The tree.....

There’s a room, in the museum, that no-one’s supposed to go into. There’s a thing in there that looks like a statue of a man.

But it’s not.

It’s a tree.

You have to get up close – that’s not easy, it’s guarded.

But it is a tree; I see bark, the way the ‘toes’ sink into the rock, splintering the flagstones.

It took me all night, waiting, lying on one of the beams of the next corridor. It was almost dawn before the guard snuck away for a wizz. The huge, complex, stone cage that was carved by giants (says mum), is the museums big thing for tourists from the city to come and see. But they aren’t allowed to see the tree-man. He has his own, little, cage like the big one. And he's in an off limits section.

The Hats - the coolest gang in town, so everyone says - found out about it though. Told me if I wanted in I had to go and carve my name on it. They’re watching from the hilltop out the window, watching through Dans telescope.

*
“He’s done it!" Dan laughed to the other Hats. Through the telescope the letters ‘B’ ‘E’ ‘N’ could be seen scratched crudely into the figure by the stone window .

*

Climbing back down the side of the stone ship I brush a few splinters of the rock hard wood off the knife I used.

*

They didn’t remember why it needed guarding, the treeman.

They stopped guarding it so well.

The huge stone carved cage, with its runes and sigils, wasn't just a giants ornament.

It must have been meant to be a prison for the tree man. I think they knew the little cage wouldn't hold him forever.

My head and chest hurt. For some reason there are always splinters in my hand.

I pull them out and pull them out, but they keep coming back, looking like little shoots. One even had a tiny leaf on the end, poking through the skin.

All the houses in the museum side of the village collapsed, all at once, two nights after I returned. There’s a huge forest where I dropped the splinters from my knife, and you can see it growing even from here.  The roots are crawling through the ground like big worms, everywhere.

Dad won’t tell me what happened to mum.

Dad says if we get to the city we can find a doctor who’ll help me. They have flying machines and all sorts there. But we have to be quick, and it’s a long way, so we have to run and run and run.

*

“He’ll live” The city doctor tells the boy's father.

“We removed the arm, and the toxin producing growths. He’s a lucky boy; it was almost into his chest cavity. Our healing sprites were able to repair the worst of the tissue damage. “

The father can’t pay. The doctor looks away.

“I hardly think that matters. The demon forest will be here in a matter of days – look to the windows” A dark green line has crept over  the horizon, growing hour by hour.

The father knows that doesn’t matter either.

He can hear the howling of the mob outside.

 END