Week 6 Story: The Tree of Myth

 (Note: there is a unedited version that is longer here that is ~1600 words. This version is shorter at 1000 words after editing, and either version is fine to read!)

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There was a city, no different than any of the others that dominated the earth. Most signs of nature were eradicated from the planet, with only nature enthusiasts and specified areas such as parks remaining as signs that the world was once full of greenery. The city had one such park, but it was lackluster, maintained by those who cared little for its contents.

Then the tree appeared.
There was no warning to its arrival. Nothing existed in the spot but browning grass one day, and the next day there was an immature sapling in its place. On the first glance, the park caretaker barely took note of the new addition.

Then the sapling grew again, going from an immature sapling to a nearly full-grown tree.

Then the next day, the tree was on par with the others in the park, other trees that had been growing for decades to reach their full potential.

Each day, it grew and grew, and within a single week it towered over everything in its vicinity, branches reaching out to cast shade over the entire park. Scientists came in to study the tree. It quickly became a tourist attraction, and one historian named it the "Iei Tree".

Despite the unsettling nature of its appearance, those in charge of the city relaxed. It wasn't significantly damaging the other parts of the park, and it was bringing tourism to help the city. All was well.

That was when the Iei Tree began to truly work its effects upon the world.

The entire city noticed when the first dragon appeared, bellowing rage and flames down at the weak creatures that dared to exist near it.
It was chaos. It seemed an entire family of dragons had come forth, and the city burned. Everyone fled, leaving behind anything they couldn't live without.

Only days later, after the city and thousands of people were long lost, did anyone make the connection that the Iei Tree might have been a cause of the event instead of just another symptom. By then, the former city was ruled by dragons, chimeras, and all manner of creatures long thought to be mere works of imagination.

The Iei Tree continued to grow. It grew higher and higher, until it towered above all else. Nearly the entire continent could see the edges of the Iei Tree's canopy. And with the shadow of the Iei Tree came the creatures of myth and legend. Not just the more exotic creatures that legendary adventures centered about, but also animals with intelligence, the gift of speech, and even magic of their own.

The world eventually organized a group of soldiers and scientists to go after the Iei Tree. They managed to sneak through the mythical land overcast by the Iei Tree, picking their way across the ravaged ruins of the city until they finally reached the trunk of the tree itself.

It was a massive structure, the Iei Tree having long since consumed the park in which its life had begun. They found themselves staring in awe before they snapped themselves from their daze and began their task.

Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work.

Attempts to chop down the tree resulted in the wood regenerating before their very eyes. Poison simply vanished with no effect, and it seemed impervious to flames as well.

The group was ready to give it up as a lost cause.

"You're in quite a hopeless situation, aren't you?"

Guns swiveled to aim at the voice, only to find a small grey bird. It ruffled its feathers before speaking once more.

"Do you truly wish to do that? I mean you no harm, but the same cannot be said for any others who will hear you kill me."

Grudgingly, the guns lowered.

"Very good. Now, I am Kha Phreit. As much as it may surprise you, I am just as disgusted by the rampant deaths of your kind as you are. And so I will share with you a secret, a secret that might help you kill this monstrous tree.

"There lives a tiger in the branches of the monstrous tree. His name is U Khla, and he is the one who makes your progress meaningless. He heals the cuts you make, purifies the poison you use, and protects the tree from your fire. If you wish the tree's death, U Khla is the one you must take down first."

Message given, Kha Phreit flew off.

Behind him, the soldiers and scientists stared at each other. It was difficult, but they believed Kha Phreit's words.

They climbed the tree, wary and ready for an attack. It kept growing darker until the leaves of the Iei Tree block all light except their own.

From the darkness, a voice growls at them.

"So, that foolish bird has told you of me. You would kill me so that you may kill the tree, hmm? Have you thought nothing of what the tree's death would do to us? With its death comes ours as well."

One soldier replied. "However many of you we kill, it's nothing compared to the number of us who have died!"

The voice scoffed. "Do not assume all of us to be like the dragons. Not all of us hate humans... and even those of us that do have reason. Humans are so quick to kill that they do not understand, why should they not fight back?"

"Then what do you want? We can't just leave things be," the same soldier spoke. U Khla fell silent for a long moment before he replied at last.

"We, are willing to strike a deal. Should humanity cease its attempts to kill the tree, then we shall aid you in fighting against any threat from those who the tree has brought forth."

They almost didn't agree. None of the soldiers had the authority, and many were still angry over how many had died due to the Iei Tree.

But despite their anger, despite the possibility of failure-

"We accept."

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Author's Note: The original tale, The Legend of the Iei Tree, is of a famously large tree on top of a mountain. The shadow of the tree is so dense that the sun can't get through at all, and the earth below it is barren. The tree keeps growing until people are driven out of its shadow, and it begins to threaten the entire world. A group of woodcutters gather and go to cut it down, but every night the damage they do is repaired. A Khasi wren, Kha Phreit, goes to the woodcutters, who laugh at the idea of the bird helping them. After chastising them, Kha Phreit tells the woodcutters that a large tiger, U Khla, has been licking the tree every night to heal the cuts on it. The woodcutters stick their axes into the tree, blades out, and U Khla cuts his tongue on the axes that night. Fleeing, U Khla never returns to the Iei Tree, and the woodcutters are able to cut the tree down.

When I was considering how to retell this story, I began by thinking of transitioning it into a modern setting. A massive tree growing in the center of a city, in an extremely modernized world, seemed like an interesting change to the story. Given the modernization, making the land barren wasn't as big of an issue, so I changed the Iei Tree's threat to bringing forth mythical creatures, which also allowed me to keep the characters of Kha Phreit and U Khla. Lastly, I changed the ending, since I like the idea of magic (the mythical creatures and the Iei tree) and science (the very modernized world with previously little nature) managing to find a way to coexist, even if it's only a tentative idea by the end of the story.

Bibliography: The Legend of the Iei Tree from Folk-Tales of the Khasis by Mrs. K. U. Rafy.  Web Source

Image: "Giant Tree, St. Andrews University". Copyright Anthony O'Neil. Web Source