Tree of Wishes

Kids These Days: A Cypress Perspective

Teenagers and their significance in society have gone through a multitude of changes over time. They've been put straight to work in factories and farms, been the leading group of rebels that challenged the status quo with outrageous clothes and hairstyles, and now it could be argued they're the leading trend setters that influence our media. What never changes is how they're trapped in this awkward phase where people expect them to make major decisions like adults, yet are coddled and patronized like children. It's a critical point where they need guidance and support while also learning about the importance of responsibility and independence.

It's when they're aware of the latter yet lack the former that causes trouble. Unsure of who they are or what to do, they'll seek out a place where they can find answers. This leaves them vulnerable to being picked up by unsavory groups of people. As you can imagine, this is especially troublesome if these teenagers have powers and are used by those who wish to exploit them. This has led to a number of robberies and the like enacted by those who didn't know any better, merely following the orders of someone who gave them empty promises.

With the rising concern of the safety of children with powers, those of authority were beginning to take action to avoid this. They needed to prevent the current public outcry from escalating after all. Tightening curfews could only do so much, so they had to get a little creative. One of these was a school-based program where students could get extra credit by attending seminars covering the topic of powers. The seminars would go over everything including tips to controlling powers, how to tell if someone is trying to exploit your powers, and how to overcome peer pressure. It was very similar to their anti-drug campaign years ago, except those with powers were the ones required to partake in it while being optional for everyone else.

There was no concrete evidence that any of this would work, yet everyone seemed optimistic about the situation. It mainly affected me by raising the interest and awareness of the tree since any student could attend the seminars, causing them to flock to the mountain like ducks at a pond. They all brought their permission slips that the schools even went through the trouble making from them, so the process was surprisingly quick and efficient. Even so, I was growing concerned about this development.

When I expressed this to my colleagues, Eddie said, "I thought you didn't care 'bout who comes here."

"I don't," I said. "But I'm worried about how counterproductive this all seems to be. It could come back to negatively affect us."

"How so?" Anubis asked while curiously wagging his tail.

I shrugged, unable to find the proper words to express this nagging feeling I had. "I'm not sure. All I know is that this many people being granted powers in such a short period of time isn't natural. At this rate, the population percentage might double or even triple in a few years."

"Might be for the best," Eddie said, completely unconcerned about the matter as he gazed up towards the sky. "Tons of people could benefit from gettin' powers. Most don't 'cause they don't find out 'til the last minute. So maybe the numbers'll be more honest with those who need it rather than those that got lucky."

"I'm actually with Eddie on this one," Juniper said. "I know it's important to keep the tree a secret and all, but we live in a day and age where you can find out everything about a person by looking them up online. Word's going to spread no matter what the government does. So it's better to inform people so they can get the right help as soon as possible."

I sighed and shook my head, smiling as I said, "You two certainly know better than I do. Perhaps I'm falling behind with the times."

"I'm surprised you managed to last this long," Eddie said with a smirk. "Bet cell phones blew your mind when they were invented."