Make Like a Tree

Looking to get away?

Chocking on smog?

Come sail away to Tree Island! The only island that boasts a wide assortment of trees! From the sturdy pines to breezy palms we have every kind of tree you'll ever need!

Once you step upon our land, your feet will continue to move despite your best attempts to stop. You may end up on the beach or you may walk further and further into the forest until you can barely see the sun in the sky.

Then the fun truly begins. Your body will cease all movements and your mind will begin to slow. Your feet meanwhile will feel as if they are sinking deeper and deeper into the ground. They may also feel longer. You thought you only had ten toes but underneath it feels as if they are splitting into hundreds of thousands of roots.

Your skin will chip away, revealing patches of wood that sometimes leek out sap if you’re lucky. You may choose to let out a scream (though spoiler alert: no one will hear you) or you may smile that you’re joining our family.

We recommend a smile because before long your body will take on the shape of a tree with a mold of your face sticking out at the bottom.

Book a trip today and allow yourself to escape forever.

After all, how else are we gonna fix climate change?

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Hello everyone! Hope the New Year has been good to you so far! I've definitely been planning on writing some more short stories in my quest for a new novel idea this year.

It was during such a quest that I stumbled upon this odd little flash fiction in my files.

Sometimes you just get an idea in your head that you know won't last more than a few pages but you want to write it down and see what happens anyway. I shopped this piece to a few places, with a good dose of rejections to go with it, before I eventually decided to just post it here.

As far as flash fictions go, or even my other stories in general, it's probably not the best but hey, as a writer you just have to experiment a bit to see which stories truly work and which ones are better suited for your own website. And who knows, maybe it might spawn into something bigger. It certainly wouldn't be the first time that's happened to me.

As for inspirations for this story, I remember watching the 'Eternal Youth' episode of Batman the Animated Series (the one where Poison Ivy turns people into trees) and being genuinely unsettled by it. Especially considering the notion that they probably could still think, and panic, even though their entire body was immobilized. Funny how horror inspirations can come from the most unlikely places.

Anyways, thanks for reading and stay spooky.