The Nature of Kindness

There was once an evil witch who felt the need to constantly whisper into the mind of the oldest tree in the forest. It was a great mischief, one that delighted the witch in a sickening kind of way. And one from which the tree, who was so very old, could not refrain from listening.

    The witch filled his mind with horror and tales of woe, deep dark depressing thoughts and grave sorrow.

    As each day, then week, than month, than year passed, the old tree descended into madness. And he began to spout out of his barking mouth the foulest of things that the witch passed into his mind. Everyone in the forest took to avoiding the mad old tree, lest they be befouled by his language or his dark thoughts. But even though he said the most horrible things, and even though everyone who heard his awful language and dangerous lies grew a little more horrid in their own souls, the old tree was really just a strange old thing with a horrible burden.

    It happened that a fairy who's greatest joy was truth came and witnessed the chaos within the old tree. She saw the cruel things spoken into his mind and the sunken brain that had listened to too many lies. She knew quite quickly that the old tree was trapped in waves and circles and whirls of misery.

    And so she touched his nose.

    Then she looked kindly into his eyes and smiled.

    The old tree felt the care of the fairy in the depths of his soul, and suddenly the evil witch held power over his mind no longer. Thus was the power of simple truth and the nature of kindness.

    

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