The marvelous walk!
I was walking in the woods when I heard a, “Pssst.” I looked around for the sender.
An oak tree waved its leaves and said, “Hey.”
I said, “Yes, what is it?”
The oak tree said, “So, you’re out for a walk?”
I said, “Mmm-hmm.”
The oak tree said, “I wish I could walk.”
I said, “Do you want me to help you with that?”
The oak tree said, “Yes, if you can.”
I went over to the oak tree and leaned hard on it. I grunted and strained.
A squirrel came down the oak tree and said, “What’s going on?”
I said that I was trying to help the oak tree to walk. I asked for the squirrel’s help. The squirrel got down on the ground and pushed against the oak tree with me.
We struggled for a good fifteen minutes. Finally the oak tree began to give way.
The oak tree said, “What do I do?! What do I do?!”
I said, “Use your roots to propel yourself forward.”
The oak tree said, “Okay, okay!”
The oak tree started to fall over.
The oak tree yelled, “Ahhhhhhhhh!”
I said, “Push up with your roots!!”
The oak tree managed a tremendous effort and slowly righted itself.
The oak tree said, “What do I do now?!”
I said, “Lift up one root at a time, inch it forward, and then hold steady.”
The oak tree strained and managed to move forward the slightest.
The oak tree said, “Holy shit, I did it! I did it!”
I said, “Yes, you did! Congratulations! Now let’s do that again.”
The oak tree labored and moved a little further.
I said, “Great, now try it without stopping.”
The oak tree began moving forward in a slow but constant progression.
By now, other forest creatures joined to see the goings on. There was the platypus, the boll weevil, the finch, the anteater, the sloth bear, and the cricket.
I walked alongside the oak tree, with my hand lightly touching its bark. The squirrel rode on the oak tree, whispering into its bark, “You’re doing oh so well.”
The oak tree was giddy and said, “Look at me! Look at me!!!!!!”
Love this!
Thanks, Melissa!