Whispering Trees

18 Whispering Trees Long ago, humans lived in a beautiful garden. They lived happily and did not need to work. They made mistakes, however, and displeased their creator. Soon they were driven from the garden. For the first time, people had to work. Life was difficult for everyone. Woodcutters were especially troubled, for in those days, humans were not alone in their ability to speak. Plants and trees could talk too. Of course, when the woodcutter came to the forest, the trees were not happy. When his axe first struck a pine tree, the tree cried out loudly, “ Do not cut me, please! Can you not see the tears running down my trunk with each cut of your sharp axe?" Indeed, the woodcutter saw the thick, sticky sap coming out from the pine. He moved along, coming next to a spruce tree. As his axe struck the spruce, the tree shouted, “ Do not cut me, Sir! Can you not see that my wood is twisted and soft? It is of no value to you! Please, leave me alone! "

Then, the woodcutter came to an alder tree. When his axe struck the alder, a red sap began to flow from the tree. “ Ouch! " cried the alder. “ Do not cut me. Can you not see that my blood runs red when you cut me? My wood is of no use to you! " The woodcutter returned to the garden and explained his situation to the creator. “ Humans must now work as you commanded, " he said. “ But I cannot do my job because the trees cry when my axe strikes them. They make excuses and keep me from my work. " The creator promised to make things better. He forbade the trees to argue with the woodcutter. Being too frightened to go against the word of their creator, the trees no longer shouted when the axe struck them. But they were still upset. Afraid to shout, they whispered in low voices that did not distract the woodcutter while he worked. And that is why today you can hear the trees whispering quietly in the woods when humans enter. They still complain, but they do so quietly so as not to disobey their creator.