The Tale of One Tree

by Rachael Long

bottom of the ocean.

  Then one sun filled morning, Ocean told Owl and One Tree they had arrived...Owl and One Tree looked around but saw only Ocean stretching out far and wide. “Look closer,” urged Ocean...There on the horizon, was a little bump.

  “That little bump is land and that land is a country where there are no forests.”

  “It still looks far away,” said Owl. Ocean gave a big ripple of laughter; “Wait and see. You'll be there sooner than you think!” With that Ocean drew up a huge wave and sent Owl and One Tree surfing across its surface. However, as they neared the shore, Ocean slowed the wave and gently washed Owl and One Tree onto a golden sandy beach.

  After saying farewell to Ocean, Owl and One Tree made their way a little further up the beach. “I’m going to have a look around,” said Owl flying into the air. “I'll be back soon.”

  “Don’t worry, Owl,” said One Tree, “I’m going to lie here in the sun and dry out a bit.” Although One Tree had managed to walk up the beach on its roots, it soon found that standing on soggy roots, was not very comfortable. One Tree slowly lowered itself down onto the warm golden sand, stretched out its wet roots, gave its branches a little shake and fell fast asleep.

  When One Tree awoke later, it was in a state of panic. Four very strong men had picked One Tree up and were now carrying it off the beach! One Tree began to shake its branches very angrily.

  But then the familiar voice of Owl said, “don’t worry. These men are here to help. We are off to the King’s palace!” Owl fluttered down and perched on One Tree’s trunk and explained that after she had left One Tree on the beach, she had only flown a short distance, when she came across a very fine looking palace.

  Owl being wise and worldly in the knowledge of most things, had soon sought out the King. The King explained that not only did the palace belong to him but also the beach and all the land around. But then he thought said; it didn’t really belong to him. No, it belonged to everyone and, if there was one thing that he and everyone else in the land wanted, it was a tree. They had tried all sorts of trees; big trees, small trees even bush trees but nothing ever grew.

  “Now,” said Owl to One Tree, “the King wants you to come and live in the Royal Park”.

  The King had One Tree planted right in the very middle of the Royal Park and before long, people from all over the land began to come and see One Tree. Some came and looked then went away, others spent a morning or an afternoon just sitting under One Tree’s branches. And lots of people brought food and drinks with them and spent a whole day looking at One Tree.

  After a few days, a little girl came to visit. She put her arms around One Tree, gave a hug and said, “I will tell everyone to bring a piece of ribbon to tie on your branches and make a wish for your leaves to grow back.”

  The very next day, people were queuing up to tie ribbons on One Tree’s branches and soon One Tree was covered in ribbons of all colours. And after the last person tied their ribbon on, the people formed a circle around One Tree and cheered and chanted;

  ‘Our land was empty and without colour

  Sea and sand were our all we had

  But now the rainbow tree lights up our lives.’

  At the end of their first week in the Royal Park, Owl flew around One Tree and said, “Although you do look very fine in all your colourful ribbons, I think its time you tried to grow back some leaves.” One Tree gave its branches a little shake. “I think you are quite right, Owl. With all the excitement, I had quite forgotten about leaves.”

  Over the weeks that followed, One Tree slowly grew back all its leaves and even managed to produce quite a few acorns. For you see, One Tree was an oak tree.

  Of course, as soon as leaves and acorns began appearing, it just made more and more people come and visit the Royal Park. The King was very happy indeed and always came and sat under One Tree’s branches every night after all the people had gone and every night he would tell Owl and One Tree how glad he was that they had chosen his land to make their home.

  Before long One Tree’s acorns began to drop and the King made sure they were all collected and planted out across the Royal Park.

  As the weeks turned into months and the months became seasons, the acorns grew into small trees and the Royal Park began to look…well, in the words of the King, “the Royal Park has become a Royal Wood!”

  One morning, as the mist was lifting off the young trees that now surrounded One Tree, Owl stretched her wings and gave a little groan. “Ooh,” she said feeling a twinge in her bones. One Tree rustled its branches making its leaves and ribbons dance in the morning sunbeams. “Are you all right Owl?”

  Owl slowly opened her wings again and gently stretched. “I don’t feel as young as I used to and lately I have been thinking that it would be nice to fly through our forest just one more time. To glide between the trees in silver moonlight and dip my feet into River.”

  One Tree let a little tearful leaf drop and flutter to the ground. “Well then Owl, lets go back and see how the forest is doing. If we don’t like it, we can always come back here.”

  That night Owl and One Tree explained to the King they had decided to return home. The King was very sad but understood and said he would always keep a space in the middle of the Royal Park for One Tree and Owl.

  The very next morning Owl and One Tree were carried down to the ocean. All along the way people cheered and waved. The King helped One Tree down the beach and into the ocean until it was deep enough for One Tree to float. Owl circled around, watching from above then fluttered down onto One Tree’s trunk.

  “Hello again to you both,” said Ocean. “I hear you have decided to go home. Well, lets not waste any time! First I’ll roll you up to the beach, then we’ll be off.” With that Ocean built up a strong wave that carried One Tree and Owl back toward the shore and almost halfway up the beach to where the King and most of the people were standing.

  One Tree waved its branches, saying goodbye and Owl stretched out her wings and gave a loud hoot. Then before anything else could happen, Ocean rolled the wave back down the beach and carried One Tree and Owl out to sea and back toward home.

  Like their journey to the land of no trees, Owl and One Tree drifted along with Ocean’s currents on their journey home. The sun rose and set, as did the moon. The stars twinkled and danced and one night One Tree and Owl were sure they saw the moon slip down from the midnight velvet sky and dip into the ocean and swim across its surface.

  Almost every night on their journey home sea creatures rose up from the depths to see Owl and One Tree, for by now almost every creature in the ocean had heard the tale of One Tree and Owl. Even the very strange looking creature they had met before, came to visit. But it still didn’t want to give its name.

  Just as One Tree and Owl were getting used to being at sea, they were back at Salt Wedge Estuary and River was waiting to greet them.

  “Hello,” said River. “Gosh, Ocean has told me all about your adventure. Making friends with a King and growing your very own woodland. Come on, I’ll take you up stream and back to your old forest.”

  The journey upstream with River was quiet. Unlike the ocean, most land creatures were asleep and every now and then a cloud drifted over, hiding the moon. As they floated along, One Tree and Owl told River all about their time away and River babbled and splashed around One Tree’s leaves and ribbons and said how much better One Tree was now looking. And then…they were back at their forest.

  “It looks the same,” said One Tree slowly making its way up the riverbank. River agreed, it still looked the same but some things had changed. “Has the change been good?” Owl asked. River gave a little ripple and said they would find out soon but there was nothing to worry about.

  One Tree shook its roots, “my roots are quite soft after all that water but I should be able to shuffle back into the forest, without too much trouble.”

  Owl flew on ahead and soon they were both back in the clearing that One Tree had left all thos
e many months and seasons ago. They were both quite surprised it had not been filled with young pines. In fact it looked almost the same as when they had left. One Tree slowly pushed its roots back into the earth and then, with Owl nestled on a branch, they settled down for a well-earned sleep.

  Indeed One Tree and Owl would have slept all the next morning and afternoon had it not been for the noise. And what a noise it was! Branches flapping, pine cones dropping, whole trees swaying and creaking; chatting, calling, shouting, more shouting.

  “Good morning!” Said Owl and One Tree as loud as they could. Then again and again; “Good morning! Good morning!” Eventually the forest fell quiet. Then a distant pine called out, “what are they saying. Speak up, I can’t hear.”

  Owl fluttered up into the air and said, “we haven’t said anything yet. You’ve all been too noisy!”

  One of the nearby, elder, pines said, “we all thought you had gone for good. We realised we had said a lot of bad things to you, One Tree and we are so, so happy you and Owl have returned.”

  “That’s right,” said another, “without you, this is just a pine forest and you, you”…the tree paused. “Well, you make our forest special!”

  A small pine, well One Tree had remembered it as a small pine but now it was quite tall, added; “I really enjoyed listening to your stories when I was a little