📝 The Park

As I walk through the city, the sun rises over the ruins of an old skyscraper. I reach the small park where my assignment is today. Three mature trees greet me, but I first focus on the young pine tree on the left side of the park. It lost most of its remaining leaves since my last visit. “Come on, little buddy, you can make it,” I say to it. “I brought the special medicine I told you about last week.” I pour a whole bottle of a special fertilizer around the tree. I hope it will save this little tree. “Now drink it and get better; I will try to revisit you soon,” I say to it. And move on to the adult trees.

In the shade of an old oak tree - I don’t know how old it is, but it was here before I ever started caring for this park - I took a short break—sitting in the shade of the trees and eating my sandwich. A single bird is singing in the tree, and I remember that we used to have more of them. But that was a lifetime ago.

With my break over, I started cleaning the paths in the park, removing the fallen leaves from the paths, and watering each tree. I was talking to the last one when I saw a little spout in the ground. “Oh, what do we have here,” I exclaim. “We have a young one!” I fall to my knees to inspect it close-up. The two leaves are yellow and do not look healthy. “I will take you with me,” I say to them. And unpack my shovel from my backpack.

I sing while digging out this little tree. “Soon, you will be in a better place with a lot of sun and food, so you can grow up to be a strong tree,” I say to it. The others at the nursery will be excited to see my find! I pack the root ball into my old trusty plastic bag. And give it the last few drops of the special fertilizer. If I had known that such a treasure was waiting for me, I would have kept some more of it. Although I must not forget my other patient – every tree is essential!

• /writing