A Wooden Heart
Beloved, gaze in thine own heart.
The holy tree is growing there.
From joy the holy branches start
And all the trembling flowers they bear.
-The Two Trees
William Butler Yeats
The boy had not dreamt in weeks. The doctors told his aunt the boy suffered trauma, stress, and behavioral changes. The boy overheard the doctors when Aunt Lynn came to retrieve him from hospital. The boy did not think he was suffering from any behavioral changes. He just didn’t dream, anymore.
London: 1946.
The boy’s name is Daniel. He lives in an old brownstone with his Mum and Da and Nanny, Cook, and Butler. The furniture has been sold. The great pieces of mahogany were pushed out the door, sold to an Indian gentleman three streets over. Da’s bank had dried up since the Nazis began the air raids, and Mum and Da had to sell a great many things to buy milk, bread, cheese, meat. Nanny, Cook, and Butler stay on because (they told the boy) the Old Country is worse off than England. Daniel does not think of the Nazis anymore than he thinks of Prussia, or China, or Japan. He has heard about the camps in Japan, but when he hears the word ‘camp’ he thinks of a great safari in deepest Africa.
He is thinking of elephants when the sirens ring again. Nanny bustles Daniel out of bed, cooing in Gaelic. She takes Daniel up in her arms and runs down the stairs. Daniel looks for his parents; Mum and Da’s bedroom is empty.
“Where is Mummy?” Daniel cries. The windows are shaking, the sirens are screaming. ”Where is Da?” Daniel screams as Nanny runs outside, to the street, toward the shelter.
Daniel looks back and sees Blackie, the cat, in the windowsill.
“Blackie!” Daniel is screaming, the sight of his pet cat sending him into a panic. He kicks and dislodges himself from Nanny. He drops to the ground and charges back to the brownstone. Nanny is on the street, screaming for Daniel when the mortar shells drop down. Daniel is launched into bushes, his little frame writhing. When the great boom has cleared his ears, he sits up. Nanny is gone. Her left shoe is on the street. That is all.
Daniel whimpers, and goes back into the house. He grabs Blackie by the scruff of the neck and hunkers in the corner of the dining room.
He is an orphan, now. His Mum and Da had been at the church while he slept. They had gone there to pray together. The church was hit harder than Nanny had been. Butler is gone. Cook is gone. Daniel and Blackie remain in the darkness of the house, not knowing his mum and da were dead. Daniel and the cat sat for one day, huddled in the shadows. Daniel clenches Blackie to his throat the entire time. He wets himself, to afraid to go to the loo. The soldiers come and search the homes.
“ ‘Allo? Anyone here?” cries a soldier. Blackie squeaks. “Mew!”
The soldier follows the cat cries and finds Daniel. Daniel cannot move. The soldier picks Daniel up and takes him to hospital. Blackie escapes. Now, Daniel is alone in hospital with the doctors until Aunt Lynn comes. Aunt Lynn is Mum’s sister. She is dressed in wool. Everything about Aunt Lynn is scratchy and dominant. Aunt Lynn hoists Daniel to his feet.
“There, there,” Aunt Lynn says. Daniel is weeping.
On the boat to Ireland, Daniel looks over the rail and sees the North Sea, belching great white capped waves. The sea is gray and lonesome. The boat rocks to and fro and Daniel clutches the rail, white knuckled fear. Aunt Lynn finds Daniel on the slippery deck and whisks him to the cabin. She sets him on her scratchy lap and places her two great arms about him.
When Daniel and Aunt Lynn reach Cork, he looks about her cottage in wonder. It is warm and cheery and bright—not scratchy at all. And there are cats all about. Daniel sinks into the straw mattress and sleeps, but still, he does not dream.
Outside of Aunt Lynn’s cottage grows a great tree with a wide hollow in its trunk. Daniel has found this tree mysterious and inviting. Aunt Lynn gives Daniel chores and lessons, and Daniel is obedient. He goes to church with her, and sits still as a dormouse. Daniel accompanies Aunt Lynn to town and tea with her lady friends. But when they return to the cottage, in the evening, Daniel crawls into the trunk and finds the heartbeat of the great tree. Here, he can dream, and he dreams of the brownstone in London, and his mum’s footsteps, and Blackie’s yellow eyes. Daniel speaks quietly in the tree, and sings to himself. Only in the tree are the screams of the sirens silenced.
Aunt Lynn finds Daniel in the tree one morning. He is curled into a ball, a smile upon his face, his still hand curled against his pale cheek. And before the ghost of Daniel leaves, she sees spots of color on his flesh—the color of youth, of happiness, of joy. Aunt Lynn weeps for the boy, for he passed in such a relenting way, such a quiet way. And for just one moment, Aunt Lynn hears the heartbeat of the tree--a steady, ponderous beating, thumping nourishment to its green leaves, to its long limbs.
The holy tree is growing there.
From joy the holy branches start
And all the trembling flowers they bear.
-The Two Trees
William Butler Yeats
The boy had not dreamt in weeks. The doctors told his aunt the boy suffered trauma, stress, and behavioral changes. The boy overheard the doctors when Aunt Lynn came to retrieve him from hospital. The boy did not think he was suffering from any behavioral changes. He just didn’t dream, anymore.
London: 1946.
The boy’s name is Daniel. He lives in an old brownstone with his Mum and Da and Nanny, Cook, and Butler. The furniture has been sold. The great pieces of mahogany were pushed out the door, sold to an Indian gentleman three streets over. Da’s bank had dried up since the Nazis began the air raids, and Mum and Da had to sell a great many things to buy milk, bread, cheese, meat. Nanny, Cook, and Butler stay on because (they told the boy) the Old Country is worse off than England. Daniel does not think of the Nazis anymore than he thinks of Prussia, or China, or Japan. He has heard about the camps in Japan, but when he hears the word ‘camp’ he thinks of a great safari in deepest Africa.
He is thinking of elephants when the sirens ring again. Nanny bustles Daniel out of bed, cooing in Gaelic. She takes Daniel up in her arms and runs down the stairs. Daniel looks for his parents; Mum and Da’s bedroom is empty.
“Where is Mummy?” Daniel cries. The windows are shaking, the sirens are screaming. ”Where is Da?” Daniel screams as Nanny runs outside, to the street, toward the shelter.
Daniel looks back and sees Blackie, the cat, in the windowsill.
“Blackie!” Daniel is screaming, the sight of his pet cat sending him into a panic. He kicks and dislodges himself from Nanny. He drops to the ground and charges back to the brownstone. Nanny is on the street, screaming for Daniel when the mortar shells drop down. Daniel is launched into bushes, his little frame writhing. When the great boom has cleared his ears, he sits up. Nanny is gone. Her left shoe is on the street. That is all.
Daniel whimpers, and goes back into the house. He grabs Blackie by the scruff of the neck and hunkers in the corner of the dining room.
He is an orphan, now. His Mum and Da had been at the church while he slept. They had gone there to pray together. The church was hit harder than Nanny had been. Butler is gone. Cook is gone. Daniel and Blackie remain in the darkness of the house, not knowing his mum and da were dead. Daniel and the cat sat for one day, huddled in the shadows. Daniel clenches Blackie to his throat the entire time. He wets himself, to afraid to go to the loo. The soldiers come and search the homes.
“ ‘Allo? Anyone here?” cries a soldier. Blackie squeaks. “Mew!”
The soldier follows the cat cries and finds Daniel. Daniel cannot move. The soldier picks Daniel up and takes him to hospital. Blackie escapes. Now, Daniel is alone in hospital with the doctors until Aunt Lynn comes. Aunt Lynn is Mum’s sister. She is dressed in wool. Everything about Aunt Lynn is scratchy and dominant. Aunt Lynn hoists Daniel to his feet.
“There, there,” Aunt Lynn says. Daniel is weeping.
On the boat to Ireland, Daniel looks over the rail and sees the North Sea, belching great white capped waves. The sea is gray and lonesome. The boat rocks to and fro and Daniel clutches the rail, white knuckled fear. Aunt Lynn finds Daniel on the slippery deck and whisks him to the cabin. She sets him on her scratchy lap and places her two great arms about him.
When Daniel and Aunt Lynn reach Cork, he looks about her cottage in wonder. It is warm and cheery and bright—not scratchy at all. And there are cats all about. Daniel sinks into the straw mattress and sleeps, but still, he does not dream.
Outside of Aunt Lynn’s cottage grows a great tree with a wide hollow in its trunk. Daniel has found this tree mysterious and inviting. Aunt Lynn gives Daniel chores and lessons, and Daniel is obedient. He goes to church with her, and sits still as a dormouse. Daniel accompanies Aunt Lynn to town and tea with her lady friends. But when they return to the cottage, in the evening, Daniel crawls into the trunk and finds the heartbeat of the great tree. Here, he can dream, and he dreams of the brownstone in London, and his mum’s footsteps, and Blackie’s yellow eyes. Daniel speaks quietly in the tree, and sings to himself. Only in the tree are the screams of the sirens silenced.
Aunt Lynn finds Daniel in the tree one morning. He is curled into a ball, a smile upon his face, his still hand curled against his pale cheek. And before the ghost of Daniel leaves, she sees spots of color on his flesh—the color of youth, of happiness, of joy. Aunt Lynn weeps for the boy, for he passed in such a relenting way, such a quiet way. And for just one moment, Aunt Lynn hears the heartbeat of the tree--a steady, ponderous beating, thumping nourishment to its green leaves, to its long limbs.
posted by FRITZ at 9:17 AM
1 Comments:
That kid kicked her because he saw his cat, kids can be such assholes.
Just her shoe was left. That's awesome.
That would so freak me out if I were surrounded by cats when I slept!
The end makes me think of some old tale I heard once about mythical trees that ate people.
Nice job!
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