Maddie yelled down to me, pulling herself through the tree branches like a pro. Only a branch of two below her, I continued my ascent, passing pinecones that tugged on my hair and the dry bark that gently scraped against my skin. When Maddie finally halted her climb, I joined her on the sturdy branch. It was just far enough outside the pine tree that we could clearly see the lake before us, despite the dimming natural light around us. I eyed the grey clouds hovering in the distance and felt the chilly breeze shepherding them towards us. Still, Maddie’s face radiated bliss. We observed the quiet shore that had quickly been abandoned as the weather darkened. “I’m going to miss this tree,” she said, inhaling the potent fragrance emanating from the branches. I nodded my head, knowing exactly what she meant. It wasn’t that this particular tree smelled any different than the other evergreens surrounding us, but this tree had history. It was a few years ago that my sisters and I found this tree.
