Far from the land of where the stars are on the ground. And the place where cars nosily whiz by. There is a place where the stars are in the sky and the only noises are from the buzzing bees and the twittering birds. This magical place is called the Tree of Grace.
To reach this place you must first journey south, past the White Cliffs. The White Cliffs are very dangerous because if you make one wrong step, crash! whoosh! bang! You will fall, fall, fall. . . Now you have to climb over the Great Wall of Razor Wire. There is only one place you can cross safely. A place where there is a small section of rusted metal bars, instead of the sharp razor wire that will cut and scar your face and hands. Next, to reach the Tree of Grace, you must head through the Forest of Enchantments.
The Forest of Enchantments is full of animals both cute and cuddly, and dark and deadly. You must be careful not to disturb the sleeping skunk, or startle the mother rabbit. If you harm any of these animals you will be cast out of this wondrous land. And you will never lay eyes on the magnificent Tree of Grace.
If you continue to walk southward you will come across a darling little clearing. In this place the grass is green, the flowers are sweet. And there is a tree. A tree that is dead and old and sways with grace. This tree has a trunk so wide you would not be able to wrap your arms around it even if you were a full grown man. Her branches reach for the sky and wave in the wind. There are ropes twisted and knotted around her limbs. The ropes make up a jungle where you can be anything you want to be: a fairy, a explorer, or even a monkey!
You can climb to the top. However, you must keep your feet close to her trunk because the branches are brittle and will crack. The bark is her dress; dark brown with green lace of lichen. You notice how rough the bark is against your legs. It crackles under the pressure of your palms. Bits of bark flake down to rest in the folds of your t-shirt. The bark grabs at the fabric in your shirt as you shimmy down the tree. At the base are her roots; her life line. The roots grow thick and gnarled into the ground. They twist like snakes: around, up, and under.
The grass is so rich and green, it feels like baby skin under your bare feet. You can also smell the sharp, sweet tang of chlorophyll in the air; mixed with the honey sweet scent of the golden sunflowers and the soft, pink primrose. The flowers are too lovely to pick. All you can do is watch them sway in the breeze.
During the rainy season, there is a tiny brook that finds it’s path past the graceful tree and into the Forest of Enchantments. You can splash in the icy clear water. When you try to follow that little stream you will find yourself tangled in the thorns that grow near the waters path.
The Tree of Grace is to wise and strong. You feel very safe there; you want to stay there always. The sun is hanging low in the sky; casting a patter of gold and green onto the earth. The owls are starting to sing for the night; hooting softly. You must return home until the night sleeps and the sun wakes the new day.