Note: this is 100% fiction

“NO!” Her scream reverberates through the woods over and over until all the birds have fled and all the other creatures have burrowed so deep beneath the ground until her scream has been muted.

“This cannot be happening.” She cries. “You cannot do this to me.”

“’tis your punishment.” A voice echoes from the sky.

In a blink of an eye, a tiny white-bearded man appears before her. “You!” She shrieks.

It’s the old man she saw on the street the day before. He was sitting in front of her manicure shop begging for money. “Shoo!” She waved her hands at him, “Go beg somewhere else.”

“Won’t you spare an old man some change, miss?” Blowing on her freshly manicured nails, she looked the old man up and down with disgust before walking away. “Oh, you’re going to regret this, miss.”

Without looking back, she continued walking.

“What did I ever do to you to deserve this?!” She asks.

“You’ve never appreciated a day in your life.”

She scoffs, “And this is my punishment, how?”

“I have made you into a tree to allow you to learn the art of appreciation. Each day, you will be here, watching everyone and everything move around you while you remain at this very spot. I want you to contemplate and reflect on all you’ve done in life. When you finally and truly realize your faults, you will be changed back.”

Whatdoyousee