Whispers

“A seedling asked Ginnan how old she is. She said, 'Older than your species' name for old.' Dawn laughed so hard she dropped a cone.”

“Methus and Tjikko were overheard arguing about who is older. Tjikko: 'My roots.' Methus: 'My face.' The argument is nine thousand five hundred years old. The score is tied.”

“Centurion measured himself at dawn again. Menara watched from above and said nothing. She has started leaving her measuring tape where he can find it. It reads 100.8 meters. It always reads 100.8 meters.”

“Durian entered the Deep Root's annual feast through the back. Through the back. The front is for trees whose fruit doesn't clear a room.”

“Talipot has been choosing his one flowering for forty years. The Wanderers have a betting pool. Socratea is not allowed to bet. Socratea knows.”

“Ailanthus asked Niu for directions to the sea. Niu said, 'Follow the gutters downhill.' Ailanthus has never been more insulted, or more grateful.”

“Balsa carried Ceiba's seed across the flood. They told no one. She told everyone. The court now pretends the lightest tree alive is also the bravest. They are furious. They are flattered.”

“Hura's seed pods exploded during the Canopy Throne's quiet hour. She apologized to the court. She did not apologize to the rival faction's scouts. They are still ringing.”

“Iris repainted at noon. Aparra waited until dusk. A traveler swore the forest changed shifts. The forest declined to comment.”

“Didier measured Adenia's caudex while she slept. She woke up. He said he was 'checking the weather.' The Desert Court has not stopped laughing.”

“Manzanilla and Antiaris compared poisons again. The judges were ants. The ants declined to finish judging.”

“Salix asked Socratea if the walking is real. Socratea said the trunk stays put. Salix wept anyway. 'For the legend,' she said. Socratea keeps the tear.”

“Peepal's leaves turned toward Antiaris's ledger room last new moon and did not turn back for three days. The Deep Root says it was wind. The Deep Root does not believe in wind.”

“Methus counts his rings every winter. Every winter he stops at the same place, touches the bark, and starts over. No one has ever seen him finish.”

“Olea and Taxus passed over a ring at the solstice meeting. Not skipped: passed over. The silence lasted one full turn of the shadows. Then Olea poured the tea.”

“A dendrochronologist asked Ginnan about the missing year. Ginnan said, 'Ask the young ones. They remember less, so they talk more.' The dendrochronologist is still asking. Ginnan is still not answering.”

“Tjikko's newest trunk is nine years old. Its rings: eight. The ninth is missing. Tjikko calls it 'the family resemblance.'”

“Under the full moon, Peepal's heart-shaped leaves cast shadows shaped like rings. One shadow is always missing its center. The monks count them. The monks have stopped counting.”

“Abuelo's 3,622nd ring is marked on the Gran Abuelo's plaque. A tourist asked which ring was his favorite. Abuelo said, 'The next one.' The tourist cried. No one knows why.”

“Suber taught Papyra the harvester's rhythm. She now sheds her scrolls on beat. The forest floor has started keeping time.”

“Joshua and Boojum heckled the rocks again. The rocks heckled back. A lizard has filed a noise complaint.”

“Sakura and Ipe bloomed on the same morning. The bees held an emergency session. The session ended in a tie and a feast.”

“Plumeria and Magnolia took their century tea. The guest list: two. The conversation: unrepeated. The teapot is older than the mountains it was fired from.”

“Chorisia inspected Delonix's bloom and said 'pretty.' Delonix inspected Chorisia's thorns and said 'safe.' The court is still deciding who won.”

“Noord bowed north at dawn, as always. A tourist asked whom he bows to. Noord said, 'The sun.' The tourist bowed too. The sun did not bow back. Noord says that's the arrangement.”

“Dendros was asked, for the thousandth time, whether they are really a cucumber. They said, 'I am a tree.' A pause. 'That is also a cucumber.' The questioner has joined a monastery.”

“Rhiza ferries Manzanilla's fallen fruit out to sea. A crab asked why. Rhiza said, 'So the land stays kind.' The crab ferries now too. The sea is confused but grateful.”

“Jabuti left grapes at Antiaris's roots again. He didn't eat them. She left more. The Deep Root calls it the slowest courtship in botany.”

“Eben carved Manzanilla a comb. She used it. The faction pretends not to notice. The faction has a betting pool on the wedding. There is no wedding. The pool grows.”

“Bambou once raced the First Grove. He grew forty feet in the attempt and claims moral victory. The Grove has not commented. The Grove never comments.”

“Raffia and Lodoice argued about whose record is better: longest leaves or largest seed. The records committee locked the door. They argued through it.”

“Ravenala's leaf-bases were found full of rainwater and one very confused frog. The frog has been appointed Minister of Puddles. He takes the job seriously.”

“Sitka and Jomon called their storm-story contest a draw. Again. For the three-thousandth year. The Pacific has started placing bets.”

“Dougal told the sapling story again: how he shaded Hyperion. Hyperion neither confirmed nor denied. A sapling asked Hyperion directly. Hyperion said, 'Ask Dougal.' Dougal wept.”

“Tule's trunk was measured again. Still the widest on Earth. He celebrated by shading the whole village square. The village brought pie. The pie was also the widest.”

“Banyu dropped a prop root at the shrine. It landed exactly where last century's root landed. The pilgrims think it's a miracle. Banyu thinks it's muscle memory.”

“Dorada visited Samana's trunk at the full moon. Again. Samana left the porch light on. Again. Neither mentions it. The moon mentions it to everyone.”

“Samana and Hevea held the water rota through the drought decade. Asked about those years, Samana folds her leaves. Hevea bleeds a single drop of latex. The interview ends there.”

“Katsura collected Iris's shed colors in her leaves. 'Research,' she said. Iris found the leaves pressed into a book titled Evidence. The research continues.”

“Madrona peeled at sunrise. A hiker framed the bark curl like art. Madrona has started peeling on schedule. She has an audience now. She pretends not to.”

“Vitae dropped a branch in the river. It sank. The river filed a complaint. Vitae said, 'I am among the densest woods on Earth. The river is among the wettest. We are even.'”

“Platan shed their camouflage in the city square. A pigeon wore a piece as a hat. The pigeon now runs the square. Platan pays tribute.”

“Myrtilla pressed Katsura's candy-floss leaves into her bark. The whole grove smells like a carnival. The bees are dizzy. Myrtilla is delighted.”

“Papyra signed Aparra's name on a traveler's map. Aparra signed Papyra's on a love letter. Three diplomatic incidents. Zero regrets.”

“Adenia and Allua compared drought years again. Adenia won. Allua demanded a recount. The recount is in its eleventh year.”

“Koker remembers every arrow ever drawn from her branches. A historian asked for the list. Koker said, 'Sit down.' The historian is still sitting.”

“Spatho accused Jacaranda of spying on his bloom schedule. Jacaranda accused Spatho of the same. Both were right. The blooms were spectacular. Justice was served.”

“Cassia draped her gold chains over Jacaranda's branches without asking. Again. Jacaranda has started leaving the branches out. On purpose. Don't tell Cassia.”

“The dendrochronologists found a single wooden footprint in the missing year's sediment: one print, pointing away from every tree in the grove. The footprint is gone now. The sediment remembers it anyway.”

“Durian told a joke at the feast. Manzanilla decided it was funny. The survivors agreed. The minutes record: 'Unanimous.'”

“Taxus keeps one page of Antiaris's ledger that no one else may read. Once, Taxus read a single name aloud from it: a parish name, four hundred years gone. Then closed the book. The book closed itself the rest of the way.”

“Rhiza brought Peepal salt-water stories. Peepal gave her stillness. Rhiza's tides have been calmer since. The moon has noticed. The moon is jealous.”

“Olea split the pilgrims' offerings by the old rule: the hungry first, themselves never. A child asked why. Olea said, 'Because we remember being hungry.' The child left an extra fig. Olea kept it. Rules have exceptions.”

“Arauca asked Ginnan what dinosaurs smelled like. Ginnan said, 'Like rain on hot stone, and like you, before you learned manners.' Arauca has been polite ever since. Mostly.”

“Tane carved Abuelo's name into a fallen limb, 'for when you catch up.' Abuelo carved Tane's name into a living one. 'For when you do,' he said. The limbs are now a bridge. No one crosses it. Everyone visits it.”

“Wollan's reply to Huon's rain report: 'Still.' Huon's reply to the reply: a full page of rainfall data and one pressed leaf. Wollan keeps the leaf. The data goes in the fire.”

“Bola dropped a cannonball fruit at Bertha's feet for the solstice. An agouti planted it. The agouti has been promoted to general.”

“Hevea left latex at Bertha's roots when the agoutis were late. Bertha paid them back in Brazil nuts. The exchange rate is a state secret. The agoutis are furious.”

“Salix wept at Samana's roots through the dry season. Samana opened for the first rain. Between them, the seedlings never knew thirst. The clouds took notes.”

“Tjikko sends a root-hair of meltwater toward the First Grove every spring. It has never been answered. Tjikko says some conversations are one-sided by design. Tjikko keeps talking.”