Willow Tree and Brick Wall: a fable

Once upon a time, in the Kingdom of Credo there lived two good friends. Willow and Brick were always outside playing together. Willow was from the Tree family. Mr. and Mrs. Tree were really proud of their boy Willow. He was kind and generous and always seemed to have his feet firmly planted on the ground.

Mr. and Mrs. Wall were proud of their boy too. Brick seemed unshakable. Nothing seemed to ever get him too upset. He was always a practical kid and was as strong as a ox.

Brick and Willow were always outside playing in the sun. Baseball was their game. They loved to play catch. Willow was always the pitcher and Brick was always the catcher. They dreamed of playing in the big leagues one day.

They both grew strong and tall. Brick would always make fun of Willow when the rains came. Willow would always sway back and forth with the wind. Even though he tried to stand still, he was always moved by the stormy gusts. Brick, however, was never effected by the rain storms. He was sturdy and strong. He would look right into the face of a storm and laugh at his friend bending back and forth.

Brick got bigger and heavier as the years went on. Willow grew tall and his roots grew strong. After all those years of trying to stand still in the rain, Willow's roots had dug deep into the soil. What neither of them knew was that a hurricane was brewing just miles off shore. Winds that they had never experienced before would soon be bearing down on them.

As the winds picked up and the rains poured down, both Willow and Brick began to get worried. They had never felt this kind of wind. Brick stood his ground and was determined not to move. Willow worried that he wouldn't be able to make it. Brick had always been the stronger one. Willow was getting more and more nervous as the winds got more and more violent.

Soon they were right in the middle of the worst part of the hurricane. Willow was shaking and bending but his roots grabbed on and held fast. Brick was as solid as a rock....for a while. Then something happened that Willow had never seen. The wind continued to push against Brick with unrelenting force. A small crack formed at Brick's base. Then the small crack began to get bigger and bigger. It worked its way up Brick's body inch by inch. It seemed that the more Brick fought to stay solid, the more the crack opened up.

Willow was begin pushed and pulled so hard by the wind that he was nearly parallel to the ground. His leaves were being torn off and his branches were flailing but still his roots held fast. He refused to let go. Willow glanced over at his best friend to see how he was doing and, in an instant, Brick split in two and crumbled to the ground. Clay pieces were flying everywhere. Willow screamed out in horror. His friend was finished.

Willow cried so hard that he didn't even notice when the storm began to pass. Willow cried and cried and cried. He couldn't believe his friend was gone. He always believed that Brick was the stronger one. He thought Brick was unmovable. But in the end, Willow's ability to bend with the wind saved his life.

To this day Willow Tree and his family remember that terrible storm. They never stand tall and proud in the way that they used to. Everywhere they are they seem to be sad. It is because they are still weeping over the loss of their friends.

It won't be the unmovable who survive the storms, but it will be those with strong roots and a flexible stalk.