TARDIGRADE One-Shots Collection

The Mysterious Case of Frederick's Tree (microfiction)

This is my view of what is going on with Frederick's tree for the TARDIGRADE writathon of the micro fiction challenge.
(CILovF )

In the afternoon, Frederick went to the backyard to examine the tree with his equipment. He takes out his shovel to check the roots and starts to dig.

After about a couple of minutes of shoveling the dirt, Frederick noticed that it doesn't have roots.

What sort of tree doesn't have roots? He thought.

The amateur detective feels the bark of the tree and to his surprise, the bark felt too smooth. He knocks on the wood, only to find that the sound indicated that it's hollow.

Frederick walks around the tree and notices a faint outline on the other side. He pushed on it and the door opens inward. He dashes back to where he laid his equipment on the grass and brings out his flashlight.

He circled back to the opening and shines the flashlight inside the hollow tree. Frederick walks into the entrance and finds computer chips all over the inside of the tree, along with screens showing his house and the neighborhood. But these computer chips and screens were unlike anything he's ever seen.

"This doesn't look like it came from around here," Frederick murmurs to himself.

He pointed his flashlight upwards and what he saw was a nightmare in itself. There were three large insect-like creatures sleeping soundly inside pods near the branches.

Frederick hyperventilates as he stared at the insectoids. He runs out of the tree, shuts the opening and sprinted back into his house.