again, having taken his hood off his silver hair.
‘I told you that you will be punished. These are the ancient rules of the forest. The king does not need to punish anyone and put them in prison for killing a deer. It is only a myth. Forest Mother does justice for him and she is always fair and she is always right. She is more powerful than the king. Because she rules all the forests of the world. This is the unspoken rule which the king knows about and approves of. He respects nature because he knows its immeasurable and still undiscovered powers. Nature needs to be respected and deer cannot be killed just for fun. Especially Matras, the Deer King himself, the biggest and bravest leader of the herd. Now the forest needs a new leader and it’s not going to be easy to replace such a strong, fair and wise deer. The herd will be without a good leader until a new one is selected in Deer Games, where the young and strong males will be fighting for the title and the privilege. You really don’t know what you have done. Each action has its consequences and you need to bear yours now. It’s called karma. God have mercy upon your soul and...well, good luck!’ the old man said with a less scary but still a low and firm voice.
‘I’m sorry, I really am, what else can I do? Where is she? That Forest Mother! I need to speak to her immediately! I will explain that it’s all one big mistake! It was an accident and I wasn’t hunting for fun! I’m sure that if I speak to her and explain it all, she will understand and forgive me’ begged Rupert.
‘Yes, of course, you can speak to her. She is everywhere. In the trees around you, in the river, in the air, she is in all the animals. You just need to find a way to communicate with her. There is only one way she will understand you.’
‘What is the way? Tell me and I will do it!’ Please, help me!’
‘Unfortunately, you need to find the way yourself. There is no easy answer. If you do find the right way to speak to her, I’m sure she will forgive you and let you go back to being a human. But until you have learnt how the Universe works, you will be a tree, I am afraid.’ the man replied putting the hood back on his silver hair and turned his back on Rupert again.
‘Please don’t leave me, please stay! Don’t go! What do I do now? Please, tell me!’ Rupert exclaimed but the man was already gone. The spiders followed his steps moving their huge hairy legs giving shivers to Rupert.
‘Great, this is a disaster! It’s a nightmare! What should I do? How?’ he thought, scratching his head, or rather the crown of the tree with his largest branch acting now as his right hand.
The horse gazed at him with his big dark, shiny eyes, neighed loudly, showing off a set of white teeth, and galloped away into the depths of the forest.
‘Wait! Where are you going?’ Rupert screamed but Helios, just like the old man, disappeared from his sight, leaving him alone.
The strong wind stopped and the dark clouds moved away, revealing the scarlet glow of the sky at sunset, sprinkled with only a few pinkish fluffy clouds.
‘Forest Mother! Where are you?,’ Rupert screamed as loud as he could but heard no answer. ‘I need to talk to you!’ he screamed again but there was no reply and the only sound he could hear was the gentle and soothing sound of the stream, an owl, and birds singing in the distance.
‘Hey, go away! This is not a place for you!,’ he shouted angrily when a starling sat on one of his branches. He started to move rapidly, trying to scare the bird away but it stayed there as if it got stuck to him.
The bird then flew closer to him, touching him with his beak, as if searching for something in his bark.
‘Hey, what are you doing? Stop! You are tickling me!- said Rupert, starting to twist left and right, trying to refrain from bursting out laughing from the unexpected sensation. The starling gazed at him with a surprised look, as if something was wrong with Rupert, and flew away.
‘Oh God, this is a disaster, what am I going to do now? I can’t live like this! I am a prince! A prince that will be a king one day.’ he murmured to himself with a whining voice.
‘Just relax and go with the flow!’ he heard a low but soothing voice coming from another oak next to him.
‘You can talk?’ asked Rupert.
‘Well you can talk too, what’s so strange about it?’ the oak replied, and having pulled his roots from the ground, he moved away making a swishing, whistling noise with the leaves.
‘And you can move?? How? Trees don’t move!!’ Rupert exclaimed at witnessing this weirdness.
‘Oh, relax, you can move too, just when you do, don’t you dare follow me! I have enough of this noise of yours’ the oak replied.
‘I can move? And I can talk? Thank you, God! That means...that means... I can go back to the castle and ask my father for help’ he thought, feeling sudden rays of hope with this revelation.
‘You can go anywhere except the castle. That will never happen, so don’t even try. Nobody can leave the Deer Wonderland Forest once you become part of it. Besides, Forest Mother will never let you ha!’ the oak exclaimed joyfully from the distance before completely disappearing.
‘Hey! I didn’t say anything! You could hear my thoughts? I think I’m going to go crazy! Wait, I’ve already gone crazy! I’m a talking tree! And I can walk! I can walk? Really? Ok, let’s see if that’s true then.’ he murmured.
‘Ahhhrrrrr,’ he moaned a few seconds later from the effort of trying to move his toes, or rather his roots.
‘Come on, you can do this! Abracadabra! Move my feet! My roots, I mean!’ he exclaimed to himself and the roots started to move whilst he was rocking backwards and forwards. After a while, they all came out to the surface.
‘Yessss! Magic!’ he said and laughed in the voice of an insane man who had just escaped an asylum.
‘Now, lets’ walk!’ he commanded in a firm voice as if he was leading an army to war.
‘Urrrghhhh come on! Move!’ he said with great effort, rocking side to side and moving inch by inch towards the river bank.
‘Oh, no, not this way! I don’t want to end up as a log drifting away with the river's current, now that would have been unfortunate. Enough of unfortunate events for a day! I’m a blooming tree!’ he thought and moved along the riverbank instead, gliding slowly on the ground. 'Oh, I mean a freaking tree. The last thing I want is to have my handsome body covered in pink, fragrant flowers haha! he said to himself laughing out loud.
‘Ok, that’s enough for today. I’m tired now.’ he said after what had seemed like an eternity but when he turned around, he realised he moved only a couple of feet away.
‘Oh, I’m so tired, I think I’ll just go to sleep now and when I wake up in the morning, I am sure this nightmare will be over.’ he thought and closed his two cracks in the bark, his eyes.
‘Stop it!’ he shouted soon afterwards, having heard nothing but the cheerful singing of the birds.
The birds stopped but after a few moments, they started to sing sweet melodies again.
‘I said, stop it!’ he shouted again and one of the birds, a beautiful yellow one with a red tail and a beak flew closer to him.
‘Why do you want us to stop? We are singing the latest songs from the Top Twenty of Deer Wonderland. They are the best songs out now. Don’t you like them?’ the bird chirped.
‘You can talk too?’
‘Yes and so can you’ the bird replied adding; ‘What’s so strange about it? Where are you from? Have you been brought up with humans or something? Only they don’t understand our language. They think we are just stupid birds, or at least, most of them think we are.’
‘I don’t care if they are the latest songs! I want to sleep. I am very tired now from talking, and walking. If you haven’t noticed, I’m an old tree now! Tomorrow, I’ll wake up from this horrible nightmare and be myself again!’ replied Rupert.
‘But you are yourself. Now. Even though you are a tree. It’s still you, isn't it?’ the bird replied happily.
‘Well, yes. Well, no. Yes, it’s still me but it’s not my body. I’m a human being. A handsome prince with brown eyes and dark hair, a great muscular body, and a six-pack. I am tall and very attractive. At least, that’s what I heard many times from the ladies in court. Many princesses from other kingdoms dream of marrying me because I have so much to offer. A beautiful castle and chambers to live in, wardrobes full of silk dresses, gorgeous perfumes, lavish dinners, carriages to take them for rides, and, of course, beautiful diamond, ruby, and emerald rings. They send me lots of love letters daily hoping I will choose them as my wife and the new Princess of Deer Wonderland Kingdom. I am a real catch you know!’ said Rupert proudly, stretching his chest forward, or what was now the tree trunk. ‘And I don’t think you will understand it but I am also irresistible to women and an amazing lover. At least, that’s what all the princesses I have made love to told me many times. They say I can even..’
‘Woooow, ok no need to tell me details and I am sorry to break the news to you. It won’t happen now! Your wealth, your carriages, your jewellery to impress them and your six-pack won’t work any charm on them anymore’ the bird replied laughing out loud with a thin squeaky voice and added; ’ I don’t want to sound horrible but as you have just said, you are an oak now, so forget about it. And when it comes to you being you and your personality, well it leaves some room for improvement, I dare say. You are not the most humble man, placing all your attention and value on the way you look and that you are rich because you have a rich father – the king. What else have you got to offer ‘as you’ though? Is your wealth all that you need to find true and everlasting love? Think about it, you will have plenty of time for reflections, ' the bird replied and shaped his beak into a cheeky crescent before stretching its colourful wings and flying away.
‘Oh, that..., that... is not very nice! You little.... nasty bird, telling me what you think about me. How dare you tell me what you think. You don’t know me at all. You think you know me because of a short conversation but you don’t! And anyway, who voted for your songs? They are wishy-washy and not the top hits for sure’ Rupert shouted angrily just as the bird had landed on a long branch of a tree right in front of him.
‘But that’s the reality and the sad truth that you need to face now. Think about it. Think about who YOU truly are. My advice to you is this; Accept what it is you have become. Surrender and don’t try to fight it. It will only prolong your suffering. By accepting what is, you shall regain freedom, happiness, and even enlightenment. That’s the only thing that shall save you. It is the key to salvation. Accept the present moment, as a tree. Trust me, I have seen it all before. Trees that accept who they truly are flourish and live happily for hundreds of years. Trees that cannot accept who they are dry out and eventually die alone, with broken branches.
‘Oh, since when have you been such an expert on me and everyone else? You think you know everything but you don't.’ replied Rupert defensively.
‘And in my humble opinion, you need to finally learn what true love is because you still don’t know despite your age.’ The bird said in a way that seemed to Rupert as if it was a therapist talking to him and added ‘Love is not just about being an amazing lover. You couldn’t be further from the truth. You cannot see anything important with your eyes. Only with your heart.’ the bird added.
‘Is that so?’ asked Rupert, amazed by the depth of this conversation.
‘Yes, that’s so. Also, for your information, it was the lady hares and ladybirds who voted for us! They love us and our songs and they are our biggest fans. Come on guys, let’s go sing somewhere else, somewhere where our cute voices and efforts are appreciated. by the ladies, not by this one big moaning oak!’ the bird replied and swiftly flew onto the other side of the river with other birds from his band, leaving Rupert in complete and utter silence.
‘Finally! I can sleep now!’ Rupert thought and closed his tired eyes emerging into the darkness.
Chapter 2
ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS YOUNG
‘And when I awoke,
Warm sun rays penetrated every molecule of my leaves,
The energy rushed through my trunk
Making me thrilled and ecstatic about another day.
The sunrise, the biggest miracle of life on Earth,
Always leaves the darkness and gives new hope.
Hope for another day, for another chance,
To start all over,
To start again,
To turn my life around
And create a moment
That will never repeat itself.
Hence, the most precious thing in the world
Is the very moment
Each moment of life
That is unrepeatable
That is unique.
It cannot be bought.
It cannot be stored in a jar.
Only lingers in the air of eternal memories
Which connect us together
The universe and nature and every thought
The everlasting wisdom of the universe
The everlasting everything.
The only heritage we will give to our offspring.
Let’s make sure each thought, each memory is worth passing on
As we want the world to grow and learn and contribute to its salvation
Not misery, hate, and suffering.
Let’s clear our thoughts and minds.
Let’s become the blank canvas to paint on
One thought at a time
Beauty in each
Wisdom in all
And reject any negative ones
As they only take us away from bliss.
The bliss that we all strive for
The joy we all yearn for
The love we all pray for
Let it become us’
- Rupert
When I woke up at sunrise, I felt warm sun rays touching my face. The air was crisp and fresh, filling my lungs and giving me energy. A couple of green birds with yellow wings started chirping in a happy voice and surprisingly, I didn’t even find it annoying. The sun rising above the peaks of the trees was slowly turning from red to golden yellow, touching every leaf, every blade of grass on the meadows, and every mountain top at a distance. The castle on the hill was bathed in its golden rays, making it look young and fresh as if it was waking up from one thousand years of sleep.
‘Thank God it was just a bad dream, I am myself again.’ I thought to my relief ’ but hey, how can I see the castle over the treetops? I don’t remember being that.... tall!! Ahhhhhhhhh! I am still a tree! Oh, no! I am still a freaking tree!’ I exclaimed.
‘Morning Rupert, did you sleep well?’ asked a squirrel having flown to me from another tree, spreading her little legs like an orange kite, landing right on my nose and staring into my eyes with her big brown marbles.
‘Auch!!’ I exclaimed, feeling a sharp pain from her sharp paws. ‘You scared me! Don’t do that again.’ I said; ‘Wait, but how do you know my name? And why are you on my nose?’ I added.
‘I know many things that you don’t know! And since you are a tree, I can sit on you anywhere I like.’ she replied in a squeaky voice, parting her lips and turning them into a crescent, showing off her tiny white teeth.
I knew it was a ‘she’ because of her fluffy ginger hair on top of her head which was styled into waves and she smelled of... lilacs. No male squirrel would smell of lilacs.
‘So, did you sleep well?’ she continued, moving around my trunk up and down, tickling me a bit but somehow I didn’t mind it now.
‘Yeah, I guess so, last night I hoped this nightmare would be over when I woke up but it looks like it was real. Do you know why I’m an ugly, old tree now?’
‘You are not old and you are not that ugly. At least compared to this crooked one next to you. You are quite a handsome young oak, maybe only one hundred and thirty years old at my guess!’ she replied while shaking her fluffy tail in front of my eyes.
‘A hundred and thirty years old? Nooooo! I have just turned thirty and I am a young handsome prince! When I am a human, of course. I cannot be a hundred and thirty years old! This is getting worse minute by minute! It means, it means I should be dead now! Or maybe I am already dead now? Nobody lives that long!’ I exclaimed.
‘Oh, no, you are very young for an oak and in the tree world you are only a teenager, still very young, like you have just been born! Oaks can live hundreds of years and some say they can live forever. Can you see that guy over there? With big, thick, crooked branches? He is four hundred years old and he still has some energy to join us at dancing parties where we learn the foxtrot from the foxes! And I can tell you now, you are one of the most handsome young oaks I have ever seen and I have seen many!’
‘How do you know my oak age anyway? How come you are so certain?’ I asked, getting more and more curious.
‘Well, I am an expert in trees. As you can see, I am a squirrel but we can check your exact age since you are so persistent.’ she replied with a peculiar charm. ‘Hey Julie, Malcolm, come! Let’s see how old Rupert is!’ she yelled and two other red squirrels ran down from the tree in front of me.
Having taken a vine of the tree nearby they wrapped my body with it and exclaimed simultaneously ‘Yep, one hundred and thirty years old!’
‘How can you be so sure?’ I asked ’ and from using just a piece of a vine?’
‘For every inch around your waist you are one year old, so I’m sorry to break it to you, you are older than you thought! You are one hundred and thirty but as I said, that’s nothing in oak living years, so don’t worry.’ She replied with a wide smile on her tiny face, showing off again her two front teeth gleaming in the morning sun.
‘I see, well that makes sense, you seem to know your stuff. So what’s your name?’ I asked curiously as I have just learnt the names of two of her friends.
‘My name is Leticia and I run the best ‘Squirrel Knitting Club’ in the whole forest. We make dresses made of moss, vines, and flowers, mainly for dra…’ she suddenly stopped but added; ‘If you would like to join our club, you will need to wait until next year because unfortunately, we don’t accept any new members now. But I can let you know if we have any free spaces next Spring if you like?’
‘No, thanks, I have never been a fan of knitting or making dresses. My mother made a cute little blanket for me when I was a baby and I de-knitted it beautifully one day. That’s the closest to this craft I have been to. But if you have a ‘De-knitting Club for Oaks’ I may join you next year’ I replied, chuckling at my incredible sense of humour. ‘Oh, wait, I won’t be here next year. What am I even joking about!’ I murmured, chuckling at the very thought of me knitting as a tree. ‘Leticia, umm that’s a very nice name, but don’t get me wrong as I don’t want to sound rude. Who gave you your name? Surely squirrels don’t have names.’
‘Oh, it’s Forest Mother who gave me that name when I was a baby. She came to my mum one day saying that from now on I will be called Leticia. My mum came here from another kingdom I forgot the name of, starting with an S.., met my dad and they stayed here. Anyway, I need to go now and look for the acorns I hid yesterday before I completely forget where I put them. Oh no, I think I have already forgotten where I put them, great! Another one bites the dust. There will be far too many new oak trees growing in this forest because of my sclerosis. I need to see Zelda, the fox hypnotherapist. I’ve heard she is quite good at helping other squirrels improve their memory and remember where they put their nuts. Especially useful for older male squirrels if you know what I mean... just kidding. Ok, well, have a nice day, and remember you are just a young oak. So no baby oak crying today, please! Bye!’ she said and ran along my branch, right till the end of it.
‘Hey wait, this Forest Mother, do you know her well? Where is she? I need to speak to her about this unfortunate mistake she’s made!’
‘Oh, yes, I know her very well. She is amazing and she never makes mistakes because she is perrrrfect. She is the one everyone respects and some are even scared of because her fury can be lethal. Everybody knows her. And everybody knows she should not be made angry because strange things can happen to them afterwards. So don’t make her angry, that’s my advice to you!’ Leticia exclaimed and spread her arms and legs wide, flew in the air, and landed on the tree next to me.
She ran along its branches with the skill of a circus performer, twisting and turning around them with such flexibility that all I could say was; ‘Wow, I wish I could do that. Why didn’t Forest Mother turn me into a squirrel? I could be free and flexible like Leticia, and I could do what I want. Now I am an old but actually a young oak. True, I am tall so I can see over some of the treetops, and yes, supposedly I am handsome, for an oak of course, but that’s it really. No princess will marry me now. Who would want to marry a tree? What am I going to do now? Where are you, Forest Mother? Where are you? I hate you for what you did to me. You are a horrible woman that punished me so severely for what was only... a mistake. This is the worst time of my life. Who would like to be a tree when they have their whole life in front of them? It is a punishment for which I will never forgive you, you nasty woman unless you immediately turn it back. Yes, you will have to do it and you will, as soon as I find you.’ I said to myself in a feeling close to madness from being utterly powerless, imprisoned in a tree.
Chapter 3
ETHEREAL BEAUTY
‘Going for a walk when you are an oak is not an easy task. First of all, I am slow, secondly, I am heavy, thirdly my feet, since they are non-existent and are now a spider web of long roots, need to be dragged on the ground from left to right in a swaying motion, as if I am sweeping the floor. Yes, that’s what it feels like to me even though I had never really swept the floor because that’s what the servants did in the castle. Now I am an oak sweeper of the forest. The obstacles on the way don’t seem to help either, the bushes, the gigantic ferns, the branches fallen from the trees, the weeds growing along the river. It’s not like I am walking on the smooth surface of a frozen lake. But what else can I do? I just keep going. Despite the inconvenience of being a tree. I am not sure where I am going but I can’t just stand there, grounded, and do nothing, waiting for my death. Especially if I am to live as an oak for another six hundred years or more! It’s a long time to wait to die and do nothing with your time. I need to find the Forest Mother, this...this nasty woman who has nothing better to do with her time than turning a young and handsome prince into a tree. You wait till I find you and I will tell you what I think about your games and playing with people’s lives. But I will do that only once you have removed the spell and I am free to be a human again. Before that, I will try to be nice to you...I will try. Oh, and... I need to stop talking to myself.’
Walking deeper into the forest after what had seemed like an eternity, I noticed a twinkling light behind the trees. I moved closer and closer. I came into an open space where a waterfall of crystal clear water gushing from the top of the rocks merged with the ripples of the turquoise surface of a lake surrounded by tall ferns. Colourful birds were scattered all over the treetops, chirping, singing, and tweeting, creating a harmonious melody as if an orchestra was playing a perfectly composed piece of music. The sun, high up to the west, was casting shadows of trees on the water surface. The powerful waterfall sprinkled the air with a mist of tiny droplets, gently touching my leaves, covering them all one by one. The scent of geranium and wildflowers was lingering in the air, surprisingly relaxing my ‘tired from walking’ body and stressed mind. Golden, pink and blue butterflies were dancing all around me, leaving behind them a tiny trail of sparkles every time the mist was touched by the sun rays, making the scenery look as if the whole forest was enchanted. Ummm, maybe it was?
‘Wow, so this is what paradise looks like,’ I thought with a big sigh and noticed a slim silhouette of a woman emerging from the ferns on the left side of the stream.
She seemed to be...completely naked, walking slowly into the crystal clear water whilst her long chestnut hair gently swayed on her bare back, wrapping the pearl-like skin of her shoulders, which seemed to be sparkling like diamonds, in sunrays. When her ankles were immersed in the lake, she lifted her arms into the sky and the water lifted itself on both sides joining her fingers and flowing effortlessly up and down, creating angel wings and the most beautiful vision I had ever seen in my life. The sculpted contours of her figure, her long legs, her long neck, and her back were twinkling in the mist all around her as if she was some kind of a forest goddess who could control nature around her. The rainbow appeared over the sky creating a dome for this divine spectacle. I knew she was out of this world. Her ethereal beauty made me forget for a split second about my misery of being a tree. After this most heavenly vision was over when she put her arms down, she turned around and looked straight into my eyes. I froze. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever encountered. Her dark, sparkling eyes pierced my soul to the core and I became breathless.
‘Aukk, auk,’ I started to choke, panicking that I would die in the most unfortunate moment, having seen the most stunning beauty on Earth.
She then took her eyes off me and jumped into the water, blending with the gentle ripples of the surface which were sparkling in the sun rays, as if turning it into liquid gold. I took a deep breath.
'Thank goodness, I can now breathe again' I thought. ‘But where did she disappear? I can’t see her,’ I thought, when she descended under the water surface and my heart palpitations stopped. My heart began pounding fast in my chest. ‘What if she needs help? I should just jump in and rescue her, she needs me.’ I thought and just as I tried to dip my roots into the water which was pleasantly warm, I noticed her coming out on the other side of the lake with her wet hair stuck to her perfectly sculpted back, wrapping her feminine silhouette of a Greek goddess, but before I even blinked with my cranky wooden eyelids, she disappeared behind the gigantic ferns.
The sky turned into all shades of blue because the setting sun hid behind the rocks, turning everything into dark shaded forms. The blue butterflies seemed to have taken over the scenery because hundreds of them appeared from nowhere, swooshing their glowing blue wings in circles all around me and above the lake. This only lasted for a while at twilight, making me wonder if it was the most magical blue hour.
‘Who was that? What an irresistible beauty... Surely she is an Angel sent from Heaven. How come I have never seen her before? I have been riding Helios in this forest ever since I was a child but I have never seen this waterfall and lake either. Strange. I guess I have never come that far.’ I thought.
‘If only I was myself, a handsome prince like I used to be, I am sure she would like me. I have no chance of impressing her now, being an ugly oak, with branches instead of my hands and a fungi huba as my mouth. She would never fall in love with me. Nobody would. Nobody would love a disgusting tree with nothing else to offer other than a piece of wood. I am nothing to her now. I am nothing to myself. I hate what I have become. I hate this new body. I hate this forest. I hate the horrible woman who did this to me. I hate this world. I will never accept who I am. Never. That bird knows nothing about me. He is wrong. I will change this. I will find Forest Mother and ask her for mercy. There is no other way for me to be happy again. I will find her and apologize for what I have done, even though I have nothing to apologize for. Killing that deer was only an accident and that’s all I will admit to. This nightmare needs to stop. Now.
Chapter 4
QUACK
‘Falling in love when you are a tree is more unfortunate than one may think because no human being will love you back’ I thought in horror, resting my roots in a picturesque spot by the waterfall later that night.
‘Who was she? I need to find her. What a beauty, what a woman. Where did she go? Where does she live? Why was she alone in the forest?’ I continued my internal dialogue.
‘That’s Amara, the forest beauty, more beautiful than any other woman in the whole Deer Wonderland. Quack’ said a voice from the middle of the bush in front of me, interrupting my stream of thoughts.
When I looked closer, I saw the most colourful duck I had ever seen in my life, with a red beak, white, blue, and purple stripes, reddish face and whiskers, and two large orange feathers that stood upright like sails of a boat in the sea.
‘Who are you?’ I asked.
‘I’m Olek, your new friend, Quack!’ the duck replied joyfully, shaping the beak into a crescent.
‘I don’t need friends, I am fine as I am. I just need to find Forest Mother and I will be done here, but I must admit you are very colourful for just a duck’
‘I’m not just a duck. I’m a mandarin duck.’
‘A mandarin duck? What’s that? You like eating mandarins?’ I replied, chuckling.
‘My parents originally come from the kingdom in the East. Do you know where that is? Probably not. I was born in Deer Wonderland but as you can see I am proud of who I am. I love this forest but I dream of going back to the land of my ancestors and seeing where I come from! My mum and dad say we will all go there one day but at the moment they are caught up with many other things, such as getting another nest for my sister, you know what it’s like in the forest, it’s about location, location, location.’
‘Oh, I seeeeee, so Olek, do you know where I can find that famous Forest Mother that everyone knows about except me? As you can see she played a horrible trick on me. I’m not who you think I am. My name is Rupert and I am a handsome, young prince, the son of your king. I just need to get rid of this horrible spell as soon as possible.’
‘Umm, it’s not as easy as you might think. You can’t just go to her and tell her what to do. She will not like that. She is...umm how could I put it, a very strong and powerful woman. Nobody dares to tell her what to do. And that’s because she already knows it all. She knows what you think and what you are about to say before even you do. Going to her and telling her what you want her to do will not work. But hey, that’s just my opinion and who am I? Just a mandarin duck. Quack.’
‘Ok, so what do you suggest then?’ I asked, hoping I would finally get some clue into what I should do, even if it was to come from a...duck.
‘Look, they are arguing again! Couples nowadays! Oi, stop it!’ Olek exclaimed and flew to the other side of the stream towards two ducks making a lot of noise.
‘Hey, wait, we haven’t finished here! Tell me about Forest Mother!’ I shouted but since Olek ignored me, I moved to the side to see what the commotion was all about.
‘Where were you last night!? You filthy duck! I was waiting for you! I could hardly fall asleep because you just disappeared!’ exclaimed a grey duck to a colourful one, looking at him as if she was about to bite his head off.
‘I was with the other guys, Felix had his birthday party and we drank too much rose water which was very strong and seemed to be off, and then, we all fell asleep in each other’s arms’ the other duck replied trying to get through the noise of his partner.
‘You could have called me! You could have sent Robin to let me know! You are such an egoist, not caring about my feelings! I really don’t know why I married you! Quack,’ the grey duck yelled back, turning her beak into a crescent pointing downwards.
‘I’m sorry, but I need my freedom too, you can’t just keep me in this prison. In this one pond only, unable to meet with other ducks and have some boogie-woogie. That’s not the marriage I signed up for! Quack,’ he shouted back.
‘Ok, ok calm down everyone, I think I am getting a headache from your screams’ I said finally, unable to listen to this noise anymore and at the same time wondering where my headache was actually coming from since I didn’t have a...head anymore.
‘Oh, Rupert, go away, it’s a private matter. When you get married you will understand,’ the colourful duck replied after a moment of silence.
‘Well, that won’t happen soon by the look of it! If you haven’t noticed I’m an ugly tree right now!’ I roared in anger and felt like bursting with tears but I stopped, thinking I didn’t want to make a scene in front of complete strangers that I have just randomly met in a forest.
‘Hey you are not ugly, you are a very handsome oak, quack,’ the grey duck replied with a much softer voice which calmed my nerves.
‘So you are married and you argue like this? Ok, so is this what marriage is about? Fighting like crazy ducks?’ I asked.
‘We got married at sunset four months ago. My good friend Rita the swan was the witness with her husband and we had a lovely party afterwards swimming in circles, laughing and eating lots of worms that they had brought for us. It was the most beautiful and happiest day of my life,’ she replied with nostalgia in her voice.
‘Oh, mine too,’ her husband replied, gazing at her with watery eyes.
‘Yes, Rita and her husband are swans and you see, they mate for life, so she can live peacefully, assured that he will not go after any other swan but this one here, well, there is no guarantee and he can easily get lost on the way home and end up somewhere in the nest of another lady mandarin duck,’ she added, looking at Olek now and raising her eyebrows.
‘Oh, no, no, no! My wife is faithful to me, I think you mean some other lady mandarin duck, please don’t throw accusations without any proof. My beloved Nina and I are very happy right now and we are expecting ten babies. And they are all mine. Or at least I hope they are! Oh, I hate you now for raising your eyebrows without any proof. Don’t do that again. Hopefully, they will all hatch but you never know with ducks. Maybe only eight or nine will. But we will be a family now and we are very happy,’ Olek replied proudly.
‘Ok, well maybe not with a mandarin duck then but I never know where this one is going to end up, just like last night, I was unable to sleep from stress and worry and he doesn’t even care how he makes me feel,’ she added, sobbing with big tears.
‘Oh, my duckling, I love you and only you, I am sorry I didn’t send my friend Robin to you with a reassuring message, carrying my feather as proof of my fidelity. Please forgive me, I will not do that again. I didn’t know you would worry so much about me. You see I am still learning how to be a good husband and I need to stop thinking like a duck bachelor. I promise I will change for the better,’ here, that’s for you, please take it as my apology. Do you forgive me, my duckling?’ he asked softly, smiling from ear to ear, holding the reed in his beak and flapping his eyelashes which seemed extremely long, at least for a male duck.
‘Ok, I forgive you, dublidoo. But please don’t do it again,’ she replied firmly and took the reed from his beak. He then pinched her on the neck, nibbling on her feathers, making it red.
‘Stop it,’ she replied blushing and laughing through a half-open beak, trying to hold the gift she had just received and moving away because he now kept pinching her under both wings.
‘Come, on, let’s go home, I need some loooooove! Quack,’ he exclaimed and followed her laughing and giggling, disappearing behind the reed.
‘Wow, I think we have just helped a couple get all loved up again,’ I said to Olek who was sitting on the edge of the stream watching the show with an open beak.
‘Yes, we are a good team. I told you we will be good friends!’ he replied with a smile.
‘I don’t need a friend. I am going to find Forest Mother and get the hell out of here,’ I replied, moving away from him.
‘Is this the way?’ I asked Olek, who was just standing there as if he was stuck to the ground.
‘I don’t know. You don’t want to be my friend so why should I tell you?’ he replied and turned his feathery colourful bottom at me.
I set off alone into the darkest depths of the forest in the hope I would soon get to the very end of it. Passing the branches of other trees and stepping onto the rocks was not a pleasant experience. I guess trees were not meant to be walking, normally. But now that I have become one of them, this whole forest turned into a moving, talking place that I had never known existed when I was a human. I looked up and saw the sky turning into a darker shade of blue again. Reddish sun rays were now covering mine and other trees’ leaves. I looked back and saw Olek walking behind me with his little feet.
‘Hey, why are you following me? I told you I don’t need friends!’ I yelled.
‘I think you could do with at least one friend here, you seemed to have scared all the birds already. What if you meet a wolf or a bear? Who will protect you then? At least I can help you with some advice,’ he replied cheerfully.
‘I don’t need your help or protection. Why would a wolf or a bear want to attack an oak? And how could you fight a bear as a funny-coloured duck? Actually, I would like to see that! This is just a silly excuse to follow me,’ I replied.
‘You don’t know what the wolves and bears are capable of once they realise you are a human in a tree. They may try to get to you, rip you into pieces and eat your flesh. And have you thought about trolls? They will cut you into pieces and use as logs for the evening fire,’ Olek replied in a growling voice which made me wonder if he was being truthful or just trying to scare me.
‘Anyway, Olek, do you know where I can eat something? I have just realised I haven’t had any food since yesterday when I turned into this..this..oh,’ I replied, frustrated at the very thought of having lost my human form, my identity, and my handsome, sexy body.
‘You are funny, ha. You are eating all the time and you are drinking all the time. Through your roots and through your leaves, you are a tree now so that’s how you live, you can’t just have a deer steak and quail eggs for breakfast if that’s what you want. But that’s what you came here for anyway, right?’ Olek replied with a voice filled with deep confidence of knowing all the answers.
‘No I didn’t come for that Olek, I already told you I didn't mean to kill that deer. So that means I don’t need to look for food? At least that’s handy, considering the circumstance of the unfortunate life I had found myself in. And no, I had never intended to eat that poor creature. I have already apologised to everyone. Why is nobody listening to me? Why is Forest Mother not listening to me since, as everyone here claims, she can hear me and she is everywhere,’ I replied with a sigh that maybe it was not as bad as I had thought it was altogether but frustrated to be constantly accused of something I had never intended to do.
‘Anyway, leave me alone now! I can take it from here. I shall find her on my own,’ I shouted at Olek, getting annoyed by his loud quacks as if he knew all the answers in the world.
Chapter 5
MASTER TREE
Feeling a comforting warmth on my body, or to be more accurate my trunk, just as I was about to fall asleep, was not something I had expected to feel, alone in the middle of a forest. I also hoped it wasn’t Olek getting cozy next to me like some weirdo duck. But then you never know with ducks like him. When I looked down, I froze. It was, it was...it was...her! The ethereal beauty! Her long dark hair was glistening in the moonlight while she was resting her back against me, reading a book by a little lantern with a candle in it. I could feel her energy emanating right through my wrinkled bark and up my spine, I mean, tree flesh, right up to the tips of my fingers, or leaves now. She was filling me with the most wonderful blissful feeling, making my juices flow really fast, something that I could only describe as... love.
‘Oh dear, it’s her and she is touching me. How do I let her know about my existence? I can’t. She will never believe me that I am in fact a handsome prince. Oh, God. What should I
