First Comes Trust; Proof Comes After

She sat by the fire and watched as the embers sparked, disappearing like lazy lightning bugs dancing their grandest escape into the starlit sky. Silently she planted herself, listening to the melody of chirps, chatter and whirs of insects that were now more like an exploding crescendo crashing in the grand finale of a roaring symphony at the edge of the forest. In that moment she had never felt more alive.

Her grandfather had instilled in her the love for nature early on, ever since she could remember they would steal away taking any chance they could reset and recharge. In fact, she was named after a tree.

Adoette slipped on her sweater as the wind blew in a cooler breeze, sending the pulsating embers skittering into the tree line. She began to pack her things wanting to beat the weather to the car. As she made the second trip she hesitated for a moment, holding her breath and tilting her head. She smiled and scoffed, dismissing the notion that she'd heard a soft voice whispering from the darkness of the trees.

"I hope she is planning to put that fire out; you heard what happened to that small grove on the Eastside? They never saw it coming."

"Yeah, I heard they didn't stand a chance, once those sparks landed, poof, gone!" Banyon muttered frantically.

"She will, she will, don't worry," Baobab reassured them, she has been coming here since she was a sapling. We all know how responsible she is."

"One time, it takes one time for them to get distracted or inattentive which leaves us vulnerable to a mishap." Banyon's voice trembled as covered the scarred patch on the base of his trunk with his leaves.

"Hello? Is someone there?" she called out nervously towards the whispering. "Is everything alright, I can help you if you need it?"

"See what you've done, Banyon, now she's heard you..."

"Shhhhh, keep your voices down, we don't want her to..."

But it was too late, as the trees in the grove continued to argue amongst themselves, they were oblivious to the fact that she had approached them. Holding her phone up for clarity, she began recording, and what she captured left her frozen with fear. They all gasped when they realized she was standing there among them.

Her hands trembled so violently that she dropped her phone, and as she fumbled around to find it, Cyatheales, (a fern) whispered, "it's over here, child." holding it up in the air for her to see it easier.

Adoette let out a blood curdling scream, turning to run to her car, Wonderboom, (an evergreen) gently surrounded her with his branches. "Hey, hey, it's ok, slow down, take a breath we're not going to hurt you." But Adoette could not settle down, ias she pulled away, she ran headfirst into Hyperion, (a large redwood Sequoia), knocking her unconscious.

"Now what are we going to do?" cried Banyon, (one of the largest and most beautiful trees in the forest.) "It's been years since we've communicated, verbally with a human, and she has caught us on video and she's bleeding!"

Baobob, (a 3000-year-old tree, relocated from Africa) calmly explained, "it's going to be ok Banyon, we have watched her grow up from a tiny child, we will just explain everything to her, we know her bloodline, it will be fine.

He called for the healing plants to assist Adoette. They covered her with leaves to keep her warm and leaf to leaf, they provided cool water from the stream to arouse her. As she awoke, she found herself completely surrounded by a canopy of towering trees, each one seemingly smiling and offering their branches, like hugs.

Baobob greeted her gently. "Adoette, please, be still," Her face filled with surprise as he called her by name. He calmed and reassured her by stroking her hair with his limbs. "I am Baobob, your grandfather has been visiting my friends and I here for several decades. The stories he has told you are true, we are living beings, sharing the beauty and benefits of this great land with you."

Adoette saw the scars from a fire on his bark and asked, "what happened to you, I know that my grandfather loved you all so much. She paused, wiping a tear from her face she continued. "Since his passing, I come here to feel closer to him, to be reconnected." Realizing she was talking to the trees she asked nervously, "how are you talking to me, how can I understand what you're saying? I must have really hit my head hard."

Baobob swayed his branches to help Adoette sit up. "What your grandfather never told you was that he saved me years ago from a fire on one of his many adventures in a faraway land. He knew it was a magical place, so he decided to use the magic to heal my wounds and he brought me here to ensure the survival of my kind. Because of his care and generosity, I am thriving. But what he never expected was for the magic to transform every living plant that shared my soil, allowing us to communicate fully with your grandfather."

Adoette's eyes filled with tears, both because she missed her grandfather greatly, and now, from the pride of hearing how his kindness and bravery saved the forest he had raised her to love and respect so much all these years.

She spent hours talking with the creatures of this magical forest, realizing her connection was now deeper than just the beauty she beheld. Her grandfather always insisted beauty was more than skin deep and now, she understood exactly what he meant.

As she was preparing to leave, she promised them all she would return soon. Baobob wrapped her up in his branches and whispered, "do you want to know another secret?"

She grinned up at him and answered, "you have to ask?"

He began to chant some words she could not understand. The leaves on his limbs began to wave and flutter in the breeze, as they opened, she could see the sky bursting with stars and for a brief moment, she saw the face of her grandfather smiling back at her from the constellations.

"We are all one," Baobob whispered, "he is always right here."