an excerpt from the short story collection of The Fifty Trees, Scots Pine No. 01
A Scots Pine Short Story
THE FIFTY TREES · No. 01
Recognizing the things that endure, the things that disappear, and the peculiar little things that insist the two are not mutually exclusive.
I. The Date That Did Not Happen
Some declare that only two kinds of people enter an old forest. Those who believe they are alone, and those who know better. The first group of humans is generally louder. The second is not necessarily wiser, but they do tend to return home with fewer burrs in their socks.
I have known a woman who apologized to a nettle after brushing against it. I have known a man who tried to sue a pond for being wet. I once met a mushroom that was so offended by the company of a particular botanist that it refused to fruit for seven consecutive years. The botanist blamed the weather. The mushroom, I am pleased to report, remained entirely unreasonable.
So you may understand why I have little patience for anyone who claims the world is thoroughly explained. The world is not explained. It is merely catalogued, and often badly. Mara Vale knew this, although she may not have agreed with me.
Mara was forty two years old and had spent seventeen of those years working in archives. She had catalogued the private papers of a disgraced mayor, the correspondence of a woman who had written love letters to three husbands and one very persistent lighthouse keeper, and the entire surviving inventory of a hardware store whose proprietor had died in the middle of writing a complaint about the price of nails. She knew that history was not a straight road. It was a house with too many rooms, some of which had been built after the occupants moved out.
She also knew that the dead were terrible at filing. They left their names on the backs of photographs, their arguments in the margins of cookbooks, and their unfinished business in envelopes marked TAXES - IMPORTANT. They hid the most consequential things inside the least consequential objects. A grocery list might contain the only surviving evidence of a marriage. A pressed flower might outlast the person who remembered which garden it came from.
The living, meanwhile, were very fond of folders.
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Author’s Note
This idea for writing personalized, short stories based on each tree listed in the walkabout tree map for this neighborhood came from discovering what was possible to offer the patreon membership. I adore creating zines and stories along with field notes and creative writings. The drawings have yet to arrive from my hand, but the seed is planted and I am watering it daily.
When deciding what was in my power to create and share, these are the a few of the ideas that lifted up and are achievable. I placed them into tiers of involvement below.
For people who want to help the work take root
01 · The Seed Keeper
$7 / month
One monthly field letter with personal reflections and field notes.
One small but mighty digital gift: a botanical art print, reflection card, or writing prompt.
Access to member only updates.
An invitation to The Worlds Between. A story society exploring fairy tales, folk tales, and the mysteries of our ancient worlds.
For those who want to walk a little further with the work (includes Seed Keeper)
02 · The Field Companion
$13 / month
One monthly illustrated field guide or zine.
Tree lore, seasonal observations, and a downloadable creative practice.
Selected The Listening Atlas notes and project progress.
An invitation to The Worlds Between. A story society exploring fairy tales, folk tales, and the mysteries of our ancient worlds.
For people who want to sustain the deeper work (includes Seed Keeper and Field Companion)
03 · The Lantern Bearer
$30 / month
One substantial monthly resource: a workbook, ritual guide, deathcare community practice, or pocket guide.
Early access to selected Under The Root creations and educational resources.
A monthly studio insight or field dispatch.
An invitation to The Worlds Between. A story society exploring fairy tales, folk tales, and the mysteries of our ancient worlds.
A limited founding circle for deeper support (includes Seed Keeper, Field Companion, and Lantern Bearer)
04 · The Root Tender
$60/ month
A unique quarterly collection of selected writings, artwork, and field materials.
A quarterly group gathering for honoring seasonal shifts.
A place in the acknowledgments for supporters who wish to be recognized.
An invitation to The Worlds Between. A story society exploring fairy tales, folk tales, and the mysteries of our ancient worlds.
The Worlds Between
The free membership to our patreon with postings of thoughts, poetry, and questions, also contains an invitation to The Worlds Between. A story society exploring humanity's ancient worlds, ancestral beliefs, and the mysteries that endure. A place for those who feel a kinship with the unseen and wish to explore that kinship through the stories of humanity.
We inherit the stories. We follow them into the unknown..
