The Fallen Tree

At the center of a vast ocean lies a tree.

When the waves quiet down, consciousness flickers to life, and the Tree speaks.

“I am alone.”

“I am alone begging for anyone to reach for me, to acknowledge my existence.”

The silence of the ocean is deafening to the Tree.

“Anyone? Isn’t there anyone?”

The need to turn loneliness into frustration, or anger.

“I’ve been here since this ocean was a shallow pond.” “So why is it I must raise my branches above the water?” “My arms are getting tired.” “Can’t anyone see that I’ve been the one reaching out?” “When will someone reach out to me?”

A call, a letter in a bottle if you must. Anything to make the Tree feel like it isn’t giving water to dead plants.

The sea level rises, and the waves of the night crash in.

…

“I am in an empty ocean, with no one to hear that I have fallen…”

The Tree loses consciousness, and returns to simply being a tree.