Once there lived a rich tree named Ail, with hundreds of branches and lush green leaves that seemed to shimmer with life. He was the only tree in the whole jungle with such beautiful, smiling leaves, and the animals and birds often came to rest beneath his generous shade.
One day, Ail looked out at the horizon and felt a stirring within him. “There must be so much more to see beyond this jungle,” he thought. And with that spark, he decided he would go on a grand voyage to visit other lands and meet trees from different worlds.
As he journeyed across fields, valleys, and mountains, he met trees of every kind. Some were mighty and wise, others were young and lively, and still others were twisted and worn by life’s challenges. Ail admired their uniqueness but realized none shared his vibrant lushness. Still, he felt there was something more he was meant to find.
Eventually, Ail reached a distant land filled with trees unlike any he had ever seen. Their trunks were a royal bluish hue, glowing gently under the sky. These trees greeted him warmly, and Ail felt a sense of belonging among them. He learned their language, shared stories, and felt for the first time that he had found a home.
One day, while exploring a quiet grove by the river, Ail saw a beautiful, fragile plant swaying gently in the breeze. She seemed delicate, with soft petals and slender leaves, and beside her grew a small sibling. In that moment, Ail felt his heart stir like never before. He decided to stay by her side, to protect her and watch her grow. He named her “Sweetness” and her sibling “Green,” and together they began to form a bond.
As time passed, Ail and the two plants played and grew close, their laughter filling the air by the river. Sweetness and Green leaned on Ail for comfort, shade, and strength. They were safe with him, and he felt complete, as though he had found the purpose he had been searching for all along.
Yet, over time, Ail noticed he was changing. His branches were becoming brittle, and his lush green leaves began to wither and fall. But whenever he looked at Sweetness and Green, growing tall and strong, he reassured himself, “I’m happy as long as they are happy.”
Day by day, Sweetness and Green grew, their leaves lush and vibrant, just as Ail’s had once been. Their bond as siblings grew stronger, unbreakable, and slowly they began to drift away from him, their attention focused on each other. Ail watched, quietly realizing that the two plants who had once depended on him no longer needed his shade or his shelter.
As he stood by the river, he thought of how he had given all he could, pouring his strength into Sweetness and Green until there was nothing left of the once-mighty tree he had been. His branches had thinned, his trunk hollowed, and his leaves—those vibrant, smiling leaves—were almost all gone, littering the ground around him.
One evening, as the sun dipped low in the sky, Ail called softly to Sweetness and Green, hoping for one last moment together, one last laugh by the river. But they were lost in each other, their laughter echoing far away, unaware of the weak voice calling out to them.
Ail looked up at the vast, empty sky and sighed, a sound that was more like a whisper. “They are happy,” he murmured, his voice barely a breath in the wind. “And that is all I wanted.”
With that final thought, his last leaf let go, fluttering down to join the others on the forest floor. As it touched the earth, Ail felt himself slipping away, alone, unnoticed by the two he had loved so deeply.
The river flowed on, the wind stirred the leaves, and in that stillness, the smiling tree faded, his laughter and love dissolving into the soil, leaving behind only silence and memories. Sweetness and Green grew on, never realizing the quiet sacrifice of the one who had loved them first.
