As Simple As A Tree

• Piper King, Grade 9, Genesis Christian College
• Short Story
• 2014

Excellence Award in the 'Write As Rain 2014' competition

In the yard of a house, not any particularly special house, stood a tree. This is not just a young sapling just planted, green in its youth. You must realise my friend, that this tree is a history in its self, carved, weathered and old, it is a book. If only one would take the time to read the words, and flip the pages, they would see the stories of many lifetimes, the sole foundation of childhood tree houses, and the gravestones of loved hamsters and goldfish. They would see the marking of young summer love, forever ingrained into its skin. They would see the shade used to sit under and read, escaping present worries and frolicking younger siblings and pets, escaping for a wild fantasy on the back of a dragon. They would see the stories of old friendships breaking, and new one forged. They would see the story of a wonderful picnic that ended in happy tears, showing their love that would last forever. They would see the story of a simple wedding, the uniting together in front of the one thing that matter most in the life of a young girl, all the until the end. They would witness the birth of life, the care and love and the passing. They would witness the life of someone they never knew. They would witness and understand that it is not always money, vanity and friendships that are a key. They would see that the key to happiness and peace, the key to many a lifetimes, can be something as simple as a tree.