Disclaimer - I don't own The Lorax or its soundtrack. Copyright to Dr Seuss and Illuminations Entertainment.

(Hey guys, please take a look at the poll on my profile about future chapters of this fic. I want to know how you feel about the story maybe getting slightly darker later. Thank you~ ^^)

Take Care Of Yours, And I'll Take Care Of Mine

I had been living alone in that place for almost ten years, gradually getting used to the isolation when I heard something I hadn't heard in what seemed like forever. I was taking a break, strumming the distorted strings of my guitar and humming to myself when I heard the sudden shrill sound of a doorbell. I jumped and let out a small yelp. Oh, yeah, I put that in… I'd forgotten it even existed. I couldn't think of any reason for someone to come out here unless… Oh, don't say it's O'Hare…! The bell rang again and snapped me out of my thoughts. Whoever it was, they were getting impatient, so I got up, leaning the guitar against the wall, and went to answer the door. Luckily, it wasn't O'Hare standing on the step, but a kid; a boy who looked about 11, maybe 12. It was a surprise to see anyone, let alone a kid, at my door. I frowned in confusion and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you the Once-ler?" he asked. The question caught me off guard. Did people still talk about me in Thneedville? How did he know my name?

"Yeah…"

"So you know about trees, right?"

I blinked. Trees?

"I do," I replied, remaining cautious, "Why are you interested in trees?"

He just shrugged.

"Look, kid, if you're not really interested, there's no point in telling you. It's a long story, and you're not gonna care anyway, so, yeah, bye." I went to close the door.

"Oh, c'mon!" He stuck his foot in the doorway, stopping me from shutting it, "I came all the way out here!" I rolled my eyes but opened the door fully again, "Would you tell me if I gave you something? Huh?" I just stared blankly at him. He started rummaging around in his pockets and pulled out a few coins.

Seriously?

"15¢. That's all I've got." He held them out to me. I sighed. What was I gonna do with that? I wasn't going shopping anytime soon. But he kept staring me right in the eye, and I started to think. Maybe he really would care. I mean, he was willing to give up a little money just to find out about the trees. Eventually, I gave in and pocketed the money.

"Alright, fine. I'll tell you. But," I pointed a finger at him, "Afterwards, you've gotta do something for me."

"I already paid you!" he whined.

"Do ya wanna know about the trees or not?" I asked, folding my arms and leaning on the doorframe.

"Fine." He said, looking down at the floor.

"Good," I smirked at him, "So, years ago, probably a while before you were born, I had an idea. I wanted to make something, something that everyone would need, that everyone would want to have. I came up with the design, and I called it the thneed, like, a thing people need…"

"Very clever," the kid chipped in sarcastically, "I didn't ask for your life story."

"Hey, you want to know about trees, you gotta hear the whole thing." I gave him a harsh glare and he looked away, pouting his lips. "Anyway, I needed something to make it out of. Something durable, absorbent, versatile, y'know? And my family didn't think I'd ever be able to do it. So I left home to find the perfect material. And after travelling for miles in a mule-drawn wagon, I found something. The most amazing place you could ever dream of…" I trailed off, remembering the beauty of the forest, how overwhelming it was and I felt a wave of nostalgia. "The Truffula forest. Home to the bar-ba-loots, the swomee swans, the humming fish… And the Truffula trees. Trees with soft tufts like silk," I rubbed the tips of my fingers together, almost feeling the touch of the tufts again, "And the sweet smell of butterfly milk. Those tufts were exactly what I was looking for."

"There's nothing like those back in Thneedville."

"No…" I sighed, "Not anymore."

"I don't just mean the trees, y'know," I started and looked down at his slightly confused face, "There's no butterflies or anything."

"What?" I stared at him, but he just shook his head, "Nothing? Is there nothing… nothing natural left?"

"Well, there's a few snails around. But you don't see 'em too often."

"… Wow…" I turned away from him. Was this my fault? Of course it was… What would any animal or insect do without plants? They'd never survive.

"Hey!" I was brought back to reality by the kid snapping at me, "Are you gonna tell me this story or not?"

"Y-yeah, sorry," I shook my head, "Uh… Right, th-the tufts. Well, I'd found what I was looking for, and the perfect place to set up shop, make my thneeds and sell them. So after some… misunderstandings with the animals and a peace offering of marshmallows, I chopped down one of the trees. But by chopping it down, I had called up the Lorax; the so-called 'legendary guardian of the forest'. Apparently, there was some big show with thunder and lightning or whatever where he popped out of the stump, but I never saw any of that. I just assume he was lying. I'd set up a tent - a pretty big one that was actually more like a cottage - and I was busy harvesting the tufts from the tree, feeling pretty proud of myself, when this little fuzzy orange thing with a huge mustache appears out of nowhere asking me if I chopped down the tree. I tried to pin it on a bar-ba-loot, but I don't think I convinced him. He tried to drive me out, but I wasn't going anywhere. I had a job to do and I was stickin' to it. I had to prove myself to my family. Or at least, I thought I had to. He told me to leave, but I told him I wasn't going anywhere. I went inside, but he somehow teleported or something and he was already in there… Are you even listening to me?!"

The kid was leaning against the wall looking bored.

"I'm listening, but honestly, I just don't believe you. Plus, I only wanted to know what happened to the trees. Obviously, you chopped 'em all down, right?"

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep myself calm.

"Look, kid, I may have chopped them down, but there's a lot more to the story than that. You wanna know what happened? Then try paying attention."

"Sorry," he shrugged, looking at his watch, "I'm out of time. I gotta go home." He turned to leave.

"Hey, I'm not finished here. You came to hear the story, so you're gonna hear the damn story, got it?" I was desperate. I needed someone to care. I had to at least try. He looked back at me.

"Fine. I'll come back tomorrow."

"… Alright. You better," He started walking away, and I called after him, "And how about you actually bring me something useful? Money's not really gonna do me any good." He swung round again.

"Yeah? Like what exactly?"

"I dunno. Tools, nails, something I can use for fixing this place up."

He snorted and rolled his eyes, walking away. I glared at him for a moment as he passed UNLESS and headed towards the bridge, but my expression soon faltered when my gaze rested on the rocks. I really did hope he would come back. But he never did. For a few days after that, I was constantly looking out of my window to see if he had finally come to hear the rest of the story. And every time I was disappointed. I would pull open the drawer and look down at the tiny seed lying in one corner, and silently apologize to the Lorax, wherever he was.