[Fiction] Dear Posse No. 12: The Tree Sees

I’m working on a serial fiction project. Each segment will be published here and on Patreon. It is available in full to Patreon supporters:

Dear Posse,

Last night, Brad and Eliza’s dog, Juno, started barking at the black tree in the garden. Their barks were urgent, scared. We rushed out, expecting maybe Ludwig or one of his kin, but it was the tree.

It had grown again, now almost touching the second-story window, and from its branches hung bulbous amber fruit. But this fruit pulsed with a soft inner light, throbbing gently like a heartbeat.

Eliza reached out first, her hand trembling. When her fingers brushed the fruit, the tree shuddered, and the air around us vibrated with a low hum.

“It’s warm,” she whispered. “And it’s… singing?”

I listened, and she was right. A soft, melodic hum, like a lullaby, emanated from the tree. It felt strangely comforting, but also profoundly sad.

“We need to understand this,” I said, more to myself than to her.

The cicadas agreed. “The tree knows,” they buzzed. “The tree sees.”