The Cherry Tree

        It was the end of a long summer; the trees, gently swaying in the wind, were proof of the coming seasons new-found reign. One tree in particular stood out among the legions. This tree, sitting alone on a it's own little island. The sound of water working it's way down a simple waterfall and into the bubbling pool of water below. This hidden oasis looked untouched if not for a small heart carved into the bark of the tree. This little island was known to only two young friends. These friends alike in interest, age, and thought, shared this sacred place as a safe haven from all the world.  Their kingdom, as they commonly called it, could and would be anything they wanted.  What might be a pirate ship one day could just as easily be a tall castle the next.  The two young friends in the purest form of love, hidden from all the world in their precious home.
        Now that summer's day has long passed and the two young lovers have moved on with their lives and gone their separate ways.  But neither of them have forgotten, as most so often do, the love and freedom that their kingdom provided. Both longed to leave their monotonous adult lives and return to the fantasy world that only exists in a child's mind.  But the world's grasp is to tight on the two lovers.  The world won't allow adults to return to their childhood dreams.  The young woman, now not so young, sitting at her desk in a cubicle, just one among a sea of similar robots, slaving away at her work; yearning to break free of the chains that bind her and return.  What's stopping her? She had everything she needed in her kingdom. Why not return? Why must her childhood fantasy remain just that?  If only she had not lost her love. If only she had someone else to help her escape...  No. Now is the time.  The young woman refuses to make excuses anymore.
        The young man, sitting in his corner office, seems to have it all. The other workers look at him in wonder; they wish to be him.  His only wish is to be happy.  Why isn't he? He has money enough to be happy.  He could travel the world if he wanted.  But every time he thinks about it, only one place springs to mind.  His Kingdom, his Garden of Eden.  But that was ridiculous; he, a full grown man, leaving his job to go dance among the trees. What would people think? Still, the memories of his kingdom haunted him like a ghost.  He just couldn't shake the irresistible pull of this small oasis.  It's like it wants him back; like nature itself is calling out his childlike nature once again.  Enough is enough.  Sternly, he walks out, ready to face to leave his life behind.  His co-workers watch him. They think he's a crazy man, but he knows the truth.  He isn't crazy, he's happy. He's alive.  He's filled with life in a way that only a child can be.  A pure and perfect happiness.
        The woman, having left her life behind, faces the world with a new conviction.  She doesn't care what they think anymore.  She knows where her happiness lays.  She knows where it awaits her return.  As she pushes through the tall grass and overgrown trees that often happens in her woods, she knows she's finally returning to the life she had, to the happiness she once felt.  She walks through the forrest as if walking through a dream; everything seems familiar but odd at the same time. A young fawn, startled by the woman, scampers away to find the solace of it's mother's side.  She walks through searching for paths and markers that had long since been wiped away.  A human can only go on so long without rest and, knowing that she is lost, the woman makes camp.  But the man, having much stronger memories of the path to  their kingdom, makes his way through the forrest with a fiery passion.  He knows happiness awaits him and longs for the sweet embrace of his sanctuary.  And there before him a small clearing opens up.  He is home.  He is finally home.  But his home is not the way he remembers it.  It's all wrong.  Before him, where his cherry tree and beautiful waterfall and bubbling stream should be, there is only a small tree, looking more like a bush, sitting next to a trickle of water that stumbles into a dying stream.  Was this really his kingdom, his oasis of life?  Was his memory just a gross over-dramatization of a young child's mind?  No, it couldn't be! This was his last chance, his last hope in the world.  What did his life mean if his kingdom was gone? Where could happiness lay if not here?  The man, unable to stand with grief, sank to the ground with a heart-wrenching scream.  But, not to far away, the young woman awoke with a start.  She knew what she had heard.  She knew the pain and agony in that piercing screech.  She knew that she had to go to it. It was a call, a plea, for her help.  So, setting out on the path her life had led her to, she came across a clearing.  She recognized it immediately, though it wasn't the way she remembered.  She, seeing what her kingdom really was, started to suffer the same fate as the young man but suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. One thing that she remembered remained unchanged.  In truth, it was something she had almost forgotten.  There, on the little tree in the middle of the island, was a heart carved into the bark.  At this her own heart flooded with emotion.  She looked down at the man and remembered where her true kingdom lay. It wasn't in the tree or the waterfall or the stream, it was in him.  It was in her first and only true love.  During her ordeal, the man had stopped his crying and was now staring straight at the woman.  And as they stared in to each other's eyes, they became young once again; not in age but in love.  And at that moment they realized that they had finally found their happiness, their kingdom, once more.