The Spirit Tree

Up at the top of the cliff

There once was a very wise old tree. He sat at the top of a cliff looking over a small village. The village told stories about the land before the cliff broke off creating their village.  Their forefathers would go and ask the tree questions and the tree would answer. One particular day a young girl came to the tree and she just sat and stared at the wisdom in the tree's eyes. However, she was different from the others who visited the tree because she was mute. 

The old tree tried to help the girl but he did not know what she wanted and the girl didn't know if the tree could understand sign language. The girl desperately wanted to ask the tree a question she tried as hard as she could to make her voice work but as always nothing worked. The little girl wanted to know what had happened to her father that she loved dearly as he had gone missing nearly a month earlier and was nowhere to be found. Frustrated she ran back home, tears in her eyes and signed to her mother what happened. The mother promised her daughter that she would ask the tree for her but she never got the chance.

When the little girl woke up the next morning her mother was missing too.  Just like her father. The little girl didn't know what to do. She ran to her friend's house and frantically signed to her what happened. The friend didn't know either. The little girl ran around her village frantically signing if anyone had seen her mother but the villagers either couldn't understand her or didn't care. Finally, the girl ran back to the tree sat in its shade and cried. 

She cried and cried until she thought she heard her mother's voice say, "Hush my daughter." The little girl sprung to her feet ecstatic, only to turn around and see the wise old tree its leaves swaying in the wind. Confused the little girl tried signing to the tree. She signed "have you seen my parents?" "My child I am your parents," she heard. "I am the spirit that represents all who has passed." "my parents are dead?" the girl signed "your parents had a disease, passed on genetically. You have it too. It causes your body to turn to dust after your heart stops.

"But... my mother!" "I'm right here my beautiful child." Then the little girl broke down into tears. "how can I stop it?" the little girl signed shakily. "You must talk," said the tree." "I can't!" she signed "you can," said the tree. "But how?" she signed "I'm mute! I've never talked in my entire life!" "Come here my child, A " said the tree "sit in my branches" so the little girl got to her feet shakily and climbed up into the branches of the tree. " now close your eyes said the tree and listen to the sounds around you."

Then a flashback hit the girl. She was sitting in the classroom of the small school building in the village she was very small but she was talking. She was with her friend Marie and they were learning the alpha she heard herself say then B the little girl was astonished she was talking! Words were coming out of her mouth and sounds were being made. She opened her eyes. " How?" She signed astonished. "You could talk once my child you can learn to again." "But how could I talk?" she signed to the tree. "That my child you will have to figure that out on your own". Frustrated the little girl ran back home and collapsed on her bed.

That night she dreamed of a time before her memory. She was a very small child again, however, this time instead of sitting In the village school she was lying in bed a doctor came into the room and examined her throat. " She's gone mute, the doctor said to her mother who was standing in the corner of the room. " T, doctor, she said" The doctor exited the room and her mother came to kneel beside her. " You are so brave my little Selene doesn't believe what that doctor said you can talk if you truly need to you just have to believe in yourself," her mother said with love filled eyes. Selene woke with a start she was still lying on her bed but she knew what she needed to do.

AN: This story was co-written with Madeline Palmer (beastlymadi) she has some great stories and you should really check her out. fun fact: we started writing this in language arts we passed note cards and wrote sentences at a time. I hope you liked it :) Evie