The Million Dollar Coat The Pendulum Staff It was a cold and windy afternoon. The trees mumbled aggressively in the cold: “Give me a coat.” There were no coats made for the trees, so they just stood there, in the rain, wishing that they were humans. A boy underneath a sturdy branch threw up his coat, hoping it would land on a sprig or two. Caressing some leaves, the coat soared and then fell softly to the ground like a feather. The sturdy tree never had a chance. One of the older rotting trees was irritated by the boy’s presence and collapsed onto him. He generally disliked humans due to their deforestation tendencies and sought retribution. The older rotting tree, an oak, winked at a nearby thriving maple as if to say, “At least the kid won’t be bothering you anymore.” The other trees held similar sentiments and congratulated him on his heroic achievement.
Lachlan McLean, Winter Light, Digital Photograph 42