text: The tree was dying. It knew that it did not have much time left. The season had been dry and other, bigger trees in the forest had used up most of the nutrients and moisture that were still left in the soil around it. It was still a thin and small trunk with only few branches and shallow roots. It lacked the resources to compete with the bigger trees around it. What use would it be to struggle against that already decided fate? Every day was just one day closer to the inevitable end. But one day a stranger came to the forest. A human. The tree did not know humans well. They rarely visited its part of the forest. On the rare occasions one found their way here they did not stay long. This day too the tree expected the human to leave after a brief look around. But that is not what happened. With wide eyes full of wonder the human took in the vibrant environment. It seemed to be fascinated by all the trees and flowers that grew here. And then the human‘s gaze fell onto the dying tree. With browning, too dry leaves and in some places almost naked twigs and branches it was not pretty to look at. The tree was sure the human would soon point its attention to the prettier and healthier plants around it. Instead the human stepped forward and touched one of its dried out branches with gentle fingers. It took out some kind of container from its pouch and slowly started pouring the liquid from it on the dry soil around the dying tree. Water. The human had given it water. The tree soaked it up as fast as it could. It wasn’t quite enough but it was more than it had gotten in what felt like a long time. A fighting chance. Hope. The container was empty now and the human put it back in its pouch. It looked reluctant. Then the human made some noises that the tree did not understand and left. It was a short encounter, but it had fed the tree‘s dying flame of hope a little. The water had not been much, but it was enough to tide it over for just a bit longer. It had a chance now. And unexpectedly the human visited again. And again and again. Each time bringing water with it and one time even some fresh, rich soil that it put around the tree. With the human‘s help the previously dying tree began to flourish. On the outside not much difference could be seen yet but the changes were happening. The tree had fanned out its roots. It was growing them deeper every day in order to have a stable base for the future, with better access to the nutrients deep inside the earth. It was also growing little buds, where flowers would bloom in time. There weren’t many yet, but they gave hope for the future. One bud was almost ready to bloom. It was hidden behind some leafs though so it wasn’t directly visible. One day the human came by again but didn’t act like it normally did. The human sat down on the ground with their arms slung tightly around themselves. Water started leaking from their eyes and desperate noises escaped their throat. It sat there like that for a long time. The tree did not know what was wrong with this human. It did not understand the behaviour the human was showing right now. But the tree knew one thing. It wanted to do something for this human that had done so much for it. With much effort it rustled some of its leaves. Some of them fell to the ground in front of the human. The human looked up startled by the sudden noise. A beautiful, vibrant flower bloomed, no longer hidden by leafs. The tree had poured all the resources it could muster at that moment into that flower. This flower was all it had to give. The humans eyes grew wide and the water stopped leaking from them. A big smile formed on the human‘s face. With gentle hands it touched the vibrant flower, careful not to accidentally damage it. "Thank you" Even though the tree could not understand the human language it understood the message the tried to convey. The flower was the tree‘s thank you and the human had understood. Sometimes with just a little help life found a way to persevere. And as long as there was a little life left there was hope. The human stayed with the tree a long time before going away that day. And the tree knew that the human would always come back. As long as there is life there is hope.