WW3

The Maple Tree

I continue to walk through the thick woods. My eyes blur with tears as I push past spiked tentacle limbs. I duck under a fallen tree and fall on my face.

I lay there for a moment thinking, I could just lay here, not get up. No one would miss me... But I knew that was a lie to myself. Alyssa would need me, she knows how to take care of herself, why would she need over protective you? Asks a voice in my head, I push aside the thought and sit up on my hand. Your mom wouldn't even need you, why would she your just a burden. Taunts the voice in my head. Again I shuv it away not wanting to have those kinds of thoughts, I stand up and continue walking.

The voice keeps reminding me why I am no use to anyone and why I should just leave everyone in peace. When I stop again the sun has fallen and stars are begin to come out. I hadn't been really looking at where I was going but when I look up I know where I am.

The meeting tree.

It is a large tall and old maple tree that has been in the forest longer than anyone knows. There were pictures of it grown with people in the sixties. The thing was the place where people went to meet, when there was something important to talk about that shouldn't be done in public, over the phone, or through any other means of communication. Being surrounded by tightly packed oak and pine trees the maple is all but hidden. There is a small gap, where vines grow down making a curtain, between the trees that lets people come and go from the area. 

My dad had brought me and George out here when I was five, they were having a meeting about what they should do about all the people being sent out for the war and all the kids being left without families and whether or not we should just pull out of the war. I don't remember much about what they said, again I had been five at the time. It was also very late, meetings were always held in the middle of the night for less likely intruding.

Parents woud bring their children to show them where they would go at night, so because of this there were usually seven or eight kids ranging from the age of three to eleven.

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I hold onto George's hand as we walk through the spring woods. The flowers are closed up for the night and its very dark but you can see the foot traffic that had come through the woods. I look around my new surroundings as we walk along. The tall oak trees are thin and a light gray color, their leaves havn't yet grown back and the dead ones from the previous fall still cling to the branches. Vines of purple flowers grow along the ground and trample over the smaller pines. As we go deeper into the woods the thicker the trees become. When we stop George squats down so he is eye level with me.

"Mary, you have to be quiet with the other kids and you can't interrupt do you understand?" His light brown eyes are serious as they watch me to make sure I do understand what he is saying. I quickly nod and my two braids go flying up in front of me. George smiles and stands up again, our dad already has walked through the Vail of vines and reached the meeting point. George and I walk through and I am met with the sight of the largest tree ever.

It's branches reach out low and thick and continue up onward, much unlike the tall pines and oaks with high up thin branches. The tree is thicker than a BMW around and most of the brancher are almost as thick. Kids hang from the branches and limbs screaming from the joy of adventure. The other adults lean against the tree and talk in hushed tones. Running over to my father in cow girl boots and jean overalls he smiles, "Would my little cow girl like a lift up?" I nod hitting him with my long braids, he smiles and picking me up off the ground by the waist puts me on the lowest branch I begin to climb up higher and higher till I'm a full two stories up or at least that's how it feels. The other kids are climbing and hanging off the branches upside down. I run across the branch to my friend and we try hanging upside down for as long as we can till we have to sit up. The only problem is when we do my friend, Melody, falls off. I grab onto her wrists trying to pull her up but I can't. I yell for help but none of the other kids hear me. Trying to get the attention of the parents I throw my boot down off my foot. I manage to hit one right in the head and he turns quickly to see who did it.

"HELP!" Melody and I screech. George sees us and quickly scales the tree. He reaches us right when I'm about to lose grip, but he's to late.

I don't let go, no I slip off the tree all together. My entire body slips from the tree and my brother, not expecting that at all, doesn't catch me. He only realizes what is happening when it's to late. Melody and I fall towards the ground in slow motion, I see every child staring in horror every parent watching and I see Melody screaming. The branch that we had picked didn't have another branch under it, we had picked it for that exact reason we didn't want to a branch we wanted to see the ground. I look down and I see a familiar face, dad. He stands below us and we snap out of slow motion, we hit his arms knocking him on his back. Melody and I lay on his chest until he breaths again. We hop off him and for the rest of the night Melody and I stay off the tree.

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I look at the tree above me, covered with moss and vines. It's taller and bigger than it used to be. I circle around the tree admiring the beauty it has in the moon light, I stop at one short branch. I don't even have to jump to climb on top of it, I just lift up my foot and begin to climb upwards. When I'm half way up the tree I stop and look at my surroundings, I can't see the road or even the path I had been walking on. The dense oaks and pines have covered up the forest ground and most of the trees smaller than them. I sit down and look at the starry sky above me. The crescent moon brightens the sky as if it was the sun and the stars are bright and joyful.

I relax into the soft moss and close my eyes. Trying to ignore the urge to cry my eyes out I try to think of other things.

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I watch her climb the tree and fall asleep on one of the branches. I fell bad for watching her but I know I can't just leave her unprotected. I stand in the roots that stick up into seats below the tree and watch the forest around me. Slowly the woods come to life; owls begin to who, coyotes howl in the distance, and other night critters wake up to do their hunting. As I watch, the tree against my back becomes more and more soft and inviting. I close my eyes for just a second, but when I open them the sun is coming up and something is moving above me.

I hunker down in the roots and look to see what is above me. I see a filthy sneaker and a bit of brown hair and know its Mary. She hops down hitting the ground hard and shakes her head. Sighing she walks towards the only exit and quickly passes through the vines.

When she is gone I sigh, she would have shot me this time for sure. I stand up and stretch from my seat and see that there is a piece of paper beside me. Out of curiosity I pick up the paper and in neat small hand writing says, thanks for watching over me -M.