A FRUIT FROM THE SHIVERING TREE

"Look! I can see some grey baby birds playing with each other in the nest,"10-year-old Adam said in excitement. Anne's eyes followed Adam's pointing finger calmly. "Oh yes, I can see them too!" She brooded. "Such lucky little birds to have such loving friends."

"Indeed," Adam replied. He looked at Anne and smiled. "Am I being a good friend to you?"

"Well... I guess I have to think twice before giving you the answer." Anne laughed. She closed her eyes. "You know, you can hear a message through the shivering leaves of this tree. They are whispering words that can only be heard by heart."

"What are you, some kind of a tree whisperer?" Adam laughed. "Just kidding. They must be whispering a love letter to you, Anne! I'm sure this tree loves you so much!"

"You're wrong! The leaves of this tree... is whispering a love letter to US! Can you feel it, Adam? We always come here since kindergarten. Each time we lay down here, the leaves always shivered peacefully." Anne stood up and hug the tree. "We'll meet again," she said silently. Adam and Anne went home happily.

~

"Adam! Is that you? You left your sketchbook in my bag!" Someone said from the back, with a familiar voice. Adam sat up and saw Anne's figure behind him. "Oh it's you! You came here just to gave me this? You could give this to me tomorrow but thanks anyway!" Adam replied with a smile on his face.

"Oh, it's okay and your welcome." Anne said. "I drew something on the last page of your sketchbook, if you don't mind."

Adam quickly checked his sketchbook and found a doodle of a big tree with a snoring boy under it. "I am not surprised." he pretentiously pouted.

Anne smiled. "Well, see you later!" She waved her hand as she walked under the moonlight, slowly disappeared from Adam's sight. Adam brooded in silence. Something's not right, he felt. He ran on the same path Anne was walking on and heard a huge crash before he can escape the bushes and fences that surrounds  his backyard.

~

Adam climb the hill to find the big tree Anne loves so much. It is the same 10-year-old artistic Adam, indeed... yet, there are differences that came along with the boy. This time, he came with sad pair of blue eyes, and alone.

From the hill, he can see the small town that raised him and gave him the bestest friend a boy could have. And now... things felt different ever since Anne was leaving, forever. Sighed in deep sorrow, Adam closed his eyes to hear a message from the shivering leaves. The peaceful sound calmed him a little... until he heard a terrible sound that came from the root of the tree.

Adam came to take a closer look. He can see a little grey bird bleeding and crying. "Poor little thing," he said, while picking the bird gently. "Anne wouldn't dare to see such innocent creature cry in pain. I shall take a good care of you until you can fly freely to the sky."

He carried the little bird home to bandaged the creature and to feed him. Everyday, the bird felt better and better, until he can sing a song for Adam every morning each time Adam jumped from his bed to greet the day. As the wound of this bird recovered from time to time, Adam's heart was too, healed. He's not lonely anymore, and he began to smile often. Anne must be proud of me, he thought happily.

One day, Adam was about to feed the bird the finest worm he could found on his backyard. As he entered his bedroom with a fat worm in his hand, he sighted a silent little bird looking through the window of his room. As Adam fed the bird, the little creature ate the worm with no excitement. Adam caught the unusual behavior. "What's wrong, little bird? Don't you feel like singing in joy, or jumped around your cage like you always do?"

The bird stared at him with sad pair of eyes, making Adam remembered how sad he was when he first came to the big tree without Anne. He sat in silence for minutes, picking the cage empathically. "I understand now," he said silently. "The wide-opened sky is calling you, little bird. You are now belong to the sky."

He went outside while carrying the cage and tilt his head up to see the clear blue sky upon him. "Good news is, I can see the sky everyday. I can feel your appearance everyday from below, even if you're not in my sight. But I can see your home, and I  can see a part of you staring back at me."

He opened the door of the cage, and help the little guy fly. The bird jumped on Adam's arm for farewell and gratefulness before he opened his wings and left his feet from Adam's sleeve.

As the bird embraced the sky and leaving the ground, Adam put his old sorrow on the bird's feather, letting the bird expelled them, for the bird already gave him happiness and taught him the most precious thing of all; message from the shivering tree.

*Namaste*