[LilAngel]

I would like to tell you all a story; one that you may have heard before; one that you will fall in love with.

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Once there was a tree and she loved a little boy. And every day, the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and swing from her branches and eat apples. And the boy loved the tree very much. And the tree was happy.

But time went by, and the boy grew older, and the tree was often alone.

The one day the boy came to the tree. The tree said, "Come play and be happy."

"I am too big to climb trees," said the boy.

"I want some money. Can you give me some money?"

"I'm sorry," said the tree, "I have no money. Take my apples and sell them. Then you will have money and you will be happy."

And so the boy gathered her apples and carried them away.

And the tree was happy.

But the boy stayed away a long time... and the tree was sad.

And then one day the boy came back.

The tree said, "Come play and be happy."

"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy. "I need a house. Can you give me a house?"

"I have no house," said the tree. "Cut off my branches and build a house. Then you will be happy."

And so the boy cut off her branches and carried them away.

And the tree was happy.

But the boy stayed away for a long time. And when he came back, the tree was so happy she could hardly speak.

"Come," she whispered. "Come and play."

"I am too old and sad to play," said the boy. "I want a boat that will take me far away... can you give me a boat?"

"Cut down a trunk and make a boat," said the tree. "Then you can sail away and be happy."

And so the boy cut down her trunk, made a boat, and sailed away.

And the tree was happy...

but not really.

And after a long time, the boy came back again.

"I am sorry," said the tree, "but I have nothing left to give you."

"I don't need very much," said the boy, "just a quiet place to sit and rest."

"Well," said the tree straightening herself. "Come, sit down and rest."

And the boy did.

And the tree was happy.

The end.
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To all of you out there, think about it. Are you the tree or the boy?

Can you honestly say you are neither?

Trees live for thousands of years. The boy lives only eighty.