Saving The Old Willow Tree

• Vogue Tanglao, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2014

Saving the old Willow Tree
There it was just sitting there showing not even the slightest bit of happiness, but what could I do, I didn’t have super powers…
It was my only friend I couldn’t go to school the next day and make friends, they thought I was a laughing stock. I thought about it all night, but then, there it was I had come up with the best solution, well my only solution. That’s right me, Lilly would stop this once and for all, but how, I would need at least half an army to defeat this battle. The next day I went to see my willow tree, but when I went through the over grown plants I found a boy. I stormed right over there, “ Hi I am William I just moved in next door” I cut him off right there “ I don’t care what your name is or where you came from this is my tree and you are in it, GET DOWN” I screamed at the top of my lungs. The boy was shocked “ your tree” he said with his annoying English accent “yes my tree” I mocked his accent, “I have had it since it was a seedling and now my foster parents want to clear this whole area including this tree and put a stupid shopping mall on top of it” “that’s terrible” William said. Not if I can help it. “You all by yourself ?” he burst out laughing, “ What are you going to do sit in front of it and cry?” “Fine you can help. The next day we handed out flyers, we were going well until it came, the day of the land clearing. The builders were getting closer to the tree when William’s sarcasm popped into my head; it was the only thing I could think of. So I sat in front of the tree and didn’t move, the truck stopped. William grabbed the megaphone for me, I began to speak. “ What are you thinking? Knocking down this beautiful tree just to build another one of these stupid malls, I have known it since I was adopted and brought to this terrible house with people that don’t even have the time to care for me”. At that moment a couple of the ladies started sobbing, All of a sudden everyone started to gather around the tree. The tree was saved. I ran over to William and gave him a big hug. The next day I went to see my tree but I was heartbroken, the tree was all shrivelled and the leaves were now gone I burst into tears and hugged it. As I watched every day the tree started to disintegrate, until one point it was all gone, all that was left was one leaf in the shape of a heart “I will always remember you” I cried. One month later and already I had a new home and new foster parents that take great care of me.