text: He screams, "Help me! Please, I'm trapped. I'm a prisoner. You've got to get me out of here. You've got to get me away from Tree!" You stop, and see a man. With a rope synched around his waist. Tied to the trunk of a tree. It seems the rope is only 30 feet long. So the man can't wander far from the tree. It's cold out and he's shivering. Based on the frost in his hair, you guess he's been out here at least a day. You rush over to him. "How did this happen?" "I... I don't know. I don't even remember how I got here! Please help me, get me away from Tree!" You go up to him, and you untie the rope from his waist. You're a bit surprised that he couldn't do it himself. But clearly, if he could have, he would have. Nobody wants to be trapped tied to a tree. The next few days are normal. But then you walk by the same tree again, and you hear it again! "Help! Someone please help me. Help me get free of Tree." You're dumbfounded. The man can't have ended up tied to the tree again? You stop and check and there he is. The rope seems even looser this time. You untie it and you say, "How did this happen again? Did someone drag you out here again, and tie you to this tree?" The man was relieved to be help, but clearly still distraught, "I don't know. I don't even remember how I got here?!" You tell him that he should tell the police. That he should lock his doors. And carry a knife with him at all times. And that he should practice rope untying, so that he can get himself out if it ever happens again. The next few days are normal, but you hear it again! This time, you're more curious than concerned. Something must be wrong with this man. This must be a scam of some kind. You check for your wallet, maybe he had a buddy come pickpocket you when you rescued him last time. Your wallet is still there. You stop on a hill nearby, where you know you can't be seen. And you observe the man. Every now and then he calls for help. Mostly he just sits and weeps. He does try to escape. But "try" is a strange word in this case. He tugs on the rope. He gnashes at it with his teeth. But the rope is clearly so loose that if he just shimmied it down to his feet he could step right out of it. Eventually, his screaming gets him another rescuer. And he's off, once more. You don't stick around either. You come back a few days later, and sure enough, there he is again! This time, your curiosity goes too deep. So you walk up to him, and without a word, you lift the rope up over his head. He thanks you, and then walks off. The next several days, you stake out the hill overlooking the tree. You watch, your curiosity eating you alive. Who's bringing this man out here? Who's tying him to the tree every several days. You wait and wait and wait. Eventually, you think that he's not coming back. That he's finally put a stop to whoever was doing this to him. But then you watch, in complete and total shock, as the man walks up to the tree with a rope. And ties himself to it. You look with your binoculars. The man walks over, and he almost seems to play with the rope. Dance with it. He seems to like the tree a lot too. You wouldn't say he's having fun, but he's certainly enraptured with the activity. Eventually, by sheer accident. The rope ends up tied around his body, and the trunk. But his dancing continues. You watch, until it starts getting cold, and then you leave. When you return, there he is in the morning. He sees you he shouts! "Help me! Help me please! I figured out who brought me here. I figured out who keeps doing this to me! Tree did this! Please help me! PLEASE!" The man is clearly insane, but even worse than that, he's clearly only acting out to mine for sympathy and attention. Enough is enough. You go home and make a sign, which you plant in front of the tree. It reads "This man tied himself to the tree. He wants to be here! Do not help him!" You walk by everyday. People listen to the sign, cause you can hear him still. Begging for help. Eventually, the cries for help annoy you so much. That you go up to the man, and you untie him. And then, you take the rope, and you throw it into the river. And you say "never come back to this tree!" The man seems certain, so assured. "Of course! Of course! I'll avoid the tree. Whatever you think will help me get away." And he runs off, as if fleeing from death itself. The next day, you walk, and you find the man. There is no rope this time. But he's still stuck to the tree. He begs, he begs for help. You point out, "there's no rope! You're not even stuck." He responds, tears in his eyes, desperation in his voice. "I know there's no rope! I took your advice. But I'm still stuck. Tree put me here. Help me! Please!" You go over there, using the last drop of your sympathy. You reach out to the man, and you pull. But he doesn't budge. He digs in his feet. He screams to be rescued. He begs it to be so. But in his actions, he clings to the tree. You leave him. The next day, you come back with an axe. You hand it to him, and you point at the trunk and you tell him to cut the tree down. At first he's obstinate, he claims he doesn't have the will for it. But a few days later, you see him hacking away at it. Chopping at the tree. You're a little proud of him. Eventually you come back, and you see that the tree is knocked over. But the man is still there. Still screaming, still begging, still weeping. At this point. It's your mission. So you say "screw it". You grab the man, with all your might, and you drag him away from the tree. You drag him to your house. And then you tie a rope around him there. Eventually, you get him some help. You let some doctors look over him. You get him in school. You get him his own place, with a nice job. He never goes back to the tree again, and you don't see him for about that long either. Then one day, you're at a work party. And you see him again. He's smiling, and laughing. And you think you've really done it. You go over to him, and say, "hello! How is it like tasting freedom again?" You get close enough, to finally read his nametag. All that time, you never actually picked up his name. The nametag reads "Trei Smith, Consultant." Then, you catch his eyes. He looks at you, that same sadness and desperation back in his gaze. He walks over to you and says, "Help me please. No matter where I go. I cut the rope. I chopped down the tree just like you said. I told the cops. I locked my doors. I've got this job! I did everything you asked, but I'm still trapped. No matter where I go, I can't escape Trei. Please it's *torture.*" Suddenly you understand it. You reach out and hug him. You know there's nothing you can do to help a man escape himself. So you say what you realize you should have said a long time ago, "I'm so sorry. I know you don't want this, and you don't deserve it either." And with what little peace you offered, you leave. You never see Trei again. Though everyday, you pass that tree stump, and you remember, a man who fought with everything he had to escape what he hated. You respect that fact about him, even though you know, he never had a chance.