Here, things differ. It is not as on Earth. Approach the tree naked, carrying no ax, no saw. Explain in a clear voice your sorrow, but do not use words. Sing. Our trees know music as our universal language. Perhaps there is much which cannot be expressed in such a language, but these things, the important things, can.
Once the tree understands who you have lost, it will move. Roots will reach down to find your wife’s body, no matter how deeply buried. The fruit of life will bloom, for we have no winter here. Once she is drawn to the surface, squeeze the juice into her mouth. One drop is enough. Two will make her a poet, and three, a prophet.
The branches will weave themselves into a bower in the crown of the tree. There you may dwell in peaceful happiness for all days.
I forgot to mention. To prepare the tree, hang a god from its branches, and let his blood go into the roots, the fruit, and all around, so that the power of infinite love- What do you mean you already had a tree like this on Earth? Why did you come here? The house you will build in that tree is a mansion indeed, if your god is the carpenter’s son as you say.
So you will see her again. You believed in stories of my strange garden enough to brave the journey here.
Why not believe Him?
by John C. Wright
it might have been a “throwaway” comment, but even his throwaways are worth reading and preserving.
that’s a gift, in more ways than one.
The throwaway comment, which I took as a challenge, it that someone in the comments section of Vox Day’s blog was complaining about another author.
I have nothing against this other author, and bear him no enmity. But that scene combined depravity, boredom, rigidly one-dimensional characters, and a complete lack of humanity.
So when someone quipped “I’d rather read John Wright writing instructions on how to build a treehouse” I took it as a challenge to see if I could write a SFF short story small enough to fit into a comment box.
So here is my instruction on how to build a treehouse.
That’s all well and good, you understand, but just how do you go about building a couch fort, then? 🙂
“but just how do you go about building a couch fort, then?”
Alas, some challenges are too hard to face. I will slink away from this one, leaving your glove untouched on the floor.
I understand now when Vox says that reading John has made him contemplate putting down his pen on a couple of occasions.
Holy moly.