Ilance was 25. All her life she lived in this house a mile and a half from the Lucretia village. She liked it. From the north, the forest's sounds would awake her in the morning and in the evening, the waves of the Andana lake would hush her and put asleep. What could she want more?
And her best friend was here too. Just five yards from the door, she could see the big shadow of Sam. He is there for her. Always was.
She remembered, when a child, she would sit under Sam and read Jules Verne, and Conan Doyle. Reading science fiction and detective stories was always the most pleasurable pastime for Ilance.
.
She looked at her friend and saw how his branches moved in the wind.
When did she begin to call him Sam? It was about 20 years ago. Well, maybe 19.
Yes, she was six. That night her parents could not return home from the work because bad weather. The most vicious storm ran wild in the forest.
Ilance was so afraid, especially when the thunder began.
But in the light of coming thunderbolt, she saw the tree through the window. It pulled its branches, like fingers, towards her. And she put her fingers to the window too. As if they were touching. And all the time Ilance was whipping, the tree was shaking its "fingers" as to make her calm. And strangely enough, it helped. She began to speak with the tree, and it would bend as if in agreement.
That is when she decided to give a name to the tree. The name of her beloved Uncle Sam. She tried to call the tree by name, and it responded, by trying to bend towards her.
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Ilance liked Sam very much and would come after the school to tell him all the news - good and bad. Sam showed her how to withstand any storm. How to remember that there is sun even in the rainiest day. How to be at ease with songs of the birds on him. It was Sam who suggested that she should take a branch and give back the same treatment to that naughty boy who pulled her braids in the school. Sam helped her to make the right decision which of two boys she would go with to the cinema (Alex, Phil, Alex, Phil,..and the last leaf was Phil.)
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Ilance smiled once more to Sam, took her suitcase and went to the car. She had to go to live in the town, where she would be a nurse in Belledia hospital.
Then she stopped, cast the suitcase on the ground and ran to Sam. She could not really hug him, as he was too fat for that, but tried to encircle at least part of him. Then she took one leaf from him and went away.
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Two years later, her mother phoned her and told that a terrible disaster happened - the part of the forest around their home was burnt down.
Ilance did not sleep that night and only sobbed. She felt that her dearest friend is dead.
In the morning, she came to the place where their house was. Was ! She couldn't say it. And Sam! Was!
She found the place where his large trunk hid the forest from the windows, but there was nothing to see. Sam was gone. Just some charcoals.
Ilance, brought the bucket of water from the lake to wash the place around the ex-tree. She hoped to find any signs of Sam. But alas, nothing was there. She returned to the town with foul mood.
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For the next three weeks, she worked like zombie. Her boyfriend could not continue like this and left her. On the work, she did too many mistakes and was fired. The landlord decided to demand the payment for the last three months or else...
Nothing worse could happen. Ilance lacked so much her friend Sam. But on Friday, her mother phoned and told that she has to return to the forest. She did not agree to tell why.
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Ilance came near the lake. Her mother showed on something with her finger. She came closer. Still closer, and then she saw: a fragile little bud was growing from the place where Sam's roots were.
A big smile of her mother was so infectious and in a moment Ilance began to smile and then to laugh. Sam returned from the dead. Sam did not lose his hope for the life. Nothing can damage him.
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That weekend, Ilance sat in her home and wrote everything she has to do to return to the normal life. Now, with Sam's help, she could stand on her own once again. Now she believed in the life once more.
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Next three years saw Ilance marry, have a beautiful boy Rich, finish her study for doctor and begin her training period in Belledia hospital. Don, her husband, was the best husband any girl could hope for. With his help, she could succeed achieving everything she wanted.
His help and Sam's. She would come to meet him in the forest every month and see him grow to be a nice chap 2.5 yards high. She told him everything that happened to her, and saw that Sam shivers from the pleasure.
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Once, In April, she came almost in the evening and could not find Sam. It is the place, here are signs of her old house, here is the lake, but where is Sam?
She took out a flashlight and made a circle around her. She found Sam..
Not Sam but his broken branch. Beer packs around and the litter explained what happened: some picnickers broke Sam down. And made a bonfire.
From parts of Sam.
Ilance felt that she begins to faint. With the last of strength, she went to the lake to wet her face. She sat there and cried.
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She came next day and then next week and even after a month. But Sam did not show any signs of life as he was totally disappointed to live.
Two weeks later the signs of rot spread so much, that there was no doubt that Sam died. No water helped.
Ilance was totally devastated. Her best friend who helped her all her life!
Is dead! It could not be! What she will do without Sam?
And then a thought knocked home.
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The next morning Ilance came to the forest with a little tree bud from the shop. She dug a hole near the roots of dead Sam and put the bud inside. Then she brought some water and poured it onto the ground around the bud.
Then she said:
-Welcome new Sam! It is time for me to give you back some of what you always gave me - life.
Hi Jack... I love this story... and wish you would continue to write like this... Our young truly need these type of inspirational writings.. Sorry, I've been away so much...but always enjoy reading you. hugs, lindalaw
A marvelous story that should be served to the youth, because Pac-Man Nintendo and Wii have conquered them like Hamelin flute did with the rats. Have we any hope of conquering back our youths to read this kind of stories with a real moral at the end of it?
A great job, I am lucky to have the opportunity to read it.
