The Enchanted Tree

Caroline’s dad told her many stories. One story had an evil wolf. And an enchanted tree, which Caroline’s dad insisted was at the nearby park. The wolf intended to set out on January 1, midnight. Caroline’s dad told her this story on the night of December 30.

“Daddy,” she cried, “what will the wolf do to the enchanted tree?”

“Caroline,” her dad said, “I’m not done with the story. This tree had an ancient spirit locked up inside. A hundred years ago, a pack of wolves killed this important man, and then they put his spirit inside the tree.”

“How did they do that?”

“I don’t know. What I do know is that the wolf wants to kill the tree, because some say that the man is still alive, and that was scaring the wolf. So the wolf wants to destroy the tree.”

“A wolf was afraid of something? Wow.”

Even when Caroline’s father kissed her good night and she was supposed to be asleep, she wasn’t. She thought about that wolf, then the tree. She thought about it all the next day. She decided to stop the wolf.

On December 31, at 11:50 p.m., Caroline crawled out of bed, careful not to wake anyone. She walked and walked until she reached the park, where that lone tree stood. She checked her watch. 11:58. Caroline had two whole minutes to worry. Then she saw the wolf. She had brought a bat. The wolf snarled when she held up the bat. She tried to stop him, but he had already dropped on her chest, ready to kill.

Caroline thought of everything in her life before this. School, family dinners, vacations, and friends. Then she felt a power build inside her, and she overcame the wolf. He scampered back, startled. She could feel the ground shaking. The tree was bouncing. Suddenly, the tree shone a light on the wolf, and to Caroline’s surprise, lifted him in the air and sucked him into itself. The light was gone in an instant. But when Caroline looked up, the tree seemed to say, “Thank you.”