Chapter One – The Voice of An Angel

He was dreaming about Thneeds when a guitar started to play somewhere.

He snorted and slowly opened his eyes. The sun shone brightly in the tent through the open window. A shadow passed by, strumming a guitar and humming a tune.

"I hope they like this song…" The voice suddenly stopped. Once-ler sat up, rubbing his head. Hopefully, a nap would be just the trick to get his creative juices flowing again.

The Lorarx tried to talk to him about leaving again shortly before he went to sleep, but Once-ler wasn't going to leave. He had to make it in the real world with a real idea. He couldn't just go home and start over again; his family would never let him live it down.

He didn't care what it took. He wasn't going back there.

The Once-ler thought he was the only human that this forest ever saw. But he was proven wrong on looking outside the window.

A human girl was walking around Melvin, looking him over curiously. She was tall, like Once-ler, with wild and long curly black hair and tanned skin. She wore a summer dress, matching the pink tuffs of the trufulla trees and no shoes on her feet. She had laid her guitar aside to examine Melvin, who was chewing on a berry lazily.

"You're an interesting looking creature." She said, petting the mule's nose. Melvin closed his eyes, basking in the attention. "What could you possibly be?"

"He's a mule." Once-ler called out to her. She jumped and looked toward him. He had to catch his breath; even though she looked frightened, she was an extremely beautiful girl. Once-ler had to admit it to himself: girls back where he came from certainly didn't look like this girl did.

"Who are you?" She asked, coming toward him.

"I'm Once-ler." He said. "I just got here yesterday." She came up and stood in front of the window.

"Well, I have to say, you're the first person I've seen around here in….well, I haven't seen another human around here." She shrugged. "At any rate, welcome to the forest. I'm Olivia."

"Nice to meet you, Olivia." Once-ler looked around. "I don't see the Lorax around."

"He's with some the barbarloots by the north end of the river." Olivia said. "He should be back soon." Once-ler cleared his throat and put on his hat.

"Well, I don't mean to be rude, but I have to get some work done." Olivia's eyebrows went up.

"Work?"

"Yeah, I'm working on my invention, the Thneed."

"The what?" Olivia asked, looking utterly flabbergasted at what he said. Once-ler chuckled. Another person to run his sales gag to. He held it up and showed her an act that showed off the Thneed's amazing abilities. Olivia stood amazed with her mouth slightly agape after his presentation.

"And this is made out of the tuffs of the Trufulla trees?" She asked, feeling the material of the Thneed.

"Yep." Once-ler smiled. "You should think about buying one." Olivia smiled, letting the Thneed go.

"Maybe." She giggled. In the distance, the barbaloots and the Lorax came over the hill toward the tent. "Well, I'll let you get started on it. Good luck." Olivia went and grabbed her guitar, going toward the animals.

"Okay, everybody, let's gather around!" She called to them, motioning them toward the back of the tent.

Throughout the afternoon, Once-ler watched Olivia as she wandered the Truffula forest, singing nonsensical songs and wrote on a small pad she kept in her pocket. She played with the barbaloots and swamy swans and fed the Hummingfish in the stream. She played the guitar often for the animals, with the Lorax encouraging the animals to participate in the songs. Once-ler could see from his occasional glimpses outside that she and the Lorax were close, almost like a father and daughter. It was plain that they had known each other for a long time.

But he stayed inside, focused on his Thneed. He knitted all day long, but a part of him was longing to get to know Olivia. Not only was she beautiful, but her voice wasn't bad either. She sang mostly simple songs, smiling as the Hummingfish hummed with the tune. The Lorax got up often and conducted the small band with a furry finger.

"Hey Beanpole!" The Lorax called across the way to the Once-ler's open window. He looked up and saw the whole of the forest looking toward him, even Olivia. His cheeks got warm under her gaze. "Come out here, get away from that Thneed for awhile!"

How he wished he could. But the Once-ler put on a smile and waved the offer off. It wasn't long after he started knitting another Thneed that she came up to the window.

"I'll have to talk to him about your nickname." She chuckled softly at the Once-ler's startled response. "But really, you've been in here all day just knitting. Don't you ever take a break?"

"No time to take one." The Once-ler said, putting down his Thneed.

"I heard you practicing your jingle for the Thneed earlier. You're a good singer."

"So are you." Once-ler said, motioning to the swamy swans who were singing one of Olivia's songs in a small choir conducted by the Lorax. "They love it when you sing to them." She smiled, her teeth pure white against her dark red lips.

"Yeah, well, I sing for them mostly. I don't think I can get anywhere with this music."

"You could go a lot of places with a voice like yours!" Once-ler got to his feet, motioning above him. "Are you kidding?! Your voice is perfect for a catchy tune. Say…" He smiled, leaning down close to her face. "How about when my Thneeds get big, you compose a catchy tune and sing about them?" Olivia smiled an innocent smile.

"Why don't you try selling a Thneed first and maybe I'll think about it." She walked back to her usual rock and picked up the guitar, strumming a soft tune to calm the animals down. The Once-ler was glad as they turned their attention to her; they didn't see the red that had overtaken his face. He pulled the flap on the window down and went back to work.

Later that night, Once-ler opened the front door to let in some air and was shocked to see Olivia by the river, writing on a small pad of paper. Her hair was up in a messy bun, with curls springing out from all around her head.

"What are you doing out this late?" Said the Once-ler as he sat down next to her. She sighed dreamily.

"I love it out here." Olivia said, looking toward a sleeping pile of barbaloots. "I can't imagine what I would do if this forest disappeared." Once-ler looked down at his hands, too guilty to say anything. He knew the animals needed this forest, but he never thought that a human like himself would love the forest just as much.

"You and the Lorax are close." He finally said.

"Oh yeah." She chuckled quietly. "We are. It's been like that since my parents passed away. The Lorax has kind of taken me in, you know? He was wary at first…he always is with humans." Once-ler felt her eyes on him. "But I was so young, I was only 5. And when he heard me sing and every animal came to hear me…well, he knew I wasn't out to harm anyone." She sighed. "He's not just the guardian of the forest. To me…he saved my life." Once-ler fidgeted under the uncomfortable air that was surrounding him as Olivia told her story.

"So," Olivia said, putting away her notebook and leaning back to lay down on the grass. "Tell me about yourself." Once-ler laid back with her.

"Well….I grew up on a small farm back east. And I have two brothers…and of course, Mevlin." Olivia laughed.

"Melvin's a nice mule." They looked up at the stars, which seems so close in the forest. "Lorax told me you've chopped down trees for your Thneed.." Olivia finally said.

"Just one." He said wearily. "He got mad when he saw me cut down one the first day I was here."

"So do you have to chop down the trees to make your Thneed?"

"Well, I don't HAVE to, but it would certainly make it easier to make more of them."

"Why do you need to make more?" Olivia asked. "You haven't even sold one." Once-ler tried to get a reign on his temper; was everyone around here going to remind him about that?

"Well, when words get out about how great they are, everyone will want one."

"I guess…." Olivia stood up, looking down at him. "but you can find another way to make them without cutting the trees down, right?" Once-ler weighed his answer carefully. She was looking for the answer he wasn't sure if he could give.

"Yeah." He finally said. "I can find another way." Olivia smiled, clapping her hands together.

"I'm happy to hear that." She picked up her guitar. "I'm gonna head home. See you tomorrow." She walked off toward the dark forest and was gone. As he watched her, he sighed wearily. Olivia didn't understand, just like the Lorax didn't understand.

Maybe someday.

NOTE: Here's chapter two! Thanks for any feedback!

GW