1 The Love Tree

Lia lazily stared into the view shown in the windows of the running train as it heads towards the village of Cantaloupe where she was supposed to write an article regarding a certain festival celebrated in that village to honor a 300 year old tree. She sighed and saw her breath turn into smoke upon remembering the boring assignment given to her by her editor. Out of all the possible assignments she could have been assigned with, she had to be stuck with a boring festival.

The rushing view outside slowly stilled as the train arrived to its destination. The door of the train made a hissing sound when it opened, then Lia got off the train, along with some people with same destination as hers. The door then closed behind her repeating the same hissing sound it did before, and the train went off its next platform.

Upon looking around, Lia sighed in amazement in the view around her. Seems like the people in this small village love their mother nature as everything around is spotless clean without any sort of trash. The tall trees are vividly green, clean waters that flow in the river makes the underwater view clearly visible from the valley where the station descended and the mountains gave a pleasantry in the eyes as it kisses the sun goodnight. Realizing that darkness will cover the skies soon, she quickly heads towards the inn she booked to spend her days making the article.

Morning came, and Lia went to get ready for the festival. She wore her camera around her neck and took her pen and notepad for jotting notes.

The village's famous legendary tree was located in the center of the village and many people from all over the village as well as in some other places have come to gathered around the tree that was fenced with some sort special giant popsicle looking fence with lots and lots of flowers in the ground surrounding it, giving the tree a view worthy of her camera.

Lia started taking photos or her article, although, she noticed that the festival was not quite the type of festival she had in mind. It wasn't the typical one with all the dancing and parades and noisy trumpets like the once she always had in the city. The festival was somewhat solemn and peaceful and more like created for couples, for the tree was circled with a majority of couples.

"What kind of festival is this?" she can't help but ask herself.

"it's the 'Love Tree' festival." Said by a male voice beside her interrupting her thoughts.

"Love Tree?" Lia asked with curiosity removing her camera from her view as she faced her interrupter who was actually handsome at first glance unknowingly making her heart skip a beat for a reason vague to her.

"The tree is called Love Tree. There's actually a legend behind its name. Do you wanna know?" the man, who seemed to be around her age, said to her.

On normal basis, Lia would easily get annoyed when some random stranger suddenly talks to her and she would immediately make an excuse to leave, but this guy feels different to her. And the story about the tree would make a nice addition to her boring article.

"Seems interesting enough, let's hear it then." She said.

The stranger smiled at her. And her heart another skipped. She felt weird. Somewhere in her mind tells her that she has seen that smile before.

"There is a legend that when a couple carves their names in the bark of the tree, they are for sure to stay together, forever. So if you look closely, the bark of the tree is surrounded with carvings of many names with a heart between them." He said as he pointed out his index finger towards the tree.

Lia followed his finger and took a good on what he was talking about and she did actually notice the bark carvings on the tree. She wondered why she did not see that before.

"You're right, and there's a lot of them." She said, amazed on how many there are. And the tree was so tall that some other carvings are technically hidden by the leaves in the upper part of the tree.

"I wonder if the legend was true." She wondered, both asking herself and in perspective, the stranger beside her.

"It is…well, probably, because I have heard a lot of testimonies that has proven it. Many couples who have written their names in the tree ended up getting married and some even grow old together. Like those couple right there." He said referring to two people who seemed to be so much inlove with each other and was happily looking into the tree. "I always see them here every year. Their names are on the high part of the tree now and it can't be easily spotted." He said as he looked out into the happy couple. "Only the two of them know where they are."

"Wow, that's kinda cool…"

"Yeah, but there's also a sad part about that legend. Uhmmm… do you still want to hear it? Or am I bothering your sight-seeing?" He said awkwardly.

Her usual tedious self might have agreed to it and walk to a different direction and leave the unnamed stranger as unnamed forever, but she wanted to hear more… or more like, she wanted to talk with him more.

"Mmm…" She shook her head indicating that she doesn't mind. "It actually made me more curious. Also, do you think that anybody would mind if I include this story in the article I'm going to write for the festival?"

The stranger gave her an assuring smile. "Yeah sure, it'll be good publicity as well."

"Thanks… so what's the sad part about?"

The stranger had a sad expression on his face like he's remembering something really unhappy. "The first couple to write their names in the tree didn't really get a chance to a happy ever after. They said that the two made a vow to be together forever right under that tree. But the people around keep on separating them. They were both bound to marry somebody else, so they made a promise to each other to guide every lover who carves their names into this tree so that they would have the strength to fight against all odds. "

"Oh." Was the only thing she could say.

"Yeah. For me, it's like they gave way for the other couples." He said smiling the familiar smile towards her.

Evening came, but Lia was outside her inn and in front of the tree staring out into the highest part of it. She's really curious about the first ever names written in the tree. She wondered where exactly could they be possibly located. And who were those unfortunate lovers?

She had heard before that one tree could provide oxygen for three people in their lifetimes and this tree had already been giving out oxygen for three hundred years already. Not only oxygen, but it has also provided hope that you could get to stay with someone you love forever.

Maybe writing this article isn't as bad as she thought. She thought to herself.

She was about to leave to go back to her inn when she heard a rustling somewhere. She took her flashlight and flashed it towards the spot where she heard the noise. And to her surprise, her flashlight shone into the face of the stranger who told her the stories of the tree earlier.

His face squinted when he encountered her flashlight. He was moving sneakily, stealthily and strangely while carrying a really long ladder and rope on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Lia asked almost laughing on his status.

"I'm a villager here, so it is no surprise. But what about you, what are you doing at this time of the night?" He asked her back.

Lia shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing, just breathing some fresh air. What about you? What's with the ladder?"

"I'm gonna find the name of the first couple." He said grinning like a little kid.

Lia thought that he's insane, but he did explained everything as he sets up his gears in the tree. He said that in his family, there was a diary left by her great-great-great-great grand aunt that entails the exact location of the first names. And tonight was the perfect night because the moon is in exact position to light up that certain spot in the tree.

He asked her if she wanted to find it with him which means she had to climb a really high tree, the highest tree she's ever seen in her life.

But as she was also curious, she built up the courage and went along his adventure.

"Are you sure that's it's okay to climb this?" She asked as she took a step on the ladder one after another.

"No, that's why I'm doing it in the middle of the night." He said as he took the last step of the ladder.

"I thought you said it was because of the moon?" She huffed upon reaching the last step. At that point, they have to climb the rest of the way. Good thing there were a lot of branches that could be grabbed on.

"Yeah, and that too." He said which only made Lia frown.

And along the way, Lia and the stranger talked about random things and stuffs to keep themselves entertained in that dark and peaceful night. And the stranger was nice enough to always lend her a hand whenever she found herself having a hard time grabbing the branches. But in all those talks, he never mentioned his name.

But Lia didn't mind it at all as she enjoyed his company and stories.

Finally, the stranger stopped climbing and settled on a certain branch where he carefully placed himself to be able to properly saddle the large branch. He also helped her sit on the branch adjacent to his.

"Okay, so what now?" she asked for she didn't know what to do next.

He simply smiled at her and asked if he could borrow her flashlight. She agreed and gave it to him. He focused the light on the point where her branch and his meet. And there, she saw a carving of a heart in the branch which obviously looked like it has been there for over a hundred of years.

"I don't understand, where are the names?"

The stranger only smiled at her again. "You know, a lot of people has already knows the story of the unfortunate lovers and has already found this carved heart here, but they never found their names. In my great aunt's diary, it mentioned another vow. Another vow about the fated lovers."

"It said: "In this tree where we both shared the same source of life, under the fullest of the moon of the darkest night, we will meet again when the time is right."

"So, what's the connection with that, with this?"

He did not answer her but instead, he took a chisel from his jacket and started carving the lining of the carved heart in the tree making Lia gasped in his sudden actions. But then, all of her confusion disappeared when she saw the carved barked being removed, revealing letters that brought her to utmost confusion and for some unknown reason.

There in the heart shaped hollow were hidden letters she never thought to discover upon her arrival in this small village. Words that she never expected to have known that would have a connection with her.

But she's still confused… why would a name spelled exactly like her be on the most hidden part of the tree? With a name connected by a heart.

Is it just coincidence? For she knows that she isn't the only one in the world with the same name of Cecilia…

He looked at the stranger who was intently looking at her, full of longing and…love?

Not able to hold her inquisitiveness "Mister, what's going on?"

"It's nice to see you again, my Cecilia…The name's Oliver by the way." He said finally introducing himself with the exact name beside hers in the carvings of the tree.

The end.