Click. Clack. Click. Clack. The sounds of footwear hitting the floor time and time again were the only things illuminating the silent atmosphere. Through the trees and bushes, a single boy could be found holding a single seed. He was dressed in taoist attire and had prayer beads wrapped around his hands. A calm expression could be found lurking on the boy’s face as he walked through the silent forest, continuing on the beaten path. Somewhere along the way though, he stopped and looked up to the sky.
A deep contemplative look could be seen on his face as he turned to the side, and walked off the beaten-path. He walked through the dirt, water, and mud, but strangely, not a single one of those stuck to his clothing. He came upon a near empty lot, devoid of trees, only filled by grass and earth. Seeing this strange occurrence, a light frown deepened the boy’s eyebrows. He made his way into the strange occurrence and his eyes widened as he stood in shock.
A grin came to his face as he set the seed aside and started digging in the dirt. Not too long afterwards, a hole about two fingers wide was created. Taking the seed, he carefully placed it inside the hole before covering it back up with dirt. Feeling pleased with his actions, a warm smile came to the boy’s lips as he stood back up and started practicing the forms he was taught since birth. Minutes passed by as the forms became more and more elegant, seamlessly integrating the boy into a part of the world.
His presence disappeared as he became one with world during his movements, however, after about 15 minutes, a faint light could be seen in the boy’s eyes as his moves became more aggressive. While keeping the elegance of the slow movements from before, an aura of majesty whirled around him as the wind started to pick up in the surroundings as well. His movements seemed to blend into and spur on nature, as the grass began swaying to his movements and the wind was blowing softly with an ethereal grace.
In the middle of all this, was the boy and the dirt patch on the floor, where the seed was planted. Time passed quickly and before the boy had even known it, his movements came to an end and the natural elements came to a still with him. The boy’s presence had come back and he looked to his surroundings with a fondness that was akin to as if the boy was looking at his most closely related family. Making slow movements, the boy sat down and repeated his taoist scriptures time and time again.
It was unknown how much time had passed, but when the boy finally left, the sky was finally turning dark. The next day, the boy came once more with the exception that this time, he came with some packed food. Much like the day before, the boy went through the forms and meditated, but also threw in some Qigong practice into the mix before leaving. He came once more the next day, and the next day, and the next day after that. Time passed quickly and soon, the small seed had grown into a small tree.
It was not grown all the way yet, but it was making steady progress. The boy, now someone who had just become an adult, had visited once again. This time, he came with a few wooden spikes and some interlocking papers. Around the tree, he planted each spike an equal distance away from each other before tying on the paper and interlocking every single spike, so it cordoned off the tree. Once he finished, he started to meditate, but the session lasted no longer than 10 minutes.
Afterwards, he once more started to go through the forms. When he first started doing them here, nature followed his movements and it was a scene of majesty. By now though, nature seemed to take the initiative and the resulting scene was like a finely painted picture that would last for millennia. Once the boy, now man, had finished, he once again left like any other day. As more and more time passed, the boy, had grown into an old man. With shaky steps, he walked along the path he had committed to memory over the years and came upon a clearing with a single, magnificent tree in the middle.
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It reached far higher than those in the surroundings and comparatively looked much more energetic. A smile crossed the man’s face as he passed the cordoned off area he had built so long ago. Sitting down next to the tree as if it was an old friend, he laid on it with utter calmness. Seconds turned to minutes, which soon turned to hours as he sat in silence, contemplating his life. His eyes started to grow weak, and once he closed them, it wasn’t long before his breathing stopped with his heartbeat stilling as well.
The wind picked up and started blowing things in a rage while the grass churned in sadness. Dark clouds filled the sky and the sounds of thunder were accompanied by raindrops. The tree that the man lay on however, was still. It was as energetic as before as a single leaf, drifted from its sea of green. It seemed unperturbed by the raging winds, the water from the skies had no affect on it as it slowly drifted down. After a few seconds, it landed on the old man’s hands.
A bolt of lightning then struck down from the heavens, crashing violently into the tree. However, the tree did not burst into flames. On the contrary, it started to glow a deep yellow. The spikes and paper the man had put up only seemed to boost the glow even further into illumination and nature stilled once more. However, the ground started to rumble as the tree’s roots were uprooted, seemingly fusing back into the tree.
The tree continued to morph smaller and smaller, changing it’s form, but it always kept the man’s body in a peaceful state. After a while, the tree was gone, replaced by a handsome man with sparkling green eyes. He sat down and gently rested his hand on the old man’s forehead. Looking up to the sky, he released a small smile but the single tear that dripped down his face was noticeable. Nature turned silent in that moment. If the one he had planted and cared for since childhood could remain in a state of calm sadness, then nature wouldn’t kick up a storm.
Cloth materialised on the man in seconds as he sat in silence. he gave one last look at the old man’s body before standing up, but he noticed a small bump on the side of the old man’s waist. He took it from the old man and knew it to be a sword. The old man had frequently practiced with it over the years and the man had put it back in it’s scabbard. Tying it to his waist, he looked up at the sky with a hint of gratitude before he started digging a hole. Hours passed and soon, a hole big enough to fit a person was built.
The man lifted the old man’s body with ease and placed it inside before covering him with dirt once more. He had dedicated his life to nature, he would no doubt want to dedicate his death to it as well. As the man stood after he finished the deed, he started reciting the scriptures the old man had repeated throughout the years. Hearing his words, the grass dropped down in melancholy and the wind was but a soft breeze that blew through the lands.
A peculiar spark found it’s way into the man’s eyes after he finished reciting the scriptures. He bowed once towards the grave, and left. His journey would start from here, a long road that seemed to never end. However, his roots remained here, where he was planted, where he was nurtured, and where that boy had grown into an old man.