Hi! This is Alexis.

I wrote this for a short story contest but unfortunately, this piece did not win. But here it is! Hope you like it.

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The Last Branch

The ancestors cut down the trees that shaded Mother from the sun. She was blinded by sunlight and could not open her eyes. One by one, the trees became part of their houses. They sat, slept, and ate on it. When it broke, they used it as firewood. It brought so much convenience at the cost of the Mother’s vision.

When she was left with just one tree, she used its last leaves to make a beautiful green robe that covered her eyes. It had the majesty of the forest and all the shades of the earth.

For years, Mother remained in the middle of a bare patch of land. Until a young girl came to visit.

This girl always felt ugly. All the children said it. Her father never mentioned she was beautiful and since she never had a mother, no one comforted her.

She thought that the Mother of the forest was her mother. In her loneliness, she imagined that somewhere out there, there’s a mother for everyone.

‘Did you know that you can talk to Mother?’ The other children said. She ran down to ask permission from her father.

‘Can I go see Mother?’ She muttered so he could not hear her properly.

Her father nodded without even looking at her. She knew that he didn’t understand what she meant. She had no time to repeat the question and ran straight from her house to the barren land.

‘Mother?’ The girl’s voice echoed.

‘Yes?’ Mother’s voice was calm.

‘I’m,’ the girl hesitated, ‘your daughter.’

Mother did not respond.

‘They said you have the wisdom of the ages, of all ages. I have a -’

‘Child, did you know that this used to be the middle of the forest? The only thing they did not cut off is this. ‘ She pointed to the last branch attached to her.

‘Can I do something about that? If you could tell me something maybe I could help you. Just take one look, Mother. Just one look.’

‘I cannot. The sun blinds me. The trees are no more. ‘

‘Should I bring back the trees?’ The girl volunteered.

‘Can you?’

‘I will try.’

So the girl went there every day. She took that last portion of the tree from Mother’s side and planted it around her. Her sadness and diligence helped the trees grow faster. She cut down another portion from the growing one and planted it in the next spot. Soon enough, she had enough trees. She worked in silence while Mother dreamt of the forest.

It was one exhausting day after the next. After months of working hard, her father woke her up in excitement. They went to the village square where people gathered. In the middle were the trees she worked so hard to grow.

‘That’s for my chair. That’s for my bed! The leaves are for paper!’ The villagers said in excitement.

She ran immediately to the barren land.

‘Who goes there?’

‘I can try again Mother. I can work on it again!’

‘It was the last one, my child,’ she said. But what is it that you seek? Let me try to open my eyes one last time.’

She hesitated. But asked anyway. ‘Am I ugly as they say I am?’

Mother still could not see because of the bright light. ‘No child, from the little I could see, you are beautiful.’