Don’t Go Away

Once upon a time, in a small village nestled deep in the heart of the forest, there lived a young girl named Mia. Mia was a kind and curious soul, always eager to explore the world around her. She spent her days wandering through the forest, gathering wildflowers and listening to the songs of the birds.

One day, as Mia was walking along the edge of the forest, she stumbled upon a clearing she had never seen before. In the center of the clearing stood a large, ancient tree, unlike any she had ever seen before. The tree was so tall that its branches seemed to touch the sky, and its trunk was so wide that it took several people holding hands to encircle it.

Mia approached the tree, awestruck by its size and beauty. As she reached out to touch its bark, she heard a voice whisper, "Don't go away." Startled, Mia looked around, but she saw no one. She shrugged it off as her imagination and continue to explore the tree.

Mia spent the next several days visiting the tree, and each time she did, she heard the same whisper, "Don't go away." It seemed to be coming from the tree itself, and it made her feel safe and loved. She couldn't understand why she heard it but never saw anyone or what produced it, yet she felt like she had found a special friend.

Mia's curiosity grew and she asked the villagers if they knew anything about the tree, but no one seemed to know anything about it. They told her that it had always been there, and that it was just a tree. But Mia knew there was something special about it, and she couldn't shake the feeling that the tree was trying to tell her something important.

One day, while Mia was sitting at the base of the tree, a fierce storm blew in. The wind howled through the clearing, and the rain poured down in sheets. Mia huddled against the trunk of the tree, listening to the wind and the rain, and feeling the tree's strength around her.

As the storm raged on, the tree began to shake and groan. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the tree, and it split down the middle. Mia was thrown clear of the tree, but she was unharmed. When the storm passed, she climbed to her feet and looked at the tree. It was still standing, but it was now nothing more than a hollow shell.

Mia was heartbroken. She had lost her special friend. She sat at the base of the tree, tears streaming down her face, when she heard the whisper again, "Don't go away."

Mia looked around, and she saw a small sapling growing from the roots of the ancient tree. The sapling was small and fragile, but it was alive and strong. And Mia knew that this was the tree's way of telling her that it would always be with her, in one form or another.

From that day on, Mia visited the sapling every day, and she felt the tree's presence around her. She knew that as long as she kept the memory of the tree alive, it would never truly be gone. She also knew that the tree's message to her was to never give up, to never let go and to never leave what is important to her behind. And she never did.

Mia grew old and lived a long, happy life, and the sapling grew alongside her, becoming a great tree like its predecessor. As she lay on her deathbed, she smiled knowing that the tree will continue to be a symbol of guidance, and love for all who will encounter it.