Planted long ago, the tree had seen many seasons come and go. He marked time as his world cycled from wet and green to frozen and white, and he always looked forward to a nice winter nap when the leaves finally finished showing off their rainbow colors and floated to the ground. At some point, the curious-looking two-legged creatures living behind him started planting friends for him. Cherry and Peach and their sisters were his favorite. They always spoke the kindest, and they brought the funny little buzzing creatures that landed on each blossom during the wet and green time. They would occasionally buzz around him, but since he had no flowers, they quickly got bored and moved off. His favorite time was during the really warm part of the cycle. The smallest of the two-legged creatures would spend hours playing in the soft green stuff at the base of his trunk. Occasionally one of them would stand really close to him with their head pressed against his bark and utter strange incantation...
