When the earth was young, orange trees were found everywhere and their roots all connected up. Using an amazing array of fungi, they communicated across the entire land and brought peace to all who came near.
today they are rare, but it is said that if you find one, your life will be touched forever, and you will never forget the feeling of peace you found beneath it's branches.
Thank you all! Wow- I was not expecting such enthusiasm! You made my day!
@koalagardens I love your version!! It's much shorter and more to the point than mine (o:
So for those who want to take the time...
The Legend of the Orange Tree
They said that Mythtera was a wild and strange place. Rumors swirled about concerning the people who lived there. Some said they were giants; titans of all that could be fought and tamed. Some said they were mongrels who swarmed about unsuspecting souls lost on their streets and caused them to disappear without a trace- after all- had anyone gone there and come back?! Others said they were timid, fearful, reclusive; shunning contact with the outside world with a strict set of rules which kept anyone from even thinking about breaking free or simply leaving. And yet others still claimed they were of angelic descent kept hidden by the dark ruse of entrance into their realm. That curious gate by the still blue lake caused some to row past it but never drift into the water beyond. But all that changed one day when The Stranger appeared.
No one recognized him or knew where heâd come from. He seemed so familiar, and yet so different. From the moment he arrived he seemed to fit right in, but somehow he didnât. They watched him cautiously at first but soon realized there was nothing to fear when he was around. There was an overwhelming air of reassurance when you were near him. Perhaps the most puzzling and yet amazing thing about him was his knowledge of Mythtera. He talked about its inhabitants and how it looked as if heâd lived there all his life. At first they thought it to be a fantasy; a story heâd woven just to entertain them and their children. But the story never changed, never conflicted with itself, never wavered from reality. And they began to believe him.
After a while those who took their boats out on the lake started to draw nearer and nearer to the gate. Maybe Mythtera was not so dangerous after all. Maybe it was pleasant and lovely and all the years they thought it was a place to avoid were in reality missed opportunities to gain some of the peace The Stranger had. And soon some ventured in beyond the gate as those not quite ready to go fearfully watched their boats disappear into the mist.
Days passed but the travelers did not return. The people questioned The Stranger as to why they had not come back. Had he been lying to them? It appeared their worst suspicions were true. But no. He insisted they had discovered something greater and more valuable than anything this side of the gate had to offer and so they opted to stay. A few more believed and determined to follow the ones who had gone in before. And they too sailed into the mist behind the gate. While The Stranger continued to share his stories the people became more divided. Some applauded him but others began to resent his acclaim. And on one fateful day a large group of them gathered together determined to silence him once and for all.
He claimed they would not be able to stop the story- nor others who would desire to enter Mythtera. But while The Stranger spoke his loudest, the strongest and largest of the mob tied him to a small boat, rowed it to the gate and pushed the boat beyond the entrance, convinced he would not be able to free himself and return to tell his mythical stories ever again. They welded and locked the gate and in the following days sunk huge boulders beneath it so that passage through it would be quite difficult. At the drop of the last boulder the water went completely still. No one could explain how or why it did that. But it remained that way for several days.
One day, a young child was walking along the shore of the lake looking for pebbles when he noticed the water had turned a strange color. He ran to get his parents, who in turn called more people to come and see the way the water had changed. They stood on the shore and stared at the water which now was moving in a strange way. They looked across the water and saw that the gate was also moving in a strange way. Suddenly the earth shook violently and the padlocked gate toppled into the water. With a loud âwhooshâ, the boulders which had been placed beneath it sunk below the surface and disappeared. As if that wasnât miraculous enough, out of the water a most amazing vision began to emerge. It was a tree of brilliant color, a glowing orange that was more beautiful than the sunrise and more vibrant than the sky at dayâs end. Beyond the tree they could see a magnificent city- the likes of which theyâd never seen before. But as suddenly as all these amazing things appeared, they just as quickly disappeared.
To this day the people remain divided over The Stranger and his stories. Some say they are just that- stories. Some say that those who went beyond the gate must have discovered that his stories were true. And others deny The Stranger came at all. They claim he is a myth, a legend just like Mythtera. But every now and then someone will stand on the shore and see a vision of the tree and believe that all The Stranger said was true. Itâs then the tree glows and vibrates and the waters ripple with life. But it only appears to those who believe.
today they are rare, but it is said that if you find one, your life will be touched forever, and you will never forget the feeling of peace you found beneath it's branches.
Thank you all! Wow- I was not expecting such enthusiasm! You made my day!
@koalagardens I love your version!! It's much shorter and more to the point than mine (o:
So for those who want to take the time...
The Legend of the Orange Tree
They said that Mythtera was a wild and strange place. Rumors swirled about concerning the people who lived there. Some said they were giants; titans of all that could be fought and tamed. Some said they were mongrels who swarmed about unsuspecting souls lost on their streets and caused them to disappear without a trace- after all- had anyone gone there and come back?! Others said they were timid, fearful, reclusive; shunning contact with the outside world with a strict set of rules which kept anyone from even thinking about breaking free or simply leaving. And yet others still claimed they were of angelic descent kept hidden by the dark ruse of entrance into their realm. That curious gate by the still blue lake caused some to row past it but never drift into the water beyond. But all that changed one day when The Stranger appeared.
No one recognized him or knew where heâd come from. He seemed so familiar, and yet so different. From the moment he arrived he seemed to fit right in, but somehow he didnât. They watched him cautiously at first but soon realized there was nothing to fear when he was around. There was an overwhelming air of reassurance when you were near him. Perhaps the most puzzling and yet amazing thing about him was his knowledge of Mythtera. He talked about its inhabitants and how it looked as if heâd lived there all his life. At first they thought it to be a fantasy; a story heâd woven just to entertain them and their children. But the story never changed, never conflicted with itself, never wavered from reality. And they began to believe him.
After a while those who took their boats out on the lake started to draw nearer and nearer to the gate. Maybe Mythtera was not so dangerous after all. Maybe it was pleasant and lovely and all the years they thought it was a place to avoid were in reality missed opportunities to gain some of the peace The Stranger had. And soon some ventured in beyond the gate as those not quite ready to go fearfully watched their boats disappear into the mist.
Days passed but the travelers did not return. The people questioned The Stranger as to why they had not come back. Had he been lying to them? It appeared their worst suspicions were true. But no. He insisted they had discovered something greater and more valuable than anything this side of the gate had to offer and so they opted to stay. A few more believed and determined to follow the ones who had gone in before. And they too sailed into the mist behind the gate. While The Stranger continued to share his stories the people became more divided. Some applauded him but others began to resent his acclaim. And on one fateful day a large group of them gathered together determined to silence him once and for all.
He claimed they would not be able to stop the story- nor others who would desire to enter Mythtera. But while The Stranger spoke his loudest, the strongest and largest of the mob tied him to a small boat, rowed it to the gate and pushed the boat beyond the entrance, convinced he would not be able to free himself and return to tell his mythical stories ever again. They welded and locked the gate and in the following days sunk huge boulders beneath it so that passage through it would be quite difficult. At the drop of the last boulder the water went completely still. No one could explain how or why it did that. But it remained that way for several days.
One day, a young child was walking along the shore of the lake looking for pebbles when he noticed the water had turned a strange color. He ran to get his parents, who in turn called more people to come and see the way the water had changed. They stood on the shore and stared at the water which now was moving in a strange way. They looked across the water and saw that the gate was also moving in a strange way. Suddenly the earth shook violently and the padlocked gate toppled into the water. With a loud âwhooshâ, the boulders which had been placed beneath it sunk below the surface and disappeared. As if that wasnât miraculous enough, out of the water a most amazing vision began to emerge. It was a tree of brilliant color, a glowing orange that was more beautiful than the sunrise and more vibrant than the sky at dayâs end. Beyond the tree they could see a magnificent city- the likes of which theyâd never seen before. But as suddenly as all these amazing things appeared, they just as quickly disappeared.
To this day the people remain divided over The Stranger and his stories. Some say they are just that- stories. Some say that those who went beyond the gate must have discovered that his stories were true. And others deny The Stranger came at all. They claim he is a myth, a legend just like Mythtera. But every now and then someone will stand on the shore and see a vision of the tree and believe that all The Stranger said was true. Itâs then the tree glows and vibrates and the waters ripple with life. But it only appears to those who believe.
Thank you Kerry, Hannah, and Katy. I was in the mood for an allegory so...