When They're All Dead

She stared at the barren ground around her, eyes wide with disbelief. She had come here to see them. The trees. And most of all, to draw them. But as she walked through the barren wilderness, filled with the small grey stumps that whispered and alluded to better times, she felt as though she didn't belong here. In the far distance she could see something, neon signs? She coughed feeling a stray wind wrap itself around her. No. She didn't belong here.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

She saw the large first, practically ran into it. "Unless." She stared at it. What? It didn't make sense. It was a fragment, incomplete. Then she saw him, head in hands on the front step of a large house she had somehow not even noticed. Still young, but older than her.

"Hello. I came to draw the trees but…"

No response.

"Um…"

"There aren't any. They're gone."

She coughed again. Why was it so hard to breathe here?

"Well, you must have seen them right? You lived here?"

"No."

"Ok…"

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Here." She said, setting the change down next to him. "It's all I have. Tell me what they look like."

He glanced at the three small coins for a moment.

"I wouldn't know."

She coughed, over and over this time, and walked away.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"… Really?" He picked up the nail, looking at it skeptically.

"I'm dirt poor OK? I just wanted to draw a tree." She said, her voice was becoming hoarser every day.

"Well you're in the wrong place."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"This is getting ridiculous." He poked the shriveled snail.

"Well, all my spare change and nails are gone. I had to get creative." She wore a mask over her face now, so her voice was sort of muffled.

He just sighed, looked away.

"Fine! If you won't tell me what they look like I will just use my head. Make them up."

She sat down next to the "Unless" rock and stayed. Drawing and drawing.

"This part… isn't quite right, make it bigger."

She looked up surprised, "… Thanks."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

"Sorry, this has to be the last time I come."

"What?" He said suddenly, looking at the green eyes peering over the edges of the mask.

"I have asthma, I can't breathe at all here anymore. I have to go to the city, where they make the air clean. But I have one last payment, as thanks for showing me how to draw the trees. Here."

She dropped the small fragile seed in his hand. His eyes grew wide.

"Where did you..?"

"It was in those rocks. I found it when I sat by them to draw. Take good care of it, bye now."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

She smoothes down the wild hair on the small girls head, repositioning her on her lap.

"Look." She says warmly, "These are trees, the real ones." Flipping one page at a time.

The little girl coos loudly grabbing a page of the sketchbook and trying to shove it in her mouth.

"Hey come on, look."

The small girl holds her hand out again.

"Look, Audrey."

The End

AN: Watched this movie for the second time today -cries forever- and just felt like writing a small story about the seed, since it never really says where it was from. My writing style went a little weird with this. Oh well, I'm tired.