Page 14 - FICTION
P. 14
THE TIMES ®
AUSTRALIA
The Holey Oak
by Barnaby Wilde
I don’t suppose anybody likes to see the death Of course, everyone knew it was rotten, but then
of a fne old tree, and the tree in Davey’s feld pretty much every tree that old is rotten in the mid-
was all three of those things. Fine, old and, now, dle. That’s just the way of trees. But no one expect-
dead. That oak tree had probably been there for ed it to fall down. That old oak tree had stood up
well over three hundred years and generations of to three hundred years of storms, wind, rain, frosts
folks had walked by it, sheltered under it, climbed and whatever. It had been snowed on, frozen and
up it, or carved their initials on it. More impor- baked. It had probably been struck by lightning
tantly, it had just stood there. A symbol of per- more times than most and, to be sure, it had a few
manence and reliability. A focal point. A back- dead branches and a big scar down one side, but
ground. A rallying point. A meeting place. Hell, still, we thought it’d be there forever.
that tree was pretty much the most important spot
in the whole village, I even proposed to my wife I guess everything has its time. Part of the inevi-
underneath it. Most days, though, we’d just walk table cycle of life, so they say. The only thing any
past without hardly noticing it. Until the day it fell of us can be sure of is that one day we’re gonna
over, that is. die. I guess it was just the oak tree’s time.
Image: Geograph- Creative Commons
14 Independent Media Inspiring Minds
AUSTRALIA
The Holey Oak
by Barnaby Wilde
I don’t suppose anybody likes to see the death Of course, everyone knew it was rotten, but then
of a fne old tree, and the tree in Davey’s feld pretty much every tree that old is rotten in the mid-
was all three of those things. Fine, old and, now, dle. That’s just the way of trees. But no one expect-
dead. That oak tree had probably been there for ed it to fall down. That old oak tree had stood up
well over three hundred years and generations of to three hundred years of storms, wind, rain, frosts
folks had walked by it, sheltered under it, climbed and whatever. It had been snowed on, frozen and
up it, or carved their initials on it. More impor- baked. It had probably been struck by lightning
tantly, it had just stood there. A symbol of per- more times than most and, to be sure, it had a few
manence and reliability. A focal point. A back- dead branches and a big scar down one side, but
ground. A rallying point. A meeting place. Hell, still, we thought it’d be there forever.
that tree was pretty much the most important spot
in the whole village, I even proposed to my wife I guess everything has its time. Part of the inevi-
underneath it. Most days, though, we’d just walk table cycle of life, so they say. The only thing any
past without hardly noticing it. Until the day it fell of us can be sure of is that one day we’re gonna
over, that is. die. I guess it was just the oak tree’s time.
Image: Geograph- Creative Commons
14 Independent Media Inspiring Minds
