I didn’t have any blog post planned for today so I asked my friend, Layton, for a prompt yesterday. That’s what happens when I talk to my writer friends daily – I want to do more creative writing. Layton gave me a choice of two prompts and though I decided to go with “a 1500 word story about a boy who understands trees (they whisper to him through the wind rustling the leaves).” Below is what I did with it.
I have shared poetry on the blog before but this is another style of creative writing and I quite enjoyed it.
Edited May 16, 2020. Revision direction provided by Layton R. Turner.
The Boy who Understood Leaves
One afternoon, I lay on the bed, looking outside the window. There was this gorgeous tree in our yard that majestically cast its shadow into my room. I don’t remember the thoughts that ran through my mind, except I enjoyed the shapes that the sun and the tree cast into my room, loving the couple spots of sunlight on my bed, wanting nothing but to curl up into them. There was a mellow wind blowing, and the rustle of the leaves were a soothing melody that was putting me to sleep, all the excitement of the day becoming exhaustion.
A strange sound tugged me out of my drowsy consciousness.
At first, I just ignored it, but it broke through my sleepy mind. The sounds were coming from outside my window! I sat up and scooted next to it. I had had my parents move my bed right up against the wall with the window.
Do you think he can hear what we are saying? The wind was carrying the hushed sound to my ears. It sounded like someone my age.
A lot of humans can hear us but that does not mean they are listening, a similar but different hushed voice replied back. This voice was more like my Uncle’s.
I looked up at the thick banquet of leaves of the tree in wonder. The hues of green mixed with the yellow sunshine, the leaves dancing in the wind… it was so fascinating.
I think he can hear us. Can he see us though?
Of course he can!
“Do leaves talk?” I asked out loud.
The older voice replied. “My dear boy, they sure do!”
I had never thought of leaves before, let alone them talking.
Suddenly, the wind picked up, and one of the leaves loosened from the tree branch. It hung on for a couple seconds, and then it fluttered, leaving its home.
“I am going on an adventure today! Wheee!” I heard as it sailed into my room. It was the first voice that I had heard.
I picked up the leaf and observed it for a while. This was an adventure for the leaf? I guess if I could fly on the wind, I’d be quite thrilled too.
The other leaves rustled.
“What do you want to do now that you are here?” I asked the leaf.
“Can you show me the world? Father is rooted to the ground and he does not go anywhere. I have seen my brothers and sisters sail on the wind and land not far from home. But I have you, and you can take me places. You are not tied to one place like me, right?”
I sat down on my bed again and pondered what we could do together. I could bike around the neighbourhood, but how would I keep the leaf safe? A transparent resealable bag maybe?
“Ok let’s go,” I said.
I tucked the leaf safely in my shorts pocket and went to the kitchen to find a bag to put it in.
“I will not be able to breathe if you lock me in there!” The leaf panicked.
“I will leave some space, don’t worry.”
Mummy was sitting reading on the couch. “Mum, can I go bike outside for sometime?”
She looked up from her book. It was only recently that I had started to play on my own. “Sure, love. How about I’ll come sit outside in the verandah so that I can see you?”
“Okay. I’ll go get my helmet! Meet you at the garage door!”
I raced to put on all the protective gear. I tucked the leaf in my helmet visor so that it would not fly away but still get all the view. My shorts were probably not the best place to look at the world.
Mum waved at us from the verandah, and I started to bike. We lived in a crescent, and I was only allowed to bike by myself in a circle, never too far away.
The leaf didn’t say much to me as I made my rounds around the neighbourhood, though sometimes, it sounded like it was talking to other leaves and trees.
“You know, I know every single tree in this area, but I had just never met them before.”
“How is that?”
“Well, Father has roots in the ground, and he is connected to everyone in our family. Maybe that is why he doesn’t need to go anywhere – he is already where he needs to be.”
“Why did you want to explore so badly?”
“I am not my father. I don’t have the roots that he has. The feeling of the wind has always made me curious about where it could take me. All my brothers and sisters who have left have never come back to tell me what they are doing, so I guess I have to have my own experiences.”
“That makes sense. I am not allowed to go very far from home, as you can see. But one day, I’ll be able to.”
“Do you know what kind of adventure you will go on?”
“Not yet but if I plan it all out, would it still be an adventure?”
The leaf was silent for a little bit.
“What happened? You are not saying anything.”
“I feel sad.”
“Why?”
“Because now that I am free, I will never be able to go back and be with Father again. I will never be attached to his branch again the same way. “
“Is that such a bad thing?”
“Maybe not for you when you are older. It is for me, though. Father told us when we were born that when winter will come, we will all fall away from his branches. And it’s not even winter yet, and I am already far away.”
“I don’t think you have to be old to do something.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is a community park not far from here. One day, I decided to go check it out on my bike. In my excitement, I forgot that it was too far from home. My parents did not want me to go that far yet. They still don’t. When I returned home, they were worried and mad at me. I haven’t gone to that park since but I still like thinking about my time there.”
“Was it scary being on your own?”
“A little bit. It was an adventure, though.”
We had done a couple of circles at this point, and I stopped on the street opposite to my house. I took off the helmet and looked at the leaf. I pointed to his Father – a tall tree looming above my house.
“Your father is never far, you know.”
“I want to go back and talk to my family.”
I cycled us back home and after putting away my bike and safety gear, I opened the backyard door and sat down under the tree. Looking up into its branches, I enjoyed the gentle breeze on my face.
The leaf chatted with its brother and sisters, telling them all about its adventures. I just listened.
“They are happy that I could come back and tell them what I saw. Thank you for taking me.”
“No problem.”
It has been many years since that day now. It was only years later that I realized the lessons from meeting with the leaf. That it is ok to do things alone, and things don’t always happen at the time we imagined them to. In my busy life, I don’t often truly listen to people but that day, with the leaf, I was listening to it. I learned that listening is not just about hearing. That’s true for nature as well as people. When I am out and about outside, I try to experience nature with all my senses, not just sounds. Would I have heard the leaf and gone on that journey if I had not been listening?
I moved away from home. I moved away from my parents and built my own path in life. I live in the same city as them, and when I feel lonely or sad, happy or thrilled, I can always call them or go visit them. Like the tree rooted in the ground, my parents are also rooted in some of their beliefs. And like the leaf, I am free, and my experiences define my beliefs. It doesn’t mean I don’t have roots. I do. They just don’t look exactly like my parents’.
I hope you enjoyed reading ‘The Boy who Understood Leaves’. Like any story I’ve ever written, this one is close to my heart because it is inspired by recent life events. I am halfway through my 20s and there is still so much to learn about life, my parents and situations. Whether it is the fact that people are quick to judge (see Trigger Warnings in Book Reviews) or the fact that as we grow older, our experiences and values, that used to be exactly like our parents, start to change. I tried to bring some of those thoughts about family and growing up into this story.
Was there something you took away from it? What can I improve for next time?
I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for reading! 🙂
Cover Photo: Photo by Dmytro Tolokonov on Unsplash
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