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 crept around the foot of the hill, his senses alert to movement, to sound, and to smell. Several times, a squirrel or a bird startled him, but the adrenalin pulsing through his veins only made him more alert, more sensitive to his surroundings.


Eventually, he came across a ramshackle cottage of grey, weathered wood streaked with green. Most of it was off the ground, on wooden stilts. The roof was covered in moss and leaf litter, and ivy grew all over one side. It had a single door and a chimney, but no windows, which would make it easier for him to sneak closer to the building. There was no porch or veranda, and the steps were no more than a series of rocks graded from large to small. He had no way of knowing whether the hag was inside or not, and couldn’t risk alerting her to his presence. What to do, he wondered, and almost immediately hit upon a solution. Whether she was inside or wandering about outside, there was only one path to and from the door.


Chapter 14