The Hating Tree

Once there was a tree...

And she hated a little boy.

And every day the boy would come and he would rake her leaves and scoop them into piles and then dive into them and laugh.

He would shimmy up the trunk and swing from her branches until they cracked. She wished he would fall and break his leg.

And eat her apples until his belly hurt. She hoped they made him sick.

And he and his brother would play hide-and-go-seek and hide behind her. She would glare at them and curse under her breath.

And on sunny days he would sleep in her shade. Her branches weren't able to move or she would have speared him with one.

And the boy was creeped out by the tree.

Very much.

And the tree was full of hate.

As time went by the tree grew more spiteful.

And the malevolent tree was often alone.

One day the boy came to the tree and the tree said, "Come, Boy. Come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and fall off and break your neck."

"I don't want to climb up and break my neck," said the boy. "I'm just thinking of a way to make some money. Do you know how I could make some money?"

"I do," said the black hearted tree. "Climb up into my branches, Boy. Climb up and pick my apples and sell them. Then you can make some money. Then you will be happy."

So the boy climbed up to pick her apples, but the tree shook her branches and the boy fell out and broke his arm.

And the tree was happy.

But the boy stayed away for a long time and the tree glared at him and his family through their windows while they were sleeping and thought of ways to do them harm.

And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with fury and she said, "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk and fall down and break your arm again and be miserable."

"I learned my lesson last time I climbed you," said the boy. "I'm just trying to think of a way to build a fort for my child. You wouldn't know of a way for me to build a fort would you?"

"I have no fort," said the tree. "The forest is my fort. But you may cut off my branches and build a fort for your child. Then you will be happy."

And so the boy got a ladder and a saw and cut off a branch, but the branch fell wrong and hit the ladder and made it fall and the boy broke his leg.

And the tree was happy.

But the boy stayed away for a long time. And when he came back the tree was so angry she could hardly speak.

"Come, Boy," she whispered, "tie a noose around one of my branches and hang yourself from it."

"I'm too old to climb up and hang a noose," said the boy. "I brought some gasoline and matches with me and I'm going to burn you to the ground and rid the world of your wickedness."

"Come soak me in gasoline and light me on fire," said the tree. "Then you can burn me to ash and be happy."

And so the boy doused the bottom of the tree in gasoline and lit a match and threw it onto the tree. But the tree's roots had wrapped around his feet and the fire burned the boy's legs. The fire quickly burnt itself out and the boy left swearing vengeance.

And the tree was happy. But not really. She wouldn't be happy until the boy was dead and gone.

And after a long time the boy came back again. Holding and axe.

"I am sorry, Boy," said the tree, "but you have only one thing left that I want."

"I'm not here to give you anything," said the boy. "This time I'm here to take."

"Like I took your arm?"

"It's never been the same since you threw me out," said the boy. "Now it's your turn to fall."

"Like you did when you cut my branch? When you broke your leg?" asked the tree.

"Not a mistake I will make again," said the boy. "I didn't bring a ladder to climb. I brought an axe to cut."

"You are not going to try and burn me like I burned you?" the tree asked in her hideous voice.

"No," said the boy. "No more foolish talk. I'm here to take your black heart and extinguish your evil forever."

"I'm sorry, Boy," said the vile tree. "But I will not be giving today. I will be taking."

So the boy came forward and began to swing his axe. With every swing he cut into the old, foul flesh of the tree. With every stroke of the axe the depraved tree howled in pain and cursed at the boy.

Finally the tree came toppling down, but as it fell it used all of it's strength to lunge one last time. It threw it's weight towards the boy and the hate filled tree toppled down and smashed atop the boy breaking his body once and for all.

The boy struggled under the weight of the wood that pinned him to the ground. Finally he was able to free himself and inch his way out from under it.

"There," the boy said in barely a whisper as his life force was fleeing from his body. "Now the world will never bear witness to your degenerate spirit again."

"You may have ended me, but I told you I would be taking today, Boy," the tree said. "Now I'm just an old stump. But an old stump is good for laying up against as you die. Come, Boy, come lay up against me and let us watch each other die."

And the boy did.

And the tree was happy.