It was a sad morning in the Round Woods when we discovered that our eldest and most cherished oak tree in the Grove of the Ancients had crashed down during a ferocious overnight storm.

There was widespread damage throughout the Woods. Fortunately, there were few injuries to the resident animals and their families. They had the good sense to realize there was a storm coming and to burrow into their homes and hiding places ahead of time.

But losing this particular tree was a huge tragedy. This ancient, stately, learned tree was very special indeed. It was a Beginning Tree.

Beginning Trees are given life by the creator gods themselves. Their purpose is to be both a source of knowledge and a witness to the development of a newly formed planet. This Beginning Tree was created specifically for our planet Zelen.

The Tree chose the name Ordell for itself, which is Latin for “new beginning.” Beginning Trees have no gender, but our Zelen community felt rude calling Ordell “it,” so he was referred to as a male due to his imposing majestic presence.

Ordell had more than succeeded in his mission of being a recorder of Zelen’s evolution. He knew the planet’s entire history all the way back to its creation.

Ordell had watched Zelen’s beginning, recording how hot magma pushed from Zelen’s fiery center and cooled into huge mountains of granite rocks. He observed as vast amounts of water poured down from the icy clouds that wander endlessly throughout the universe. He saw lakes fill, oceans form and life begin. Ordell knew every species of plant and animal that had ever lived throughout the planet’s seasons.

Ordell not only knew everything about Zelen, but was in touch with other Beginning Trees on other planets. He had access to their experiences, their knowledge and even their expectations for the future of the cosmos.

Ordell was part of the vast Beginning Tree network across the universes. Their intertwined knowledge is more than a single Tree could ever know. Their collective information stores revolve around creator gods, universes, galaxies, planets, all manner of species, and even much knowledge of magical beings like elves and fairies and gnomes. They know the subtleties of the planning for this universe, and how it came to be such as it is.

To those unfamiliar with Beginning Trees, these primeval trees seem impassive and unconcerned with the universes around them. However, that is not true. They are willing to tell their tales to any being who has the patience to learn their slow language, plus the willingness to settle in and listen. The old trees are extremely pleased when their recollections are helpful to other beings.

Ordell was ancient when I first met him many millennia ago, when Zelen was still in its early stages. He did not so much learn my language as I learned his method of speaking. We connected psychically, through thoughts and images. Our conversations were communication between sympathetic minds. We were different species and extremely different in thoughts and form, but we still had harmony and understanding between us.

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Ordell and I had many long, slow conversations during warm summer nights. His words came from a place deep inside the earth, rising through his roots and trunk. He was curious about many topics and especially interested in the living beings around him. Every subject we discussed was added to his store of knowledge.

I spent much time sitting in the huge tree’s presence. I learned to wait patiently while he decided which knowledge he wanted to impart that evening, and I listened while he slowly brought the information from his immense resources. Ordell was not just knowledgeable but also wise. I learned so much about our planet Zelen and the surrounding galaxies. He even told creation stories that were unknown in the akashic records, since he and other Beginning Trees were given life prior to the idea of collecting all of the data from all of the universes.

Ordell was the progenitor of all the oak trees in our Grove of the Ancients. They grew from his acorns. These Ancients are also quite knowledgeable and awe-inspiring, but they do not have the special magic that the creator gods had bestowed upon Ordell and all of the original Beginning Trees. I do not have quite the strong friendships with the younger trees that I had with him.

I shall miss Ordell tremendously.

We decided that Ordell would want to be allowed to decompose in the forest where he had resided for so many millennia. Ordell would be happy to know that the scattered bits of bark and wood will eventually be nourishment for a woodland carpet of flowers.

I did set aside larger pieces of wood to carve into special items in the future. The logs still have echoes of Ordell’s magic throughout them. I shall have to think deeply about how best to use the precious lengths. Perhaps I could carve some trees of life to adorn the homes of my friends. The magic endowed from the creator gods could only help to protect their families. Or perhaps some serving bowls for fruit and gathered foods. An echo of enchantment from the creator gods would be a blessing for any table. And of course, I will carve a memorial to Ordell to place in the Grove of the Ancients. Future generations should never forget how his knowledge helped us form the planet.

Since Ordell had a large network of friends who loved and appreciated him and an entire grove of descendants who revered him, we decided to hold his memorial in the Grove of the Ancients.

I made a wreath of Ordell’s branches and foliage, weaving together both the still-green leaves and some of the older yellow and brown leaves. It was a symbol of the past, present and future of Zelen. The ripples of his knowledge and affection for the Round Woods will forever be a part of us. I placed the wreath at the entrance to the Grove.

We settled in for a day of grieving our loss together. Beings from all over the universe joined us, and we held long, slow conversations with Ordell’s descendants. We shared memories of Ordell’s kindness and willingness to share his knowledge. We recalled his enjoyment of learning about everything, from the smallest insect to the intricacies of how a universe was formed. We marveled at his ability to see the “all” of everything, how every living being and every swirl of matter fit together to form the cosmos.

Ordell’s energy has returned to the vast universe from whence it came, but we are so much richer for his long sojourn in the Round Woods.

I smiled at the thought of how much Ordell would have enjoyed his memorial. He would be happy at how much we appreciated him, and how we will continue to value his descendants' involvement in our lives.

Feeling drained but at peace after the long sad day, I turned from the somber stillness of the Grove and back to the energy and warmth of the living world.