The Willow Tree

The Willow Did Not Care

Hanna was screaming.

Again.

I was cleaning the dirty dishes, my sisters chore by the way, when she suddenly was letting out a blood curdling scream. I rolled my eyes because, mind you, my sister loves to scream. She often does it just to scare the crap out of me so I wasn't too concerned when Hanna's sounds of supposed torture came through the open window and met my ears. I sighed through my nose and met my own eyes in the mirror above the sink. Brown eyes met brown eyes as I skimmed over my face. My dark hair fell straight down my back and my freckles were very prominent on my pale skin in the summer sun shining through the window. My eyes were tired I noticed, but I pushed that thought to the back of my mind.

I looked away and silently turned off the running tap. I did a quick sprint out of the kitchen and through the back door. I briskly walked the stone path that lead from the house's back door down to the back yard ancient willow tree. And what a sight there was when I got there.

My 10 year old little sister had somehow managed to climb herself up our willow and was now currently hanging upside down off of one of its lower branches. But even being a lower branch it was still quite a hight. The hanging branches surrounded Hanna, making her invisible to those who didn't know she was there. I hadn't the slightest idea how she got up there until I took a few steps to the side and caught a glance of a fallen plastic chair around the willows gigantic trunk.

"Go figure." I muttered to myself while shifting my gaze back to my still upside down sister. And tell me is there ever a circumstance where hanging upside down is a good sign? The answer to that, of course, is no. Well, at least not when there is a 10 year old involved.

As I stepped closer to the willow trunk I called up to my sister "What on heaven and hell are you doing up there?" To which she replied " I thought I saw a fairy tangled up in here and I came to save her!" She giggled, brown eyes wild with mirth, completely oblivious to the danger she had placed herself in. Her dirty blonde hair cascaded past her head, entangling with many leaves and twigs along the way.

"Regardless Hanna I've told you before fairies don't live in this willow! And how many times do I need to remind you that you are not allowed to climb the willow without mom here before it gets through that skull of yours?" I scolded her while righting the chair under Hanna, mounting it and reaching through the thick canopy to grab her.

Hanna reached out her skinny little arms to me as well replying with only a grunt. But as our hands clasped the hairs on the back of my neck rose in a way that told you something was about to go wrong. As Hanna's legs suddenly gave way that feeling was confirmed. From my perspective it seemed to happen in slow motion. Hanna came crashing down through the leaves, hitting me right in the chest. Then gravity did its normal thing and sent Hanna and I backward off the chair and forcefully to the ground with Hanna collapsing right onto my stomach while I had nothing but the grass covered terrain to cushion my fall as oxygen rushed from my lungs.

A sound of protest came from my lips as I laid there trying to regain my lost breath. I looked into the sky and noted how the cascading willow branches were letting loose some leaves and they were falling around Hanna and I like some sick love scene.

Hanna sat up, still on my stomach, and stared down at me with wide eyes. "Violet, are you broken?" She whispered in a child like voice. I gritted my teeth and whispered back in a sickly sweet voice "No. But I am going to give you 15 seconds to hide before I make you broken. I promise."

Hannah's eyes widened to the size of saucers. I smiled a smile that meant 'you better cover your ass or else your going to loose it' and Hanna instantly realized it was time to go now. She shot off me like a bullet and up the stone path, slamming the sliding glass door and she was soon out of sight.

I laughed silently to myself, then I wheezed and clutched my ribs because laughing freaking hurt. I must've looked like a mad woman laying there, my hair splayed around me with my clothes a rumpled mess, laughing to myself while leaves fell around me.

"Well balls," I said to the willow, "I may be broken and bruised after all." The willow just swayed in the slight breeze, as sunshine streaked through the gaps in the branches, not caring that Hanna had gotten stuck, not caring she fell on me and not caring that it was all its fault.

I sucked in a breath and hauled my self to stand. WOAH! White lights dotted out my vision for a split second and I felt the urge to puke. I leaned against the willow and pressed my forehead to its old base. In through the nose out through the mouth, in though the nose out through the mouth I reminded myself. When I no longer felt the need to push today's breakfast out back into the world I pushed open my eyes and blinked rapidly. No more stabbing chest pain, that was good, even though a lingering pressure remained.

Placing my hands on the willow I once again laughed to myself and smiled up into its branches. I stepped back and leaped into the willow, catching one of the low branches. I swung myself up to a squatting position and reached to climb higher into the depths of branches and leaves.

I knew this willow like the back of my hand and my instinct kicked in as I placed my feet in all the right places and my hands grabbed the familiar knots. I couldn't go very high because it was a willow tree let me remind you and they weren't meant for climbing like other trees were but I still felt a rush from being up high. I found the familiar sitting branch that looked out across the rolling green hills behind our house and plopped myself down.

I had grown up with this willow, I knew every soft spot and sitting view but this position was by far the best the willow had to offer. In the distance you could see blue mountains and hundreds of different trees and many places I had yet to explore. I sighed and leaned, once again, against the willow. It's familiar texture comforting me in a way no one could copy. I knew in my heart that there would never be another place like this. One that could calm me instantly and feel so much more like home than the white one-story house behind me.

I turned my face into the breeze and breathed deep. An ache in my chest bloomed and my little slice of heaven was shattered while I was reminded of what had just conspired here a few minutes ago. I chucked to myself and took one last look out onto the horizon. Every thing was serene and so calm. That's why I loved it here. This willow gave me something no one else did. A break once in a while. I was the oldest so I got all the responsibility heaped onto my plate whether I wanted it or not, and with parents who traveled for their work all the time it seemed as if I was always working. I was grateful to the willow for the peace it gave me.

I never wanted to leave this branch, but I had a promise to keep to Hanna. I promised her I would make her broken, and if there's one thing about me that people would tell you, it's that I have never broken a promise and I never will. I swung myself gracefully from the willow and landed much softer than last time on the green earth. I scanned the path and house in front of me. I saw a curtain move on the left side of the house in my corner vision and I guessed that's where Hanna had chosen as a hiding spot. Not a clever girl between you and me.

I turned back to the willow, pressed my right hand to its bark and said the words I always said after I left it. "Thank you."

With that I walked up the path to the house, fully intending to make good on my promise. Leaving my best friend to stand watch over our home, like it had for the last who knows how many years.