The Heart Of The Woods

• Kanishka Kiran, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2022

I am standing tall and strong in the middle of the woods. I am 287 years old. All the woodland creatures love me. The birds sit on my thick, brown hands and sing melodies. Bees build hives, squirrels gently pick acorns from my green wispy leaves and humans sit under me for shade. The seasons pass by every year and I survive. In Summer my leaves grow anew, my hands bear many small acorns. Squirrels run and grab as many as they can. In Autumn my leaves turn into vibrant shades of orange, yellow and red. They start to fall and so do the acorns and all the creatures peep from their little homes as they get ready for Winter. In Winter my leaves turn dry, slowly curl up and crumble like ash making me bald. The woodland creatures snuggle up in their homes waiting for the cold to subside, but for me it is very tough to stay up strong even though I'm used to it, I feel the chill too. Finally after the ordeal of three long months, Spring comes and I feel energized. New leaves start growing, all the creatures come out from their slumber and are awakened to the new growth and heavenly smell of soil in Spring. Sometimes it’s hard for me to be a favourite of them all. Since the seasons change again and again in a cycle, I struggle in the wild weather and I also age. Every year and every struggle is a new experience for me to tackle. So hear me out. Never give up even if all hope is gone! I know that I will be no more any time soon because of my sorry state but I won’t give up and will stand tall until my fall.