Chapter 1: Ayliah
‘Whoever has learned how to listen to trees does not want to be a tree. They want to be nothing except what they truly are. That is home. That is true soulful happiness’
Ayliah sighed in relief; she was finally back in her happy place. Going into town and dealing with traffic congestion and other humans always exhausted her and stressed her to the hilt, but it had to be done as she needed to shop for some things. She could do it online and get it delivered but she was quite off the beaten track and she didn’t really like strangers invading her sanctuary, plus the internet signal was iffy at the best of times here as it was not a broadband connection as humans used, and yet again she wished for the zillionth time that she was completely self-sufficient and not in need of certain supplies.. but just some things you cannot expect to grow from Nature she conceded.
After deciding to unpack the car later she slipped her tired feet out of her shoes and rubbed them gently, her poor feet were not used to wearing shoes anymore. She opened the back door and stepped out on to the grass; her heart beating faster as she felt the familiar thrum of welcome course through her, she sensed the grass bending to allow her path to continue and birds burst into welcoming song. She breathed deeply, the fragrance of blossoms and grass caressing her senses with pure untainted fresh air, washing the smell of the town away... it was definitely good to be home.
Ayliah meandered around the very large garden checking on every plant; Rose, Honeysuckle, Rhododendron, Hosta, Fern, Lavender and so many other species thrived here under her tender loving care, but not one man-made cultivated species lives here as they are all as nature intended; plants originating from Chinese mountains grew alongside Himalayan, Mediterranean and African species and co-existed very happily. She smiled softly, her heart lifting and the stress of her trip ebbed away into the ground underneath her feet, the excitement grew around her and she smiled broadly when she recognised a familiar tune. Deliberately lingering longer than she needed to, she giggled as that tune rose to an impatient crescendo and finally, she made her way down to the bottom of the garden and the forest beyond.
A young fawn stood and wobbled on its slender little legs towards her from the long grass as she approached the forest edge... “Oh hello, where’s Mummy?” she spoke softly.
The fawn gaining in confidence stepped forward and nuzzled her hand just as a rustling in the undergrowth announced a presence and the bushes parted, Mum stepping through into the tiny clearing.
“Ah, there you are Mummy, what a handsome little man you have, he will make a fine leader one day” she smiled.
The doe inclined her head towards Ayliah in thanks and ushered her protesting fawn out of the glade, not wanting to disturb the Gatekeeper any longer.
Ayliah finally turned and looked up at the massive Copper Beech tree before her. Her canopy stretched 146.2 feet into the sky and her spread was almost 98 feet wide, the deep purple-copper leaves rustling gently in the breeze. Ayliah knew everything about this tree… she was 8,312 years old so an Ancient tree, and by standard tree ages she was an impossibility if Biologists knew her truth, she was much larger than most of her species and also special as Copper Beech trees were regarded nowadays as common man-made cultivars among humans, but this tree was a natural mutation and a native. The forest is old, very old... some 590,500 years old and this tree’s ancestors were among the first to root down here. Her offspring and relatives were prominent throughout the forest which covered some 155.6 square miles of land in the remote Scottish Highlands and there was no other forest like it in the UK, of course there were other forests though not as unique; like the tree standing tall and magnificent before her, this was a special forest.. this was a Hub Forest. A forest that connected not only with other UK forests but with other Hub forests all around the world.
Sighing with pure contentment Ayliah stepped up to the tree and placed her fingertips on the smooth grey bark, excitement and pleasure communicating its way from the bark, into her fingertips, through her body to her mind. She slowly stepped around the massive trunk trailing her fingers along the rough wood, her senses reaching out to make sure the tree was still strong and healthy. As an Ancient Matriarch that was already well over her optimum age Ayliah made sure she checked in on the Tree’s status every day. Whispers of amusement and fake annoyance wrapped like tendrils in her brain and Ayliah grinned; people walk by trees every day and often never even notice them, let alone sense their fun, culture and wisdom, which was sad and so blind sighted; trees were utterly vital to our survival in the future she mused. Maybe there would not be so much destruction if people really knew trees were sentient, could talk, had emotions and family connections just like them, and were so wise. Some religions have prophecies of talking trees such as the Druids and old Sanskrit Scriptures, but it was mostly something talked about in fiction rather than fact.
’The time is not yet right Little One’ the Ancient Tree whispered, ’You know this’
‘I know but we could save so many of you if we did’ Ayliah replied sadly.
Momentary grief rustled across the Matriarch’s leaves and Ayliah felt the tree’s sadness at all those lost... particularly so many lost in recent decades.
’We are close to the time of Revelations Little One, I feel it, Mother Earth feels it, we all feel it.’
Ayliah motioned to the earth in front of the great tree’s trunk... ‘May I?’ she enquired. The Ancient Copper Beech shuffled her branches in agreeance and Ayliah slowly sank to sit on the sweet-smelling earth at the base of the tree leaning her back against the bark. On instinct her hands reached out and laid palm flat against the soil, she tipped her head back and closed her eyes connecting with the sounds from deep within. Ley lines sizzled like electricity nearby, lots of them criss-crossing deep in the ground. She heard animals travelling through the forest, and tree and plant chatter running along the mycelium pathways as they communicated with each other. She knew, as did a few human Biologists now, of the co-existence between tree and fungi and how beneficial it was that they co-operated. Trees provided the mycelium with food, nutrients, a home and protection; the mycelium transported food, nutrients and communication to other trees in the forest in thanks. It was a symbiotic arrangement that had worked since Mother Earth had evolved and Life had birthed on Mother Earth’s rocky surface, and it worked exceedingly well. The only thing other Biologists didn’t truly know was exactly what Trees and Forests communicated, humans had only scratched the surface of the secrets of the Trees, and they would be dumbfounded at the truth.
Ayliah opened her eyes and looked back towards the cottage; she still found it incredible that this was her home and life now. Who would have thought that she was destined to become a Gatekeeper she mused. Her life had not been easy; orphaned at 4 years old after her parents were tragically lost in a car accident, raised by an Aunt who didn’t really want her and thought her weird, meant her childhood was lonely and hard to cope with. In fairness she was weird, always had been, even as a toddler she had preferred the company of butterflies and earthworms to other children. As she grew into puberty her weirdness grew stranger and became more evident as animals would follow her down the street and collect in her Aunt’s garden just to be near her, or ask for her help. Her Aunt, of course, hated animals as she thought they were unhygienic, dangerous things and would have a fit every time she spotted them.
Ayliah grimaced as she remembered the many rants she was submitted to as her Aunt berated her for the animal attraction, accusing her of smelling like an animal and that’s why they followed her, which then resulted in her skin being scrubbed in the bath to within an inch of her life 2-3 times a day as a child. Goodness knows what would have happened if she had told her Aunt she could hear the animals speaking to her!
When she started school, of course the Teachers realised she was different too; a few would try to reach out to her over the years, but she chose to remain withdrawn from their attempts to find out what was really going on at home and inside her mind. She was also bullied dreadfully by the other kids... being tripped over, name calling and the butt of so many pranks and jokes during her time in Secondary School. So, she concentrated on studying hard, got her A-level grades and breathed a HUGE sigh of relief the day she finished school. Her Aunt had expected her to move on to University but the thought of living on Campus with thousands of other Students horrified her so just after her 18th birthday she found a job in a Plant Nursery and rented a Park home nearby so she didn’t have to live under the stifling restrictions of her Aunt anymore.
She was happy there for the first few years, gaining her Bachelors Biology degree while working there, but she knew this was not her final destiny in life. She had felt slightly bereft and empty while tending to the plants grown in the Nursery as she couldn’t ‘feel’ anything from most of them like she could wildflowers. She could hear them, but it was like listening to a foreign language; still they thrived under her care. She was regularly praised as being a true Nurserywoman and although she had become used to being very aware of plant and animal life around her for as far back as she could remember, these plants did not give her the same feeling or understanding. Of course, now she knew it was because they were man-made cultivars, not natural species as they were intended. She grimaced again; humans just have a desire to interfere and manipulate Nature and it’s not always for the good.
Then the Day arrived that was forever etched in her memories, the day the Newspaper was delivered to her post-box by mistake … or so she thought; the day she was compelled to open it and scan the print on the pages, the day she saw the advert.
‘Live-in Biologist Assistant required for private plant collection. The successful applicant must be prepared to re-locate to a very rural location and have knowledge of plant and tree species. Previous experience preferred with minimum of a bachelor’s in biology. Would suit young person looking to expand their knowledge and expertise in plants.’
Ayliah had stared and stared at the Advert; it was almost as if it had been written as a description of her... and of course it had been she chuckled. Without hesitating, Ayliah had rung the number displayed – it was a strange number with an area code she didn’t recognise and of course she knew why now. Because for the first time in her life and without realising she had made a phone call that didn’t use standard phone mechanisms, it had connected via Ley lines. The signal was crackly, but she was still able to speak to a lady who introduced herself as Belle and who sounded very happy that Ayliah had replied to the Advert, immediately arranging the job interview for Ayliah’s next time off from the Nursery.
She smiled with some sadness as her memories assailed her of Belle and the time they spent together. She missed her dreadfully, and she knew the Trees and plants missed her too but everything and everyone on Earth has to go through the process of birth and death, that is Nature’s way and Belle was 585 years old, so it had been her time she had said. Although the lady who greeted her that day looked not a day over 50, she remembered.
