Stump

Summary

A parable about a boy and a tree in his garden illustrates the theme of selfless love and sacrifice, where the tree gives everything it has to help the boy throughout his life.

Abstract

The story revolves around the deep bond between a young boy and his beloved fruit tree. As the boy grows, the tree provides for his needs at each stage, from enabling him to attend a village dance by offering its fruit, to sacrificing its branches and finally its entire trunk to help him win a girl's affection and later reach the city to seek his fortune. Despite the tree's sacrifices, the boy returns only when he faces misfortune, seeking forgiveness. The tree, embodying unconditional love, accepts the boy's return without resentment, offering its stump as a place for them to rest and reminisce about happier times.

Opinions

The tree represents unconditional love, giving selflessly without expecting anything in return.
The boy's initial appreciation and later neglect of the tree may reflect human nature in taking loved ones for granted.
The tree's happiness is derived from the boy's, indicating that love can be found in the joy of others.
The story suggests that true friendship is about being there for someone, even when they have nothing left to give.
The tree's final act of offering comfort to the boy, despite his past actions, emphasizes the power of forgiveness and the enduring nature of true friendship.

A parable of unconditional love

There was once a little boy who lived in the country. In his garden there grew a fruit tree, which the boy loved dearly. Each day he would play in its branches and rest under its shade. The tree loved the little boy too and would talk to him and listen to him for hours. The tree’s happiest times were those spent in the little boy’s company.

The years went by and the boy grew older. He no longer came so often to talk to the tree and when he did it was mainly when he felt upset about something. One day he came to say that there was a dance taking place that evening in the village, but he had no money to go. All of the young boys and girls in the area would be going and he was sad not to be able to attend.

“I may be able to help” said the tree. “Take a basket from the cottage and collect the fruits which are left on my branches from last month’s harvest. Then you can take the basket into the village and sell the fruit for a penny to the people going into the dance. You should be able to pay for your ticket in that way”.

The boy thanked the tree, then climbed to its highest branches to collect the pieces of fruit which the harvest had missed. He took the basket of fruit to the village and was able to attend the dance, where he met a wonderful young girl from a neighbouring village. It was one of the finest nights of his life and he was polite enough to thank the tree again when he returned home.

For many months the boy seemed very happy as he came and went past the tree, as he was continuing to see the young girl he had met that night. But one night he came to speak to the tree looking very sad. “Next week is my girlfriend’s birthday and I have no money to buy her a present, not even enough for a ribbon for her hair. I know you cannot help me for there is no more fruit on your branches”.

“ Perhaps there is another way I can help”, said the tree. “Take a saw and trim off my branches. They will grow back again in the summer. You may sell the wood in the village to earn the money to buy a present for your sweetheart”. The boy thanked the tree profusely, checked that he really did not mind and then did as the tree had suggested. With the wood he sold he was able to buy his girlfriend a ring, which she said that she would always cherish. For a few months the tree was pleased to hear how the boy whistled happily as he came and went, even though he seldom stopped to speak.

Then one day the whistling stopped and the tree was sad to see the boy crying under its branches. His girl had left him for another and he was distraught. He had no other thought than to leave the area and make his way to the city to try to find his fortune there. “But the city is far away down the river and I have no way of getting there. I don’t know what I can do”.

“Let me help you again”, said the tree.

“Take your father’s axe and chop down my trunk. If you hollow out the inside, I will make a fine canoe which will bear you down the river to the city”. The boy was so upset that he gave no thought for what would become of the tree, but took the axe and did as the tree had said. When he had made a canoe, he sailed away to find his fortune.

The stump of the tree stood there alone for many long days after the boy had left, and he always wondered what had become of his friend. One day a bedraggled wretch made his way into the clearing and walked towards the tree. It was the boy, who had come back to tell the tree about his misfortunes in the city and most of all to beg the tree’s forgiveness for taking all that the tree had offered him. The boy wept freely as he spoke.

“Do not cry”, said the tree. “Every offer I made was sincerely meant and I was always pleased to be able to help you. Now I have not much left to give, but if you care to ease your feet after your long journey, you may sit on my stump and we can enjoy each other’s company while we remember the happy times we have spent together”.

The boy gratefully sat on the stump, bowed his head and cried again, as though he would never stop.

Extract from The Alpha Lab by Mark Kelly, available on Kindle