The Tree

• Amelia Salvatore, Grade 5, St Stephen's School
• Short Story
• 2016

Excellence Award in the 'Word Zone 2016' competition

The tree cautiously swayed its branches in the bright summer breeze. The brown crispy, crackled tree glimmered in the bright sunshine as the wind tried so hard to move the branches and the tree wanted to prevent that from happening but failed.
The tree slowly swayed itself from side to side as if it was listening to a late 15,000's war song, that was soothing the tree from the teeny, tiny black ants crawling up its trunk. Their little feet felt ticklish. The teeny, tiny black ants had blueberries and scraps of food on their tiny bodies that were swaying as they made their way up the tree trunk. A large, but little colourful and bright chippy chappy bird, flew down onto the tree and perched onto a large, thick, crispy branch. The colourful bird sang an outstanding song that was more like a soft lullaby that was soothing. After a while, the soothing, chirping song was getting quieter and quieter as the colourful bird disappeared suddenly through the misty fog approaching the ever so old tree. The grey cotton-candy like fog came whirling and swirling round and round towards the tree and covered the brown trunk that you could barely see it. The fog moved quickly in packs as it made its way to the other side of the forest to complete its journey. The tree made a slight shiver going down its trunk as the last bit of fog made its way to the other side. A slimy brown and yellow mixed slug as slow as ever, slimed its way towards the tree branches, leaving a trail of glimmering and glittering slime as it moved. The slime was coloured with specks of white glitter that has reflected the sun on every angle of it. The day of sunshine and fog came to a near end as the great big yellow sun was creeping down the hill to get a good night sleep. The tree waved its branches in the wind that was whooshing and whooshing closer and closer to the sun. The tree stayed silent and still until the morning sun woke the tree with a bright stream of sunlight that gazed upon the old brown tree.