Image is Mine
I looked out the window and saw the long queue across the road. I shaked my head thinking about how crazy it was that tourists would waste so much time and energy to come and see a tree.
To be fair, how the tourists waste their time and money is none of my concern, but the particular tree they're lining up to see is in my favorite park.
Normally I go there for my afternoon reading due to it being practically across the street from my apartment, I go there to read, drink coffee and be one with nature. It's a calming exercise, something that I won't be able to do anymore.
I brewed some coffee and tried reading a novel I recently acquired.
After 30 frustrating minutes, I realized that I hadn't gone past the 3rd page. It just didn't feel right reading indoors. Nothing felt right anymore, with these tourists and their antics.
When the love tree trend first started. I was one of the few locals who disagreed with allowing the tourists to flow in such numbers. To me, the whole fiasco was well.... a fiasco.
I read about the story of the tree when it was publicized and it was the most silly story I've ever read.
A fair lady looked at a shooting star and wished that the world would experience more love.
Apparently a fairy of the forest heard and granted that wish. Taking the shooting star dust and a simple seed. She planted a tree based on that wish.
This tree was so that anyone who comes to it, would meet his or her true love in the coming month.
It seemed like something a regular teenager could make up. After the story came out, some people were commenting that they had come across that tree and in approximately a month later, they got into relationships.
A rather popular internet icon who had visited here for a show, also confirmed the story that he had visited the particular tree during his time here and not less than 3 weeks after, he met a girl and they got together. This brought the heat up.
The next week we got our largest amount of tourists recorded in the coming month.
I wasn't fooled though. There's no such thing as a love tree, and I went about to prove this motion.
I decided to pay a visit to this famous love tree myself. After spending almost 4 hours in line, I was finally allowed into the park.
The park had changed so much since I last visited, I hardly saw any animals.
Where were the squirrels, birds and rabbits.
I looked around and saw all the love tree props hung around; balloons, flyers stapled on trees. I was dismayed at how much they've ruined my favorite place.
I took a look at the bench where I normally stayed to read. The tree's branch where the bird's nest was, had been used as a signpost for flyers.
Then I saw it... I saw my arch enemy. The Love tree was a small round tree in an open field.
People crowded all over the clearance now, disturbing whatever wildlife that may have lived there.
I entered the crowd at the field, making my way to the front, so I could see the love tree in all its 'miraculousness'.
Upon seeing the tree, I noticed it was a regular looking tree. I had expected it to be trimmed to the shape of a heart or something for marketing business.
Apparently, you simply had to come to the tree and then you'll meet your true love. Well, I had come to the tree, so the next step was to wait.
With a humph at how pointless this was, I left the tree premises without looking back.
On my way out of the park, I bumped into a park attendant who was removing the signs from a tree.
She stood up and held the signpost to herself.
"I-I-I was just trying to align them Sir." She said trying to align her spectacles
"I'm not an official ma'am," I said laughing.
"Ohhh, well that's embarrassing." She replied. Then went ahead to trash the posters.
"Aren't you working for the park?" I asked, smiling.
"Soo...?" She countered
"So are you meant to be removing posters from their best attraction?"
She looked at me, and smiled.
"It'll be unfair for a single tree to be the park's best attraction, its barely even a side attraction. I think it's just a plant that's been overhyped because of a simple rumour and a few coincidences." She said all that in a single breath.
Breathless and a bit flushed, she looked at me as though she was expecting my input.
"W-well yes... I think it's a bit rash of them to ignore the rest of the park for a single tree." I agreed
"Rash doesn't even begin to describe it. It's crazy, scary and just stupid. How can you believe that a tree brings you to the one you love?."
She took a breath and continued, "Love is not something that just happens, it's a matter of planning, luck and fate. Not something that you'll just dump on a tree and be well off on your way." I nodded in agreement at that.
We walked around the park, taking down posters and popping balloons. You would think someone would notice a park goer and a park keeper destroying love tree merchandise, but everyone's attention was still on the tree.
After a few hours, more than half of the trees in the parks were without posters and was looking like a proper park again.
Looking back at our mischief we smiled at each other and had a good laugh.
Suddenly her mood switched.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
"I just realized that even though we removed the posters today, they'll still hang up more tomorrow." She said sadly.
I suddenly realized it too.
"Well.... We could still remove them tomorrow." I offered.
Her eyes lit up at the sudden possibility of it.
"Yes... Yes, you're right. We can't let the park trees die out like this." She declared happily.
"Let's do it." I concurred with her, moving with the flow of things.
"But we have to be smart..." She said "We can't hit the same places every time, we'll plan it."
We drew up a map and spent hours marking where we'll hit tomorrow. At the end of the day, she saw me off and by coincidence we walked past the dreaded love tree.
She looked at it, stuck out her tongue and blew raspberries at it. I laughed and looked at it, then I looked at her and felt my heart beat even faster.
On my way home I thought about the story behind the love tree again.
Anyone who comes to it, would meet his or her true love
Immediately my mind went to that park keeper girl. I suddenly realized that I didn't even know her name.
My true love? My mind asked me. Indeed I didn't know the answer. I shaked my head and chuckled at the strangeness of it all, as I went home to get ready for another day of poster removal.
