The Little Orange Tree

The cloudless sky was a brilliant compass blue, contrasting perfectly with the fiery orange of the fruit so gloriously red that it competed with the soon to be setting sun. An abundance of oranges sat atop a young tree, waiting for either someone to come pick them or to fall victim to gravity and drop to the soil so that a small vole or bird could come and eat from the broken skin of the orange.

Almost by fate, a young couple with hunger and fatigue in their eyes stumbled across this one tree within the orchard. The weight of the fruit was instantly lifted off of the little tree, with the pair picking a few oranges and sitting underneath the tree so that they could enjoy the fruit in the peace of the shade. Then again, and again, and again, until the tree was light and able to sway in the breeze like the rest of the orange trees in the orchard. The peels of the orange still had some of the flesh so soon after they departed the tree the animals of the orchard came and ate what they could. With the minuscule steps of the insects bringing the food back to their hives visible and the thankful chirping of the birds could be faintly heard in the distance.

For a few weeks this process repeated, the couple would come to the tree and pick some fruit before sitting under the tree enjoying the company of each other and the natural environment they were surrounded by. For a few weeks, which turned into years, the tree heard of their struggles and fears, of their dreams and hopes and gratitude, of their obvious and unspoken infatuation for one another - and over these few weeks, which turned into years, the soul of the tree developed a deep care for these two humans. He vowed to help them the same way the couple helped it and cared for it.

The orange tree was always curious, however, about the little black book that the calmer, more silent of the pair would write and doodle in. Although the tree was also written on, bearing marks of messily engraved dates, shapes and letters on its branches and trunk, it wondered what the book felt like. Holding all that intimate knowledge of the couple. Yet there was never any jealousy that the little tree felt, rather, he felt joy that somewhere else in the world the same thing was happening and that he was not the only one who got to be present during these private moments of being.

One day though, the couple stopped coming to the tree. Pained by this, the distinct and bright orange of the fruit became ever so much duller, the faint chirping of the birds become fainter, and the ability to sway in the breeze like his brothers and sisters became less and less of an option for this confused tree. He wondered why the couple had left him but remembered how the souls of the sun, stars and moon, the souls of the rain and earth had reminded him they entered his life unexpectedly and to think they’d stay as long as his brothers and sisters would with him was naive. So the fruit of the tree reverted back to the glorious orange it once was, his branches spread out wider in a more confident embracing of the sun (that sometimes envied the beautiful red of the oranges that shone brighter than it’s sunsets), and continued to live as he once had.

But unbeknownst to everyone else, the young and little tree decided he would keep his promise and repay the humans that made him feel as wanted and cared for as they did him - for they had shown him a side of life and humanity he didn't know existed.

“One final sit under the oranges.” A middle-aged voice said in a giggle, but almost with a silent sadness behind the request. The same voice that once used to sit under the tree so many years ago said.

“The tree is still flowering. I hope you aren’t planning on stealing it’s first fruits” a second middle-aged voice responded as if they knew that was the exact plan of the former speaker. And just like before, their voice was simply an aged version of the voice that once used to talk constantly underneath the protected shade of the tree’s canopy.

Ecstatic, the tree eagerly awaited the returning couple to sit, to be surrounded by such a calming presence of the two people that taught him there’s a side to life he had not known of. It was still dawn, the indigo-violet of the sky teasing that the sun was close to rising, and the air possessed a stillness to it. As if everyone around the tree, and even the not-so-little-anymore tree itself, knew this was the last time the couple would lay underneath him and eat the fruit that was blossomed to be eaten. The last time that they would leave unknown offerings to the animals in the orchard so that they too could enjoy the fruits the orange tree bore.

But the conversation the tree listened to was not one that he wanted his last few moments with the humans to be, it was sombre and one that was laced with a sadness about the future.

Even the little black book looked like it was pained with the knowledge that had been given to it by the ink that marked the line-pages; as if it was nostalgic of the time when the couple would lie under the little orange tree and get doodled in and bear evidence of happier times with the poems and silly quotes the more silent of the pair would scribble down.

“We have savings,” the first voice said, interrupting the quiet footsteps of the insects and chirping of the birds. The suggestion was almost said as a last-resort but possessed the same optimism and fearlessness that it had shown the first time they had suggested sitting under the orange tree all those years ago. Her voice was as light and hopeful as the clouds above the orange orchid that were parting to let the bright rays of sun in to alert the world it was officially daytime.

“Yes. We do,” the second voice said in a flat-tone, and scribbled the suggestion into their opened black book.

“So we’ll use our savings, our money is her money at the end of the day.”

The tree was listening intently, expecting a confirmation response only to be met with an uncomfortable silence. The realization that the couple had no realistic options to save them from their financial struggles, from the little knowledge about finance the tree had listened to over the years for trees need not worry about money the same way humans do, dawned upon the orange tree. An unexpected feeling of heartbreak and melancholy came over the orange tree, he had witnessed the couple in a way he knew only the flies on the wall did, the way the sun and moon and stars watched them, the way that only the black books used over the years had. He had witnessed their true selves and to see them in such a state made him so upset for he knew he could not do anything to help the couple.

Until he remembered the silent promise he made to himself to one-day repay the humans for showing him a side to life he didn’t know existed. Although he knew that it was against the law to change nature for humans, and that his brothers and sisters would be angry with him, and the sun might shine her rays too intensely on his leaves and the earth and rain might not give him the nutrients he needs to keep him healthy and remain the most beautiful tree in the orchid; he didn't care.

Just as the couple began to stand, each admiring the leaves and stroking his trunk for the last time, the tree began to abscise its oranges from the branches. His glorious canopy slowly looking more and more empty, yet for every orange that fell to the ground two more sprouted. It was as if the little tree decided he would rain oranges around the couple, as many as he knew he would grow for the next few years for he knew he’d be forbidden to bear any until he was forgiven for what he was doing. Stupefied, the humans clung to the tree’s trunk and simply watched what they were seeing in a state of awe.

Almost reluctantly, the woman reached out her arm and grabbed one of the oranges as if to check if it was real, before jerking her arm back to her body. She crouched and awkwardly fumbled to pierce the orange open whilst peeling it, as if she was a monkey in the Indonesian jungles inspecting a packet of biscuits before opening it. To her amazement though, what was inside the orange was not just flesh but what appeared to be a mixture of coins and hundred dollar notes.

The scream of bewilderment mixed with absolute excitement was one that woke the dozing moon in the sky back up, so that it was able to witness such a moment. She then proceeded to grab as many oranges as she could and open them up, just to see what she had with the first orange. Excitedly she pulled the money out of the oranges and stuffed what she could into her pockets, shoes, underwear, sleeves, hair and anything else she could think of. She grabbed her lover and showed them what was happening once she’d persuaded them to open their eyes. Elated, they grabbed oranges and placed the money into their little black book and clothes and whatever else they had on them.

The not-so-little-anymore orange tree was happy seeing this scene unfold, and continued to rain oranges until he could muster no more, slowly just raining white flowers to show he was finished with his job. He was able to repay the humans for showing him a side of beauty, love and care he didn’t think humans were capable of, and for that he was content with himself even though he knew was soon to be punished. He looked up at the moon, knowing he was awake only to be met with a grin and small wink, for the moon also knew of this side of humanity.

The couple sat and counted the money between themselves; twenty-thousand dollars. Just over enough to help them with their difficulties, their crying deafening the noise of the insects and birds and nature that surrounded them. And although the orange tree knew his siblings would wake up from this noise, he didn’t care because he had finally done something for himself by fulfilling the self-made promise he had made all those years ago.

Thankful, the couple left the tree, hugging him and crying and thanking it over and over again. Telling him how they’ll come back to repay him and how they’ll be able to save their daughter’s life now. How they will never forget that morning but they had to go back home. The tree was sad but accepted this separation and swayed his canopy so that humans knew he was sending them a farewell.

The one lone orange on his canopy was a brilliant orange, red enough to make the sun envious and juicy enough to make the rain look dry. He was blessed to be special and always tried to help others, and ever since, his brothers and sisters, the birds and insects and voles too, followed suit as they saw how one small act of kindness had such a long-lasting impact for those who too, inhabited the same world as they did.