Trees and leaves

The vast grassland has once again reached the season of withering.

On the grassland stands a solitary tree.

In the summer, it was once lush and verdant, but now, only a single leaf hangs on it, all alone.

The tree must wait until all its leaves have fallen before it can hibernate. This tree has been waiting for the last leaf for a long time, and now it's so sleepy it can hardly keep its eyes open.

Finally, one day, it couldn't help but urge, "Hey, winter is almost here, are you still not willing to fall?"

The leaf turned its head and looked at the big tree, smiling sweetly.

"I saw all the other leaves leave, and no one is with you. I'm afraid you'll be too bored, so I decided to stay."

"It's okay, I always spend the winter alone every year. You should fall now!" said the tree.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Will you miss me?" the leaf asked pitifully.

"Definitely. This winter, you will be in all my dreams," the tree replied.

"Since you will miss me so much, then I will stay and accompany you," the leaf said happily, shaking itself and counting the clouds in the sky.

The tree held its forehead, feeling exasperated.

The weather was getting colder day by day. More than the cold, the wind was deadly. The winter wind, blowing through, would take away the moisture from the body. The leaf was gradually shrinking.

"Big tree, I feel... not so good," the leaf said with a grimace, forcing an ugly smile.

The tree didn't know how to tell the leaf the truth. He was a tree and could survive this winter. But the leaf couldn't.

"Ah... It might be too cold, perhaps a good sleep will make you feel better," the tree said hesitantly.

"Really?"

"Really."

"But I feel... If I sleep, I will never wake up again," the leaf's voice sounded a bit down.

"Trust me. I get through every winter like this. When spring comes and it gets warm, you will become what you were before."

"Is that so..." The leaf looked up at the sky, today's sky was cleaner than ever before, "Actually... I don't like spring very much."

"Hmm?" The tree was a bit surprised, "Don't you want to become what you were?"

"I do." The leaf looked at the tree, its withered petiole swaying in the wind, as if it would fall at any moment.

"But now, I'm the only one with you. When spring comes, you will have many, many leaves, and then, you won't remember me, right?"

The tree looked at the lonely leaf and waved to him.

"Come on, come closer. I'll shield you from the wind, so you can sleep in peace. Next spring, I will definitely remember you. Because you are the only one who is willing to stay with me."

The leaf nodded vigorously, rubbed against the tree, and closed its eyes.

The leaves did not fall completely, and the tree could not hibernate.

It saw snow for the first time. Large snowflakes floated down from the sky, piling up into a white, vast world. The tree stood in this world, trying to shrink its body, protecting the leaf in its arms.

Later, the snow slowly melted, the grass gradually turned green, and those who were sleeping woke up, including the leaf.

When the leaf opened its eyes, it had become like a new, tender leaf. Looking around, the distant trees had already grown beautiful canopies, but every branch of the tree was still bare.

"Don't look for it." The tree said, "In order to find you in spring, I didn't grow new leaves this year."

The leaf looked up at the tree, the gentle sunlight hitting the tree, and for the first time, the leaf felt that even a bald tree could be so beautiful.