The Tree House
Sam doesn't always have a reason for things; he said he wanted this one just because he likes trees. But he had been climbing a tree in the garden to make a bird's nest a few days' earlier.
Once upon a bright warm spring day, a young sapling called Tabby was busy growing in a garden. Tabby was quite a happy little tree, apart from one problem. She really wanted to be big and strong enough to have a tree house built in her.
Across the other side of the garden was a great big strong tree called Tindel, who did have a tree house built in him. The children who lived at the house had lots of fun climbing up and playing in the tree house during the summer, and a squirrel lived there in the winter.
Tindel was a friendly tree and tried to comfort Tabby.
“Don't worry, every year you'll grow bigger and stronger, and eventually they'll be able to build a tree house in you.”
“But they won't want two tree houses,” complained Tabby.
“Don't worry, I said! As I get older, my branches will become dry or rotten and it won't be safe to have a tree house in me. They'll move it across to you.”
So year after year, Tabby tried her best to grow big and strong. Eventually, she was strong enough to support a tree house. Tabby looked forward excitedly to when the grown-ups in the house would move the tree house across from Tindel to her.
But the time never came. The children were no longer children. They had grown up into grown ups and had left home – to work, to university, to their own houses. Their parents came out one day to look at the tree house.
“We may as well take it down and put it on the bonfire,” they said. They too were sad, because they could remember all the fun the children had had playing in it. But it was starting to get old and rotten, so they took it down.
Tabby was very upset. “Now I'll never get a tree house!”
“Don't give up hope,” said Tindel, “You never know what the future will hold. Just keep trying your best to grow up big and strong.”
The years went by. Tabby grew into a fine, strong tree, with big, sturdy branches. Tindel was still healthy, but some of his branches were starting to become weak.
Then, one bright warm spring day, a little girl came running into the garden. It was the daughter of one of the children who had grown up in the house and had played in the old tree house.
The little girl pointed at Tabby.
“Please mummy, can we have a tree house?”
“We'll ask granddad. It should be OK. We used to have one in that old tree over there when we were young.”
The little girl's granddad thought it was a splendid idea. Soon Tabby had her very own tree house, and over the years, more and more grand children came and played in it.
“You were right,” said Tabby to Tindel, “all I had to do was to keep doing what I do best – growing up into a big and strong tree.”