Nature Girl

Mother Tree

After weeks of unsuccessfully selling Thneeds, a tomato-covered Once-ler had enough with the laughing, the humiliation, and nobody taking an interest in his invention.

"That's IT!" he shouted angrily. "Y-you know what? I'm done with this thing!"

He wiped the mushy tomato off his face with his Thneed and walked off the open air stage sulkily, tearing it off his neck.

"My family was right," he lamented bitterly. "I quit!"

Then he threw his stupid invention in the trash. His family was right. It was a failure. He got Melvin and his broken guitar and went home. His cheeks flushed with anger and humiliation. He lowered his head, feeling beginnings of tears. He hoped no one saw them. He swallowed his feelings and wiped his eyes with the sides of his fingers.

Once-ler walked home and let Melvin graze in the yard. He leaned against a tree and let out a few hitching breaths, then slumped down...he let go, burying his head in his knees and wept, feeling like that teased little boy back home. Just every emotion that was walled up inside came pouring out. He failed. He was a failure. And that's all he would ever be.

Fiora saw Once-ler return with Melvin, his head down and so crushed, she heard him crying.

"Oncie?" she asked.

"Y-yea?" he answered in a shaky voice; he sniffled and wiped his tears away so the forest sprite wouldn't see.

"Are you alright?" she asked concerned.

"Fine."

The sprite could tell he wasn't. She looked at him with sympathy, seeing his wet eyes. He was trembling.

"What happened to your Thneed?"

"Nothing," he said. "Didn't sell it. Turns out it's ahead of its time, I guess." He picked at a blade of grass and flicked it.

"Come," she said, taking his hand and pulling up to his feet. "Let's go for a walk. There's someone I want you to meet."

Once-ler was intrigued. Obviously it had to be someone special. Could it be that Fiora had a family here in the forest? Well...aside from the trees, Lorax and the animals. But were there more sprites? She led Once-ler through the forest, where the Truffula trees got thicker and more populated. The light barely shone through and it got darker as they walked deeper into the forest.

"Try to stay close, Once-ler," she said. "It's easy to get lost here."

Once-ler stared in wonder at all the trees as they were becoming more clustered together in the forest. Soon, they stopped...

"Why did we...whoa!" he asked confused.

There in front of them was a giant Truffula tree: the tufts were multicolored that fluttered down like feathers, the branches seemed to reach for the sky, its trunk was massive and its enormous roots were slightly exposed in the ground. All around its base were fallen tufts and brown-swirled seeds the size of a button, some had green sprouts coming out or tiny colorful tufts.

Once-ler stared up at the immense tree, impressed by it. He had never seen anything like it before! What an incredible sight! He wanted to cry just seeing this tree. None of the Seven Wonders of the World could compare to this.

"Wow!" he gasped.

"This is Mother Tree," she said. "She is the the very first tree I planted. The oldest tree of all in the Truffula forest."

Soon, a tuft fluttered down from a branch and landed Once-ler's nose. Fiora giggled.

"She likes you," she said quietly. "Yet, She is sad. She knows you've killed one of Her children..."