Tag Archives: fiction

Trees Are Family

This postcard features a painting I created a few years ago from a trip to California, where I visited Yosemite National Park, and Muir Woods. The original is quite large, and the medium is watercolor painting, with very detailed graphite pencil work layered on top.

Being a lover of trees, I was very taken with the giant redwoods on that trip, which some years later became the setting for my fiction story The Turquoise Heart. So, the painting and the story became closely tied together. In the story, the protagonist 14-year-old Anna makes the observation to her mentor Elsu that the trees in the forest they are walking through look like a family.

“Elsu, did you notice that group of trees that we just passed? There were many very tall ones, plus a giant one like the one I hid in. They stood in a circle with their branches reaching out to each other, and there was a little tree in the middle. It was almost like they were holding hands and protecting it. They looked like a family.”

“Very good observation! You are not just imagining they are a family. They really ARE one.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Trees communicate with each other underground through their roots and fungi. They have their own intelligence. For their survival, they have learned to cooperate, not just with each other, but with other tree species, too. They are very community-minded.

“Trees share space so they will all hopefully get some sunlight. They also produce sap that feeds the fungi, which in turn feeds sugar back to other surrounding trees. That little tree you noticed is actually being nourished by the big trees. It is all one big family in the forest.”

This weekend I am offering a free copy of The Turquoise Heart if you are interested in reading it. The free download link is here.

The Trees Weep

The willow weeps,
the pine trees moan,
all Nature’s feeling it,
deep to the bone.

Humans out of sync,
not hearing their hearts,
the soul of the Earth’s
being torn apart.

“Technology’s call
mesmerized them all,
and why can’t they see,
their hate is a wall?”

The mountains watch,
their strength eons old,
the oceans too have
seen centuries unfold.

They will endure, but
will humans be here?
“It seems they don’t care,
they don’t hold us dear.”

The eleventh hour
draws swiftly nigh,
trees watch us, crying,
will this be goodbye?

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The Day Humanity Decided

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An excerpt from The Day Humanity Decided:

This tree exuded a demeanor relentlessly proud. In a strange way, the tree gave the people a feeling of hope that there was something beyond smallness. Over many generations, small had become quite wearisome. It was boring, and well, small. Of course it was against the rules to think about anything outside of small, so it was best to keep those feelings to one’s self.

The biggest problem with the tree (for Tyrannicus) was, of course, that it was altogether contrary to The Rule of Small. Here was an object that defied The Tyrannicus Rex Official History of The Land of Small (kept in a special hall, separate from The Tyrannicus Rex Family Record Book for safe keeping), which stated that everything in The Land of Small had always been small, and in fact, small was the most natural thing in the world. What other way could or should it be? If the history books said it was so, then it must be so.

The narrative of small may have stuck ad infinitum, except for that darned tree. For reasons Tyrannicus could not fathom, more and more the people were beginning to question it. If everything had always been small, and it was natural to be small, then why was that mysterious huge tree in the middle of the square? Where did it come from?

It was not man-made; it was a tree for heaven’s sake, and a tree (being of Nature) was about as natural as you could get. Beyond that, why were the Tyrannicus Rexes so obsessed with removing it? Secretly The People of the Land of Small loved that sad, big tree, so it did raise questions.

To say that this whole situation was very irritating to Tyrannicus would be a massive understatement. He just wanted to live the easy life, but when the people questioned, this required making up new rules. Rules took time to make and enforce, but what else was one to do? It was exhausting, really.

Tyrannicus decided to delegate some of the rule making work. At first it started small, just a couple of people to oversee The Records of Rules of the Land of Small. They’d come to work and pore over the existing records, and then they’d put their heads together to suggest some new rules for the King to edict.

He was very pleased with their work. What he noticed right away was that as The Committee of Rules for the Land of Small made up new rules, it was pretty much impossible to publish them daily. The People of the Land of Small would dutifully wait for the next proclamations, but if they happened to miss an announcement and accidentally break a new rule, it wasn’t his fault, was it?

He hired more rule advisors, and rule making took on a life of its own in the kingdom. The people were now more fearful, which worked in Tyrannicus’s favor. They were so preoccupied trying to keep track of the new rules and the fines they might get if they broke them, they almost stopped thinking about the big tree in the square. Almost… but Tyrannicus would soon discover that in another part of The Land of Small, Nature was conspiring against him…

This has been an excerpt from The Day Humanity Decided. It’s a free download as both PDF and EPUB in my ebookstore. Here is the link.

Or if you just want to read the PDF online, try this link.

Remember What’s Real

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In indigenous cultures the elders of the community are highly respected for their life-long accumulated knowledge. They are teachers in the community and particularly of the children, so that the ways and tradition of reverence for the land will not be forgotten. Perhaps if we were to acknowledge indigenous wisdom more, we would be better able to solve our problems related to Earth and our natural environment.

After all, how can we solve these problems when we are feeling so separated from the land itself? I do not believe that corporations (or governments) largely have the sort of caring that would lead towards a healing of Earth, or us, for that matter. At a grassroots level, we must take personal responsibility for ourselves and our Earth.

“In order for the land to take care of us, we must take care of the land.” There are many interesting videos to watch on this site: Wisdom of the Elders, Inc.

Inspirational Quote:

“Not just beautiful, though – the stars are like the trees in the forest, alive and breathing. And they’re watching me.” ~ Haruki Murakami

An excerpt from The Turquoise Heart, where Elsu (the elder in this case) speaks to Anna, who is the same age as his granddaughter Suki:

…Elsu gave her a wink. “This has all been quite intense, has it not? I see why you would be exhausted. We will start walking over to the creek, and soon it will be time to say goodbye for now.”

“For now? You told me that I came through some kind of time portal. How would I know how to come back, even if I wanted to?”

“I’m thinking you may want to some time in future, Anna. After all, there is still the problem of the trees.“

“The trees have a problem?”

“Are there not rumors in your town right now that the trees will be cut down? You came to realize during your time here that they are part of your Earth family. You already sense you will miss them. What are you going to do about it? It was not just me who called you. It was also the forest.”

“What could I ever do about that? I’m just a teenager. No one cares what I think or say about anything.”

“I guess this could be a challenge to take home with you, or maybe it really does not matter at all. That is for you to decide.”

“Okay, Elsu, but why am I suddenly responsible for the trees?”

Elsu replied softly, “Anna, if not you, then who? That huge tree that gave you shelter is over one thousand years old and a grandparent.”

His rebuttal disarmed her.“I do care about the forest. I promise I’ll think more about it.” It had never before occurred to Anna that she might have the power to change anything important in the world…

I invite you to take a few moments today to download your free copy of The Turquoise Heart. Although the protagonist Anna is “just” going on fifteen, she has a strong sense that the world is not quite right, and that what is expected of her in the “formula for life” already does not feel like enough. The Turquoise Heart is a 1-hour read, and the prequel to a coming longer novel (or two?). Download it here.

© Susan L Hart 2024

Your Spark

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It’s YOUR life, no one else’s. You choose how to live it. If you don’t choose, someone else will choose for you. The life you are focused on right now is just one of infinite threads that all exist simultaneously. Reach into the future with your mind and claim the possibility that you want. Intend to make it real.

And this is not just “all about you”. You help to create the world around you when you choose, because you are part of the All. What you choose ripples outward to the rest of humanity. It begins with you, in your thoughts, beliefs, and choices.

I invite you to help yourself today to a free copy of The Turquoise Heart. The download page is here. Life is a journey, and for Anna the journey becomes a surreal exploration of some of her own fears and limitations. She begins to ask herself, “Where does the dream end, and reality begin?” You will too, I promise! This is a novelette length read (a little more than 1 hour), and is a prequel to a future longer novel. I hope you will take the time to read it, and send me your feedback. Thanks!

Words of a Mentor

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It’s important to believe in yourself, but let’s face it, we all need some help with that from time to time. What would you do without the people who are in your corner, cheering you on? They are your champions, and here’s why they are so important:

Every day and all around you, there are people expressing their opinion about how you “should be”. It can be extremely crippling when you buy into it, because so often these unsolicited gems of wisdom are negative. These people are not secure in themselves, consequently their chief aim is to demoralize, demotivate, and drain you. They are called “energy vampires”, and this is how they achieve some or all of their personal power. They do not want to see you succeed, because they believe that would somehow diminish them.

Your champions, on the other hand, aren’t trying to mold you into their idea of success. Rather, they see your talents and strengths and encourage you to follow your own unique path. They offer to share their knowledge and mentor you, where it is appropriate. They truly care about your success!

So believe in your dream, intend to succeed, and work at it passionately. You will find your true champions gathering around you. Hold them close, treasure them, express gratitude to them often. Your champions and mentors are pure gold.

An excerpt from The Turquoise Heart, where the speakers are Elsu, mentor to the main protagonist, 14-year-old Anna:

…“I AM very tired. When I answered the call of the wind, I did not expect this many problems over here.”

“Problems? Is that how you choose to see it?”

“Yes, I would like to go home now. I need a break from all this drama.”

Elsu smiled. “It is your story, Anna. I suppose you asked for a drama.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, if memory serves me correctly, you were feeling very bored with life, and asking if there could be more. You came over here and started to find it. What were you expecting, exactly?”

“I guess I thought it was going to be easier.”

“Anna, nothing worth anything is that easy. Did you really want all of the answers to be handed to you on a silver platter? We had a good conversation where I suggested some ideas, but you will make up your own mind about those as you move forward.

“As for Suki, she grated on you in order to bring to the surface all of the feelings you have at school about fitting in. She was a valuable experience for you, as you were for her. You are going to encounter many Sukis in life, Anna. You won’t always be able to just walk away from them, the way you choose to do at school.

“The Sukis of this world have a sense of entitlement to control other people. When they can’t, they try to punish them. Believe me, a girl who is worried about a dress and a boyfriend is the least of it. She fortunately will outgrow it, but there are those who do not. In order to withstand them, it’s important to have a strong sense of yourself”...

The Turquoise Heart ebook is currently being offered as a free PDF download. This novelette is a prequel to a much longer story, as Anna’s quest to find a more expansive vision of life unfolds.

Help yourself to a free copy now if you’d like to read the story. Download it here.