Tree of Life

Book I Chapter 13

TREE OF LIFE BOOK I

CHAPTER 13

Julian happened to notice, out of his right eye, that the twig, the half that hadn’t been bitten off, was sitting on the ground about four inches from his face. As he stared at it, it got picked up in the breeze and was rolled along the dirt until it settled into a nook some twenty feet away. But even at that distance, Julian could see that something strange was happening to it. He could see that from the end that had been bitten off, the broken end, a drop of liquid was just seeping out of the tip.

One drop. Just one drop.

And then that drop, just that one drop—grew. It became bigger. And it started to glow. The breeze churned up and became a stronger wind. It began to turn in upon itself in a circle and became stronger and stronger still until it was a dust devil but centred on the glowing liquid. Whipping up the snow and the dirt in the area, the wind expanded even more so now it was a twister but the size of a phone booth.

The professor took notice and he stopped talking. He turned toward the mini whirlwind. “What is this?”

The size of the golden pool of sap at the bottom of the tornado continued to grow. Now it was a puddle and it began to bubble and it swallowed up the rest of the twig, melting it, absorbing its essence. As its edges crept outward, it swallowed up everything else it happened to touch as well.

The professor stepped in closer.

Light exploded.

The old man tumbled backward to the ground.

The pool’s initial glow had brightened a hundred fold and the light was now a golden spotlight, pointing a thousand miles straight up into the night sky. It was so thick and bright it looked solid and was a pillar of gold. At the source of that light, the bubbling puddle changed. It became more viscous, like a gel and then it rolled up and became round. It firmed up even more and as it did so, it took on a certain shape and now Julian could see that it was growing arms and legs and now it had a head too. It brightened even more and Julian scrunched his eyes tight.

A few seconds, and the light flicked off.

Julian opened his eyes. The tornado was gone. The night was quiet once more.

There in the distance, where the puddle and then the golden orb used to be, now standing in a bowl-like depression in the earth, was a child. A little boy. From his size and features, he looked about three years old. Julian could tell he was a boy because he wore no clothes. He had curly blonde hair, now waving in a mild breeze, brazen and bright like the sun. The child glowed, but the light was like the golden sap at first and did not blind Julian. It was warm and soothing. The child’s skin sparkled with light. A Faerie. A cherub.

The professor had regained his feet. He approached the babe. “What the hell are you?”

The baby craned his neck back to look up at the professor. He began shaking his head. “You poor, silly child. That is not how it is used.”

The professor frowned. He shook his head and smiled.

“That is not how it is used, don’t you know?” The boy smiled. “Don’t you know this would not make you happy?” He planted his hands on his hips. “Come, let me show you.” The boy took a step toward the professor.

The professor backed away. “Now, wait just one…”

The boy pushed off from the ground with one toe and he was airborne. He flew toward the professor.

The old man spun around and with his newfound strength, took a run and then dove for a spot on the ground some twenty yards away. The boy floated along and followed.