FSE

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If you come to the mall in our town, whatever the day or night, you will see me standing in the food court. It doesn’t matter when you come. Winter, summer, fall, spring, you will always be able to find me standing in the food court at the Downtown Commons Mall. It’s not that I love to be here, it’s that I can never leave.

You see, I am not a shopper. I am not even an employee. As luck would have it, I am one of the many trees that dot the mall. Or at least I will be soon. While my body presently remains mostly human in shape, it is anything but.

My skin is covered from my neck all the way down to my feet in a thick layer of bark. My toes have become roots, tendrils that push themselves ever deeper into the box of the planter I am currently standing in.

The Last piece of my humanity that remains mostly untouched is my head, though I can feel the bark spreading relentlessly across my face, and know that it is only a matter of time before I am completely covered.

I don’t know what will happen then. Will I lose what few human features I have left? Will my legs fuse into a unified trunk? will my arms rise up, and split apart into my new branches? Maybe those things will happen. Maybe I will just end up standing here looking like some weird petrified child. Who can say. I’ve never been in a situation like this before, and doubt you have either.

I see hundreds of shoppers a day going about there errands, some even stopping to eat sitting right next to me and not realizing that I am standing here. Seeing not a boy, but an ordinary tree.

Never realizing that I am aware of everything they say and do. If I am ever able to move again, There are a number of relationships that could be in jeopardy, and a number of holiday surprises I could ruin.

What pains me most, is that every so often I’ll catch a glimpse of some of my friends, former classmates, or even my parents. (Former parents now?) They all go on about their business as if I wasn’t even there.

You may be wondering how I came to be in this particular situation. How I came to transition from a carefree boy enjoying his summer vacation to being nothing more than a decoration at the local mall.

Well my story started perhaps a few months ago now. It’s a little hard to tell how much time has passed when you spend everyday standing in the same place. Everything starts to blend together. One day runs into the next. And with the artificial light and climate control even the seasons fade.

It seems the more tree I become, the more I can feel the call of nature. Perhaps when my transformation is complete, I’ll be able to sense the change in seasons as my leaves lose their chlorophyll and change color before eventually dropping to the mall floor.

Assuming I ever sprout leaves. Maybe it’s like puberty? I have to hit a certain age first? Anyway, that’s not important right now it looks like I’ll have plenty of time to worry about that end of things.

It was the summer after my seventh grade year. While I had always been a decent student, I never pushed myself very hard. I doubt I could have gotten straight A’s. but I know I could have done better than I did. I guess none of that matters now.

This summer was going to be different. As I had just turned 13, my mother decided that I didn’t need to spend the summer at some camp or another. I would be free to spend the summer doing whatever I wanted with my friends. I was on top of the world. I thought I was going to have the best summer ever.

Turns out, looking back, that I was wrong. I wish mom had sent me to some of those dumb old summer camps. At least if she had, I might have been bored to tears, but I would probably still be a boy. Human at the very least.

The last day of school was the typical uneventful day. We had turned in all of our books the day before, so we spent most of our classes either watching “educational” videos, or playing games. In a few the teachers let us talk or do what we wanted as long as we didn’t make too much noise.

I found a quiet corner of the classroom, and spent as much time as I could with my best friend Ben. It had been quite a year for the two of us. Half way through we decided we had a crush on each other and even went on a few dates.

Well, I call them dates, but it was mostly getting out parents to drop us off at the mall to see some movies do a little shopping. They thought I was spending a lot of time at the mall. If they could only see me now.

Ben and I made plans for almost every day this summer. Many of them involved us hanging out together and waisting time. Every so often we would come up with something a little more profound- for a pair of 13 year olds that is.

The first few weeks of vacation went smoothly. We ended up spending the majority of our time at each others houses playing video games. I had the playstation 5, and he had one of the new xbox consoles. That way, we had the chance to play all of the exclusives, no matter what system they came out on.

As you may easily guess, especially if you have ever been a teenage boy, we got bored fairly quickly. One afternoon, we decided to scrap out carefully laid out plans of goofing off, and go out and enjoy the weather and make sure the sun was still there.

Ben suggested heading over to the local Fast food joint and grab ourselves some burgers and fries for lunch. That sounded a lot better than the cold sandwiches we had been eating. It wasn’t a long walk, and I had to admit it was nice to get out of the house for a change.

As we walked down the street, we came across a recently cleared field. It had been owned by a local biotech company, but they had gone bankrupt thanks to a few “accidents”. They had been responsible for a chemical spill that closed down half the town. No one had died, but there had been a number of illnesses reported.

The field had been one of the companies attempts at an apology. The area had been one of the areas they cleaned up, and to prove that there would be no lasting impact from the spill, had planted a grove of trees on the land.

That was a number of years ago, and while the trees had grown, they always seemed a little odd to me. Nothing I could ever put my finger on, but I was always a little unsettled whenever I walked by that place.

There were a few paths that used to wind through the grove, but since the company had gone under no one had bothered to keep them up. Weeds and vines had started to encroach on the field giving it a forlorn neglected look. I don’t know anyone that would venture in after dark. I don’t know, maybe I’m just getting a little paranoid.

After we finished eating, we gathered up our trash and tossed it in the garbage. On the way back home, Ben was feeling a little frisky and decided to walk through the field. He found a path that wasn’t too overgrown and beckoned me to follow him.

I hesitated for a moment, then hurried after him before he got too far ahead. The air on the path felt different, cooler than the surrounding air. I chalked it up to the dense canopy of leaves overhead keeping it shaded.

As Ben and I walked down the path, we decided to amuse each other by telling the stories we had heard about the company and the grove. Most of them were obviously fantasy. Stories of huge monsters that lurked behind every bush just waiting to eat any child who ventured in alone, to stories of flowers that emitted a mind control gas that the company used to keep it’s workers in line.

Of course there were the stories of the Companies CEO and how he secretly owned most of the town and was secretly working on biological weapons for some government or other. I had heard at least six different versions of that story. Oh, and lest I forget, there was the story that one of my friends had been eaten by one of the trees in the grove. I was younger when I heard that one and almost believed it. At least until he called me on the phone one evening and told me he had to move because his parents had found a new job.

I had to admit, that while the place had made me kind of uneasy at first, the further we walked into it the more relaxing it became. It was quiet and kind of shielded from the outside world. The only sounds were the rustle of branches from the occasional squirrel and a few birds singing.

I was kind of disappointed when we got the other side and emerged back into the heat of the day. Once we got back to Ben’s house, we spent the rest of the afternoon on his xbox. The afternoon flew by. I glanced up at his clock, and saw my parents would be home soon. I gave him a peck on the cheek, and headed out the door.

Ben called me the next morning and asked me to meet him back at the grove. I thought It was a little strange, but I agreed. He said he had something he wanted to show me.

When I got there, he was waiting at the head of one of the paths. I could tell he was super excited about something. I asked him what was up, but he just told me to follow him. I followed after him for what seemed like longer than we should have been able to considering the size of the plot.

Finally we reached a small clearing. I was amazed by what I saw. Ben had clearly been here a while. He had laid out a large blanket, and placed some dishes and what looked to be a meal deal from the local Chinese place in the center. He had also set his Bluetooth speaker so it would play some romantic music. Or at least what Ben thought was romantic.

I have to admit I was impressed. The set up was very nice, and this looked like the perfect place to have our first “dinner date”. There was even a small pond with a trickle of a waterfall to add the perfect touch of ambiance.

We ate and talked for what seemed like hours. It was great. I had never had so much fun in my life. After we ate, we stripped down to our underwear and decided to play in the pond. It wasn’t very deep, but the water was clear and cool.

We decided to walk a little further into the grove, still in just our underwear. I loved the way the dirt felt under my bare feet, and the feel of Ben’s hand in mine. I wished this moment would never end. Still, we had to go back eventually, or we would be in for a heap of trouble when our parents found us.

Reluctantly we made our way back to the picnic site, and slowly got dressed so we could savor the moment for as long as possible. Once we had everything packed up, we headed home. We promised we would do this again next week. It would seem like a long weekend thanks to the anticipation.

Now I know what you’re thinking. There had to be something in the water that did this to me. It’s a reasonable inference. Only problem is the pond drains into the local reservoir. If there was something there, it would effect the whole town, not just me.

Over the next couple of weeks, Ben and I went out on several more “dates”. Each time was more fun than the last. The grove was the perfect place to hang out, because there were enough rumors swirling around about it that no one bothered to enter. We always had the place to ourselves.

As it started to get later in the summer, mom announced she had reserved us a place on the beach. we would be gone for two weeks, and I would be allowed to bring Ben. If his parents approved, of course. No problem there, what parents wouldn’t be happy to send their kids away and have two weeks to themselves.

We had a blast playing in the ocean, and going to the boardwalk. There was always something to do. We even went into town a few times and went to the local aquarium and amusement park. Despite a touch of sunburn, Ben and I had a great time. Mom promised she would take us again next summer.

When we retuned home, much to our dismay, we found that our private little oasis had been bulldozed. There was just one sad little grouping of small trees left over.

Ben and I decided to do a little googling. We found that plans had been in the works for months to convert the place into a set of new town homes. The image on the website looked incredibly garish.

Great, just what we needed. More people and more traffic. I liked my little town the was it was, and now it was changing into something I didn’t recognize. We stood on the sidewalk and gazed sadly at the now vacant lot that had been our summer hangout.

That evening I invited Ben over for a sleepover. I had set up a tent in the back yard, and we were going to sleep under the stars. Once we were sure everyone else had gone to bed, Ben and I decided to lie on the grass and watch the stars overhead. The grass was a little wet, but we soon got used to it.

Using our cell phones, we were able to identify a planet, and even track the ISS as it passed over head. It wasn’t long before I was starting to feel a little stiff, so I decided to head back to my sleeping bag in the tent. Ben followed not long after.

Our sleep that night was fitful. I kept having cramps that came and went, and when I did sleep, I could almost here a voice calling me. I think Ben must have been going through the same thing, because he was tossing and turning as well.

After about half an hour, something compelled me to make my way out of the tent. Without fully understanding why, dressed only in my boxer briefs, I started walking out towards where the grove had been. All of my muscles were stiff, causing me to walk in a slow jerky gait.

After what seemed like a lifetime, I found myself standing in front of the sad little copse of trees that had been spared when the main thicket had been unceremoniously destroyed. I could help but feel a pang of sadness for them.

As if on impulse, I pulled my underwear off and threw it aside. Totally exposed to the world, I stepped into the soil that had been turned up by the bulldozers. When my bare feet touched it, I felt a wave of intense pleasure radiate through my body. Each step I took closer to the little trees made the feeling intensify.

Soon I was standing in the middle of the small patch of trees. I felt a strange sensation from my feet, and looked down just in time so seem my toes lengthen. The were burrowing their way deep into the soil.

I instinctively knew that I should be feeling extreme panic right about now, but if anything, I would swear my heartbeat was slowing. I felt calmer than I ever had. This was right it was the way things were supposed to be.

Over the course of the next few hours, I stood literally rooted to that spot. I could only watch helplessly as the skin on my legs and body started to take on a weird shade of brown and a rough texture. If I had been thinking clearly I might have noticed that the color and texture bore a strong resemblance to the trees I was standing in the midst of.

As morning dawned, and the sun began to rise, I could finally get a good glimpse of myself. I was covered in some sort of clear slime, I guess is the best description. It was thickest where I was in contact with the grass last night, but had spread to cover my entire body. It had a strange sickly sweet odor to it. A drop fell from my lips into my mouth and it the taste was reminiscent of maple.

What I had once called my feet were now nothing more than rough brown lumps with what were once my toes, now roots, growing out of them. I swear i could see them getting longer as I stared at them. I could feel them burrowing through the ground.

My legs had started to take on the same bark like texture as my feet. Every time I looked down, the bark had creeped ever further up my shin. I started to freak out. I wanted to run, but nothing happened. My body remained still and motionless. I no longer had any control over myself, except for a little movement in my neck.

I stood there for what seemed like an eternity hoping Ben, or anyone really, would find me. As I gazed around, I realized that I was in the middle of the little group of trees, and no one would be able to see me unless they came down into the construction zone.

I had given up hope when I finally heard the sound of a truck pulling up. I thought at last, I was saved. I could just barely make out the truck through the group of trees. It had the logo for the local mall, and landscaping written across the side.

Now I know why the trees had been spared. They were destined to replace the ones in the mall that had gotten to big or died. At least when the workers come to remove the trees, they’ll find me and take me to the hospital right? Isn’t that what they have to do?

I wanted to scream, shout, wave my arms around, anything to let them know I was here, but my body wouldn’t budge. I could only stand and watch.

It too the better part of the day for them to work through the trees in front of me. The would carefully dig each one up, and them wrap a burlap sack around the roots to keep them together and moist before placing them in the truck.

Eventually they made it to me. One of the men looked right at me, and wiped some sweat off his brow. Silently I cheered in my mind. I’m saved!, but no. The landscaper dug his shovel into the ground just as he had with the other trees.

Soon he had dug out my roots and with the help of his coworkers was carefully wrapping my roots in a moist burlap sack. What was the matter with this guy? couldn’t he tell the difference between a tree and a kid? A few minuets later, I found myself standing on the truck along with the other trees.

By this point, the bark had made its way nearly to my knees. The landscapers excavated a few more of the trees and propped them beside me in the truck. They decided to comeback later for the rest.

It was a bumpy ride to the mall. I got a few scrapes on the way and noticed that It wasn’t blood coming out, but more of that slime. I knew that once we got to the mall someone there would notice that I wasn’t exactly a typical tree and help me out.

Slowly the trees were unloaded one by one and taken to their new spots in the mall. When they came to me, I was carefully lifted out of the truck, and placed on one of those little forklifts. I quick ride through the bowels of the mall, and we stopped near a door marked “food court”. a pair of workers hoisted me up, and carried me the rest of the way to a waiting planter.

I did everything I could to wiggle, jostle, or make some noise. Anything to let them know I wasn’t just another tree. I could’t believe they couldn’t see it with their own eyes.

Thats when I remembered the conversation I had with Ben. It wasn’t flowers that had affected the minds of the employees, but the sap from the trees. Sap which I had been covered with, and was now seeping from the scrapes i had received on the ride over.

I could only watch impotently as the workers removed my burlap bag and placed me in my final resting place. I felt an intense feeling of despair as the landscaper shoveled the last few scoops of dirt over my roots and set up the automatic waterer.

As the weeks turned to months, I could only stand and watch as the bark continued it inexorable march up my body. As it encroached upon each area, the area would feel cold as the blood would change to the strange sap, and then eventually, the are would go numb.

As the transformation made its way up my legs I was dreading when it would reach my waist. I really didn’t want to lose what I had in that area, If you know what I mean. No matter how hard I wished, or what bargains I made to every deity and mythical being I could think of, nothing stopped the slow and steady progression. Eventually I looked down and saw nothing but a smooth coating of bark where my pride and joy had once been.

At this point, I must have completely lost it. I remember drifting in and out of consciousness. Every time I did, the bark had spread. It now covered my abdomen and chest. It was starting to inch its way down my arms.

I really disliked the cold feeling every time the bark would move on to a new part of my body, and the numbness wasn’t great either. It was like when the tingling feeling when your foot falls asleep. Maybe the lapses in consciousness were my minds way of trying to spare me from the transformation.

All I could do was look straight ahead, seeing all those shoppers come and go, each one with a ton of bags on their arms, or trays of food. I kept trying to assert my will on each one so they would see me and do something, anything to put me out of my misery. But it was to no avail. They just went on about their business, paying no more attention to me than to the drone of the air conditioner.

It was like I was surrounded by a somebody else’s problem field. No, Even that couldn’t have been this effective.

As the bark moved down to the tips of my fingers, I started to notice another strange sensation. I started to notice that my thoughts seemed a little, I don’t know, slower. As if things were starting to move in slow motion. It didn’t happen all the time, but it started to notice it happen more and more as more of my body was converted into vegetable matter.

As the bark spread across my shoulders and up my neck, I realized i hadn’t felt my heart beating for some time. I idly wondered if I still had a heart, or if it were just a lump of wood in what used to be my chest.

It was at this point that you have found me. Nothing but a tree from the neck down, with the bark making it’s relentless march across my face. It seems inevitable at this point that before long my head will be transformed and I will be little more than a tree, just another decoration to make the mall look nicer. Maybe during the holidays someone will come and decorate me. That will be sure to put the shoppers in to a festive mood as they eat their meals.

More than likely as I grow, I will fill in and lose what little humanity I have left. My facial features will fade and my legs will fuse. My former human self will be effectively erased from existence. Not like anyone will notice. To them I am already just another tree.

No one, it seems, has even noticed that I am gone. That sap must have been mixed into everything my family touched for years. Slowly warping our minds and perceptions. I suppose it wasn’t until the construction crews came that enough of it made it to the surface to initiate my transformation. If only I had decided to sleep inside that night.

As for poor Ben, I miss him dearly. I don’t know what happened to him. If he was afflicted the same way I was, I might never have even noticed that I was standing next to him as he underwent the same harrowing transformation I did. Just the thought of that shakes me to my core. The idea that he could be forced to go through something like that and I could do nothing to comfort him hurts me to my core. He could be planted somewhere else in this very mall, still suffering. I just hope and pray he didn’t succumb to the sap as I did. If he is planted somewhere in the mall, lets just say I hope it’s not near the restrooms