Casual Tea With A Tree (2)

For how long he slept this time, he did not know, nor did it matter. Again, he walked into the distance towards the moan till he stood before the tree.

"It is you," Ed said.

," Oh. You are still dying it seems, a shame," the tree said.

"Oh, dying,"

"Your being is being eaten away by the mist,"

"Being... oh,"

"Yes,"

"The body then?" he asked.

"Oh, great topic, the body. What it is, you remember it. That you know it means it is," the tree drawled.

"It, oh," he said.

"It, yes. Quite the topic. Let us ponder upon why it is," the tree said.

"What is It?" Ed asked.

"It is, yes,"

"It dies then," Ed said blankly.

"Does it? If it is, it is. Maybe it dies, maybe it doesn't. If it does, it still is," the tree drawled.

"I? I am,"

"Yes, a great topic," the tree said as the flute stopped and Ed drifted off to sleep.

Again, a flute sounded in the distance; again, he opened his eyes; again, he walked towards the moaning in the distance; again, he stood before a tree.

"You moan again," Ed said.

"You die still,"

"Why die?" Ed asked.

"Yes, a great topic. It is death that is, as well as life is," the tree drawled.

"You die. I die," Ed said.

"Oh, one should ponder upon death, yes," the tree answered.

"I am,"

"You are," the tree said.

"Death is,"

"It is,"

"It also is," Ed said.

"Yes, very much so," the tree answered,

"Then death is I,"

"Yes, quite,"

"Then it is fine to be," Ed said

"Only to become,"

"To become?" Ed asked.

"I am as death is. I am as you are as death is. I am as you are as many others were and still are as death is," the tree drawled.

"We are," Ed said as the flute stopped and he drifted off to sleep then opened his eyes immediately after.

"Oh, you sleep no more," the tree drawled.

"You do not sleep," Ed said blankly.

"Yes, I do not. I stand forever awake," the tree drawled.

"Then sleep too," Ed said.

"Oh, sleep. Sleep would bring back the tea leaves," It said.

"Tea? Leaves?" Ed asked blankly.

"Oh...a great topic. It soothes, it is said. It warms, it is said. What a great topic indeed," the tree answered.

"Oh,"

"Your topics are great. I would gift you a leaf but I do not sleep. Sleep breaths leaves. Leaves are tea,"

"Sleep then, I sleep, so it sleeps," Ed said.

"Yes, and I am, You are, we are,"

"I sleep. I wake,"

"Yes, we sleep and we wake," the tree drawled as the two drifted off to sleep.

Again, a flute sounded, again the tree woke, again it moaned, again, they stood before each other; a man and a tree; a tree with leaves.