The Trespassers - What is a Man-tree Cross?

A heavy film seemed to be spreading over the sky. The light of the noon day was slipping into the shadows on the nearby mountain. The children sat under the Gossip Tree sipping on freshly picked fruit as they began their game of Put Downs. It was strange that there would even be shadows on the mountain as the sky had grown quite dark. The day began with 3 shadows of the strange man-tree crosses and now it appeared that 2 of them had converged as one. Now there were only 2 distinct shapes of man-tree crosses and 1 seemed darker than the other. The children could feel that something strange was happening. Their lack of understanding caused them to feel fear, so they focused on what they had become comfortable with - playing games.

Trees play Put Downs and let their leaves fall. People play Put Downs and let their neighbors fall.

  Put Downs was a game taught to them by their parents. Many generations of Trespassers had played this game. The object of the game was to see who could score the most points by saying cruel things about the Chosen Victim. One person would be given the role of submitting to whatever cruelty the children could inflict. Points were awarded by a panel of judges called the Rejecters. Bonus points were awarded if the victim was made to cry out in pain. Total rejection inflicted upon the heart of the victim was the goal. The winner received the Crown of Opinions. The Crown entitled the winner to force all the other children to agree with his or her opinions. There were a select few who always seemed to be declared the winners and thus their opinions ruled the neighborhood.

How close do you have to get to see the likeness of Christ on a Cross in this tree — at On Lafayette Street near Main in Buffalo, New York, USA.

The wind was still carrying the strange mixture of sounds down the mountain, across the valley and onto the Highpoint of Shabatt. As they sat under the Gossip Tree, the drifting sounds caused the children to interrupt their game of Put Downs and listen. Sometimes the children would hear mocking cheers and taunting laughter that sounded like games that their parents played. At first, the children reasoned that some adults must be playing a game of Put Downs over on Golgotha Mountain. Then the wind shifted. Sounds of moaning mixed with cries of sadness filled with pain entered the ears of the children and flowed straight to their hearts. They were touched in a way that was foreign to them. Unable to understand this strange Heart Touching, the children wondered if the adults had found a new way to play Put Downs. This caused a greater fear than they had ever known. Their fear was mixed with excitement, what was a Man-tree Cross and how could it cry?

To be continued.....

Next: "F Words in The Wind"

The habits of adults create traffic patterns that are the draw bridges to the future habits of children.