Finding Osce Oak - Intro

There once was a village, and within the villages lived many people in houses built in smart little rows, one after the other. In one area, each road was named after a tree. Elm Avenue, Beech Street, Horsechessnut Drive, Maple Lane, Oak Way.

And despite the concrete and the cars, and the houses and the pavements, and the street lights and the post-boxes, and the bins and the busy, busy people, there was just about room for the trees themselves to line the roads.

And one of these roads, down Oak Way to be precise, lived Osce, a tree who wasn't quite sure just who he was in the world. He knew where he stood; in a line with his family and friends. But lately a question had started to bother him - who was he? Positioned below an expanse of sky and above the ground on whom his roots relied, who was he? Beyond the row of trees, Oak Way, the village, and the wide wide world, who was he? 

Now as you may know, trees are not afforded the luxury of mirrors so Osce could only look around to put himself in context.

There was Ramu, the baby pigeon whose home was nestled in his branches. "What am I like?" Osce asked Ramu, "Who do you think I am?". The little bird blinked a few times as she thought it through and she said in a soft coo "oooo, oh Osce, you're the sky, you're everything, you're my shelter and my home, you're strong and keep me cool on hot days, you're magnificent, you're all I've known."

Osce smiled, he gave his leaves an extra shake as he stretched outwards, feeling important, feeling grand. That's who he was, he was everything. But then... he was also all Ramu had known. And Ramu was such a small little bird. He liked what she had to say, but perhaps he should check with some others before accepting this identity.

Shira returned to the nest with a juicy worm wriggling in her mouth for Ramu. Osce hesitated, he had liked what Ramu said and wasn't sure he quite wanted to know how Shira may respond to his question, but his need to know who he was overcame his sense of pride.