Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to give everyone an individual response but I will say I'm glad you're all enjoying the story as much as I am and thank you all for your feedback!
I realized I haven't thanked my beta reader since several chapters ago and I feel bad, so let me say thank you Cooltoons4readers for making sure my chapters were bearable to read, lol.
And now here it is! The chapter everyone's been waiting for!
The Tree with a tongue
Chapter 11: The very last one.
After the photo shot ended and was able to pull away from his mother and the crowds, the tall man dressed in green strutted down the halls with his ego as high as the ceiling above him, the only thing he seemed to be missing was a cane to twirl (he made a mental note to himself to buy one later). He tried to remember the events that transpired hours ago but he got so caught up in the publicity and the positive feedback from his consumers that it all washed away.
When he rounded the corner he stopped mid-step when he noticed something on the floor; it was a trail of fluffy white marshmallows. His stomach started to growl at the sight of his favorite sweets, he rubbed his hands together before he reached down to pick the first one up.
"Wait a minute," he paused, "I feel like I should know this."
It felt like it was right at the edge of his mind but with the exhaustion of his busy schedule he didn't want to gather up the strength to remember, he shrugged the nagging thought away and proceeded down the sweet sugary trail. It went from popping each one in his mouth before it evolved to gathering them up for later consumption, before he knew it he was at the doorway to his office where the double doors were wide open.
'Weird, I thought I made it clear to have these doors closed at all times.'
He slowly entered and the first thing that caught his eye was a small mass on his desk; it was letting out labored breaths and a wheezing noise.
"Pipsqueak?"
The Once-ler let all the marshmallows drop onto the carpet as he rushed up to the little cub; his eyes had a sickly and exhausting glaze over them, completely not the same curious happy eyes that he grew to like. His fur was thinner, matted with a mysterious black gunk caked on it and he felt lighter too.
"My gosh, what in the world happened to you Pipsqueak? You look terrible!" The Once-ler exclaimed in a panic.
"He's not the only one."
The unknown response was followed by the sound of his office doors slamming shut. The Once-ler sharply turned his head to see a larger barbaloot in front of one closed door and the Lorax in front of the other.
"What the…?"
"Consider this an ultimatum kid." The Lorax said in a low gruffy voice.
The Once-ler suddenly heard movement shuffling all around his office, he slowly turned in a full circle as many many animals emerged from their hiding spots. The swamee swans no longer had their vibrant orange color but instead had a rust color to their feathers….or at least whatever feathers they had left.. The humming fish dragged their tail fins, their scales and gills were completely dried up, caked with the same mysterious black gunk that Pipsqueak's fur was matted in and they smelled terrible. The barbaloots approached him slowly with a dead weakened look in their eyes; they almost looked like zombies, some of them clutched onto their tummies as they were knotted up with hunger pains and crummies.
The Once-ler wanted to make a run for it but he was fully surrounded, soon all of them encircled him while he stood in the center of his office.
"Wh-what is this? Is this some kind of joke?" He cried out desperately, oh how he prayed this was a joke, a really bad joke.
"Do they really look like they're joking kid?" The Lorax replied grimly, "Take a good look at them, you may not have realized it but this is what you're precious 'biggering' factory has done. For months they had to do everything they could to survive; the barbaloots had to constantly ration their fruits cause of all the tree chopping you've been doing, the swamee swans haven't sung a note in so long heck they can't even fly anymore with all the smog your factory has spewed out in the air, their lungs are so filled with it they can't even talk without wheezing and these poor humming fish, they haven't been in water for several weeks, you've dumped so much trash and chemicals into their rivers that they can't even swim in it anymore and the horrible smell from it will stick on them for a long time."
The Once-ler was overwhelmed; those eyes…..they were filled with so much pain, so much despair, so much…betrayal. His blue eyes turned glassy as tears began to fill up,
"I-I didn't…it was just a few trees...I would've known if…" he stuttered helplessly.
"I'm gonna ask you again kid, just how much control do you think you have over your company?"
His mind suddenly gone fuzzy and numb, he could barely feel his own feet carry him over to the balcony doors, the animals moving out of his way. At first he was prepared to gently tug the large blinds and let them roll up on their own but when he gazed at the other blinds in his office the sudden realization of their purpose angered him, he gripped tightly onto the organza and ripped the whole thing down with force.
After he ripped down the other one, for the first time in months he was finally able to see what his goal….his ambition in life has wrought. It was just too much, his whole body was beginning to go numb from shock. The green grass was gone and whatever was left had died off long ago, his favorite blue skies had disappeared and were replaced with a frightening black and red, the black he realized was smoke that he traced back to the towering stacks that were installed in his factory. And the trees, oh god the trees! Where did they go? There was nothing left! It was dead, the whole valley was dead!
He lost the strength of his knees as they buckled, the only thing that kept him up was the firm knuckle whitening grip he had on the railing. He hunched over, the tears traveled to the edge of his nose and shuttered sobs finally escaped his lips.
His mother…..his mother did this! He closed his eyes and shook his head, no this was all his fault, he let this happen. Memories flashed in his mind, he could see his mother as she tossed his Lorax book into the fireplace, then it flashed again to this valley being burned by those exact horrible flames.
He destroyed this valley just like his mother destroyed his book, he was no different than she was.
He didn't acknowledge the Lorax as he now stood beside him, no doubt observing his reaction. He didn't want to see him, he knew now what the guardian was trying to tell him and he completely ignored it. He was so intoxicated by the fame and respect that he craved his entire life, especially from his mother; to have her look at him with eyes that weren't filled with cruelty or disappointment, it made him feel like he was on top of the world and he didn't want it to go away.
But at what cost?
His mother ensured him that she would help him handle the difficult parts of the business and that he should just focus on enjoying the success he so 'rightly deserved.' But now he realized that their methods of gaining that success were completely different.
He didn't want this. He didn't want this at all! The poor animals, and Melvin…Melvin!
"Melvin…?" he whimpered, "Melvin!"
He finally looked at the Lorax for an answer, he would know where his best friend was. The Lorax merely looked around him, he followed his gaze as he turned around and discovered a poorly built shack not too far from his factory. He stumbled down the stairs in a rush, he hung onto the railing to keep himself from falling and when he rounded the corner his hat flew off his head and landed on the ground forgotten. He tried to pull the door opened but he discovered there was a padlock on it, he felt his stomach drop. Thankfully the boards that made up the door seemed loose and poorly built so he used his strength to yank the nails out and let the wooden boards fall to the ground.
"M-Melvin?"
There was no lighting in the shack whatsoever, just whatever light it could get through the cracks of the boards. There in the corner laid his friend, definitely thinner than he used to be, he remembered all those times where he pestered Melvin to lay off those vegetables and lose some weight but now as he laid there so thin and malnourished, he desperately wanted to take it back. The smell was terrible, no one bothered to clean the inside of it or at least they didn't do it enough. When Melvin turned to face him, the Once-ler saw a thick muzzle over his snout, it was hooked to a chain that lead to a stake that was pounded into the ground.
"Melvin!"
The Lorax and the animals had already gathered outside the shack, they watched the Once-ler as he rushed up to the mule desperate to comfort him. However what he didn't expect was a sharp pain in his gut as he was kicked by one of Melvin's hind legs, his back collided roughly against the wall. The animals and the Lorax flinched at the sudden attack and the sound the wood crackling at the spot of impact, the Once-ler hunched over and clutched onto his stomach where he got kicked. The physical pain was nowhere near as bad as the horrible guilt he felt, he knew full well he deserved that.
"Melvin…"
Once the pain dulled he began to crawl over to him in another attempt to approach his friend, he didn't care if his dress pants and gloves started to get caked and stained by the foul filth on the floor, he paused when Melvin prepared for another attack, the pained angered look in his eyes was just heartbreaking.
"Melvin please….." he reached up to him, his hand trembling, "I'm sorry…..I'm so sorry….."
Melvin observed his former human companion and eased his prepared attack, the weakness from lack of nourishment kicked in and with that he collapsed onto the ground. The Once-ler scrambled to his feet, rushed over to Melvin and placed a gentle hand on his head. He looked down at the muzzle and quickly unfastened the tightened buckle, he took it off and in a fit of anger he threw it hard against the wall of the shack. He wrapped his arms around Melvin's neck and cried into his mane,
"Please forgive me!"
Melvin wasn't sure what to feel, he wanted to push him away and want nothing more to do with him but as he heard the guilt ridden despair in his friend's cries, it made him realize just how much he missed him, he brayed weakly and gently laid his snout on the Once-ler's shoulder.
All of the residents of the forest watched and listened as the Once-ler cried his heart out, finally releasing the anguish and guilt that was building up since the confrontation in the office. The Once-ler slowly got to his feet and helped Melvin out of the horrible shack that had become his home for who knows how long. He gasped in panic as Melvin collapsed down on the ground again, he got down on his knees again to comfort his friend as best he could. He then looked up at all the animals and the Lorax,
"I'm sorry….." he whimpered, "I never wanted this to happen."
"I know you didn't kid," the Lorax replied simply.
The Once-ler gazed around at the valley again, he still couldn't believe that there was nothing left his employees had depleted everything, how could this have happened so fast? He scanned his eyes for any signs of plant life, there had to be something left…..anything!
His eyes widened when sure enough he spotted something, it was a tree. A single red tufted tree stood all alone in the desolate valley, it would've seemed like all the other trees but he quickly spotted a feature on it that made his heart swell, there was a scar mark on the bark.
It was the tree that had been struck by lightning all those months ago, the tree that the Lorax healed with his magic, the tree that made him believe.
"One left….." he whispered as he got to his feet, "There's one tree left."
He then saw movement emerge from over a nearby hill and his eyes widened; it was a machine of some kind but it was something he had never seen before, this machine had a branch of axes attached to it and all of them spun like a corkscrew; its consistency made it look like it was constantly hungry for trees. Panic rose to his chest when the machine slowly approached the tree.
"Not for long….." the Lorax muttered.
"Please come right in, the party is about to start."
Audrey's mother welcomed all of her daughter's friends through the front door of their house. The whole inside was covered in decorations and balloons with a table topped with presents. Audrey's mother made her way through the crowd of chattering people as they waited for the birthday girl, after her father came down the stairs and told her that she wasn't in her room she immediately knew the one other spot she would be.
She gently opened the back door and sure enough she spotted her daughter rested on the plastic lawn as she gazed up at the back of their house that she grudgingly let her daughter paint all over.
"Audrey sweetheart, all of your friends are here."
Audrey sat up quickly with a smile, "Is Ted here?"
"Who?" her mother asked,
"Ted Wiggins."
"Oh, the neighbor's boy. No I didn't see him come to the front door at all."
"Oh." Audrey deflated and resumed her position.
"Sweetheart you can't let your friends wait."
Audrey frowned, "I'm not starting until Ted gets here."
Her mother sighed and walked up beside her, "Sweetheart you hardly know the boy, why are you so anxious if he comes or not?"
"Because…." Audrey paused, "He was the only one that told me my paintings weren't weird."
Her mother sighed again, she could never understand where she got it from, she only allowed her to paint their house because it made her so happy but personally she didn't understand these fuzzy 'Truffula trees' as she called them.
"Audrey please, you need to come inside…."
"It's my birthday and if I want to wait until Ted comes I will." Audrey quickly retorted.
Her mother was prepared to resort to arguing but she was stopped when her father quickly called her inside. She walked back in through the front door and the loud chatty crowd of kids she last saw them as were now silent, tense and nervous. Audrey's father led her mother to the front door where she saw a group of men at their doorstep.
"M….Mr. O'Hare?" She quickly smoothed out her hair and dress, "What an unexpected honor!"
"A pleasure ma'am." O'Hare sneered, the look on his face unnerved her, "Unfortunately I'm here on official business."
"Is everything okay?" Audrey's father asked,
"Actually no I've been told of something here that has troubled me, I'm afraid we have to perform a-" O'Hare cleared his throat, "Thorough search of your house."
No. No! He couldn't let this happen!
Everything happened so fast, he could barely recall turning heel and running back into his factory. He threw the doors open and made a dash down the long hallway, when he arrived in the main lobby he spotted his mother talking to more reporters that stayed after the photo shoot, they spotted him and quickly made their way towards him with their cameras and microphones in hand,
"Mr. Once-ler! Mr. Once-ler!"
Normally he welcomed the camera flashes but not all he did was wince and cover his eyes with his arm. He growled, he didn't have time for this!
"Get out of my way!"
The crowd cried out as he shoved them out of the way, the ones who didn't fall to the floor took pictures of his retreating figure. His mother gasped at his son's rude unusual behavior,
"Oncie!"
He paid no attention to his manipulative mother, he continued forward. He had to find where the machines were and stop it! He approached a secretary that was reading a book while chewing on a pen, she jumped when the Once-ler slammed his hands down on her desk to get her attention,
"Where are those choppers docked at? Tell me!"
The secretary cringed back nervously, "M…..Mr. Once-ler! You uh….you knew about the machines?"
"TELL ME!"
Now officially scared she pointed a shaking finger down the hall, "It's just down the hall and to the left," the next thing she saw was the tail end of his coat as he ran off.
He entered the room, it was a garage of some kind; it had a wide opening where he could see most of the valley and many more of those horrible machines were docked and ready for use whenever. He spotted someone stationed at the controls reading a magazine with his feet kicked up. He rushed over to him and shouted so loud it nearly scared the man off his chair,
"Get out of my way! I'm shutting this down!"
Before the man could say anything, the Once-ler shoved him out of the way making him fall of his chair. He saw a little monitor screen where it showed the machine now getting dangerously close to the screen and another of the man controlling said machine. He spotted a small microphone right above it and prayed it was active, he grabbed it roughly and shouted into it,
"STOP!"
The man on the monitor screen jumped at the loud voice. The Once-ler cried out again desperately,
"STOP EVERYTHING! NOW!"
The man didn't think, he reacted on pure instinct as he reached up for the large red emergency stop button and slammed his fist down on it, the machine screeched and hollered as it began to slow down.
The Lorax and the animals stared fearfully. The Once-ler bit his lip and clenched his fists tightly.
The machine finally stopped, the blade of the axe inchesfrom the trunk.
The Once-ler collapsed onto the controls with a huge wave of relief; he saved it, he managed to spare the last tree in the valley. He didn't even bother to look up when his mother stormed into the garage,
"Oncie! Just what do you think you're doin'?"
Now that he knew the tree was safe he can finally address his mother. He looked up at her with a darkened look on his face, "How dare you….."
Isabella took a step back, taken aback by her son's voice, "What on earth do you mean?"
"THIS!" He gestured out towards the dead valley, "How can you keep this from me!"
Isabella regained her posture and stuck her nose up as she replied, "Everything I did, I did for you Oncie. Besides you said so yourself that you wanted to chop trees down."
"Not all of them!" He took a step towards her, "You know full well that I didn't want this!"
"And that's exactly why I kept it from you. When your brothers chopped down the first few trees we made so many Thneeds so quickly by doin' that, so for the sake of our company's success I ordered them to keep doin' it and eventually help hire others to do so as well. And you seemed so happy Oncie, all that money and all that fame, didn't you like it?" There was that sickening sweet smile of hers again.
The Once-ler was so angry he didn't reply, mainly because he knew she was right. He did enjoy the fame and fortune but what made him sick inside was that he didn't once question where it came from. He sagged in defeat, even though she directly did all of this it was still his fault; it was his company and his responsibility and he didn't take control like he should have.
Well that was going to change, for the first time in months it was his turn to call the shots.
"I'm shutting this factory down."
Isabella gasped, "Oncie! You can't do that!"
"I can and I will."
Isabella began to panic, her son wasn't listening to her anymore, "Think about the employees Oncie! Hundreds of workers will be out of work, are you really going to do that to them?"
The Once-ler gestured to the valley again, "For how much longer? There's nothing left out there! There's nothing left to make Thneeds with!"
Isabella crossed her arms, "Well I'm sure there are other forests we can find and besides, there's that one, that's three Thneeds we can make with that!"
The Once-ler felt his mind snap. He shouted in rage, "I'M SHUTTING THIS DOWN AND THAT'S FINAL! NOW GET OUT!"
o~~~~~~~~~o
He heard the engines of several vehicles as they drove away from his shut down factory, he heard the cascade of angry shouts and booing as they drove past him. He paid no mind to any of them, all he could stare at was the lone tree as he stood before it. He heard small footfalls hitting the dirt and dried grickle grass; he could feel Melvin, the Lorax and all of the other animals circling around him with their saddened faces, his eyes remained on the tree though, the trail of tears on his cheeks had long dried up. One last vehicle remained, it drove up with great speed and with the screech of its breaks it came to a complete stop not too far from him. He could feel the cold sting of his mother's glare for several minutes, he wasn't sure if she was waiting for him to say something to her or even look at her.
Isabella huffed loudly and ignored the hissing and growling of the animals nearby, "Come on now, we're going back home."
"But…." Brett started, "What about Oncie?"
She held back a bark of laughter and looked at the Once-ler briefly one last time before she set her eyes on the road in front of her, "Oh Brett dear don't say such silly things," her grip on the steering wheel tightened, "I don't know anyone by that name."
With that the RV disappeared around the hill in a trail of dust, never to be seen again. That realization for some reason made the tears reemerge in the Once-ler's blue eyes, he truly had nothing now; his successful company, the beautiful valley, the trust and friendship of Melvin and the animals, and now even the family that he was miserable with but was still always there had now left him.
He collapsed onto his knees and clutched onto his face as he cried.
The Lorax for the first time wasn't sure what to do or say anymore, to see the kid crumble from the inside out and becoming nothing more than a shell of the man he once was, it was heartbreaking at least. He was very proud of him, though sadly the damage was already done he fought through the smoke and mirrors to see the truth and not only that, he stood up against his mother and spared the last tree from falling.
The Lorax gazed at the animals and they returned it, he wanted to have them leave long ago, to see them suffer like this was crushing but keeping them around was the only way for the kid to see the reality and now that he has, the animals can now be spared. He never thought he had to do this or maybe he just sincerely hoped it would never happen, he nodded to the animals in confirmation.
It was time for them to leave.
When some of the animals began to shuffle away the Once-ler snapped his head up to them, "W-what's going on? Where are they going?"
"I'm sending them off."
The Once-ler quivered through his loud breaths, "N…no. They can't leave."
"They have to kid, they have to find a new home to live in, there's no place here for them anymore."
His teeth clenched as the anguish increased, yet another thing to add to the horrible reality. He shook his head roughly and reached out to them, "No! Please don't leave! I'll….I'll think of something! You don't need to leave!"
"Kid stop, just stop." The Lorax held a silent palm at him, "I know if you could fix this you would but there is no quick fix to nature, there's no invention in the world that could fix this." He sighed, "If you really care for them then you'll let them go."
The Once-ler let his arm go limp and fall onto his lap, he lifted his arm to wipe the fresh trail of tears down his face. He felt something nudge the back of his shoulder he turned and saw Melvin gazing at him sadly, unsure of what the two of them were going to do next. The Once-ler could only stare at him as he slowly lifted his hand and caressed the side of Melvin's face,
'If you really care for them then you'll let them go.'
It was that thought that helped him make the most difficult decision in his life.
"Melvin…..I want you to go with them."
Melvin tilted his head. The Once-ler continued to pet him slowly and gently, he tried to enjoy the feel of his best friend's mane before it would be gone forever,
"It's for the best Melvin. I know you don't have a lot of strength right now but I know you'll find it again when you leave this place. When you have the strength help them out, carry the young and the sick on your back when they get too tired, protect them from anything or anyone that might want to hurt them along the way, make sure they find a new home safely."
He smiled at Melvin but the edges of his mouth were quivering as he tried his very best not to cry.
"You've always been the best friend anyone can ask for, you've saved and protected me from so much but now they need you more than I do." He lowered his arm, steered his face down to the ground and closed his eyes, "I don't deserve you anymore."
Melvin shook his head violently and brayed in a way that sounded like he was crying. He nudged his shoulder roughly, he wished he could tell him that he was acting stupid and that they never separated for anything! The Once-ler shook his head, he kept his eyes firmly shut,
"Please! Just go!"
Melvin could only stare at his human friend, he knew when the Once-ler's mind was made up no matter how painful and difficult the decision was. He slowly shifted his hooves and started down the path the animals were taking out of the valley, he paused and gazed over his shoulder almost praying that the Once-ler would change his mind and stop him but he only laid there on his knees, he refused to look up at him.
He decided it was best to do the same. Melvin continued his way, he forced himself to not look back for it would only make it more difficult.
The Once-ler gripped his face again and cried. He would never see his friend again.
o~~~~~~~~~~~o
He lost track of how long he cried there, he knew Melvin and the animals had long left and all that was left was the howling of the sour scented wind. All that was left was his big empty factory, the Lorax and himself.
"You're going to leave too aren't you?"
The Lorax knew that was addressed to him, he gave a soft nod, "I have to, there's nothing left here for me either."
Something fell to the ground beside the Once-ler, when he looked over he realized it was a thin piece of red tuft. He looked up in a panic and noticed the scarred tree had begun to sag and the edges of its tuft began to thin and wilt away.
The Lorax confirmed it, "The tree's going to die. The sunlight can't break through, the thick smog will prevent any rain from forming and there's no more fresh air." He had to admit it was dying faster than he thought but he shouldn't be too surprised; the tree was as heartbroken as the kid, he could hear it.
He could speak to them as well as speak for them.
The guardian jumped as the Once-ler threw his arms around the trunk of the tree, "No! It has to live, it has to!"
This wasn't fair, how much more must he suffer? He almost lost this tree along with the others and now that he successfully saved it, he found out it was just going to die anyway. It truly wasn't fair.
"What can I do then?" he muttered.
"There's…..nothing you can do kid."
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" The Once-ler shouted, "I saw you! I saw you heal this tree after that terrible storm, I know you can do something! Please, tell me what I can do!"
The Lorax was taken aback, the kid saw that? He didn't expect that and he cursed himself for it, he indeed had magic but it was something that mortal eyes weren't allowed to witness, even the animals in his valley weren't allowed to bear sight of it. He now realized that this tree meant more to the kid than simply being the last tree. He watched him sadly as he sobbed into the bark,
"I'd….I'd give anything to save it. ANYTHING! Please, please help me."
The guardian stood there and watched him plead, that he'd give anything to save it, the very last one. The Lorax knew one way it could be saved but it completely went against what he lectured to the kid in the beginning, 'That's not how it works.'
Those words no longer meant anything, the kid knew what he was capable of and repeating that statement wouldn't do any good. What he was about to do came at a price, he sure hoped the kid meant it when he said 'anything.'
With that he closed his green eyes and spoke to the tree of what it needed to do. It understood and it was willing.
The Lorax walked up to the two of them, the Once-ler slowly shifted his gaze toward him, "Take off your glove and give me your hand."
Though he was tentative, he gently took off his green arm lengthed glove and gave his hand to the furred guardian, the Lorax took his other free hand and placed it gently on the trunk of the tree. Within moments a faint glow appeared where the Lorax touched. When he released his grip, the Once-ler flinched his hand back and stared in panic at the faint white glow that seemed to be illuminating from deep within his skin, like someone lit a candle inside of him. He looked over at the tree that was also glowing the same way, he suddenly remembered the aftermath of the storm; it was the same glow of light that healed the tree.
This was the magic of the Lorax.
The Lorax slowly began to back away and let his magic take care of the rest. The internal light began to travel through the Once-ler's arm, even though his clothes obstructed his view of the light he knew it was traveling up to his shoulder and all over his chest; there was an odd yet comforting warmth that the light gave. It traveled down both his legs and his other arm, he placed his hands on his cheeks as the light now began to travel up his neck and even through every strand of his black hair, also giving it a faint glow. The Once-ler now felt and looked like a night light, however once his body was engulfed nothing else seemed to be happening. It was then that the Lorax spoke again,
"Touch the tree kid."
The Once-ler glanced at him before he looked up at the tree in a shuttered breath, like him it was also completely engulfed in light. He hesitantly reached up to it but he stopped inches from the bark, he was scared of what was going to happen; to him and the tree. No, no he was going to be fine, he could trust the guardian of the valley.
He placed his palm flatly against the tree.
A bright light began to grow from beneath his fingertips, the Once-ler couldn't move, his body was numb and his hand felt like it was glued to the tree. He found himself unable to breathe as the light grew brighter until it clouded his vision.
The Lorax didn't squint.
The light faded out like the flame of a candle; the tree was no longer there, all that remained was a hole in the ground. The Once-ler's was on his side on the ground unconscious; his hair was no longer black but a bright red and much silkier, his skin was no longer soft and fair colored but a rough bark and pale white color with darkened stripes at the side of his face that faded as they got closer to the front of his face.
Him and the tree were now one in the same.
The Lorax looked down at him, "You're all that's left of this valley kid, the rest is up to you."
A small pile of rocks magically appeared beneath him, leaving him one word; one clue that would hopefully help him. With nothing else left to do here, he lifted himself by the seat of his pants and gently floated up to a hole in the black sickened clouds.
The Once-ler slept on, oblivious of the guardian's departure.
Ted numbly stared down at the pile of rocks, completely taken in by the remainder of the story, "Wow, just…..wow." that was all he could think to say.
The Once-ler nodded, "Yes. When I woke up he was gone, all he left for me was…that word." He stared sadly down at the word, "All these years I remained here, regretting and wondering about that word….and what he meant by it." He reached into his pocket, "After I woke up, this appeared in my hand,"
Ted looked into his opened palm, it revealed a small brown seed, "Is…is that a…?"
The Once-ler nodded, "Yes, it's a Truffula seed, it's the last one of all. I'm not sure how it appeared but I did everything in my power to protect it, O'Hare wanted to destroy it but I managed to get it away from him, I had a hard time trusting anyone after that so I kept people away by setting up those traps." He walked over and gently placed the seed in Ted's hand, "But you….you're different. At first you seemed like an arrogant kid but then….you listened and you wanted to care, in fact you remind me of another kid that used to visit me."
He frowned at the thought, he hadn't seen that little girl in so many years, is she still even alive?
"Ted please, I trust you with this seed I want you to take it back to town and plant it."
Ted brought his opened hand up to his chest, he gazed in awe at the seed, "But there's no way O'Hare will let me plant this, he'll kill it." He jumped when the Once-ler grabbed him firmly by the shoulders,
"Then you have to protect it! Plant it in the middle of town where everyone can see it! People need to know about the trees again Ted, make them care like you do."
Ted slowly tightened his grip on the seed but not too tightly, determination began to rise within him, he wasn't going to let the Once-ler down. Suddenly a thought popped up in his head, he looked up at the man and said, "Come with me."
"What?"
"You should come back to town with me, I think people need to know the truth about you also.
The Once-ler shook his head, "No I…I can't. I'm sorry Ted but…I just can't."
"Why not?"
The Once-ler sighed and took the edges of his hood which Ted now learned was one of the man's Thneeds, he slowly pulled it back and finally revealed his face to Ted. Ted couldn't help but take a step back, he was indeed fused with the tree like his story stated but something seemed…..off. His red hair was very dull and wilted, and his bark skin was beginning to peel in some parts.
"Because…..I'm dying Ted."
To Be Continued…..
