by Amy Cross
But today wasn't the right day. Climbing the tree would require preparation, and she knew it might be a long time before she was ready. Still, she was pleased that she had a goal in life, and she was certain that one day she'd live up there and just watch the world from a distance. All things considered, she felt that it wasn't a bad plan. Some people wanted to be lawyers, some people wanted to be teachers or pop stars or astronauts, but Eva wanted to be the queen of the forest. Even her mother would have to agree with it eventually, since no-one could hurt Eva if she was up in the tree. Besides, she'd need her mother to come and deliver food, since Eva didn't much fancy eating bugs and leaves for the rest of her life. There were still a few flaws in the plan, but she was sure she'd have everything worked out eventually.
After a moment, from high above, she heard a faint rustling sound.
“Hello?” she called out.
Silence.
And then, a moment later, the same sound, from a different part of the tree.
“Is someone up there?” she asked, suddenly shocked by the idea that another person might have moved into her tree.
Again, silence.
“This is my tree,” she continued, “so if you want to play up there, you have to get my permission, do you understand?”
No reply.
“Okay,” she muttered, picking up a stick and starting to draw shapes in the mud. Every so often, however, she glanced back up at the tree, as if she expected to see someone hiding among the branches.
As the afternoon draw on, and as she played at the base of the old tree, she became more and more aware that sooner or later she'd have to go home. At one point, she even thought she heard the phone ringing, even though she was certain that she shouldn't be able to hear anything from the house, not when she was this far out in the forest. Delaying her return as long as possible, she waited until the light began to dim before accepting that it was time to go back. Still, though, she loitered, delaying the inevitable.
A couple of hours later, when Eva returned home, she found her mother sitting by the phone with tears in her eyes.
Two
Eva had never been to a funeral before.
Basically, what happened was this: a bunch of people turned up, some of whom Eva recognized, and then there was a car journey to the local church. Everyone sat around and listened to the priest, while Eva's father's coffin was displayed at the front, with the lid closed and a Union Jack flag draped over the top. After that, everyone went to the cemetery and the coffin was put into the ground, and then some people threw dirt down into the hole before everyone went back to Eva's house and had lunch. It was much neater than Eva had expected, and much more quiet. Everyone seemed to be whispering most of the time, and although some of the people were trying to pretend that they were smiling, they weren't very convincing. Every so often, one of the adults would look over at Eva and tell her that she was brave, which made no sense at all.
She didn't feel brave.
Eva couldn't stop looking at the photo of her father in his military uniform. She remembered when the photo was taken, and she found it odd to think that it was now being used to mark his death. He looked so proud and heroic, and Eva kept imagining that uniform being ripped to pieces and covered in blood. She knew she shouldn't be thinking about such things, but she was bored. No-one really spoke to her at all during the whole day, and even her mother seemed busy with other things. For the most part, Eva was left alone.
Although no-one had officially told Eva what happened to her father when he was killed, she'd managed to work most of it out by listening to conversations. It seemed that he'd been out on patrol in Afghanistan when a bomb exploded by the side of the road. The vehicle was badly damaged, but Eva's father and another solider managed to get away. They were properly hurt, but they started making their way back to their base on foot. Eventually, however, Eva's father got too tired, probably because he was bleeding a lot. The two men had to stop, and although help turned up after a while, it was too late for Eva's father, who turned out to be dead. It wasn't quite the heroic death that Eva had hoped for, and she wasn't sure why her mother kept insisting that it was a noble act of sacrifice and courage. Still, Eva was aware that she was probably still too young to understand the whole thing; she felt as if she was experiencing everything through a filter that prevented her from understanding the truth.
As the afternoon wore on, Eva's boredom became more and more intolerable, until finally she decided that she'd had enough. She tried to go and tell her mother that she wanted to go outside, but the house was so full of guests that it was impossible to even get to the front room, so Eva figured she'd just go out to the woods for a while. Opening the back door, she made her way to the gate and then out toward the trees. As soon as she crossed the threshold, she felt something change deep inside. It was as if being out here made everything better, almost as if the trees themselves were able to take away all of Eva's doubts and fears. She glanced back at the house and found herself wondering why everyone else didn't come out with her. Then again, she didn't particularly want them to interrupt her private world, so she decided not to go back and invite them.
Walking between the trees, she found that her mind was getting emptier. This, she felt, was a good thing, since it prevented her from thinking too much about her father. Because her mother had cried so much, Eva had barely cried at all. She figured her mother had borrowed all her tears, so she had none left. She felt that her mother should share the tears, but for now there was nothing to be done about all of that.
Unfortunately, thoughts soon came tumbling back to fill the void. What she wanted, really, was to just forget about everything. She knew that her mother was going to be a mess for quite a long time, and she was dreading the whole thing. The funeral would be over in an hour or two, but life without her father would last forever. Sure, he hadn't been around much lately, but there'd always been the idea that he'd eventually come home. Now, however, Eva knew that he was gone for good, and that his final moments had been spent bleeding to death on the other side of the world. Although she didn't really like thinking about it too much, she couldn't help imagining what it must have been like for him as he died. She hoped it hadn't been too painful, and that he'd thought of his family.
While the trees made her feel much better, it was the old oak tree that really calmed her nerves. She had no idea why, but this twisted old tree seemed to understand her. In fact, it seemed to understand the whole forest, as if it was the heart of all the other trees. As soon as she reached the trunk and put her hand on the bark, she felt like she was reunited with an old friend. It occurred to her that, now her father was gone, this might be a good time to climb up the tree and start a new life, but she knew deep down that she still wasn't ready. There was a great deal of planning and preparation to undertake, and the last thing she wanted was to rush things and end up having to come back down. No, the whole idea was to go up the tree and stay there, which in turn necessitated a more thoughtful and guided approach. Still, it was nice to think that one day she'd be able to leave the ground behind and live alone among the branches.
As she stood with her hand on the tree, she suddenly realized that there was a noise nearby. Glancing over her shoulder, she frowned. She was used to hearing little noises out here, but this seemed different. It was almost as if someone was breathing, and Eva was filled with the sense that she was being watched from somewhere. Looking in every direction, she tried to work out who or what could have snuck up on her, but there was nothing to see. Still, the sensation persisted, and although she kept her hand firmly planted on the tree, she craned her neck to look around the other side of the trunk. She was absolutely certain that someone was out here with her, and she was pretty certain it wasn't another deer.
And that's when she felt it.
Something wet and warm on her hand.
Slowly, she turned and saw that a single, dark red line of blood had dribbled down the side of the tree, picking its way over th
e rough bark, between two of Eva's fingers, and onto the flesh of her hand. There was a now a small bloody bead making its way slowly down toward her wrist.
For a moment, all Eva could do was stare at the blood. It wasn't hers, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Eva knew that blood had to come from somewhere, and trees couldn't bleed, so...
She knew she should look up.
She knew should look straight up and see what or who was bleeding. Whatever it was, it must be up in the tree. Still, she was nervous, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know what was happening. There was a part of her that wanted to turn and run, but at the same time she also felt as if she had to be brave. Wouldn't her father want her to be brave? Then again, it was being brave that had got her father into trouble in the first place.
She took a deep breath.
She watched as the bead of blood trickled all the way down to the cuff of her shirt.
She took another deep breath.
Her heart was pounding.
Slowly, she looked up into the tree.
There was nothing.
Squinting, she tried to peer into the darkness, but she couldn't see a thing. Her first thought was that somehow there was a mistake. Perhaps a tiny bird was the source of the blood, or maybe it was just some kind of weird red sap, or the juice from a berry. After a moment, however, she realized that there was a more likely explanation. Whatever was up there, it must simply be higher in the branches, out of sight.
Hiding.
"Hello?" she called out. Immediately, she realized she might have made a mistake. After all, she wasn't sure if she wanted to draw attention to herself.
Silence. In fact, the only sound came from the wind, gently rustling the nearby leaves.
"Is someone up there?" Eva continued. "Are you hurt?"
She waited.
No reply.
Looking at the blood on her hand, she realized that there was no blood anywhere else. She couldn't help wondering if this was a coincidence, or if whatever was in the tree had chosen very specifically to bleed onto her.
"Is anyone up there?" she called out again as she took her hand away from the tree. "If you're there, just say something, just so I know."
Again, she waited.
Again, there was nothing.
"If you don't say anything," she continued, "I'll assume there's not..." Her voice trailed off as she suddenly found herself wondering whether she'd lost her mind. After all, the death of her father had left her feeling strangely blank and unemotional, and now she was starting to think that the stress might be coming out in other ways. Then again, the blood on her hand was real. She could see it and she could feel it. To test herself, she forced herself to lick the blood, and its taste immediately filled her mouth. She was certain she couldn't have imagined such a strong sensation, so the blood had to be real, which in turn meant that it had to have come from somewhere.
"One drop of blood isn't much," she said, looking up at the tree. "If that's all you've lost, you must be okay. I mean, no-one ever bled to death from..."
Again, her voice trailed off. This time, she found herself suddenly thinking about her father. Hadn't he, out in Afghanistan, ended up bleeding to death after he was injured by a bomb? Staring up at the tree, Eva briefly allowed herself to think that perhaps her father was trying to send her some kind of message; after a few seconds, however, she realized that there was a more likely explanation. Suddenly, everything made perfect sense.
"Are you a soldier?" she asked, staring up into the dark branches.
Silence.
"Are you hurt? Did you get hurt by a bomb, or a gun or something like that?"
Silence, and then a low groan, almost like a growl. It was brief, and barely audible, but it was definitely there.
Eva took a deep breath. She was fairly sure she knew now what was happening. It was a little unlikely, especially since she thought all the wars happened on the other side of the world, but it was the only idea she could come up with. Somehow, an injured soldier from far away had found his way to the woods, and he'd climbed the tree. Obviously it was quite a big coincidence that this had happened just after her father's death, but Eva knew that coincidences did happen from time to time. Just because something was unlikely, she knew it couldn't be ruled out if it was the only logical explanation.
There was a soldier in the tree. It was the only thing that made sense.
She couldn't help thinking about the poor, injured man hiding up there. He was probably scared and in pain. Although Eva hoped that his injuries were minor, she knew that war could be nasty and that there was a strong chance the soldier was badly hurt. He probably didn't really know where he was, and he was probably scared of Eva. She wanted to help him, but she knew she'd have to win his trust first.
"My name's Eva Wilson," she said, trying to sound calm and friendly. "I live nearby. I play in these woods a lot. This is my favorite tree, but it's okay, you can use it and I won't tell anyone."
She waited for a reply. Staring up into the branches, she desperately tried to see some indication of who or what was watching her. She knew it could be an animal up there, but she had a strong feeling in her gut that she was being watched by something more intelligent, something that understood her words. Perhaps, she reasoned, the injured soldier was still scared of her, or maybe he couldn't speak properly.
Either way, she felt that she had a duty to help him, especially since no-one had been able to help her father on the other side of the world. This soldier probably had a daughter of his own, and Eva didn't like to think of that other little girl having to go to a funeral. The horrible phone call, the crying, the pain, the constant dreams and thoughts about death, the family gathered at the church... Eva had been through it all, and she wanted to make sure that this soldier's daughter didn't have to do the same.
"Do you want some food and water?" Eva asked. "I can bring you things. You don't have to thank me if you don't want to, but at least I can bring it out to you. Would you like that?"
Silence.
"I might not be able to come back for a few hours," she continued. "I don't think my mother would understand, so I'm not going to tell her. She'd tell me to stay away, and she'd probably call the police and an ambulance, but they probably wouldn't be able to help you. I'll try to come out when it gets dark. Is that okay? Can you wait that long?"
Silence.
"Okay," she said, taking a deep breath. "I'll be back, I promise. Don't worry, you're going to be okay. I swear, you can stay up in that tree as long as you need. I'll make sure you have something to eat. I can even keep you company. There's no need to be scared."
With that, she turned and started running home. For the first time in her life, she finally felt as if she had something important to do. No-one had been there to help her father when he was dying in Afghanistan, but now she'd been given the chance to help another soldier, and she wasn't going to let him down. He'd be her secret, and he'd be a chance for her to prove to herself that she could do things without her mother's help. By the time she reached the back gate and ran through into her garden, she was already planning what to take out to her soldier later.
Three
As quietly as possible, Eva pushed the back door open, disturbing the fine mist that had spread from the forest to the house. It was close to midnight, and she couldn't be certain that her mother was sleeping. After all, for the past few hours she'd been able to hear her mother sobbing in the main bedroom, and the sobbing had only ended a few minutes earlier. Eva knew she should probably wait a little longer, but she lacked the patience. Besides, she was worried about the soldier in the tree, and she felt that even a minor delay could prove fatal.
Once she was certain that she hadn't been heard, she hurried out across the grass. She'd decided not to wear shoes, since she didn't want to make too much noise. It was a cold night and the grass was damp, but Eva figured wet feet were a small price to pay. As she reached the garden gate, she climbed over rather than risking
the squeaky latch. Stopping for a moment, she glanced back one final time and saw that there were still no lights in the house. Her mother was clearly asleep, at least for now. If she woke up and found Eva's empty bed, there'd be hell to pay, but Eva figured it wouldn't take too long to just go and deliver her little food parcel to the soldier. Her mother would never have to find out.
Eva had never been out in the forest at night before. The further she got from the house, the wetter the grass seemed to get. She'd often dreamed of doing such a thing, of course, and she'd even managed to convince herself that there were probably all manner of strange creatures out here. Strangely, though, she wasn't scared. If she'd headed the other way and into town, toward all the people and cars, she'd have been terrified, but out here among the trees she felt as if she was among friends. At the same time, she knew that she had to stay calm, and she was fully aware that there was still a danger of getting hurt. She was taking a risk, but it was a calculated risk that she felt was necessary. After all, a soldier's life was at stake.
As soon as she reached the old oak tree, Eva slowed down. The clearing seemed so calm, as if the buzz of insect life had completely died away. She was always so aware of the sounds around her, and now she felt that all the bugs had moved away from the tree, leaving it in the middle of a kind of dead zone. With every step closer to the tree, she could feel the grass getting less wet, until eventually it felt dry and crispy between her toes. The mist seemed stronger and thicker in this part of the forest, as if the soldier was pulling it around the tree like a shroud, in order to keep himself hidden. Eva couldn't help but think that the entire scene seemed a little unusual, as if this part of the forest had been drained of all its life. She understood why the soldier might be hiding from his enemies, but was he also hiding from every living creature?
