The grand old tree
At the end of the Dane View garden sits a grand old tree.
For years the mighty tree has looked over the Dane View house with interest. The tree admires the house, and the house admires the tree.
For years the house looked after nuns and ex-clergy. The convent housed nuns on one side and helped ex-clergy recuperate and retire from their calling at the other. The tree looked over the house with pride and saw the good work the house was doing.
Then, one day, the tree noticed lots of activity. The nuns and priests were gone. Big cars were coming and going with little corporate people scurrying around, looking important. They were loud and often drunk in the evenings.
The house looked sad and the tree asked, ‘Why are you so sad, my friend?’
The house answered, ‘I used to feel a warmth inside. I felt good deeds and joy. Now my innards feel cold – I can sense selfishness and enmity – and I cannot do anything about it.’
This made the tree sad too. A big sign outside the building had been erected. It said, ‘Conference Centre’. Worse still, the tree saw his old friend, the house, slowly dying – and the tree was unable to help.
The decline continued for years. The house no longer spoke, and the tree feared the worse until, one day, all activity in the house stopped and the carpark lay empty. Men arrived in shiny yellow jackets with vans and equipment and entered the house. The tree didn’t understand and worried that the house remained silent until …
Magically the men and vans were gone and the wonderful old building woke from its long slumber looking fantastic – restored beyond its former glory!
New people moved in and the ‘Conference Centre’ sign was torn down and replaced with a new one – ‘Dane View Care Home with Nursing’.
The house woke and spoke again.
‘Hello, my friend, grand old tree. I know you worried about me, but please worry no more. I am no longer in a dark place. I can feel warmth of goodness within me again. People who care and want to do good. Yes, I can feel sadness from time to time, but I can feel a lot of happiness too – and more than anything, I can feel the spirit of caring and humanity.’
The tree was delighted to have his friend, the house, back to its original self and said, ‘For you, my wonderful friend, I promise to continue to look over you. I will cast shadows that protect, flickering light shows that warm the soul, house the local nature and bring peace and joy to you and your residents for years to come.’
The Dane View house smiled with wonder at the grand old tree and knew that their friendship was unbreakable.
Story by author, Kelly Farrington