Evergreen [✅] (ZhanYi)

PART ONE

"Dad, why do leaves fall from the tree?"

A young boy who was barely seven years old, with short, straight black hair covering his forehead and honey-almond eyes hidden beneath long eyelashes, asked his father while sitting leisurely under a big tree.

It was one hot day for a picnic, yet this family of three still enjoyed their lunch cozily, sheltered from the ray of the sun by its big and full branches.

"Because they reach their time, Bo, so they need to go," answered James, the boy's father.

With a short haircut that does not cover his creased forehead and stubble around his jawline and chin, the man looks slightly older than his actual age, albeit he is just in his mid-thirty.

"Where will they go?" asked the boy with eyes full of curiosity found in a smart child.

People said the more children ask, the more they showed how the potential their intelligence level was. James could not help but put on a proud smile, just like any father would do.

"Somewhere where the wind guides them." He patted the boy's head and passed the sandwich from his wife to his son.

Bo took the sandwich handed to him, but instead of munching it down like most children did when their food was within their reach, he lowered it. Resting his hand in either side of his laps as he was sitting cross-legged, the boy asked another question.

"So, does that mean they will never be with their trees again? Will they go far away forever? Do they have to? Won't they miss their home?"

"It's inevitable, my boy. The new season is coming. All the trees change, and those leaves need to go," James hooked his fingers under the boy's chin, lifting the sad face from its hiding place.

"This is nature, Bo. No one has the power to control it. One day, everything around you will be gone whether you want it or not. So, as a boy, who is to be grown into a man, you have to stay strong on your own two feet."

Bo's face swapped from sadness to confusion. "What do you mean, dad?"

"You'll know when you grow up." Smiling while patting Bo's head, James took the boy's small hands inside his giant palms before raising them upwards till they reached the cute rosy pink lips. "For now, eat your sandwich. To grow up fast, you have to eat."

Bo nodded. His expression changed as swiftly as the flip of a coin.

"Yes! I'll eat a lot and take care of my health, so I can become a powerful and intelligent man like you when I grow up. After that, I'm going to protect everything I hold dear without letting them go. You'll see, dad."

When Bo finished saying, he took a big bite of the sandwich and began to eat, creating an adorable sight to behold as two puffy cheeks moved in rhythm with the teeth trying to chew the big piece down.

James widened his eyes in surprise after hearing such a confident declaration. For a seven-year-old boy to have such a resolute determination, they cannot be prouder as parents. Turning to his wife, they both exchanged warm smiles before picking up their sandwiches and enjoying the picnic meal.