The Secret Tree

  by Izzy Borg

  Winner of Oxfordshire Libraries’

  eBook Short Story Competition 2022

  in the Young Adult category

  Merrifort wasn’t an apt name for the dismal, desolate town that it described. It was a place devoid of any merriment whatsoever.

  Once upon a time, it’d been proud to exist as a pleasant, prosperous area frequented by tourists, who came to admire the blossoming flower gardens and picnic on the luscious green hills and breathe in the aura of magic that surrounded its people.

  But then disaster struck Merrifort – and it struck hard. On one dreadful day that became imprinted upon the minds of all its residents, a roaring fire broke out in one of its tenement buildings, caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette. By the time it’d been discovered, it was too late; the flames had consumed the entire block of flats and stolen the lives of almost one hundred people within it. Parents, children, siblings, friends… all gone, every trace of them burnt down to ashes that scattered away on the wind.

  After that, it was as though the remaining citizens had forgotten the joy of being alive. Every smile, every laugh, every scrap of happiness faded into nothing, left to decay along with the remains of the building. Only the children still remembered how to enjoy themselves, too young to be tortured by the memory of the fire and its aftermath. If it weren’t for their shining light, the town would’ve been suffocated by an inescapable blanket of darkness.

  There was only one person who could liberate Merrifort from its misery – and her name was Stella Goldstein.

  Superficially, Stella appeared to be an ordinary young woman: slight in stature, with an abundance of dark, glossy hair, green eyes filled with a radiant sparkle and a warm smile that could light up any room. But there was something unique about her that she hid within – a special gift she’d been blessed with at birth. She understood people. And not just in the way you’d expect. She felt their emotions, experienced their pain and recognised when they needed support. If somebody was in a difficult situation, she’d rush to their rescue without a second of hesitation and implant in their mind the perfect answer to solve the problem. From then on, it was up to them to decide what to do with the assistance she’d provided.

  Stella gleaned information of the hardship that had fallen upon Merrifort, and instantly she knew that she must travel there to prevent the town from sinking further into a state of disrepair. She had to see what’d gone so drastically wrong in a place once renowned for its vivacity.

  When she arrived after a lengthy, draining journey, she would’ve loved to be welcomed with open arms and offered directions to the nearest hotel. But instead she was greeted by a wall of silence, penetrated only by the whistling of the wind. Even the birds, perched high up in the naked treetops, neglected to chirp down a hello. She’d seen all that she needed to see. This was undoubtedly a town in need of reviving, and she was resolute that she’d be the one to revive it.

  Without pausing to rest her weary legs, she headed for her next destination: the public park. It used to be full of life, with the gardener tending to myriads of plant species, the marble fountain spouting streams of water and the rainbow-coloured play equipment teeming with animated children. However, the gardener died in the fire and no-one had the heart to replace him, the fountain broke and no-one had the money to repair it, the play equipment rotted and no-one had the time to restore it.

  After a swift inspection, Stella uncovered the area in most need of rejuvenating: a vast patch of barren grassland, neglected for years. She wandered over and knelt on the damp ground. From her pocket, she withdrew a seed that was barely bigger than a pea. It didn’t look like much from the outside, but it had the power to change everything for Merrifort. With her finger, she created a hole in the dirt and lowered the seed gently into it, before covering it with the soil she’d dislodged. Then she only had to wait seconds before a tiny shoot sprouted from the ground and grew upwards, without the aid of water, until it developed into a gigantic oak tree. Its branches twisted and turned in all directions, thriving with emerald-green leaves and shiny brown acorns, and the lines that marked the trunk gave the appearance of a wise, wrinkled face carved into its surface. Against the bleak background of the abandoned park, one couldn’t be blamed for thinking that this tree appeared magical.

  Of course what the people didn’t know was that the tree was magical. It was a Secret Tree, where people could share their untold tales and relieve a burden from their shoulders without anyone else hearing what they’d done. Stella was sure that, once the citizens of Merrifort began to open up about their troubles, they would immediately feel content again and remember how life used to be before their worries emerged. It would bring the community back together.

  With a magnificent flourish, she produced hundreds of paper tags out of thin air, grasped one in her hand and traced a note upon it using only her finger, for all the people to see:

  “This is the Secret Tree. If you’ve been weighed down by secrets that you’ve kept, this is your chance to feel free again. Anonymously write down your secret, hang it upon the tree and discover the next steps to dealing with your concern.”

  She suspended her message from one of the tree’s foremost branches, where no-one could fail to notice it twirling on the breeze, and slipped away silently. The knowledge that she had done all she could to help filled her body with a warm, tingling sensation. Now all that was left to do was retreat and allow the people to work their own magic.

  The first to succumb to the power of the Secret Tree was a girl traipsing through the park on her way home from school. Her name was Maddison. She was on the cusp of adulthood and blooming into a beautiful young lady, with a winsome smile that seemed to radiate happiness. But Stella knew that she was putting on an act, hiding her true self behind a mask. Although she wouldn’t dare to show it, a profound sadness was festering inside her heart, eating away at her like a lethal poison.

  As Maddie passed the tree, a look of bemusement contorted her features; she was convinced it hadn’t been there that very morning. After pausing to ponder it, curiosity overpowered her and she edged forward to inspect this phenomenon more closely. She marvelled at the immense trunk, the crooked branches and the gleaming acorns, before her eyes caught sight of the singular white tag, conspicuous amongst the green leaves. Drawing up onto her tiptoes, she leaned in closer and devoured Stella’s words of wisdom.

  Only seconds flew by before Maddie had taken a tag of her own and was scribbling onto it with a ballpoint pen from the depths of her pocket. The plan had worked – exactly as it should’ve done.

  Once she had found a branch to hang her secret upon, she hurried on down the path, leaving Stella to swoop in and collect the evidence. The writing was small and cramped, but once she looked closely, there was no mistaking what it said:

  “I’m pregnant. Writing it down makes it seem even truer, and I wish it wasn’t. I’m only 16 – I can’t bring up a child! I want to tell someone, anyone, but I’m scared. What if they judge me or don’t want to know me anymore? I don’t know what to do…”

  Stella’s kind heart sank in sympathy. She could only imagine the conflict that must’ve been happening inside the poor girl’s head: should she tell anyone her secret or would it be best to keep it to herself? Instantly, Stella had a vision of Maddie announcing the pregnancy to her parents and, once they’d gotten over the initial shock, they happily agreed to work together and create a solution that would be best for everyone.

  Whilst the girl was still in sight, Stella conjured up an image of her face and guided the vision through the air into her mind. She watched as Maddie stopped in her tracks, watching a future that only she could see swimming before her eyes. Once she’d seen what she had to do, she set off home with a new spring in her step – and a genuine smile on her face.

  Maddie wasn’t the only visitor to the Secret Tree. As more and more of Merrifort’s citizens heard of the miraculous, advice-giving tree in the park, they flocked to experience its magic first-hand.

  10-year-old Cara confessed to stealing a chocolate bar, after her older brother – who was babysitting her – told her he couldn’t afford one. Since she had already eaten it, Stella advised her to return to the shop and offer payment for it, along with a sincere apology to the shopkeeper.

  44-year-old Mick planned to propose to his new girlfriend, Christie. He loved her but he was nervous of rejection, and he didn’t know how his son Curtis would react to the idea of a step-mum. Stella recommended that he arrange a special event, such as a meal or a party, to encourage his family to get to know Christie before the proposal. She assured him that it was normal to feel nervous, but if he truly loved her, then he should follow his dreams and hope for the best!

  17-year-old Zahra had a boyfriend called Eddie and he’d made friends with a boy called Isaac. Zahra couldn’t stand Isaac and she didn’t like being around him, but she didn’t know how to tell Eddie without offending him. Stella instructed her to talk to Eddie about how she felt, and to suggest that they met up separately instead of in a group. That way, he could continue to spend time with both of them without being caught in the middle of a conflict.

  23-year-old Lara wasn’t really called Lara at all. Her name was Matilda. She was trapped in an unhappy relationship back home and she felt there was no way out, so she ran away and invented a new life in Merrifort, where nobody would recognize her. She didn’t want everyone to know her secrets, but she also didn’t want to hide herself away fro

m the world. Stella directed her to start by telling only those she trusted most about her past, so that they would understand her pain and she could start to build better relationships with them. She also encouraged ‘Lara’ to let her family and friends back home know why she’d left and to reassure them that she was doing fine on her own.

  One by one, the residents of Merrifort revealed their secrets to the tree. Stella had enchanted the tags so that the words appeared invisible to anyone excluding her and the writer, which gave people an added sense of privacy. They were no longer afraid to tell the truth. Best of all, the secret-keepers always accepted Stella’s advice and acted on it; even though they were unaware of her existence, they believed in her words completely. The tree developed into a sanctuary, a counsellor, the one they relied on to lighten their burdens when they were feeling down. Once more, Merrifort became a town overflowing with merriment.

  Until the day that everything changed.

  A new sports field had been commissioned by the council in an attempt to prevent children from starting ball games in the middle of the roads, and the park seemed like the perfect place for it to be located. There was a vast area of land that could easily be converted into a sports field, which had been empty for years. All they had to do was restore the grass, construct a fence and buy some goalposts, before the job was complete.

  Except that, unbeknownst to the council, the land wasn’t empty at all. It was the site of the sacred Secret Tree – and for the field to exist, the tree would have to be cut down.

  Once Merrifort’s citizens heard of the plans, chaos ensued. For the first time since the fire, they had been happy again. They’d learnt to laugh and communicate and enjoy the company of others like they used to. The town had risen out of its slump. And that was all down to the Secret Tree.

  The thought of strangers invading their park and slaughtering their tree was too horrific to bear. Nobody wanted Merrifort to lose itself in the dark days again, and without the tree, it surely would. Their newfound joy would be replaced by yet more guilt and secrets and silence. They couldn’t allow that to happen. They wouldn’t allow that to happen.

  So, on the day of the field’s renovation, the people of Merrifort gathered in the park. Young and old, male and female, couples and families… all could be found clustered around the tree. The day had barely begun, and on an ordinary morning, they would be tucked up in their beds, but this was no ordinary morning. Sleep could wait until tomorrow. Today they needed to fight.

  The demonstration began the moment a council official set foot on the grass.

  All of a sudden, the park came alive with activity. For miles around, all that could be heard was a chorus of voices, raised together in the song of protest. Teenagers waved handmade placards splashed in colour and emblazoned with bold words. Adults distributed flyers that highlighted everything the Secret Tree had done for Merrifort. Children were lifted onto their parents’ shoulders, from where they shouted down desperate pleas for their tree to be saved. Never had the town thrived with so much community spirit.

  There had been nothing they could do to save their loved ones when the fire was raging through the tenement building, and their shame had consumed them ever since. Now, finally, there was something they could do to honour those who had once been a part of their beautiful hometown. And they weren’t going to do it half-heartedly.

  After all the effort they had gone to, there was no way that the council could refuse them. They didn’t give up on the idea of the sports field, but they agreed to find a new space for it. They were so enthralled by the tree, and the affection that the people held for it, that striking it down with an axe seemed like an unimaginable crime. Leaving the people behind to celebrate, they said their goodbyes and hastily departed.

  Throughout all the commotion, a lone figure concealed themself in the shadows, watching the action unfold. It was Stella. A single tear rolled down her cheek, as she marvelled at the change in the people who stood before her. A change she’d triggered. When she’d first created the Secret Tree, she’d never imagined the magic it was capable of, but clearly it had worked wonders in Merrifort. It had brought the people back together, allowed them to release years of repressed emotions and, most importantly, reminded them that just because the one you love is lost, it doesn’t mean that hope is lost.

  Perhaps everyone should plant their own Secret Tree , Stella thought to herself, as she retreated from the town that no longer needed her. If this is what it can do to transform one town, just think what it could do for the world…

 

 

  Izzy Borg, The Secret Tree

  Thanks for reading the books on GrayCity.Net