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Many years ago, a small, golden acorn was planted at the foot of a mountain by a traveling nomad. He would make this journey once every five years as he went to sell the goods that he and his son made. Each time he passed by, he would document the acorn's growth and sprinkle a mixture of herbs at its roots. Over time, his acorn had grown from a small sapling into a mighty oak. After many years of care, however, the man passed away. His body was cremated, and he had arranged for his son to drop his ashes from the mountain top onto his oak tree below. Time passed, and many different species of creatures came to dwell within the oak's branches. There were a variety of birds, insects, and mammals that all called this tree home. Yet somehow, they all lived in harmony with one another. They lived in the tree for many years, each generation becoming the new guardians of the oak. The son of the traveler was now an older man himself. Just like his father, every few years he would make the same journey to sell what he and his own son made. Each time, he would nurture the tree with the same mixture that his father taught him, and would eventually pass that knowledge on to his boy. On one of his journeys, as he rounded the side of the mountain that would bring the tree into view, he stopped in his tracks and let out a gasp. <B>"What has happened?!" He ran as fast as he could toward his father's beloved tree, and found that a small city had been constructed near the tree. This city had sprung up sometime during the previous five years, and had expanded rapidly. At the rate the city was growing, it was only a matter of weeks before they would have to cut down the tree in order to make room for additional structures. The man pleaded with the city officials to leave the tree intact, and after telling them of the tree's history and what it meant to his father, they grudgingly acquiesced to his wishes. As soon as the man left the room, however, the officials burst into sinister laughter. In the night, while the animals were asleep, the workers approached the tree. <B>*chop chop* The animals immediately awoke from their sleep and knew they had to act fast in order to save the tree that had been their home for generations. They started swarming down the trunk and moved up and down its length so rapidly that the trunk appeared as if it were a living, writhing organism in the darkness. No man dared reach out to touch the wriggling mass before them, and they soon turned around and fled. Triumphant, the animals celebrated, satisfied that their home was finally safe. The next morning, the city officials gave a new order to deal with the tree. They had received a new shipment of lumber, so they wouldn't have to salvage any wood from the tree. They simply had to remove it. <B>"Fire! Everyone move to a safe distance!" The townspeople stared as the mighty oak went up in a blaze. Smiles danced across their faces with the prospect of further developing their bustling city. Thousands of animals scrambled down from the branches or flew away, their home for generations burning around them. - A man walked by himself, carrying a small, sealed jar into the city. It was a prosperous place, and he no longer had to travel around the mountain to sell his goods. On his way to the market, he found a great area of charred soil near the base of the mountain. He moved toward it, and saw that there was nothing in this area. Sifting through the charred remains of what had once been, he found a golden acorn. He quickly placed it in his pocket, deciding that he would travel to the town on the other side of the mountain to sell his wares, after all. - The man traveled to the top of the mountain, overlooking the city below. There, he removed the golden acorn from his pocket and planted it in the rich soil on the summit. After doing so, he opened the jar that he carried and sprinkled the ashes atop the acorn, while a single tear slid down his cheek. Khysanth | |