Tales of the Secret Oak Tree
Step a little closer and you might find some new tiny friends
At the centre point of every forest, a secret oak tree is nestled among the greenest trees, hidden from the curious gazes of humans, and the greedy intentions of mankind. They are the rarest trees, and must therefore take cautious actions to protect themselves from exploitation and being misused.
But, should they deem you worthy of exposing themselves to you, then you are one of the very few lucky ones. Step a little closer, and you will not regret it. Step a little closer, and you’ll marvel at the magical elements woven into the Secret Oak Tree’s branches, and inhabitants of its icy leaves. Every branch belonged to a different specie of the enchanted tree, with diverse kingdoms within each one and having its own set of laws, with Kings and Queens reigning over their people. Tiny species, each living their own lives in their own worlds, all within one tree.
On one branch, the Candy Cane Kingdom is established. Their houses are made of conjoined candy canes, their streetlights are made of candy canes, everything was made of the minted candy. The King and Queen of the kingdom ruled their people with grace and a sprinkle of sweet joy — encouraging everyone to treat themselves to candy every day, and the biggest bonus was that they never suffered from any cavities. They therefore never needed a dentist in their realm. If only humans never suffered from cavities either … what a world that’d have been.
Another branch houses the Kingdom of Lumberjacks, a hard-headed bunch whose stubbornness and failure to see reason will inevitably result in their extinction. The lumberjacks hack away at their own tree branch for a living, gathering small portions of wood every day, and unable to realise that they were slowly chopping down their own home. Candy Cane Kingdom had tried to warn them of their doomed fate, but the lumberjacks paid them no mind.
There are at least 20 different kingdoms within the magnificent tree, but for the sake of keeping things secret, I will share with you just one more kind. Listen closely, for this might be your favourite little kingdom. In this branch, a whisperer told his very first secret — and from it, a life was born. This life, too, whispered secrets into the branches of the tree, sounding like whistling wind to the negligent ear. Every time a whisperer whispered a mysterious secret, a new whisperer is born. They are known as the most mysterious specie of the enchanted tree, and the other kingdoms were constantly wary of their kind — for secrets never bode well, and they cannot be trusted.
So you see, the Secret Oak Tree was founded by the whisperers themselves, and the other kingdoms slowly established themselves within it. Had it not been for them, the enchanted tree would have never existed. Although, the whisperers may have a negative reputation that precedes them, they are truly an awfully misunderstood specie. They only ever whispered the gentlest secrets to the tree to ensure its prosperity and resilience in a world so harsh. Without them, all other kingdoms of the tree would fall.
And yet — it was no surprise to see all other kingdoms constantly wish for the whisperers to vanish.
