The Taking Boy

[skysailor]

A riff on The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, from the boy's perspective.

Once there was a boy…

and he loved a great big tree.

And every day the boy would come

and he would gather her leaves

and make them into crowns

and play king of the forest.

He would climb up her trunk

and swing from her branches

and eat apples,

for he had nothing else to eat.

And they would play hide-and-go-seek.

and when he was tired,

he would sleep in her shade,

for he had nowhere else to sleep.

And the tree loved the boy…

very much.

And the boy wanted to be happy.

But time went by.

And the boy grew older,

and often could not visit the tree.

Then one day, the boy came to the tree,

and the tree said: "Come, Boy, come and

climb up my trunk and swing from my

branches and eat apples and play in my shade and be happy."

The boy wanted to be happy.

"I am too big to climb and play," said

the boy,

for it was true.

He was big enough to be put to work,

and he had to work all he could so he could eat

and have a place to sleep,

for the apples were too small to live on now,

and the branches were too small to sleep on now.

"I want to buy things and have fun.

I want some money?"

"I'm sorry," said the tree, "but I

have no money.

I have only leaves and apples.

Take my apples, Boy, and sell them in

the city. Then you will have money and

you will be happy."

 

And so the boy climbed up the

tree and gathered her apples

and carried them away.

And the boy was happy.

But apples do not bring much money,

and soon he had to work again.

He could not return for a long time…

and the boy was sad.

And then one day it was too cold to work

too cold to sleep

and there was someone he loved

and he had nothing he could give her.

He came back to the tree

and the tree shook with joy

for trees are strong

and need so little to be happy.

The tree said, "Come, Boy, climb up my trunk

and swing from my branches and be happy."

Boys are not trees

and need much more than that

to be happy.

"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy,

for it was true.

"I want a house to keep me warm," he said,

"I want a wife and I want children,

and so I need a house.

Can you give me a house?"

"I have no house," said the tree.

"The forest is my house."

For trees are strong,

and need so little to be warm.

"but you may cut off

my branches and build a

house. Then you will be happy."

And so the boy cut off her branches

and carried them away

to build his house,

a lean-to in the city slums,

just enough to keep out the breeze,

but not enough to offer a wife,

or to raise children.

And the boy was sad.

And the boy stayed away for a long time,

working and working,

until he was too old to work

and he began to starve.

And when he came back,

even the tree could hardly speak.

"Come, Boy," she whispered.

"come and play."

"I am too old and sad to play,"

said the boy,

for it was true.

"I want a boat that will take me far away from here.

Can you give me a boat?"

"Cut down my trunk

and make a boat," said the tree.

"Then you can sail away…

and be happy."

And so the boy cut down her trunk

and made a boat and sailed away.

And the boy was happy

…but not really.

 

The boy journeyed for a long time

but found no place

to even sit and rest.

So he came back again.

"I am sorry, Boy,"

said the tree, "but I have nothing

left to give you –

My apples are gone."

"My teeth are too weak

for apples," said the boy,

for it was true.

His teeth were too weak for food at all.

"My branches are gone,"

said the tree. "You

cannot swing on them – "

"I am too old to swing

on branches," said the boy,

for it was true.

He had lost all his strength to age.

"My trunk is gone," said the tree.

"You cannot climb – "

"I am too tired to climb," said the boy,

for it was true.

"I am sorry," sighed the tree.

"I wish that I could give you something…

but I have nothing left.

I am just an old stump.

I am sorry…"

He felt sad for the tree.

"I don't need very much now," said the boy.

"Just a quiet place to sit and rest.

I am very tired."

And that was true.

"Well," said the tree, straightening at his words.

"well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting.

Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."

And the tree held him up.

And the boy wished he could be happy.