He awoke in a different world, a new world that appeared devoid of the magic and wonder that he had known for so long, and as he sat and stared at what unfolded before him he wondered what it really was. It was as silent as a world without life, a deafening roar of nothing that could send a small boy crazy if left for too long to wonder. All around him lay a forest of trees with bare branches, like upturned hands with fragile fingers reaching in vain to grab the warmth of the sun’s morning light, which in turn may bring hope. Scattered around the trees lay a carpet of crisp brown leaves, a sign that life must end, and they formed a soft thick blanket that hid all else beneath. Any other day, the white haired boy would have kicked his way gleefully through these sending them spinning, tumbling as he giggled loudly, but no, not now.
There was a chill in the air, and he wrapped his long blue coat tightly around his meager form, in an attempt to protect himself from what he feared he would face today. He stood staring into the unknown and as he did he heard a whispered voice as if carried on the breeze. As he glanced around, he noticed nearby an old wooden seat, weathered from the wind and rains. He blinked momentarily, and then stared once more as a vision came and went, a familiar shape like a ghost from the past. For a brief moment it was as though he knew, but then the light seemed to pass through it, and as the other stared toward where he stood, it was as though he did not exist. Like two travellers on a journey but in different times, never destined to meet, never sure of what they may find.
As the sun rose, it painted the soft white clouds that dotted the sky in red and pink tones, wrapping the light around them to give them a depth and dimension that brought them to glorious life, filling his imagination with the wonder it had held so often before. On a nearby hill the yellow glow of the sun bathed the meadow full of flowers in its light, and in the gentle breeze they swayed and the hill appeared as if it were a giant wave upon the ocean, rising up, then falling again. Beyond the bare lifeless trees stood a deep green forest, where timidly, creatures peered from the safety of their night haven with their tiny eyes looking for the slightest sign of danger. A tiny bird, a robin, with his red breast as bold as can be came flitting to near where the white haired boy stood. It landed on the skeleton like tree branch, and then danced for him, filling the air with sweet song. Like a single brave soul he showed no fear and his ambitious display was such that it gave an unknowing courage to those that remained still hidden amongst the ferns and dense leaves that filled the forest.
In a moment, peace and tranquility had washed over the land, and in the starkness he had found life where at first glance the eye would have seen none. As he stood watching, with ears pricked, he could hear the distant cries of laughter as they echoed from the deepest part of the forest, faint, but there just the same. He watched as the robin flew towards the forest, stopping here and there as if beckoning him to follow, and so he did, drawn by the bird song and the sense of adventure that he had always longed to grasp. He ran as fast as he could, so as not to loose his companion, and only stopped briefly to catch his breath before continuing. He reached the edge of the forest and he stopped momentarily looking along the rough path that wound its way into the distance. Fallen trees lined the path like giants sleeping, with the heady aroma of moisture-laden moss hanging from the lifeless branches like strands of tinsel at Christmas.
He entered the forest and as he walked along the path, the sunlight fell before him, filtered through the dense canopy, casting shadows and forming shapes that were brought to life in a child’s mind. The path wound its way through the ferns and trees, at times with no end in sight, and then times where twists and turns gave no insight as to what may lie ahead. He followed a stream for a short distance, with the water running cool and clear, where the sound as it tapped upon the pebbles that lined its bottom was like the sound of children’s footsteps and they danced their way across it. At a point in the journey it became dark, as ominous clouds gathered overhead like dark memories filled with dread and fear. The deep dark shapes blocked out the sun, then in the darkness that followed there was a flash of electric blue light, so brilliant that it became like daylight for the briefest moment, before darkness took hold once more. Then like a clash of steel, the sound of thunder filled the air as if to give a belated warning of what had just occurred, rolling through the forest like a wave on the deep dark ocean.
The rain began to fall, and as it did it tapped upon the leaves of the trees like the patter of a child’s feet running on the timber boards in some old house from years gone past. Then as quick as it came, it went, and for a brief moment the air was silent, with nothing but his footsteps as he walked, still searching. Everywhere he looked, raindrops hung like tiny diamonds, tiny tears, and as he brushed against them they fell forever to the earth below, returning to whence they came. Around him it had become still, but then a gentle breeze blew, bringing life to the forest and as it blew it was as if the hands of running children were brushing against the branches. The breeze carried once more the sound of laughter, and he quickened his pace, adding urgency to his journey.
Everything around him remained familiar, but at the same time he sensed change, and as he rounded one last bend in the path, he stood marveling at what he saw. In a clearing he was confronted with many carved sculptures, all of different creatures, in different sizes, as if to signify the lives that had once filled this place, the lives that were now long gone. In the center of the clearing stood a tree, with long branches covered in tiny blossoms, the most delicate flowers that looked like faerie wings opening to greet the sun for the first time. The breeze blew stronger, and as it did it shook the flowers free and before his eyes they took flight, full of childish laughter with the magic his imagination had run wild with so often before. A thousand faeries sent out to find a child and make a dream come true. The breeze played with the tails of his magic blue coat, and he reached out and took hold of a handful of fallen blossoms that remained, placing them in his pockets so that he could spread some magic of his own.
The robin appeared once more and alighted on the hand of a wizard statue that was holding a lantern with his outstretched arm. The white haired boy took the lantern and in the fading light he lit the candle it contained so that the light flickered upon his face. The warm glow was life giving, and he smiled at life itself, realizing that his future was truly in his own hands. This was what he had come to unknowingly find in this world full of ever changing wonders. He turned and headed back towards where he had come from with the shadow cast falling long behind him. When he reached the edge of the forest, he was no longer faced with a strange unknown world, but the one he knew so well. The Friendship Tree stood before him in the setting sun and the deep blue sky gave way to the reds and pinks, then finally the darkness took hold. The sky began to come to life as the stars filled it like tiny diamonds cast by a child, but then he knew they were the eyes of the children long gone that smiled upon him. He spent the night looking and dreaming, hoping for the magical shooting star that he so often cast a wish upon before.
The night had passed and now he could see a faint glow from the Tree in the distance, with the sounds of whispering and laughing drifting to where he sat. He imagined the mobiles hanging there and the light playing upon children’s faces as the breeze made the mobiles dance. He knew as they spun the words they would unleash would be the dreams that would become stories, fantasy intermingled with fact, words that rhymed and words that made no sense at all. He smiled because he was home once more, the journey he had taken was still to be fully understood, but then he did have the magic of the faeries to unleash upon his friends when they met again soon.
As he looked once more to the sky the stars seemed to dance, and in his mind they filled him with laughter, with visions and imaginations that once more came so easily. Then in the fading darkness, as the glow of the morning sun took hold once more, he saw a shooting star and he made a wish that only he would ever know.
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The Friendship Tree 