by Eimear Arkins, St Flannan’s College, Ennis
Junior Category – Third Prize

At the foot of the garden stood a hollow tree with knarled, spreading roots and a soft perishing bark. Its dense collection of intertwining branches protruded from every angle. Its ruffled bark was almost indistinguishable beneath the thick layers of vibrant green foliage, which adorned its agile limbs. Its whopping arms scraped the skyline as it swayed in the summer breeze. As the sun hit the surface of the bright green leaves, the whole tree glistened like a sea of sparkling diamonds.
We were both old, but the tree still stood as robust as ever, its body as staunch as the first day I clapped eyes on it. My body, on the other hand, had begun to break down and as I sat in my chair, I began to feel like its arms and seat were moulding itself to my body.

A the age of nine, I stood at the bottom of the tree and gazed up at the tremendous heights of its upper branches. There were vast amounts of leaves displaying various shades and textures. A sudden urge came over me, and I longed to see more of the splendours of nature. I dashed into my house to make sure no sly siblings were spying on me. Fortunately, the house was deserted. All that lay between me and a panoramic view of the neighbourhood, from an unimaginable height, were the many coiled prongs of the tree.

With a trembling hand, I gripped one of the lower branches. Gently and cautiously, I applied a little more pressure – it was relatively sturdy. With a little hesitation, I mounted the first branch. Already my heart was doing somersaults. In the back of my mind, I could hear the all too familiar sound of my mother’s authoritative voice, warning me not to be climbing heights in the garden. She would surely have panicked if she has seen me crawling along one of the more fragile branches attempting a dangerous balancing act. But at that precise moment, nothing mattered but the tree.

Slowly and warily, I ascended the tree; I felt like a young Neill Armstrong, taking “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” I reached the first branch above my head and then the next until I was almost at the top. At this stage, I could no longer obtain a clear view of the ground below me but the thick, chocolate brown branches which surrounded me provided stability and protection. Each step taken upward brought with it new views of sheer beauty and magnificence and with each trembling foothold I was taken one step further from home.

I positioned myself near the uppermost branch of the tree. Its knarled branches enveloped my body like the arms of a loving, protective parent. I felt completely at ease in the serenity and tranquillity of my new surroundings. The tree swayed rhythmically in such an effortless motion that it seemed it was almost dancing to the melodic whistling of the wind. This, along with the buzzing of the bees, ignited the summer ambiance.

I starred in awe at the splendour of my locality. To many people, it may have seemed to be a fairly mundane view of the countryside, a boring monotony. But from my vantage point, I saw an endless spread of fields in an array of endless colours, farmers working hard saving the hay, children enjoying the fine weather, animals basking in the sun and birds flying from tree to tree, humming charming melodies. It was on days like these that the neighbourhood looked like it was in full-bloom, just like the flowers.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the sweet smell of pollen and nectar that filled the air. Echoes of my mother’s voice calling my name startled me and I was forced to abandon my haven and descend the tree. Although it took me half an hour to climb tree, it took me a lot less to retreat. A quarter of the way down, my foot slipped off a branch and, unable to regain my balance, I tumbled out of the tree , banging off twigs and branches along the way, trying to grasp hold of something, anything to prevent me from plummeting to the ground. Alas, I hit the hard earth with only the grass to soften my fall.

Throughout my lifetime, a bond developed between the tree and me. It was a source of continuous inspiration for me throughout my childhood. In its shade, I sat reading while others my age ran and played. Under its wide arms, I married the love of my life and so I sit here awaiting the transition to the afterlife. I look at how it has grown and developed, how it has survived the many passing seasons, and reflect on how it has been a form of reassurance that I too would triumph over the adversities that I faced during my lifetime.

It wasn’t easy being paralysed, from the waist down, from the age of nine, but my lifelong companion, my tree had never moved either.