Everything on here is purely symbolic and nothing more.

The Tree

I walked quickly to put as much space as possible between myself and the city. As the sun began to set, I looked about me for a suitable place to sleep. Ahead of me was a large tree that looked inviting. I made it my goal.

It was already dark when I reached the tree. I made a bed of leaves under its widespread branches and curled up within my cloak. I slept soundly, but awoke cold and stiff.

As I tried to convince my body to wake up, I noticed the most fulfilling smell in the air. I walk around and discovered it came from the tree. Intrigued, I climbed into it. The scent seem to bade me to climb higher, so I did. Halfway up, I found a woven section of branches, just the right size to hold me. I crawled into it as the morning sun's warmth seeped into my bones. Before I knew it, I had fallen back to sleep.

When I awoke again, it was past noon and something was stroking my hair. I turned and faced a rather funny looking creature who resembled either a lemur or a raccoon - or perhaps a bit of both. It stared at me with unblinking eyes and reached for my hair again. I sat up.

"Hello," I said.

I didn't get as much as a squeak or a growl. It seemed completely focused on my hair. I stared at it. It didn't seem dangerous to me. It reached for my hair again.

Curious, I leaned closer and let the creature touch my hair. It stroked my hair softly for a little while, then it nuzzled it face in it. When I pulled away, it clung to me. I patted its back while I tried to figure out the fascination it had with my tresses. Finally, my stomach growled and I decided I needed to find something to eat. I began to climb down.

The creature was oblivious to my descent until I reached the lowest limbs. Then it frantically began screeching and tried to pull me back into the tree. I disentangled myself from it and pushed it away. It screamed at me as I sprinted back to the road. I saw a farmhouse up ahead and ran to it.

The Farmhouse


This background set was done by

Copyright © 2000 Lady Fribble