POSITIVE THING TO DO # 95: TELL THE TALE OF THE OLD OAK TREE

The Old Tree
Once upon a time in the land of the Americas, there lived an Oak tree. The tree was born five-century's earlier and had grown so old by living deep in forests where it was cared for by the Newmans, the earth's first people, who worshipped the tree. The Newmans knew the value of the forests to be great. In them they found their food, shelter and warmth. And so it was natural that they respected this the most majestic tree in the forest.

For a long, long time all was well with the Newmans and their forests. But then there came from across the mighty sea, pioneers and settlers who had heard the tales of their Christopher Columbus who had told them that this land of the Americas was their Promised Land. A promised land flowing with milk and honey and riches beyond their wildest dreams. At first these strange people from across the sea came in a dribble and a drabble and appeared so hapless and innocent that the Newmans welcomed them and taught the arts of survival. But the pioneers and settlers had many friends and soon they too came to the new lands. And their friends were followed by their friends, and their friends, and their friends. Soon there were so many friends, that there were more friends than Newmans. The land became crowded, the friends wanted more and more space; trouble began to brew.

One night the Newmans gathered beneath the old oak tree, dancing around a fire, pounding on the tribal drums. The drums spoke of the pioneers and settlers; and the news was disturbing.

"Pioneers and settlers are arriving in hordes from across the sea" the drums said. "They are marching in all directions, laying claim to the entire land. Newmans are being forced to flee. War is going to erupt."

To the beat of the drums the Newmans meditated on the future. Chief Newman Bean, first chief of the Original Tribe spoke. "Our strange visitors have not yet learned the true value of the Land. They seek to tame its beauty and they milk its resources dry. It is worthless to resist them for they are hasty and carry big guns. Instead, it is time for us to migrate to another land. With our disappearance this sacred tree may be spared the ravages of war. But we will not leave the tree unprotected".

The Chief pulled some Cocoa beans from his pouch and placed them beside the fire.

"These beans are alive with magic." he said as he leaned over the Beans, "Will the one who wants to remain here come forward?"

The beans squirmed and squiggled until one emerged from the crowd to become a Chocolate Horn. The chocolate horn tooted and said, "I am the magic of free spirit and free speech and I will empower those who provide a voice for this sacred tree."

The Chief placed the Chocolate Horn in the tree. Then the tribe migrated to a far off land.

Soon after their departure the settlers arrived to replace the forests with their crops. And in their clearing of the forests the settlers noticed for the first time the magnificent old oak tree, but they appreciated its beauty and allowed it to live.

The years passed and the tree became popular. Courting couples would hug and kiss and profess their love beneath its boughs. Young and old alike would picnic in its shade, whilst others would pass the tree while walking their dogs.

The tree liked this popularity and was happily growing older when tragedy struck.

As with most tragedies there was a warning. It’s just that nobody listened to the messenger, whose name was Stand and Toot.

Now Stand and Toot was a tiny old man who looked and dressed like an eccentric garden gnome from England. He wore a funny English hat, a tweed raincoat, and Wellington boots. Although he looked rather strange Stand and Toot was a man of vision and had noticed that a not so nice lady had purchased the land upon which the tree stood. Then she built a big fence to keep people away from the tree. Stand and Toot recognized something was wrong and put his ear to the ground to discover what was going on. On the leaves he heard a whisper; she was going to have the tree chopped down

"Save the tree! Save the tree!" Stand and Toot begged the Mayor and his councilors in their chambers one-day.

"We have enough parks. Stand and Toot." The Mayor said in his imperious political manner. "The people are not concerned about one tree. They want industry and bigger and better roads, and besides all there is only your word that she would do such a thing and we don't believe she will."

Meanwhile, the not so nice lady hired a not so nice man. In the dead of night the not so nice man came with a chain saw to cut down the tree, but the tree was much too big for his saw. So in frustration he chopped at the branches and girdled the great trunk of the tree, knowing that if he cut through the bark of the tree around the base of its trunk, the tree would surely die.

Stand and Toot heard the roar of the saw and raced to the tree, but he was too late. The not so nice man had done his not so nice work and had vanished into the dark. Quickly the tree began to die. Stand and Toot paced the ground wondering if there was anything he could do.

Bonk! The Chocolate Horn fell from the tree and hit him on the head. Stand and Toot rubbed his head, picked up the horn, gave it a quick look, and then tooted horn with a mighty blow.

"Baruum!" the Chocolate Horn said. "Baruum! I give you the power of free spirit and speech."

Stand and Toot became empowered with eloquent words and raced into town, tooting the horn with a Baruum! And a toodle doodle doodly toot.

People ran out of their homes to see what the fuss was all about. When they heard the little mans tale of the old oak tree they were saddened and motivated to action. They tore down the fence and rushed to the tree.

"There's nothing we can do for this grand old tree," they cried in hopelessness when they saw extent of its wounds. "It's going to die".

Stand and Toot, whose heart was also breaking, looked at the people, straightened his shoulders and grew very resolved. "We cannot leave this grand old tree to die. Even if we cannot save it we surely have to try. Now I don't know about you lot," He said with a rousing flourish. "But I'm going to toot this horn so loud that something will be done to help this tree."

Stand and Toot tooted the chocolate horn with a toodle doodle doodly toot and marched to town. The people were so impressed by his resolve that they followed him to the town hall where he awoke the sleeping mayor and his dozing councilors. The Mayor was startled by the angry crowd and quickly authorized a guard to watch over the tree. Then he prepared to return to bed, but Stand and Toot was having none of that.

He raised the chocolate horn and cried, "Toodle doodle doodly toot. We elected you folks and we can give you the boot. Pick up the phones and rattle the governor’s bones. Toodle doodle doodly toot. I'm tooting my horn until the morn when the governor appears at the grand old tree, to tell me that all across this land there has gone out a plea. A plea for help for the grand old tree. Toodle doodle doodly toot. Remember Mayor and Councilors we are the community and we can give you the boot."

The people cheered. The Mayor rushed to the phone. And Stand and Toot left with a blare on his horn; toodle doodle doodly toot.

The next day the governor appeared with a television crew and a deed that claimed the land for the community. Word traveled about the land. Scientists heard the story of the great old tree and came from very far to build an intensive hospital-care tent around the tree trunk. They then performed hundreds of skin grafts; stitching the tree’s wound with its offshoots. For months the tent was kept at a constant temperature and humidity. Thousands of people came to visit. The tree grew more and more famous. So too did Stand and Toot, who now lives under the tree, receiving visitors from around the world.

"How is the tree feeling?" the visitors ask. "Is it going to get better?"

"The tree is still not very well.” Stand and Toot replies, “But if you toot on this Chocolate Horn, as loud and as long as you can, then I do believe the tree will be happy that you are providing nature with a voice".

"Toodle doodle doodly toot...

Save the trees! Save the trees! Toodle doodle doodly toot.

© Paul Coleman 1991

The Story Behind The Story
When I was walking through Alabama there was outrage over the attempted destruction of the states oldest tree, a 500-yr Live Oak. The lady who owned the land where the tree lived did not like people visiting the tree even though it was on a large piece of open land that was not being used by her for any particular reason. So, in the dead of night she hired a man to cut it down. But the tree was to big for his chainsaw so he girdled and lopped off it's largest branches and left it to die.

I happened to walk past the tree and met a tiny old man who was trying to save it. He told me of how scientists had come from around the nation to perform skin grafts and he told me of the thousands of children that came to visit. I thought the efforts to save this tree were very admirable indeed and wanted to celebrate their good works with a fairytale. Let's hope it ends with, "And the tree lived happily ever after."