A Leaf, A Tree, and A Dream

A Leaf, a Tree, and a Dream.

By James Becker

Every leaf has a dream. For some it is to stay on the tree forever, for others it is to change colors , fall off the tree, and slowly wither away. My dream is to be loved. I don't believe that will happen, because I live in Canada...in the middle of the woods! One day when I fall off the tree I will soar away, miles from here and never come back. Every leaf has a story, and this is mine.

It all started back when I was just a small bud on The Great Tree. There was thousands of us, all fighting for our lives. Some days were warm and sunny, but most were horrible. We all had to hold on for our lives. During the storms it got very windy and more and more of my friends would fall to their deaths, never to become a full leaf. The nights were cold and long, anyone who did make it didn't want to anyway. Everyone was miserable, and we all wanted it to end. That spring was very rough, but The Great Tree kept all of our spirits up. It was hard to make it, but once summer came, everything changed.

Summer was the best season of all. The days were warm, the breeze was calm, and the river trickled softly downstream. We were all fully matured leaves and everything was going great. One night we were all awakened by a quiet rumbling noise. No one wanted to say anything, but we all knew what was coming. It was a storm. The rumbling came closer and the winds picked up while all of us prepared for what would be the worst storm of our lives. The rain started with a crack of lightening and thunder. The wind began to rip entire branches off of The Great Tree. The river soon began to swell and the rain started to come down harder. The wind started to uproot entire trees, but we knew that The Great Tree would hold strong. As the river rose other trees were being washed out into the raging rapids. I was fighting and crying, while watching all of my friends plummet to the ground never to be seen again, and then it happened. My best friend Sam finally let go... Sam, Sam I called blankly into the darkness. I knew there would be no answer, yet I still called out, Sam, Sam come back. I began to cry even heavier. After Sam was gone I almost wanted to give up, to let go, but I knew I had to hang on. I had to do it for Sam.

After losing Sam the days were long. There was no one to keep me company. The days grew colder and longer, and we(what was left of us anyway) knew that it was turning to fall. One day we all started changing to brilliant shades of yellow, red ,orange, and purple. We all thought it was finally getting better; we thought wrong. After a few days of color many of us started getting sick and turning brown. Many of us were dying and falling off of The Great Tree.

The day came that I knew it was over, everyone was gone, and I was all alone. Those last days were horrifying, watching all of my friends wither away and die right in front of me. Finally, I gave up. I waited for a windy day and finally let go. I felt so free in the breeze. I flew for miles and miles. Finally, I landed in a small field. The field had no other leaves except for one. I looked, then double took and then realized it was true. The only other leaf in the field...was Sam.

When we both realized who each other were, we began crying tears of joy. We were both dying, and knew death was upon us, but we both kept it to ourselves. One day I woke up, but Sam didn't. I was so sad. I suddenly realized that Sam was the one who made my dream come true. He had loved me through the gift of friendship. After Sam died he fluttered away in the breeze, but this time I didn't call out or stop him. He was gone and his body was all that was left. Soon winter came. I was blanketed in a thin layer of snow. I was so cold, sick, and brown. After three days of winter, I slowly passed away.