Tenth Arbor (SENSITIVE CONTENT) | Teen Ink

Tenth Arbor (SENSITIVE CONTENT)

April 16, 2015
By imhereforthethought PLATINUM, Wayne, New Jersey
imhereforthethought PLATINUM, Wayne, New Jersey
43 articles 0 photos 45 comments

Tenth Arbor has twelve trees.
Everybody knows that
Because everyone knows about Tenth Arbor and its caretaker.

The Caretaker of Tenth Arbor was very particular about his trees
And every morning he would take stock of how many fruits were on each tree
And every evening he would take stock of how many fruits the townspeople picked.

Tonight, two trees had been left bare.
One was completely picked by the townspeople, who used its fruit wisely.
One was aging and just didn't have much left, especially with the November weather.

So The Caretaker meandered back to Tenth Arbor Residence and ordered heating and protection devices for the winter, which was fast approaching.

Tenth Arbor Residence was a quaint and quiet house.
No one spoke a word of it except The Caretaker and his Assistant.
Every absolute aspect of Tenth Arbor was paid for by the townspeople, who sold the fruit that they picked from its trees,
And such was the cycle.

November quickly faded to December,
Which was such a cold December that all twelve trees were abandoned after their last fruit was picked.
Neither The Caretaker nor The Assistant dared to go outside and maintain them, because with what little they could wear, they undoubtedly would get terrible frostbite.
The money they got from townspeople wasn't enough to maintain Tenth Arbor and care for its Residents.

When Spring came the trees did not bud.
The winter was too dry and unforgiving to them.

Soon The Caretaker and The Assistant could not afford their assets.
First the heat could no longer be provided to Tenth Arbor Residence, and The Caretaker and The Assistant were lucky that it happened after the cold had ended.
Then the food supply stopped coming in.

By this point The Residents had gotten very depressed at having no company other than each other.
On a particular day, The Caretaker ordered a small, yet powerful gun, but was confined to his bed due to weariness and depression.
So, The Assistant was making another batch of stew, using what little the twelve trees had, leaves for flavor, bark for broth, and a small portion of the last bread and the last meat they had.
The knock at the door then was for delivery of the weapon. The Assistant saw it and without hesitation, tried to end his suffering, he was taken away from Tenth Arbor Residence and the Caretaker was truly left alone.

He himself then got word that water would no longer run to Tenth Arbor Residence come July.
And with the resolve and diligence of half a dozen of the town's finest oxen, he planted twelve new seeds,
Which never made it past sprouting.


The author's comments:

At any given time, between 10 and 15 percent of teens are suffering from clinical depression and even suicidal thoughts. If you or someone you know may have depression, encourage them to use the resources that they have to get help, and tell them that they matter to you.


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