Tears dribbled down his chubby face, his crying bouncing across the walls. A slender woman walked into the room, her hands clasped tightly over her ears. She wore an expression of utter disgust.
"Ubb! Would you please get in here and change Oncie's diaper. That crying is giving me a headache!" The short male in question stumbled into the room, an uneasy look on his face.
He nodded quickly at her, clasping his hands together, almost in a begging manner. "Yes, of course. I love this guy!" He winced as she left the room, her nose turned upwards, leaving him with Once-ler.
As he got closer, a stink filled his nostrils, causing his whole face to turn green. It was days like these when he really wished Once-ler's dad was still around.
And so he got to work, the nauseating smell nearly knocking him out.
…
For Once-ler's fifth birthday, he was given a card. It was plain and simple, only saying, "You're another year older."
Once-ler was excited nonetheless, even the smallest gift something for him to treasure. His incredibly large amount of optimism got him through that day, never even noticing when his brothers got better presents than him, on his own birthday.
Maybe he should have been more upset. Maybe he should have demanded the attention he so rightly deserved, but no. He was happy with what he got, the smile glued to his face never once faltering.
…
At the young age of fourteen, Once-ler was already tall and lanky. He'd had a growth spurt in the previous years, shooting him up to nearly six feet tall. He was teased, called stretch and asked, 'How's the weather up there?'
He never let it get to him, though. Or at least, he didn't show it.
He'd sit in his room, alone, playing his guitar. And then, when his mother would tell him to quit being so loud, he'd practice his knitting. He rather liked how it felt, his fingers creating something so intricate with just two knitting needles and some yarn. It was something so spectacular to him, a feeling like no other.
It was on his first day of school that he came up with his idea for the Thneed. It rained that morning, so unexpected and Once-ler was left without an umbrella. He wished he had something to protect him from the down pour but his please were for naught.
All day long, he was surprised by how many things he needed but didn't have. It was at the end of the school day when an idea struck him, something that could do the job of a thousand, something that could both impress his family and make him rich beyond his wildest dreams.
It was then that Once-ler mapped his entire life out from that moment.
…
Years passed, so many nights spent drawing up blueprints for the thneed, so many trials ending in failure. He would have given up if not for the purpose he felt when he worked on his invention.
One fateful day, now 21 years old, Once-ler set off on his own, leaving behind his family's unkind words and looking ahead to a hopefully brighter future.
And when he ended up in the Truffula Valley, it was all he could do not to cry at the sheer beauty of the place. And the tufts, oh lord the tufts. They were softer than anything he'd ever felt before. They were resilient against rain storms. The tufts were strong, their thick fibers able to carry up to 50 pounds of weight when brought together.
Once-ler had found the perfect material for his thneed, the perfect thing for a thing that everybody needs.
…
"Leave me be for the time being. I'm rather busy at the moment." His tone was short and snappish, nearly every ounce of blind optimism in him being flushed down the drain. The sparkly blue sunglasses over his eyes hid the bags under his eyes, brought on by many sleepless nights just counting his money.
Some would say he'd become so consumed by greed that he no longer had time for anyone. It was nearly accurate except for the exception, Miss Norma Wiggins. They'd been dating for about a year before he'd worked up the courage to ask for her hand in marriage.
The engagement ring rested in her ring finger, a wedding band not there. "I understand, Once. I'll just… I'll just leave."
Her words were sad, unbearably sad but it was hours before Once-ler finally caught onto the true meaning of her words, tripping over himself to find her in the huge factory that suddenly seemed so empty and so lonely.
…
That was it, the very last truffula tree. The tree hacker sliced through it with ease, the splitting sound of the wood reaching Once-ler's ears from even many feet away. The thwack sent a shiver down his spine, rendering him nearly speechless.
And then the animals left, all of his true friends walking away from him sadly. There was nothing left for them there, nothing at all.
The final breaking point was The Lorax. Once-ler wanted to reach out to him as The Lorax lifted himself up into the sky. He wanted to pull him down and beg for him to stay, but he didn't. he couldn't seem to find his voice anywhere among the dead valley, anywhere in the world.
…
His lurkim was lonely as could be. Sometimes he'd watch the crows that miraculously survived out here and he felt just the tiniest bit better. It was a wonder he didn't go completely mad, but in a way, he did. He'd gone mad with greed and he'd let it take control of him, turning him into a monster, a dark creature.
Every night was awful. Every day was nearly unbearable. He long ago ran out of tears to cry, ran out of the will to feel anything but pain.
He survived, just barely some days but he did. Somewhere along the lines, he'd found a seed, a truffula seed that needed guarding. It was something that needed his protection and it was something he needed. It gave him hope, hope that maybe someday his mistakes would be fixed and the world would be filled with truffulas once more.
…
Now an old man, Once-ler had told his story, poured his heart out to a young boy. Ted was his name. the boy had something in him that Once-ler admired, something so optimistic and willing to make a difference. If it weren't for Ted coming to hear his story, nothing would change, he thinks to himself.
It's only a year after the seed was planted that Ted introduces Once-ler to his family, inviting them out into the semi-green valley where the air is cleaner, much fresher and also free.
He doesn't realize it at first but the woman, the woman with the white curly hair is Norma, his lost love. She greets him sassily, making jokes about his mustache and he knows that after all this time, he's still in love with her.
Their flame is re-lit as they get reacquainted, many questions left unanswered but the two of them happy nonetheless.
After all this time, after The Lorax's return, after the revival of the trees, Once-ler is finally happy. His heart soars with sincere happiness, something he could hardly remember, only remembering how he felt with his animals friends long ago. After so many trials and tribulations, Once-ler is finally at peace.
…
Fin.