A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the treetop, ate the apples, took a nap under the shade. He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by, the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day.
One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad.
"Come and play with me” the tree asked the boy.
"I am no longer a kid, I do not play around trees any more” the boy replied.
“I want toys. I need money to buy them.”
“Sorry, but I do not have money, but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.”
The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
One day, the boy who now turned into a man returned and the tree was excited.
“Come and play with me” the tree said.
“I do not have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?”
“Sorry, but I do not have any house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house.”
So the man cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the man never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the man returned and the tree was delighted.
"Come and play with me!” the tree said.
“I am getting old. I want to travel. Can you give me a boat?” said the man.
"Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.”
So the man cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went away for a long time.
The man finally returned when he was 80 years old. The tree was very happy to see him but it no longer had anything to offer the man.
The tree said, "I no longer have fruits for you to eat, nor a tree trunk for you to climb on. I no longer have anything to offer you except my dying roots."
The man finally saw what had become of the tree. All that was left was the little stool which was what remained after the trunk was cut.
He said, "It's ok. I no longer have the teeth to bite on fruits. Nor do I have the strength to climb onto you. But tell me, dear tree, what can I do for you?"
The tree was very happy that the man decided to stay with it. It said, "You don't have to do anything for me. But sit down and tell me the tales of places you've been to all these years."
Surely, the man sat down on the little stool and began telling the tree about the tales of places he had been to all these years... The tree listened on happily, feeling contented that the boy who used to play with it had finalli return to it.
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