Once there was a tree…861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQLUwLWN8X
861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD6z3wCOiOC
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And she hated a little boy.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrwbm9MkUkE
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And every day the boy would come and he would rake her leaves and scoop them into piles and then dive into them and laugh.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2SHC7Hzt0
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He would shimmy up the trunk and swing from her branches until they cracked. She wished he would fall and break his leg. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHlwdXv0o3R
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And eat her apples until his belly hurt. She hoped they made him sick. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFp9JXYfgBS
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And he and his brother would play hide-and-go-seek and hide behind her. She would glare at them and curse under her breath.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumLBDHyJQn
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And on sunny days he would sleep in her shade. Her branches weren't able to move or she would have speared him with one. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSl0xqbI8hS
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And the boy was creeped out by the tree.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcYPNXQ1gET
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Very much.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY9gZk6zFBY
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And the tree was full of hate.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ehRqdOg8d
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As time went by the tree grew more spiteful.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSyYwMPpQhV
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And the malevolent tree was often alone.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOdWY5FN8Tq
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One day the boy came to the tree and the tree said, “Come, Boy. Come and climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and fall off and break your neck.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYb0EUo7Do
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“I don't want to climb up and break my neck,” said the boy. “I'm just thinking of a way to make some money. Do you know how I could make some money?”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQEAMDJvjze
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“I do,” said the black hearted tree. “Climb up into my branches, Boy. Climb up and pick my apples and sell them. Then you can make some money. Then you will be happy.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqYP9bXsFN
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So the boy climbed up to pick her apples, but the tree shook her branches and the boy fell out and broke his arm. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU5lLwWnll6
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And the tree was happy.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuP5XQJpFec
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But the boy stayed away for a long time and the tree glared at him and his family through their windows while they were sleeping and thought of ways to do them harm. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0EutGpjmjo
861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzM6uDbd1k
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And then one day the boy came back and the tree shook with fury and she said, “Come, Boy, climb up my trunk and fall down and break your arm again and be miserable.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHChJCS3Ud9
861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUfdZP6rFV2
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“I learned my lesson last time I climbed you,” said the boy. “I'm just trying to think of a way to build a fort for my child. You wouldn't know of a way for me to build a fort would you?”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3OU2WfoSC
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“I have no fort,” said the tree. “The forest is my fort. But you may cut off my branches and build a fort for your child. Then you will be happy.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAfpkYeNOAc
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And so the boy got a ladder and a saw and cut off a branch, but the branch fell wrong and hit the ladder and made it fall and the boy broke his leg. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkR5U5CpOS0
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And the tree was happy.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJ22We0pQX
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But the boy stayed away for a long time. And when he came back the tree was so angry she could hardly speak. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROoOzWhaCr
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“Come, Boy,” she whispered, “tie a noose around one of my branches and hang yourself from it.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnTZTy1jU4
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“I'm too old to climb up and hang a noose,” said the boy. “I brought some gasoline and matches with me and I'm going to burn you to the ground and rid the world of your wickedness.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaa9WpWekbW
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“Come soak me in gasoline and light me on fire,” said the tree. “Then you can burn me to ash and be happy.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakvO3En0o4
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And so the boy doused the bottom of the tree in gasoline and lit a match and threw it onto the tree. But the tree’s roots had wrapped around his feet and the fire burned the boy’s legs. The fire quickly burnt itself out and the boy left swearing vengeance. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5LZfY9jfJY
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And the tree was happy. But not really. She wouldn't be happy until the boy was dead and gone.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbdbymfOEI
861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOYHQFeyzW
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And after a long time the boy came back again. Holding and axe.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4Rn1PMAMr
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“I am sorry, Boy,” said the tree, “but you have only one thing left that I want.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCEEynIrVgt
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“I'm not here to give you anything,” said the boy. “This time I'm here to take.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMKTra0KJi
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“Like I took your arm?”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQZUMfS1RhN
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“It's never been the same since you threw me out,” said the boy. “Now it's your turn to fall.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlx9PUp3mY
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“Like you did when you cut my branch? When you broke your leg?” asked the tree.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86IRnYSAC9
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“Not a mistake I will make again,” said the boy. “I didn't bring a ladder to climb. I brought an axe to cut.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsygz5uMxc
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“You are not going to try and burn me like I burned you?” the tree asked in her hideous voice.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEt7nEblySX
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“No,” said the boy. “No more foolish talk. I'm here to take your black heart and extinguish your evil forever.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxfotCkxTi
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“I'm sorry, Boy,” said the vile tree. “But I will not be giving today. I will be taking.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumKzztBdmn
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So the boy came forward and began to swing his axe. With every swing he cut into the old, foul flesh of the tree. With every stroke of the axe the depraved tree howled in pain and cursed at the boy. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5Zm3xBAvj
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Finally the tree came toppling down, but as it fell it used all of it’s strength to lunge one last time. It threw it’s weight towards the boy and the hate filled tree toppled down and smashed atop the boy breaking his body once and for all.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHAyDoQYwr
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The boy struggled under the weight of the wood that pinned him to the ground. Finally he was able to free himself and inch his way out from under it. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlFtogtDx1
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“There,” the boy said in barely a whisper as his life force was fleeing from his body. “Now the world will never bear witness to your degenerate spirit again.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJUw5XLcTtV
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“You may have ended me, but I told you I would be taking today, Boy,” the tree said. “Now I'm just an old stump. But an old stump is good for laying up against as you die. Come, Boy, come lay up against me and let us watch each other die.”861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncbEb8tW6z
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And the boy did. 861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06eR7Irg0t
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And the tree was happy.861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacp1NEs37B
861Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlX5BfJib3Y
