- Iei Tree is a famously large tree, shadow is so dense that sun can't get through at all and earth below is barren
- Iei continues to grow, spreads shadow further and further and begins to menace the world
- People flee shadow of Iei
- Woodcutters go to cut it down
- Every night, damage to tree is repaired and woodcutters begin despairing
- Kha Phreit, Khasi wren (little grey bird), comes to woodcutters
- After lambasting the woodcutters for laughing at her offer of help, Kha Phreit tells the cutters that U Khla (big tiger) licks the tree to heal it every night
- Woodcutters leave their axes in the tree blade out, and U Khla cuts his tongue on the blades and flees
- Woodcutters are able to cut down the tree
Climbing White Tiger, Dean Croshere on flickr
- Story Idea: switch to modern setting
- Futuristic, plants are considered 'exotic' - only exist in parks and as decorations
- Iei Tree begins to grow in a city park, is considered a tourist landmark at first
- Keeps growing, begins to shade city, effects begin
- Instead of shade that causes barren earth, Iei Tree makes the land below "mythical" - summons forth dragons, talking animals, etc.
- This stops early attempts to chop tree down, chaos from dragons and other powerful creatures prevent them from discovering the Iei Tree as the cause at first
- By the time Iei Tree is discovered as cause, is already big enough that the city has been abandoned and various powerful creatures simply make their home there
- Iei Tree spreads to cover nearly an entire continent
- Team of scientists accompanied by a military team go in to investigate and try to take down the tree
- All attempts fail
- Cutting it down results in damage repairing before their eyes
- Attempts to poison/burn tree down simply fail; tree doesn't catch, poison just vanishes
- Kha Phreit (still talking grey bird) tells them that U Khla, a magical large tiger, lives in the Iei Tree's branches
- U Khla is provided for by the tree
- Can use magic, heals the tree from attacks
- Team confronts U Khla, and U Khla tells them that if the Iei Tree falls, all the mythical creatures die
- End story on hopeful note, with humans and mythical creatures trying to find a solution that doesn't result in humanity's extinction
Bibliography: The Legend of the Iei Tree from Folk-Tales of the Khasis by Mrs. K. U. Rafy. Web Source
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