Dad Tells the Story of the First Tree Using a Blue Crayon

Now for some stories
I use a yellow crayon

And for some stories
I use an orange one

And for Harold stories
I used a purple crayon

But since this is a special story
Between you and me and Mom
I think I'll use the blue crayon

Because blue crayons
Are for special occasions

. . . . .

Once upon a time
There was a tree
In the ground

We'll make him a blue tree
Because he was the First Tree
And so he didn't have green leaves
And brown bark

He was blue all over
And he liked being blue
Because he could look up at the sky
And say to himself--

'I'm the same!'

And he liked thinking that he
Was a part
Of the sky

Then one day
He noticed something growing
In the ground next to him

The Tree was very afraid
Because nothing ever grew next to him
And he was scared
That it would be something
Dangerous

Then as time went by
The little thing growing out of the ground
Started showing more of itself

And--we're going to color this little thing
Blue as well, because it looked
Just like the Tree

Soon, the Tree figured out
That this thing
Was probably going to be very similar
To himself

The Tree got very angry

He didn't want there to be another Tree
Because then he would be a Tree with a lowercase 't'
And he wouldn't be special at all!

When the little tree got big enough
To talk to the First Tree
The little tree introduced herself
But the First Tree
Was NOT interested

Not at all

The little tree felt very sad and lonely
Even though she was growing
Right next to another tree
Because of the way
The First Tree was acting

One day the First Tree noticed
That he was starting to turn a different color

His bark was turning brown
And his leaves were turning green
And so were the bark and leaves
Of the little tree

'What have you done,' he asked the little tree
But the little tree didn't know

The First Tree was very upset
Because first he stopped being first
And now he was losing his beautiful blue color

Then one day the sky
Sent rain down
As a way of talking
To the First Tree

And the sky said--

'This is your sister.  She's your family.'

And the Tree said--

'I don't want a family,' he said, 'I want to be special!'

The sky stopped raining on the First Tree
And instead
Put out some sun

'Sometimes family is what makes us feel special,' said the sky

And that was when the First Tree noticed
All the little green trees
Beginning to grow up
Out of the ground

'You'll always be a tree,' said the sky, 'And your rings and your leaves and your branches will always be special, but now...'

The First Tree felt himself
Grow ten feet taller
In that moment

And the sky said--

'You're part of a forest'

And from that day on
The First Tree no longer called himself
The First Tree
Or thought of himself with a capital 'T'

He was the biggest tree in the forest
And that meant he looked out for the little trees
And made them feel like part of the family

And it turned out
That the First Tree
Liked being part of a family
After all

And that is the story of the First Tree

. . . . .

What?

The trees are all still blue?

Well, hmm...

Wait a second!

You have the green crayon, don't you?

Maybe you're what we need
To finish the story

Maybe you can even
Add a tree?

What do you think?

Do you think maybe we have room
For another tree
In the forest?