Drip. The shimmering drop of water slowly rolled down a small leaf, as a green new trunk waved in the gentle breeze. A young boy leaned back from his crouch, hefting the metal watering can to his knees.
The small ring of rocks was surrounded by dirt, and he could hear the busy sounds of people tearing off the metal ground to reveal dirt. He knew that a volunteer group had gone off to the river to clean it up; but he and Audrey had come down for the daily watering of the Truffula tree.
Beside him, long red hair brushed against his hand, bright red stained his cheeks. "What do you think Ted?"
"It looks like it's growing quite well." Ted mumbled, head ducking in embarrassment. "I should go ask the Once-ler I suppose… AUDREY! LOOK OUT!"
"Huh?" The tall redhead shrieked in surprise as a small form barreled into her, knocking her down.
A bright orange form slid through the air, before sailing up into the air. Audrey gasped as the form circled for a moment, and the things stretched out onto either side pulled in. It plummeted like a stone.
"Oh no! Quick! Catch-"
The things flared out again, flapping slightly. The form slowed down, before landing gently next to the tree.
Boy and girl both stared at this strange creature they had never seen before. "What-" Ted began.
"-is that?" Audrey finished, fingers cautiously coming out as if to stroke it.
The creature shook itself, as an older, but still sprightly voice spoke up from behind them. "Oooh, a Swoome-swan!"
"Grammy!" Ted jumped in surprise, as Audrey's wide, excited eyes turned to the old woman.
Grandma Norma patted her curly white hair. "That's me dearie. I wonder what this bird is doing here. They left when the trees were all cut down."
The bird honked loudly, and what Ted could now recognize as wings flared out, covering the sapling for a single precious second.
Audrey instantly leapt to her feet. "The tree!"
"Hush darling, that bird won't harm your tree." Norma promised, a low chuckle filling the air.
The birds beak snapped on the edge of the Truffula tree sprout, a single thread of the fluff dangling from its mouth.
"Oh no! The tree!"
Ted dashed towards the tree, yelling, "Shoo! Shoo!"
He didn't know how exactly the bird managed it, but the bird rolled his eyes at him. The bird shook itself.
Thunk.
The odd sound of something heavy hitting the ground caught three people's attention. Grammy Norma hefted her cane cautiously as she approached the bird. "Did it lay an egg?"
"Lay a what?" Ted yelped, looking vaguely terrified, but mostly surprised. Maybe he should rethink this whole saving the trees business. Lay an egg? Wasn't that like... unsanitary?
"An egg. It'll hatch and make another bird. Don't be so squeamish Teddy-dear. I'm sure it'll be fine. Now why don't you fly along now?"
The bird squawked, and coughed for a moment, before trying again. The note that hovered on the air wasn't really all that melodious but It was pure, and Grammy Norma's smile grew nostalgic.
"Now that's the sound a Swoome-swan should have."
The bird looked pleased, with its tiny tuft of Truffula dangling from its beak, before taking off. Ted turned to watch him go, as the two girls stared where the bird had been originally sitting.
Audrey grabbed his hand, and he instantly went bright red. "Look Ted! Look!"
There on the ground, right were the bird had originally been sitting, was a single Truffula seed. The warm brown whorls and twists gleamed in the light. It was well taken care of- as hale and hearty as the day it had come from a Truffula tree.
Audrey bent down to scoop it up. "A second seed."
"That bird was carrying it. Do you think… Do you think that the bird went to go tell all of those other errr-"
"Swoome-swans. And yes I do believe so! I'd have to say that he took a piece of that fluff to show to the other birds." Grammy Norma smiled as she glanced back. The bird had already disappeared along the horizon, flying straight as an arrow. "We might be getting a lot of new seeds."
Neither of the two children were listening at this point.
Ted cupped the seed in his hands, glancing up at the girl across from him. Her eyes were practically glowing in the light. "Here Audrey, why don't you plant it?"
"Me Ted? But- what if I mess up?"
"Nonsense! Come on, we have some water here!" Ted placed the second seed in Audrey's hands, and lifted the can. Slowly and carefully he trickled the clean water onto the Truffula seed.
The two kids leaned into each other, eyes locked on the seed. Water shimmered and shone, gilding the seed with light. Grammy smiled as she leaned against her cane, looking up at the sky.
Crack!
The sound brought a smile on Grammy Norma's face as the two kids cheered. A tiny green bud cautiously peeked out of the seed. "Come on Audrey! We gotta plant it!"
"Oh, where should we plant it? Maybe on the other side of the town clearing? So there will be two trees?"
Audrey looked around eyes scanning the ground eagerly for some place to plant the tree. Ted smiled as she walked around the statue, and on the exact other side, so everyone could see it, she carefully began to dig a small hole. Ted knelt next to her, their hands getting all muddy and dirty and smiles stretching across their faces.
By the time they had actually managed to bury the seed, the tiniest fluff could be seen from the bud. They collapsed backwards. "I can't wait to tell the Once-ler about this!"
An old man sat at the window still, staring out in the direction of where a bright orange feathered form had taken off flying. "The bird came, and took off. Did we not do what was right?"
He sighed miserably, burying his face in his hands. The last seed. He had given away the last seed. If it had died… then it was over. He would never see the Lorax again, never hear the Humming fish, never watch the Bar-ba-loots play in the shade, never make up for what he had done wrong.
For a long few hours he stayed there at the window, watching the horizon in vain for some creature. He could hear in the far distance, the laughter and chattering of people cleaning up the stream.
The air was cleaner, with the factories being shut down. The stream was slowly beginning to run clean again. His machines used to cut down trees were dismantled, and recycled.
Everything was set for more trees. All it required was more seeds.
A familiar puttering caught his ears, and he blinked, finally registering his surroundings. The skies above were dark, clouds boiling and low, the scent of rain in the air. The humans cleaning up the river had long since disappeared.
"Once-ler! Once-ler!" Ted's voice rose up towards the sky, but Once-ler wasn't listening.
For there, along the horizon, was a bright orange blob. A bright orange blob shooting off towards the valley. There it was, rising along the edge of the hill, a bright flash in the dark, something brilliant and wonderful… Swoome-swans by the dozen, all honking away, following the first bird with a tuft in its beak.
Once-ler nearly leaned right out of his window, as they circled above Thneedville, a few dipping down towards the city.
Below him, Ted was practically dancing in excitement. "Once-ler! Once-ler! I have something to tell you! Those birds! They brought along a second seed!"
Another- wait, another seed!
"Another seed? Are you certain?"
"Yes! Absolutely! Me and Audrey planted it!"
"And more seeds are coming. Look!" A green-gloved hand pointed out towards where the orange forms circled above Thneedville, honking wildly.
Plip.
Plop.
Ploink!
The sound of water hitting the roof brought both of their attention upwards, missing the birds scattering in different directions, circling around the valley.
The first real rain that had fallen on the valley in nearly twenty years began to slowly fall. The earth greedily sucked up every drop, even as shrieks of surprise from humans could be heard.
As if it was some kind of silent signal, the birds let go of their precious burdens.
Seeds rained down from the heavens like rain. Ted yelped in surprise as one hit him on the head, squarely between the eyes, and reflexively he caught it. Seeds hit the ground, followed and mixed with water.
Once-ler stared as the seeds scattered far and wide, covering at least half of the valley. It would be impossible to gather them up and plant them. But maybe- With the clean air and fresh water, they would survive anyways.
Swoome-swans up above honked loudly as they peeled off, heading back in the direction they came from. Below, he could hear Ted moving around, approaching the stone circle, but his eyes were caught on the birds, disappearing in the misty rain.
Come back! Please, come back!
The shout died in his throat. There wasn't any reason for the birds to remain in the valley. The trees weren't big enough to take care of them- there was nowhere to nest, nowhere to rest.
"Once-ler! Hey, Once-ler!"
"What do you want now kid?" He mumbled sarcastically, finally acknowledging the kid.
"I got something for you! Drop down the pail, would you?"
He flicked his fingers- the pail plummeted down next to Ted, and the kid placed something inside. "I found it in the stone circle. Maybe you should try using it yourself. I'm going to take this seed back to Audrey and let her plant it in her backyard. I don't think the birds will mind…"
The kid took off on his wheelcycle. Curious as to what Ted could possibly be leaving him, the old man hefted the pail up to the window.
Lying within the bucket was a seed.
It wasn't like the seed he had, warm and dark, bone dry and completely clean. This one was dirty- there was a feather stuck to it from where it had been carried by a bird, and dirt clung to it. A gritty, light dirt unlike the dark mossy dirt outside.
Slowly green fingers closed around the seed, lifting it up to eye level. A second seed.
Another chance.
When the Lorax comes back, I'll plant it with him.
Fingers tightened around the seed for a precious second, before carefully being placed on a shelf. He could hear it already, that mossy, bossy voice talking about how the soil in one area would be better then another, and he would just roll his eyes, but follow along. He could follow along this time after all.
He hoped he had changed enough to listen to the Lorax.
Unless.
His eyes were trained on that tiny little seed. "Unless…"
A single seed couldn't hurt, right?
A single tree couldn't hurt either…
No.
The Once-ler picked up seed, shovel, and axe. "I guess it's time to open my door again."
It was time to plant a seed.
a/n: Well. This is different. Kind of :P Not really, but I think it was worth going into. Anyways, please drop a review and tell me what you think!