Topher Payne

And so don't give till it hurts and certainly don't give past hurting.

And the tree does.

"'I am too busy to climb trees,' said the boy.

"'I want a house to keep me warm,' he said.

"'I want a wife and I want children, and so I need a house.

"'Can you give me a house?'

And the tree said, "'Okay, hold up, this is already getting out of hand.'

Look, I was fine with giving you the apples to help you get on your feet.

They'll grow back next season anyway.

But no, I'm not giving you a house.

You know, I've seen boys like you pull this nonsense with other trees in the forest.

First it's the apples, then branches, then the trunk.

And before you know it, that mighty beautiful tree is just a sad little stump.

Well, look here, boy.

I love you like family, but I am not going down like that.

And as each generation played in her strong old branches, the tree often thought back to the fateful day when the boy had asked her for a house.

In truth, she would have gladly given him her branches to build one.

She would have given him her trunk to build a boat.

She loved him that much.

But then she would have had nothing left.