Bao Bob Pine

Nicholas P. Ippoliti

Like soldiers, they stood in attention, one after another. Tuchee Mountain's peak was bursting with tall and strong Pine trees, all except Bao Bob.

Late at night, under a peaceful sky, the Pines would rustle stories in whispers atop their branches. The owl, perched upon the highest, was as still as the stars. The owl loved to listen in on their tall tales.

Lately there had been much talk about the buzzing and thundering echoing in the valley just below them. The noise went on all day long.

"I heard that trees can move. Really, they can get up and move," rustled one pine.

"What a ridiculous idea," winded another.

"Don't believe me. But it's true. And when the red tree-mover comes, I'm outta here. I've been standing here for way to long. It's time for this Pine to move along," whistled the first pine.

And his song carried up through the deep blue evening sky, kissing the stars and landing on the lower part of a thumbnail moon.

Bao Bob stood no taller than the others third row of branches. Bao Bob wished she were tall and strong so she too could rustle whispers and songs into the peaceful night sky.

Every day the buzzing and thundering grew closer to Tuchee Mountain and with it brought even taller tales of moving trees.

" I heard the Sycamores all moved."

" And the Chestnuts, they all moved too!"

" I' m tired of staring into the same old sky, it's time for this Pine to fly"echoed throughout the night forest.

Bao Bob stood as tall and as strong as she might. She had never seen the night sky. She wondered if the sky was that boring. She wondered if the night sky was ugly.

"Why move?" she thought.

As the seasons changed to winter the buzzing and thundering stopped. The late night, tree chatter turned mostly to stories told by the oldest of Pines.

" I remember back when we didn't have nuttin'," bellowed Bucky Pine.

 Bucky was the oldest Pine on Tuchee Mountain and everybody loved his stories, especially in the dead of winter. He always had a way of making the others laugh. Sometimes the Pines would laugh so hard their roots, frozen in the forest floor, would warm.

" You gotta figure, when there's less trees, there's less everything. And now, look at how tall and strong we are! How many friends we have! " He'd wisp.

" I heard the Hemlocks have all moved. I hope the buzzing and thundering comes back, my barks about to crack from the cold. I hear it stays warm in other places."

"I'm tired of the cold, I'm tired of growing old, staring into the same sky, it's time for me to fly" carried through the endless night sky.

Bao Bob liked winter the best. She always stayed warmer than the other Pines because she was blanketed by all of her tall and strong friends.

One night Baobob tried mustering up enough strength to stand as tall and as strong as all the other Pines. She still wanted to ask why the Pines wanted to move.

" Why move?" her tiny voice stretched as high as it could.

She wasn't sure if the other Pines had heard her.

" Why move?" she asked again.

But the most that echoed back was an annoying

"Whoooo Move?" from the owl.

As sure as the Sun rises, winter thawed to spring and the buzzing and thundering did return, this time on Tuchee Mountain.

All the Pines stood tall and strong, waiting to be the next moving tree, including Baobob. But she stood tall and strong because she saw Bucky and all her friends standing tall.

Night after night, Baobob's canopy of friends thinned, as did the tall tales. For the first time in her life, Baobob was able to see the mysterious and beautiful peaceful sky. It was Beautiful.

As the days passed, Baobob realized that she was not tall or strong enough to be moved. The buzzing and thundering let her be.

The other Pines went so easily.

One by one the Pines fell to the forest floor, making a huge thunderous descent. They'd wait patiently to be moved onto the red tree-mover. Day after day, the red tree-mover, loaded with the Pines would disappear into the valley below.

As sure as the Sun sets, all of the Pines had moved. All around her were stumps where there once were Pines.

Bao Bob knew it would be her coldest winter.

Baobob was the tallest and strongest Pine on Tuchee Mountain. She had the grandest view of the night sky. It was beautiful. The deep-blue sky and the stars and the moon all were more beautiful than she had imagined. But it felt wrong.

She missed her friends and their tall tales of moving trees.

Bao Bob rustled songs night after night. Some nights she would try to remember the stories told by Bucky Pine. She would tell them aloud to the stars and the moon. It didn't matter that no other Pine could hear her. It helped to keep her roots warm.

Under a bright and full Sun, the snow melted away with the change of seasons. Baobob's roots began to warm and stretch within the thawing forest floor. There was no buzzing and thundering. The Pines of Tuchee Mountain were missing as well.

Bao Bob, blooming with energy, feasted her eyes on the reappearing forest floor, remembering the story of 'Life' Bucky Pine once told. 

She noticed the forest floor being further from her top than ever before. She was tall and strong. Baobob gave a quick rustle throughout all of her branches and let out a great sigh.

In the distance, she noticed a piercing, greenish glow reflecting off the melting snow. It wasn't long before Baobob realized that all around her, for as far as she could see, were tiny trees. Bucky Pine was right. That entire spring and summer the forest floor bloomed with wild grass and saplings.

Bao Bob was very happy.

The buzzing and thundering never returned to Tuchee Mountain and Baobob grew to be hundreds of years old. She was surely the tallest and strongest Pine among the new forest. She always tried her best to make sure that even the smallest of trees were able to see the peaceful, night sky. And she always offered warmth to all her friends throughout the winter.

Most importantly, she spent many nights telling tall tales and dreaming up stories with her friends.

Under the light of the moon, surrounded by the deep-blue night sky, Boa bob rustled whispers so soft. And when the forest would finally nod off into a slumber, Bao Bob would stare into the endless, beautiful sky. It was the same moon and the same stars she had shared with her dear friends hundreds of years ago. She thought to herself how wonderful it was to have shared so many nights with them and how she still missed her old friends. 

Bao Bob took one last glance around Tuchee Mountain before falling asleep herself.

"I am so happy to be surrounded by such a peaceful sky. I am even happier that I have such good friends to share it with,"

With that, Bao Bob fell into a deep sleep. The moon and the stars, in all their beauty, would be there for her tomorrow night, listening, as the winds below brought them tall tales of trees that can move.