I realize that my long life is about to end. I take a deep breath of the fresh air and say goodbye to the world. My expansive life is almost over. I am a 1000-year-old tree. My name is Lindan and I live in Bulgaria. I am very tall, big and beautiful. There is a lake next to me and various other trees. All of the trees know me really well. They are my friends. Every day a lot of different people come to the park and see me. Some of them have picnics under my long branches. Some students come to study and relax. Kids come to play different games. When they play hide and seek, they like to conceal themselves behind my huge trunk. Some people just come for a walk. I feel so happy when I see all of these people around me. 

One morning when I wake up I see two men looking at me. I get scared because they have axes and chainsaws. I ask myself if they are going to cut me down. They start to take my measurements. They measure my trunk and my height. After they are done, they say that they are probably going to choose me because they think that I am the best one. I don’t understand them so I ask my best friend, Bazzel. When I speak to him, he is crying. I get more worried and confused. I ask him to tell me what is happening. He says that this morning he saw two lumberjacks. He heard them say that they wanted to make a wooden statue of a famous artist. They planned to choose the best tree and cut it down. Oh No! I realize that the tree they have chosen is me. I get goosebumps on my bark. I decide to go and talk to the other trees in the forest. “Oh my God! I can’t believe it!’’ one of my friends exclaims as she starts crying. “How are we going to live without you?’’ she asks. Everybody is crying. 

We decide to spend the whole night together. We talk about the happy and sad moments we have had together. We remember all of our adventures and how powerfully we held each other in the strong wind. We talk about the people we have seen. We have fun for the last time. The sun rises. It is early in the morning. Nobody is in the park. Only my friends and I are there. 

A little later, the two lumberjacks arrive. They prepare themselves and put the mark of death on me. Then they are ready to cut me down. My friends are crying and yelling to stop them. While they are cutting, all of my body hurts. Finally, I fall to the hard ground. I look at my sad and disappointed friends. I realize that my long life is about to end. I take a deep breath of the fresh air, and say goodbye to the world. My life is finally over.

–WP–

(Published February 2020)