Nathaniel, a horse-riding traveler in eighteenth century Europe, emerges from a vast forest to see a field of golden wheat. At the centre of the field is a large tree and, at its base, a man. Strangely, the man appears to be talking to the tree.<br><br>At the village inn, Nathaniel asks the barman about the man and tree. The barman refuses to tell him anything, so Nathaniel decides to visit the man himself. The following morning he rides back to the field, where he notices the man is still there, talking to the tree.<br><br>He introduces himself to the man, whose name is Adam. When questioned about why he sits beside the tree, talking to it, Adam reveals a story so amazing, it borders on being unbelievable. Nathaniel, too, has a similar tale, the conclusion of which is just as bizarre and shocking as Adam’s.

Man and Tree

He found keeping busy was the perfect method for taking his mind off losing both his beloved mother and adored lover.


He buried his mother beside his father in a plot of land behind the barn. He’d chosen their burial plots for two reasons in particular. The first was they were close to the farmhouse, but out of the way. The second was because, from that spot, a person could see the whole farm, and he liked to think his parents were still keeping an eye on things.


He visited them daily. Before breakfast he’d go and talk to them, tell them what he’d done the day before and what he planned to do that day. Then at some point, he’d visit Ruben, wrapping an arm around the broad trunk and resting his cheek against the rough bark.


“I can still feel you in there,” he’d say, and kiss the tree good-bye before leaving.


Chapter 10