Social Story – The Tree and the Yellow Leaves
Photo credit: diana_s from morguefile.com
Once there was a big tree in the middle of the forest. It boasted for its crown and it made its fame for it. There were several trees surrounding this tree but they had no match to its beauty in terms of its form and foliage. One day, the tree felt heavy of carrying its superfluous foliage. This tree was afraid of losing each leaf in its branches refused to give way even one leaf everyday. It was thinking it would lose its fame once even one leaf would be lost of its being. So it guarded all leaves and made mandate among them that no one would be lost at its site every now and then. The tree sent a mandate to all its leaves that no matter what happen none was expected to surrender in clinging themselves into its branches.
“Whomsoever would attempt to unfasten their hold to my branches would mean death forever in the pool of no return!” , the big tree roared creating tremor to all the foliage.
As years by, they all abide the tree’s mandate. They had witnessed how the tree sent off the unbearable punishment to its leaf who arguably defied its order of staying with it forever. One day, a new leaf came into view. Since it still very young, some ants and aphids were attracted to it. They started to suck its tenderness and made several cutting designs to its size. Every bite, echoed an excruciating pain on its leaf as witness by the tree. The tree could not send any help but witness how the young leaf struggled for its life.
“Help me!” , please help me…, I could no longer persevere every sharp bladé of tongue cutting my body, please help me or kill me at once”!.
But none ever extend a hand of help, not even the green leaves around. Deep inside, the young leaf harboured rancor of everyone around including to the tree. When the ants and aphids were draining its youthful look and juice, they left the leaf with satisfied look. The leaf grew into maturity but it became rebellious to any mandate of the tree. It came to its senses that it never occurred any trembling cell in its body as response to horrible order of power from a tree but a trembling grudges developed day by day against the tree. The matured leaf carried the scar of the horrible incident in its life as everyone around turned away looking at its feature. Unknown to many, it devised a secret plan of destroying the tree. It befriended to aphids and ants and secretly fooled them that the trees’ roots were sweeter than all the leaves around the tree.
The ants and aphids tried it and knew thereafter that the matured leaf was true to its information. They began to sucked its roots together. Deep inside, the matured leaf laughed and even had seen one day the visible fallen tree yelling and agonizing help for its survival. Then, one day, almost all the leaves of the tree turned yellow in color. The tree was confused, shocked and tormented because it was ridiculed by its species around. The fear of death came into its being.
“Ha, ha,ha,ha,ha ha…Your about to die big and boastful tree! , You are no longer on your fame. You have to accept that everyone should bid farewell”, shouted one young tree which was ridiculed before by that boastful yet dying tree.
“No, it won’t happen, you’re just jealous at my look. Haven’t you noticed, I become new with my yellow foliage? Why not accept that you’re just jealous at my new look?”
All were silent of the pride held by the tree. But more happier that time was the secret giggling of the matured leaf, which almost turned yellow too. It was rejoicing for the near death of a tree. When it’s time for the last breath of the tree, the matured leaf was surprised and in panic when it felt its weakness too. It couldn’t believe the fact that it too had to face death. Contrary to others, its color never fade totally fade. It’s still green and continued to breath life. When the tree lost its breathe, the matured leaf was overjoyed because it was the only one that had life. All of the leaves died falling one by one.
“Yepeh, I’m alive, I win!, I am alive, yes, yes, yahoo! Now, I have gain the prize of revenge!”, quipped the leaf.
Suddenly all the yellow leaf were fallen at its back which suffocated its breath. “Get out of me, I could not breathe, get out of me!” .
But leaves continued to fall. Day by day, the matured leaf continued to struggle for life to get out from the burden. Then suddenly, it heard sweeping and hate engulfed its surrounding till it knew, everyone was on fire, including itself.
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By: Susan Tan Aparejo, Ph.D.
