A Fallen Acorn

There is an old but wise saying about the distance an acorn can fall from the mighty oak that dropped it. The truth is that oak trees don’t drop their acorns. They do not really fall. They are placed on the ground. The spot where it lands is picked in advance. It is a well-known fact that there are those who will carry the acorn to new places. For the most part, it is a nearby location, chosen by the Oak to honor the family line. Some, however, for more nefarious reasons, will take the acorn to far-off places, bringing harm to everything the Oak stands for. Everybody knows the extent a parent will go to protect their children. This is a story about exactly that.

In the Elon Forest, there were many different types of trees. The Redwoods inhabited the perimeter of the forest. Deeper inside is where you would find the Willows. Further, the Pines lived. In the very center, there was a clearing. The green grass grew tall there, along with vines containing berries of all kinds providing food for the variety of animals that make the forest their home. The sun was bright in the clearing and the pool of water was crystal clear. There were flowers of every color of the rainbow. The pleasant fragrance attracted bees and hummingbirds which added to the beauty of the place. There has never existed a more peaceful place on the planet.

In the middle of the clearing, a mighty Oak Tree was the glory and splendor of the entire forest. He stood an impressive 85 feet tall. His branches stretched out over 100 feet. Many animals took shelter under him. He was the oldest of all the trees. His name was Melech. He was King.

Melech was a good and loving king. He has ruled over the forest for over 1000 years. And for over a millennium, He kept the peace between the animals and the trees. Any problem that arose was taken before Melech. With great wisdom, he would solve anything that they could bring to him. Just to put him to the test, a fox came in with a riddle.

“There was a Wolf, a Duck, and a bag of grain”, the fox said, “that a farmer needed to get across a river. But his boat can only handle 2 at a time, including himself.” The Mighty Oak didn’t even let him finish before speaking. “Has a tree not fallen in the world of man? Do branches not lie on the ground? The farmer needs to build a bridge and take them all across at the same time. No harm done.” The fox walked away amazed at the wisdom of his reply.

The Woodpecker would build his nest in the Oak Tree’s branches. Out of respect, however, he would never peck holes in him. The Caterpillar, partly out of fear of the Woodpecker, would not eat from his leaves. The Rabbit dug its hole under his roots. It would find great protection there.

Of all the creatures of the forest, the squirrel is the most noble. They are the guardians of the trees. The protectors of the nuts. For that reason, it seemed very odd that it was a squirrel that broke the peace of the forest.

The largest acorn that grew on the branches of King Melech had reached the stage of full ripeness. It broke free and rolled away. Guided by Melech, it rolled from one branch to another lower on the tree. It followed a set path until it reached the ground. It was normal for a brown squirrel to come down from the top of the tree and carry the acorn to the edge of the clearing. There is where it will grow into a mature Oak Tree. The “dropping” of the first acorn of the summer was always a joyous event. This one was no different. The other trees began to clap their hands while the animals cried out cheers. Due to all of the cheering, nobody, not even the Mighty Oak himself, realized what was going on at this time.

As Carell, the head of the squirrels, descended from on high, a grey squirrel came from seemingly nowhere, grabbed the acorn, and kept running. Most of the animals this deep in the forest had never seen a grey squirrel before. Those that had, knew what a dire situation it was, that had arisen. The peace that had existed for over 1000 years had now been broken. It was time for the Mighty Oak to act.

In a fit of rage, King Melech screamed from the very depths of his soul. The scream was so loud and so strong that the ground began to shake. All of the animals that took shelter with him ran in fear. It took him only 5 minutes to regain his composure. Trees are not able to uproot themselves and walk around. So, he called 3 of the most trusted members of his counsel. Walter the Wolf, Freddy the Fox, and Boris the Bear. He gave them this commission:

“Go, leave our forest, and go to the forest of Amir, my brother, where the grey squirrels live, for that is where he has gone. Retrieve my acorn.”

There is a celebration among the Oak Trees. It takes place once every 1000 years. The Golden Acorn. It is when the first acorn breaks free from the 1000-year-old tree and rolls safely to the ground. When King Melech was just an acorn himself, he was the first one to break free and roll down the branches of the father tree. As he descended, Amire broke free from a lower branch and tried to beat him to the ground. Melech rolled off of the branch and hit the ground first and the brown squirrel carried him to the clearing. Needless to say, Amire did not take too well to this. He was unable to take root. A grey squirrel carried him away. He was buried to be eaten later. Somehow, he survived. From that day, he swore to get his revenge. He grew into a large oak tree himself. He gained the title of king of his own kingdom. It seemed as if his revenge was at hand.

As Walter, Freddy, and Boris walked through the forest, all of the animals and all of the trees cheered them on. “Go get them. Destroy them. Burn them down.” Many of the small woodland creatures started to follow them. They were forming a small army. Mudok was a 500-year-old Ironbark tree. Since he was not able to follow them, he shredded some of his bark for them to use as weapons. Other trees and plants gave up their leaves as shields. An army of 100 squirrels, 50 raccoons, 80 chipmunks, and 25 foxes were following the 3 chosen ones. Most of these have never seen the edge of the forest. They were shocked at what they found.

The ground was hard as a rock. It was black with a yellow stripe down the center. The trees at the edge warned of grave danger of crossing. They warned of hideous beast that moves faster than a cheetah. Light issues forth from their eyes. They strike with deadly force for no reason. Some are kind enough to stop and allow animals to cross, but most aren’t.

“We are here by order of the Mighty Oak”, said Freddy.

“We must pass”, said Walter. “The first acorn has been stolen.”

“We will retrieve it”, said Boris.

All of the trees began to say “Beware. Beware. We have warned you.”

While all of this was going on, the squirrels from the other forest noticed the army standing on the other side of the road. At this point, they formed an army themselves. To ensure they gain the victory, they got bears, wolves, and tigers. This prompted the others to add elephants and lions. If 1 side would get more animals to join their army, the other side would outdo them. Soon, the young saplings, whose roots have not grown deep, would uproot themselves and they would join.

Both sides forged a vast army, but neither would cross over. The older trees continued to warn them of the dangers of the monsters that would travel on this black road. However, the longer they stood there, the angrier they got. Each side wanted to destroy the other. Then one young brown squirrel crossed from Melech’s side, and one young grey squirrel crossed from Amire’s side. The entire army of both sides was about to engage in battle when 2 things were noticed.

First, the 2 young squirrels were not fighting. They were hugging. They were playing. They were the best of friends. It had never happened in the history of the forest. A brown squirrel and a grey squirrel being friends. Normally, each would stay on their own side of the road. But here it was. The young ones were getting along. They were actually playing.

One would think that seeing such a thing would cause a change in heart. It did not. The fact remained that the forest of Amire kidnapped the acorn of King Melech. According to King Melech’s side, for that reason alone, they deserved to be destroyed. They had no redeeming qualities. The young would understand when they get older.

King Amire’s side claimed that he was the rightful king and Melech stole it from him. For that reason alone, they deserved to be destroyed. They had no redeeming qualities. Amire finally got his revenge. The young would understand when they get older. That brings us to the second thing they noticed.

Before the battle began, the young squirrels were recalled to their sides. However, they were stunned at the sight of a hideous monster headed their way. They were paralyzed with fear. It was far worse than the older trees said. The beast was huge. Its eyes glowed with blinding light. It breathed smoke and roared loud enough to make all of those around run in fear, abandoning the children. Yet, the 2 young ones were still there. They were right in the path of the huge beast. Then it happened.

As quick as they could, a tree from Melech’s side bent over and rescued the grey squirrel while at the same time, a tree from Amire’s side bent over and rescued the brown squirrel. The huge beast came to a screeching stop. The side of the beast opened, and another creature came out. It was human. They had all heard of humans but had never seen one. He seemed to be making sure the young ones were not hurt. Not seeing them anywhere, he climbed back inside the beast, and they continued down the road.

“Why did you save the grey squirrel”, asked a lion to the tree.

“I didn’t look. I just didn’t want the children to get hurt.”

The same thing was asked about the brown squirrel. The same answer was given. With that, all hatred, all vengeance, and all animosity between the 2 sides were dissolved. Nobody wanted to see the other one get hurt.

The report of what happened reached the kings of both sides. The armies were recalled. Melech said that he only wanted the 3 to go, not a vast army. Amire said that he didn’t send an army at all. He awaited the representatives from his brother. It had been centuries since the 2 of them communicated. Taking the acorn was the only way to get Melech’s attention. They were both reaching the end of their lives and he did not want it to end that way.

The acorn was returned. Friendship was gained between the 2 kings. Brotherhood. The trees at the edge on both sides stretched out to form a canopy over the road. Travel between the 2 became more and more often. In time, the acorn grew to be a wise and powerful oak. Amire also had an acorn to grow into a wise and powerful oak. The 2 kings ruled together. Both sides of the forest had peace from that point on.