The Tree Man

By Damian Cormack

Stay with Granny while Mum sorts out her job? Alright, say Daniel and his sister Izzy. They already miss their father, a soldier who has gone AWOL or absent without leave. So it is a surprise when the Tree Man whisks them off to Lepithon where the Malacots, a tribe of monkeys, clash with the boars. Izzy corrals some horses yet worries about a fo

• Language: English
• Publisher: Damian Cormack
• Release date: Oct 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781802271706

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The Tree Man

Damian Cormack

The Tree Man

Copyright © 2021 Damian Cormack

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

ISBN:

978-1-80227-169-0 (Paperback)

978-1-80227-170-6 (eBook)

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight 33

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter One

Daniel’s football dropped into a bush in the garden and disappeared from sight. He scrambled about on the ground but could find no trace of it. Frustrated, he looked up and… stopped in his tracks.

Before him was an unusual sight. It was a tree but much more than that. The branches were like arms reaching into the sky, with newly-grown leaves standing out like fingers from its hands. Those at the bottom were thicker and stronger, just like legs.

Between the outstretched arms was a chunk of timber which resembled a head, and scratches in the bark even looked like eyes, a nose and an open mouth. Daniel grinned with delight.

The Tree Man – for that was what he would call him – even had hair. The leaves which had sprouted during the past few weeks looked just like curly, green locks. From top to bottom, the tree was just like a human being!

Daniel clambered up the fence which ran behind the tree so that he could get closer to his new friend. He placed first one foot and then the other on the Tree Man’s shoulders, one either side of his head. Then, holding onto the wooden arms which reached upwards, Daniel leaned back as if riding a horse.

Come on, he shouted, let’s go!

It was then that he felt the tree shudder below him. It was nothing violent or frightening; just a rumble to reassure him that the tree felt a bond, a hope perhaps that one day they might share an adventure.

I know, said Daniel to the tree, this time quietly as if he were confiding to a friend. Let’s pretend we’re on a voyage somewhere, sailing on a tall ship into the unknown.

Just then, Daniel heard a noise to his right. It was his younger sister, Izzy. Surprised, she looked up at him.

Who are you talking to? she asked, pulling her blonde hair away from her eyes. I can’t see anyone.

To the Tree Man, said Daniel. At least, that’s what I call him.

What do you mean? asked Izzy. You’re standing on a tree. That’s all.

That isn’t all, Izz. Here are his hands and arms and there’s his head, said Daniel, waving his own arms about as if attracting attention. And there are his legs and feet.

I don’t know what you’re talking about, said Izzy. It’s just a tree and Granny’s tree at that. With that, she turned and walked to the other end of the garden.

Climbing down, Daniel looked up in admiration at the Tree Man. Daniel knew there was much more to the Tree Man than bark and leaves. It had a soul and maybe even a brain. And one day they would talk to each other. Daniel knew they would.

Granny, asked Daniel when he got back to the house, what sort of tree is that over by the wooden fence? You know, the one with the new leaves on it?

His grandmother looked at him with questioning eyes. Which one do you mean? Most of the trees have got new leaves on them. It’s that time of year.

Daniel pointed through the window towards the bottom of the garden. You know the one I mean, Granny. It’s like a goalkeeper with its arms up as if it were catching a ball.

Come and show me, said his grandmother, taking him by the hand. They went through the back door and down the slope to the garden. When they came to the fence near where the Tree Man stood, his granny stopped to consider.

You’re right, Daniel. This is a special tree. Not just because of what it is – it’s an ash – but because of why it’s here. I planted it when my dog died. Quite a long time ago now. He was a black Labrador called Archie. I wanted something to remember him by, so every time I walk past the tree now, I think of Archie.

Maybe that’s why the tree is special, Granny, said Daniel, turning to face her. I know it’s not human or anything, but it’s alive. I know it is.

All trees are living. That’s why they grow, replied his grandmother. But they’re not like humans or even animals, are they? They don’t have a heart or a brain. You can’t talk to a tree, can you?

Chapter Two

Over supper that evening, Izzy asked her grandmother why she hadn’t got another dog when Archie had