THE TREES HAVE HEARTS – READ CHAPTER #1

In this heartwarming
text, which is beautifully illustrated, you will read the story of a young girl
who moves to America. Unable to speak a new language, she tries to make
friends. Rejected by other children, the little girl feels sad and lonely. She
lives in an old house with a small garden, where three garden trees and the
mysterious wind become her first imaginary friends…

CHAPTER 1

TRUE FRIENDS WILL UNDERSTAND

Sitting on the doorstep, the lonely little girl looked at the blossoming garden. After filling thirsty trees with fresh water, the short afternoon rain finally stopped. The warm spring storm dragged rain clouds behind the horizon and disappeared, leaving a clear blue sky. Quietly rustling with new green leaves, the garden trees, ready to bloom any minute, opened up their half closed buds to the warm sun. The green branches, tossed in the soft breeze, were bursting with beautiful flowers, sparkling with crystal raindrops, lit by the dancing sunrays. The blossoming trees attracted noisy bees and colorful butterflies, trying to land inside their open flowers. The playful Old Wind gently breathed, wandering inside the curly crowns of the young trees. Playing day and night with their newborn flowers, he spread honey-scented blossoms through the small garden. Spring was in full bloom!

The three blooming trees were returning to life after the long harsh winter. There was Sassy, the beautiful magnolia, and two sisters, Shadow, the weeping cherry tree and Chance, the plum tree. Planted by caring people in the old garden many years ago, they grew in one group by the wide window. The garden trees bloomed every spring in front of the small house, giving joy to many people who walked by.

One day, a little girl moved to the small house from a different country. Unable to speak the new language, she could not play outside with the other children. Peering through the fence at the busy street, she wished that she could talk to the kids and play with them as she used to in her old country. Often teased and called a mute in school, she was too shy to talk.

“Look! The mute girl is peeking through the fence!” the mean boys screamed.

“Maybe she can’t hear,” the blonde girl said, staring at the fence. Hiding behind the trees, the heartbroken girl hung her head and walked away from the fence.

“I am not mute or deaf,” she said in her native language, and softly hugged the purple blooming tree. She wanted to go back home to her old country.

“Don’t listen to them. They don’t understand that you speak a different language,” the plum tree whispered in the girl’s ear. Surprised, the little girl looked around the blossoming garden. The long shadow from the weeping cherry tree protected her from the kids outside.

“Who is speaking my language?” the girl wondered, running from tree to tree. Not finding anyone, she sighed sadly. Lying against the trunk of the beautifully fragrant magnolia, the sad girl closed her eyes.

“I miss my friends,” she said unhappily. Ready to walk away, the little girl sniffed the half-opened magnolia’s flowers.

“I can be your friend,” the delighted magnolia rustled her green leaves. Startled, the girl jumped away from the tree and looked at the blooming magnolia. Like huge stars, the pretty magnolia opened her blossoming pink eyes. Blinking with long yellow eyelashes, she stretched her brown branches and introduced herself to the shy girl.

“Hello… My name is Sassy,” she petted the little girl with a wide leaf.

“You speak like me?” the amazed girl asked, running around the flowering magnolia.

“Be careful, watch my flowers,” Sassy warned, lifting her branches to the shining sun. The pink petals opened up, revealing fuzzy yellow buttons in the middle.

Changing in the sun to a hot pink color, her flowers looked as if someone had lit big stars in the dark sky. Amused, the girl was breathless.

“Oh! Sassy, please be polite to our guest.” She heard another voice from the side.

“Who are you?” Stunned, the little girl turned her head to the weeping cherry tree.

“I am Shadow, Sassy’s friend,” the weeping cherry tree said, covering the surprised girl from the afternoon sun. Shadow hugged the smiling girl with her soft branches and invited her to play inside her home.

Looking at her long blooming branches, which almost touched the ground, the eager girl could not resist going inside to hide. Shadow’s long curly earrings, covered with yellow powder, hung close to the ground.

“Do you like Shadow’s home?” the plum tree asked, stretching her flowery branches to the girl. Covered in tiny flowers, the blooming tree looked like a fluffy purple cloud. The blossoming flowers glistened in the morning sunlight, resembling bursting sparkles from colorful fireworks. Moving thick branches, the happy girl peeked beneath the weeping cherry tree.

“You speak my language too?” she asked, excited.

“Trees speak all the languages in the world,” the plum tree explained. “Hi! My name is Chance,” the purple plum tree smiled, watching the curious girl hiding inside Shadow’s home.

“I wish I could speak other languages,” the girl sighed, looking sadly at the kids playing outside.

“Chance, you made the girl upset,” Sassy said to her friend.

“Sorry… I did not mean to upset our little friend,” Chance apologized quickly.

“Our guest is getting too much sun.” Worried, the weeping cherry tree stretched and formed a long shadow on the ground. She covered the curly-haired girl from the blazing sun. Charmed, the little girl smiled.

“My sister Shadow is overprotective. She worries too much,” the plum tree whispered.

She wrapped the girl’s head in her silky leaves and brushed her tangled curls.

“Are you my friends now?” the thrilled girl asked. Twirling around the garden trees, she scared away the bright butterflies that spiraled up into the air.

“Careful! Watch my pink dress,” Sassy warned the giggling girl. Lifting her budded branches up to the sun, Sassy played with the colorful butterflies, which were landing on top of her hair.

“Sorry,” the little girl smiled shyly, and quickly fixed the pink flowers on the magnolia’s branches. Blinking her beautiful eyes, Sassy opened up a few more flowers and showed them to the playful ladybugs.

“You are so beautiful, Sassy!”Amazed, the joyful girl watched the pink flowers open in the sun.

“Don’t tell her that; she won’t sleep all night waiting for more flowers to bloom,” Shadow said to the little girl. Touching her freshly bloomed branches with her hand, the happy girl laughed.

“I did not know that trees sleep at night,” she said, surprised. The cheerful girl scared away a green caterpillar, who was climbing up on the plum tree, trying to sneak inside the open bud.

“Thank you, my little friend. It will ruin my buds and I will lose my plums,” the worried Chance said.

“I don’t take any chances when it comes to caterpillars either.” The weeping cherry tree scarily rustled her narrow green leaves. Shadow watched carefully for unwelcome intruders. The playful girl jumped on the ground and, running from tree to tree, scared all the bugs away, except for the bees. She was afraid of bees.

“Don’t worry about the bees; they help fertilize my flowers.” The plum tree opened her purple flowers for bees to land. Tired, the little girl hid inside Shadow’s home. She told the two sisters a story about her old country and the friends she left behind. The garden trees heard from the Old Wind how beautiful her native country was. The weeping cherry tree moved her branches closer and hugged the sad girl.

“Don’t worry, with time you will make new friends,” the trees reassured her.

“It is so wonderful to have a friend like you!” the two happy sisters said.

“What about me?” Sassy asked. The beautiful magnolia felt jealous.

“Oh! Sassy, you are an old friend. You are like a sister to us!” Chance smiled and hugged her easily insulted friend.

“Sassy, you know better,” the weeping cherry tree stretched her shadow longer.

“You will always be our friend.” Shadow wrapped her soft arms around the unhappy magnolia.

Embarrassed, the blooming magnolia changed her pink color to hot pink and opened up a few more buds. She proudly showed off her new look to her friends.

“You are right, girls.” Sassy admitted finally.

“We have a lot of room in our hearts for new friends,” she said wisely. “Give them a little time; the hearts of the kids playing on the street will open up to you as well.” Sassy looked at the comforted girl and gave her a warm, loving hug. Then she popped another beautiful bud and showed it to her new little friend.

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