My version of The Giving Tree, because the original is too bleak
Once there was a Tree, and she loved a little boy very much.
Every day the boy came to her, gathered her leaves to make crowns and play at being king of the forest. He climbed her solid trunk, swung from her generous branches, and ate her sweet apples. And the Tree was happy.
But as the boy grew older, his wants grew with him. He came to the Tree and said, "I need money to buy things."
The Tree replied, "Take my apples, boy, and sell them at the market." So the boy gathered all her apples and left. The Tree was happy.
The boy didn't spend all the money on himself. He took some of it and bought young saplings, all of the Tree's own kind. Carefully he planted them around the old Tree, understanding that she deserved the support of a thriving family in her later years. "These are for your future," he murmured to the Tree, "living proof of your generosity."
Later the boy came back and said, "I need a house to live in and to raise a family."
The Tree offered, "Take my branches and build your house." So the boy cut off her branches and carried them away. The Tree was happy.
But from those same branches the boy also made sturdy supports. He used them to prop up the young saplings he had planted, guiding them to grow tall and straight, sheltered from the hard wind. "Your strength is feeding new life now," he whispered to the old Tree.
The years passed, and the boy, now a man, returned once more. He longed to explore the world and wanted to build a boat. The Tree, now only a trunk, offered herself. The man used planks from her trunk to build a boat and sailed around the world.
But before he sailed away, he used the remaining planks. He made tables and chairs, and placed them among the thriving young forest he had grown. These became peaceful gathering places where people could sit, share stories, and find comfort in the shelter the forest gave.
Finally, when the man was very old, he came back to the Tree's stump. He sat down, tired but content.
"Tree," he began, "you gave me so much. But I learned that true happiness isn't only about taking. I used your apples to plant new trees, and secured your family line. I used your branches to support the young ones, and gave them strength. And I used your trunk to build places where people could connect, in the embrace of your forest."
The old man looked at the sturdy new trees stretching their branches towards the sky, a peaceful smile on his face. "Thank you for giving me a good life," he said.
And the Tree, now only a stump, felt the deep roots of her thriving family beneath the earth, and heard the gentle laughter of people in the shade of the new trees.
She whispered through the rustling leaves of her children: "We all have a purpose. You helped me achieve mine by securing the future of my family, and by showing others how to build a world where we all thrive together."
The original story of "The Giving Tree" is quite different, and in my opinion, far bleaker and more cynical. I wrote this version and much prefer it. If you want to read the original, do a quick search for "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein.
Simon
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