The Tree at the Top of the Hill.

The bird was trapped.

It was trapped in a storm that it never saw the end of.

Scared, alone and lost, it tried to listen.

The cracks of thunder were deafening

and it could barely hear its songs,

let alone think of a way to escape.

Just when it was about to give up

it saw something in the distance.

A tree at the top of a hill.

It was rooted deep in the ground

and held many rings of its wisdom.

It was adorned with fruitful bright red apples

and surrounded by beautiful yellow sunflowers

that grew up towards the sky.

Again and again lightning struck the tree,

but it did not fall, crack, crumble, or burn.

It could withstand anything.

The little bird saw the tree and knew

that the way to safety was through

finding shelter there.

The bird landed on the tree

and although the storm did not stop,

The leaves shielded the bird from the rain.

The deep roots and strong trunk kept the tree

where it was despite wind and weathering.

The apples held worms that

fed the bird and helped it grow.

And despite clouds covering the sun,

The sunflowers still stood tall

and glowed brightly in the same way,

reminding the bird of its reasons to carry on.

Whether the storm continued

or one day finally stopped,

the little bird knew

that it could always find refuge

on the tree at the top of the hill.