Spring
A young boy runs through the forest, giggling with excitement. He had been trapped in the house all winter: kept inside by his parents to defend him from the cold. The boy runs and runs, driven by the boundless energy that children have. There is so much to explore in this self-reviving wonderland, so much fun to be had. Slowly, the boy comes to a stop. He looks up, mystified by the expanse surrounding him. It’s so large, so incomprehensibly large. Buds of new life emerge everywhere around him and melted snow drips from the treetops. He looks down and sees the small sapling of a tree. The boy studies it, examines every inch of the tree: the small leaves, the tiny, delicate stems. Fascinated by the simple treasure he has found, the boys sits in silence to admire his find for a short while, then runs home to share his discovery with Mom and Dad.
Summer
A couple, teenagers, stroll through the forest, laughing as they go. The forest is completely green now, alive, thriving. Thin rays of sunlight trickle through the cover that the thick canopy above has created and warm the cool air. It’s mid-morning and the constant, peaceful hum of the forest fills the air. The couple comes to the tree, larger now, and sits down to rest in it’s small patch of shade. They continue talking, teasing each other until they run out of things to say, and then silence. They sit together, hand in hand. He looks at her and senses something turn deep inside of him. She shifts and a ray of sunlight illuminates her face. She closes her brown eyes. The boy leans in close to her and feels the warmth of her breath on his face. He leans in closer and feels the smooth, subtle touch of her lips on his own. They stay that way for a moment, taking in the sensation, and then he leans back: his first kiss.
Fall
A man walks through the forest, his arm stretched out below his waist so he can hold his daughter’s tiny hand in his own. They walk side by side, her little legs taking long paces to keep up with his larger ones. They come to the tree and sit at its base, facing each other. He tells her a funny story from his past that she gleefully giggles at. The man feels an overwhelming sense of joy when he looks at her happy face; her twinkling eyes and a smile so large it shows every one of her teeth. He has never been more thankful for anything in his life. He feels a tear come to his eye but he wipes it away; she is still too young to understand tears of happiness. He opens his arms wide in a familiar gesture to her. She jumps into them, embracing him. They stayed that way for a while, silent, until he tells her “I love you, I love you…”, once for every orange leaf he sees loftily float to the ground.
Winter
An old man walks through the forest, snow crunching beneath his feet. He takes small, slow steps, grasping the beauty of the forest he has come to know so well. The air is thin and harsh on his aged lungs. It bites at his nose and uncovered ears, reddening them. The naked branches of the familiar trees around him seem to reach up to the heavens, begging for an end to the cruel winter. The man comes to his tree and studies it, just as he did the day that he found it so many years ago. “Oh, how we’ve grown,” he says. He thinks back on his life: his accomplishments, his failures, the ones he’s loved. He’s had a good life. The old man sits down, his back resting against the strong truck of the tree: his favorite spot in the world. He closes his eyes. In the silence of the forest and with a smile on his face, he falls into an eternal sleep.
I would love suggestions for a title.