Member-only story
The Tree With No Top
On the island of Phiddle.
By Phineas Phiddlephaddle
On the island of Phiddle, deep in the woods, there is a tree that has no top. At least that is what most of the island’s residents think. Its trunk climbs higher than the clouds. Even on a sunny day, its top is not visible. The trunk simply fades out of sight.
The trunk itself is an oddity. Unlike most trees, it remains the same circumference as far as the eye can see. The trunk is not large as you might expect from an old tree. A 12-year-old boy can easily put his arms around it, but it rises higher than a young tree should. Higher than any tree should.
Winston Ferguson tried to climb the tree once. But as there are no visible branches, it was tiring work. After four hours Winston slid back down to the ground.
I asked Winston if he had reached the top.
“No. I climbed high enough to see the entire island. What a view! The farmer’s fields looked like painted tiles. I saw my lost sheep! I looked down on flying birds. Yet the trunk continued upward with no end in sight. My arms and legs could take no more, and I was getting light-headed, so I slid back down.”
The tree has been around as long as anyone can remember. Once, I asked Archibald Handel, the island’s oldest resident about it.
