Nature's Gift

NATURE’S GIFT




My tree house was the oddest one anyone has ever had. It was not made by
human hands but by the most violent storm that had ever hit our cottage. I watched it’s
creation from our picture window.
The storm started like always. The sky turned that strange pea green color. The oak and maple trees on the left side of the property turned their leaves around so the silvery green side showed. The waves on the lake turned into whitecaps and the wind started blowing. The leaves were rustling and blowing around.
As the storm got worse, I looked toward the huge old willow tree that stood on a little finger of land that stretched out into the lake. The wind made the long flexible branches dance and lash around. The whitecaps were coming in higher and higher on the beach but where the willow tree was, the waves crashed into the land and sprayed water high into the air. The rain began to beat down while lightening began to streak across the
sky which added to the beauty of the storm. The noise of the rumbling thunder joined with the noise of the wind to create a loud racket.
Then it happened, I heard this loud cracking sound as the willow tree roots snapped. The tree teetered for a few seconds and then it crashed to the ground with a loud thud that shook the cottage. The waves battered the tree pushing it against the shore.
I didn’t get a closer look till the next day when I was finally was allowed to go outside. There were leaves and branches all over the lawn. As I walked to the beach, I realized that it had moved closer to the cottage. Just a few stray clumps of grass peaked out of the sand where the lawn had been. The beach was covered in driftwood, seaweed and dead fish which gave off a putrid smell.
The biggest change was the weeping willow tree. Its large tangled roots stuck up out of the water. The main trunk was above the water level and pointed toward the shore. The trunk divided into four large branches. The lowest one was lying on the beach anchoring the tree. The second branch which was a few feet off the ground had sheltered the land and saved it from erosion. It made a pathway for me to take to the tree so I could climb on it easily. The third branch went out over the water with another branch coming off it. I could grab the smaller branch and swing off it and drop into the water below. The fourth branch went up on a slow slant into the air. All the long branches hung down like a beaded curtain making a private area between the four branches that I could crawl into and sit.
This tree caught my imagination. It became my pirate ship sailing on a distant ocean. It became my playhouse where I was a mother to my dolls. It was a cave where I hid from dinosaurs. It was my special place. I read books lying on the top branch with the sun beating down warming me. It was my place to think as the waves lapped on the shore, the birds sang, and the breeze rustled the leaves.
But the best time of all on the tree was at sunset, when the sun started sinking into the lake. The sky would change to every color of the rainbow. The clouds would change from white to pink to dark cotton balls in the sky. The light from the sun would turn into a line which sparkled and danced across the lake. Just before it got completely dark, the birds would sing their goodnights to each other and then they would become silent.
The only noise would be the soothing sound of the waves moving over the sand. Then the twinkling stars would start popping out of the darkness as the moon appeared.
But eventually, Mom would stick her head out the door and call me in for the night. I would reluctantly leave this beautiful peaceful place that nature had created just for me.