The Tree and The Stardust

Let me tell you a story about a tree and a stardust.

The tree once, like any other tree, was a sprout.
But unlike any other sprouts, this one was stiff, aloof, lifeless, and dying.
He didn't even know he had to grow into a tree.
He didn't even know he was capable of becoming a tree.
So the sprout stood still on a hill where nothing grew.
Beside rocks and pebbles, he stayed and spent his days looking down.
As days went by and night fell, he once in awhile looked above - marveling, amazed, wondering what it's like up there.

***

And then there's this handful of stardust.

Ever-changing, ever-flowing, ever-soaring.

She sways, dances, roams freely with other celestial sparkles in the sky.

With her formless nature, she bent her reality according to her will.

One day, the stardust was the size of a universe.

On other days, she condensed herself into the shape of a rock.

The wandering possibility for a stardust is infinite,

So like a stardust would, it travelled from one planet to another, one galaxy to another.

Some planets took her in seamlessly.

Others would reject her arrival with atmospheric resistance.

Regardless of what would happen, the stardust would soar back into the sky, dance in the cosmic nothingness, and bless the sight of any celestial beings that happened to see her.

***

After eons of wandering, the stardust grew a little tired.

She had just been chasing a propelling comet which was heading to a black hole with a velocity that transcended the speed of light.

It was a desperate chase.

So the stardust took a moment to stop, caught her breath, and looked around her for a place to rest.
As she looked down, she found a little blue planet called earth.

And down she went, to an unremarkable hill where there was nothing but a rock, pebbles, and a single sprout - the very sprout, which had been hoping to know how it would feel to float beyond his visible sky. 

In all his time standing and gazing to the sky, the sprout had never imagined that he would meet a stardust, which was unlike anything he saw around his unremarkable hill.

In all of her exploration throughout the universes, the stardust had never seen a sprout.

So they were intrigued.

So they talked.

And they became more intrigued.

So they talked some more.

For hours.

For days.

For months.

For years.

***

To the sprout's delight, the stardust would tell him stories about her adventures: how she passed by supernovas, gigantic nebulas, weird planets, ancient beings, and speeding comets.

The stardust's stories were greeted by whatever the sprout knew about its planet: the soil, the nutrients, the insects, the worms, the apes, and the sunsets, which were his favorite time of "a day".

During their talks, some of the stardust would fall into the ground and nourish the sprout.

Meanwhile, the sprout would breathe untainted, unfused oxygen - something that the stardust rarely encountered. 

As they talked, the sprout felt life surging through its roots. Its yellow leaves slowly turn green. And as years went by, the sprout grew into a tree.

Strength also returned to the stardust, as years of resting under a sprout which became a tree would lead to. 

***

Today, the universe gently calls to the stardust. 

Its whispers seeped through the sky, through the hemisphere, to the hills. 

And she hears the call. 

And she looks up to the sky.

And she's ready to be a stardust again. 

And she should.

The tree, too wonders if he could become a stardust. 

But he quickly felt his roots and dismissed the thought.

"It was nice," the stardust says to the tree.

"Likewise," the tree replies.

"In another time, you might become a stardust, and we could explore the edges of the universe together." If the stardust was a person, she would wink as she said this.

"Another time, yes."

"I do pray that a million stars fall down to this hill, though. It might destroy everything, so I could burn to ashes, and become a stardust like you are." The tree continues.

"It might, or it might not. But I'd prefer you to be... this. A tree on a hill. A place to stop by. A sanctuary."

"I prefer to be a stardust." the tree chuckled, for the first time in his life.

The stardust giggled. "We both know it isn't possible."

There's a short pause that felt like the entire history of supernovas.

Then, a playful scoff came out of the tree barks.

"I'll miss the chats. Stop by anytime, yeah?"

"Oh, silly sprout! Sure! I'm not planning to leave for good. I'll stop by every once in a while! But everytime we meet, I'll be a different stardust. And I hope you'll be a different tree, or... err... a slightly different tree?"

The stardust prepares for take off.

Up into the sky she floats. Down to the hill she gazes.

Now, the sprout has become a tree, and the stardust returns to where she belongs.

I don't know if I'll be a different tree. 

But I'm sure as hell you turned me into a totally different sprout.

I can't really tell what a tree is thinking, but I'm pretty sure the tree is thinking something like that.

***

October 21, 2022.

For Ayunda, 

for myself, 

and for all the things we've talked about throughout these years.