Welcome home everyone, to another story by my midnight fire.

Todays story features a pretty common sight upon the mountain, The Trees, or more specifically, one tree in a forest of green.

When you imagine this tree think of an old oak, lightning struck and burnt inside and out, barely hanging on with the last threads of its life.

Out of the surrounding Forrest strolls by a little man with a long scaly tail, clad in black with a golden bow tie, he looked mighty fine indeed.

The tree called out, in a hoarse voice, "Please traveler, Please! I need some water to cool my burns"

The man kept strolling on by like he couldnt hear the tree, so the tree tried again, " Please! Ill give anything! Just give me some water!"

The man turned with a slow curious grin?

"Anything?" asks the small man.

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"Anything." says the tree with a weary voice.

"If your so sure, how about we make a deal" drawled the small man slowly.

"Ill give you water, for a small measly price."

"What is it! Ill give you anything, JUST NAME IT!"

"Well... I want your name."

"My name? All you want is my name and you'll give me water?"

"Sure as sunshine I will."

"Listen carefully for ill only say it once."

The creak of trees, the movement of storms and lightning, steadfast limbs.

The man hears all this and more by the time the tree was done.

"Thank your for that for telling me, as I promised here is some water for you."

The man brings forth a big heaping waterskin full of water for the tree to drink from.

"Slow and smooth, slow and smooth, wise your may choke." says the man.

The tree does not in fact drink slow and smooth, he drinks it all in one gulp.

By the end of the drink the tree feels refreshed, invigorated almost, until he feels it.

The poison coursing through him, changing, consuming him for all he's worth, as the tree cries out in agony the man says.

"The only demons you can control are the ones you make yourself"

Slowly he walks away as the tree changes rapidly, the bark turning ghostly white and the leaves all transforming into red pulsating membranes of meat and blood.

The life slowly leaches from the land as the sun sets past the mountain.

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