The Man and The Tree

Once upon a time, as all of these stories go. There once was a kind and caring man, who loved the birds and the trees, and branches swinging in the breeze. He would often travel through the woods by his town, relaxing after a long day of fixing and building, adding homes and raising hopes. To him, the forest was his retreat, and the animals and plants in it were almost like family to him.

One day, he was walking in the forest. When he came across a wide clearing, with a single tree in its center. Out of all of the trees, it looked like it was the only one that could support a house, the rest looked too weak for anything else. Upon the ground, crying aloud, lay a small family of birds. Their nest was ruined, and they cried. The man took pity, and hurried back to make the birds a home. When he returned, he began to make a birdhouse, on a long pole, as the sky started to turn dark and stormy. Luckily, he had finished just in time, as the first drops of rain fell on the birds small wings. He placed the birds in the birdhouse, and left as the storm began to rage.

The next day, he came back to check on the birds. He feared the worst, as he found the birdhouse ruined by the storm. But the birds were safe in the tree, which hadn’t even moved an inch. “Don’t worry.” Said the man. “I’ll make a better house!” This time, he brought more material and began to make a new home for the birds, who slept soundly in the tree. He built the house under one of the other trees this time, saying “This will work much better than that sole tree!” By nightfall, he put the birds inside of the new home, and slept soundly through the night.

On the third day, he came back to discover that his new home was once again ruined. A stray branch from the old tree beside the house had crashed onto the roof. Worried sick, he panicked and tried to find the birds. But once again, up in that single tree, the birds were sound asleep. Still without a nest. Determined, the man began to think of the perfect house for them to say in. “It will be better than anything the forest can give!”

The man spent almost a week in his store, planning out every detail for the best house for the birds. Finally, he had his design, and he got his tools and set to work. By nightfall, he had the best house design ever; a birdhouse on 4 legs, leaning beside an old and rotted tree, which no branches remained. The man smiled at his creation, and once again put the birds into the new home. As he left, a new storm began to build, but the man felt confident that he had made the best house ever.

By the next morning, the man was in total shock. His birdhouse laid in shambles. The tree itself had fallen on the house during the storm. Defeated, the man felt sorrow on himself. How could he, the best builder in town, fail to give even a family of birds a new home? He sighed and looked to the sturdy tree in the center of it all, and the birds comfortably sleeping on one of the branches. He sat down in the clearing, and looked at the tree for hours. Finally, he understood. He gave the birds some food, and left for the final time. The people in town, well aware of what the man was doing, asked him “Why did you not make the birds a home?” The man replied. “I didn’t make them a home; they already had a home.”