The Half Hollowed Oak

[knightss]

Mature Audience Only: Some words, although *, may be offensive.

I wrote this a few months ago, I changed some things around tonight. Let me know what you think =)


Timelessly, through her amber eyes, Matilda was reading a novel on the limb of a half hollowed oak tree which still had enough strength to support her and the many tiny insects inside. She was so immersed in the depths of her mind, imaging every word, creating liquescent scenes that began to flow together as water droplets combine and build momentum, she forgot about the time. It wasn’t until the buzzing of a passing insect woke her from her rapture that she noticed the setting sun behind the pink suffused clouds.
“Sh*t,” she said aloud but to herself, “I forgot about Kev.”
She hopped out of the tree, her body aching a little from being in the sedentary position too long, and began to run back toward town. Passing the few people who roamed the streets on Sunday evenings, she made it just into to see Kevin entering the Joan’s Java, a recently renovated coffeehouse. Kevin hadn’t noticed her so she walked up to the door, stumbling a little on the sidewalk, her cheeks briefly resembled the suffused sky but the embarrassment soon faded when she realized nobody had seen her. As she opened the door she was engulfed in a heavenly aroma, a warm estival wind had rushed to greet her, the scent of roasting beans accompanied by the sound of brewing coffee. For a second, Matilda had left this world again, lifted higher by sudden joy. It faded fast when Kevin called her name.
Kevin was a tall, lanky man who she had known since childhood. He sat with his hair parted, glasses, a cup of steaming coffee in his hand and a newspaper folded under his arm. Matilda, looking through her amber eyes, saw a man whose love she knew as a child. It was in her high school days when love was new, fresh, and indestructible. Twenty years had passed, youth had faded and the magic of life no longer held its mystic enigma over them. Twenty unforgettable years of what seemed like unremitting pain and depression for Matilda. After the happiness of her jejune youth had faded, after the time when her parents were still there to comfort her after every fall, the world had become a cold, bitter, insensate place that she had come to bear through her escapism of reading and dreaming.
“What took you so long Tilda?”
“Sorry Kev, I was in the park reading.”
“Ah, the old oak? I haven’t seen it in years. You used to read there all the time. Are our names still carved in that tree?”
“They faded years ago.” Matilda told him, yet the truth was that she had scratched them out soon after their relationship ended.
“Well, that would have been something, eh? I would have loved to have seen that.”
“Mmm, yes, well, how is everything since you left Kev?”
“I really can’t complain, you know, same old really.”
“Yes, well, that’s good to hear…” she paused for a few seconds, looking shyly around, “You know Kev, I still miss you from time to time. Things haven’t really been easy for me lately. Maybe it’s just that I complain a lot, I don’t know. Anyway, I haven’t seen you in a long time, I probably shouldn’t be talking about this and putting all of my problems on your chest. I’m so sorry Kevin,” tears began to swell in her eyes “I have to go.”
Matilda rushed out of the coffee house, her hand right hand wiping her tears from her eyes. Walking out the door she stumbled over the sidewalk again. “F***!” she screamed, she regained her composure and hurried back toward the park. Unbeknownst to her, Kevin had been following her at a distance. She walked over to the tree and began to weep with her arms pressed against the old oak. Kevin came up behind her and gave her a reassuring huge.
“I know things have been difficult for you Matilda, trust me, I know. I’m sorry I left you all those years ago, I really am, but you know we can’t do this.” He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.
“I love you Kev.”
“I love you too Tilda. You were the only love I ever knew. You are and always have been my everything.”
Matilda ran her hand over the carving on the tree, MT and KR inside of a heart was faintly visible underneath the date, 7.5.85 and underneath that there was another crudely carved date, 9.15.87. The first date was from the day they had decided to love each other, the second was crudely scratched by Matilda and was the date that Kevin had left.
“Why did you have to go Kev, why would you leave me here.”
Kevin’s voice became the echo of the wind and his effigy dissipated, “Live for tomorrow, live for us both.”
She climbed up the tree, her tears falling in a torrent, watering a dead oak tree. She cried until the sky was filled with stars. She cried until her heart said ‘be still, be still’ and silence crept upon the blanket of the night bringing sleep to her restless eyes. Her fingers slowly caressed their heart one last time.

Twenty years had passed, Matilda had passed away and joined her lover on another plain, when the park was being cleared by large trucks designed exclusively for the purpose of dismantling mother earth. The tree was ripped out of the ground and shipped to a lumber factory where it was eventually sawed into salvageable pieces. The remaining wood was then shipped to California where it was assembled and transfigured into a barrel, the wood was far from resembling its original form. The barrel was shipped to a vineyard where it would be used to age fine red wines that would eventually be bottled and stoppered. The bottles were then shipped to New York, where I am presently enjoying the most marvelous, sublime Cabernet Sauvignon I have ever tasted.

[Tracey Neal]

That was so beautiful, very moving when you come to realize Kev is actually a spirit..(not living). Love endures forever for these two. The ending was pretty wild...I certainly hope one will have a toast to Kev and Matilda. Matilda..beautiful name

[KaeMartyndale]

The ending was definitely unexpected. Good stuff.

[Tracey Neal]

you know, i started thinking, and i'm not sure i'm too stoked about them tearing down kev and tilda's tree=( nah, i'm just playin with ya but at least your getting some very very (sublime) Cabernet Sauvignon..which is one of the BEST red wines ever! thank you very much

[reeny]

Hi - just read your Kev and Tilda piece. Very nice imagery. Definitely could "see" it all. I'm wondering is this meant to be the beginning of a fabulous novel? The way you brought the tree from park to wine barrel drew me along so smoothly that I felt like turning the page and seeing where the hearts in the wood would show up as the story unfolded.
Very cool.
Hope there's more...