The Oak Tree

As Willow dug through the dirt of the gigantic, old oak tree, she wiped her forehead free of sweat. Sprawling roots were scattered beneath the ground, tricking her brain into believing for a moment that she’d found what she was searching for. The hot, afternoon sun blazed on her back; hours ago, she’d shed her jacket and wrapped it around her waist due to the heat.

She sighed and plopped down on the soft grass. Willow had spent the last three hours digging in this exact spot. Still, nothing but burrowing worms and tree roots had revealed itself to her.

All of her friends had been searching for this last item for days. The most quirky and creative of the group, Gia had put together a massive scavenger hunt in which all of her closest friends could partake. Everything but the last item had been found, and the results of each task had been brilliant so far.

Shaking her head in temporary defeat, Willow wound her way down the lonely hill, eager to at least have a nice meal at Gia’s place.

Gia was not the most affluent of the group of friends, but what she lacked in funds, she made up for in spirit. Though relatively small, her home was covered in decorations and paintings that screamed of her personality. Each wall in the house was painted a different color, encompassing every shade of the rainbow. No less than five cuckoo clocks filled the walls, which also displayed photos in gilded frames that Gia had taken herself. A sculpture of a life-size unicorn stood standing on a bench window near the dining room.

However, the most stunning and intricate of all was a self-painted masterpiece on Gia’s bedroom wall. It contained all of her friends in a sunlit field, standing in poses of strength like queens and warriors. They were standing in front of a large oak tree which was surrounded by a myriad of ordinary and extraordinary sights.

In the grass flew many beautiful butterflies, which led up to lantern like fireflies in the night sky. The stars twinkled above as constellations spanned the top of the painting. Gia, in a spectacularly embellished space suit, rode a sparkling dolphin through the sky, a joyful grin on her lips. Unicorns and giants poked their heads through the forest on the right-hand side. This painting evoked a sense of wonder and joy for all those who laid eyes upon it.

The four friends sat around Gia’s wooden dining table, discussing the scavenger hunt and the challenge of the last task.

“The last one was the best,” Willow said with enthusiasm.

“Definitely,” Holly agreed, sipping her tea. She wore an ornate, silver and blue ring on her left hand. It caught the light from the nearby window in a mesmerizing fashion, reflecting onto the wall next to her like flowing ocean waves.

“And the way that dolphin jumped out of the water right when Holly found it,” Maeve interjected. “Amazing!”

“But we still can’t find the last item,” Willow said to the room at large, slightly frustrated. “It seems like we’ve looked everywhere.”

“It does have to do with the oak tree, right, Gia?” Holly asked.

“Maybe,” Gia replied with a slight grin on her face. They all knew now, thanks to Holly’s intellectual prowess, that the scavenger hunt was based off of the painting in Gia’s room.

“We’ve checked every tree,” Maeve said, groaning. “Maybe it doesn’t.”

“Are you sure you’ve checked every one?” Gia asked.

“Yes,” Willow replied. “I was just digging under the one by Melding Heart’s Lake, and nothing.”

Gia looked surprised. “Are you sure you looked hard enough?”

“Yeah,” Willow said. “I was there for three hours, so I don’t think I could’ve missed it.”

“Let’s go,” Gia said suddenly.

“What?” Maeve said, half of a croissant still in her mouth.

“I’m sure it was there,” Gia said distractedly, as the rest of the gang hurried to grab their things.

The sun was just peeking out over the horizon as they stood in front of the lone tree. Dirt was still scattered everywhere from Willow’s previous attempts at locating the treasure, and some fresh soil had been overturned from Gia’s search.

“I don’t get it. It was right here,” Gia said, frowning at the ground.

“I don’t know, G,” Holly said. “Maybe someone took it? Anyway, we should probably get back inside. It’s getting late.”

Reluctantly, the four friends trekked back to their car, unhappy with the dissatisfying end to their shared event.

The next week, however, brought interesting news. Willow, Maeve, and Gia were all gathered at Holly’s house for their weekly D&D game. Gia had arrived with a new companion, who she introduced as Beth.

Beth smiled shyly at the other girls and gave a friendly wave.

“Come. Sit,” Gia said, ushering Beth over to the table they used to play the game.

“You’re not going to believe this,” Gia said to her friends. “It’s the craziest story.”

Gia explained that Beth, a lover of nature, went out every weekend to find the best spots to observe the natural world and illustrate its many wonders. She’d come across the tree near Melding Heart’s Lake, and, after sitting down on the smooth dirt to draw the beautiful, sparkling water, she noticed an uneven patch of soil.

“So, I decided to dig it up and found this,” Beth interjected politely. She seemed to be a bit more comfortable around the girls now.

Beth held up a beautiful locket shaped like a heart. “I figured it was a geocaching sort of thing, so I took it, and I’ve been wearing it ever since. Gia saw me wearing it at the farmer’s market downtown a few days ago, and we got to talking and figured out that it was the same one she’d hidden for your scavenger hunt.”

Maeve laughed lightheartedly. “Well, I guess you’re a part of our group now.” She smiled.

Willow, Holly, Maeve, and Gia all became fast friends with the newcomer, who had much in common with all of them. Soon, they were laughing and talking as if they’d known each other for years. All too soon it seemed, the sun was setting on Holly’s pristine and well-organized home.

A few months later, the group of five walked into Gia’s bedroom. Beth’s eyes were covered by Maeve’s hands.

“One . . . two . . . three!” the girls said in unison, and Beth’s eyes fell upon the spectacular image on Gia’s bedroom wall.

There Beth was, leaning against the oak tree next to Willow, Holly, and Maeve, a sunflower placed delicately in her auburn hair and her smile mirroring the brightness of the sun.

“It’s beautiful,” Beth said, close to tears.

The group of friends captured Beth in a group hug, laughing and smiling in the joyful experience that is true friendship.