shot upward and the pavement
rippled in all directions. The spreading roots tilted the van forward
and supple green trunks broadened and browned. In a few minutes
they sat in the peaceful shade of small stand of live oak.
"Cool," she agreed. "Can I do it?"
"There isn't enough room for more."
"How do you know?"
"I just do. We have to go somewhere else now. You can do it
when we get back on the freeway."
Their mother and father returned with a grocery bag. "Where
did these trees come from?"
"What trees?" asked Evelyn.
"There weren't any trees here when we parked."
"Oh, Daddy, you never pay attention."
"There weren't, were there, Marie?"
"I didn't notice."
"I swear, when I opened the door, I was standing in the blaz-
ing sun."
"Are you okay, Glen? Do you want me to drive?"
"No, I'm fine." He closed the back door. "Still," he muttered,
"it's weird." They bumped out of the parking lot to the freeway.
FIAT SILVA
79
Good-bye trees. Good-bye Adam.
"Okay, my turn now, please, Adam."
"I don't know ... Are you sure? It does something to you."
"Yes, yes, please, please."
"How can we do it now? We're on the freeway."
"We can open the window. Please, Adam."
Without turning her head their mother called back, "Adam,
just let her do it, whatever it is."
"Okay, open the window. Here." He gave her the cone and she
shook a few seeds into her hand. "Now breathe."
"I feel dizzy."
"I know. Do you feel yourself moving into the seeds?"
"It's like they're part of me now. Here you go, seeds." She
dropped them one by one out the window. "Ooh, it almost hurts."
'They're sprouting."
The van sped rapidly along but they could see a green haze
appear far behind. Soon there were no cars following. "I think
we blocked the road."
They laughed happily. "Cool!"
"Let's do it again!"
By the time they reached the city at dusk, they were vegetat-
ing in a peaceful stupor, a vast part of themselves strewn along
a finger of forest for hundreds of miles through the valley to the
park. They leaned against each other drained. Their parents
opened the door and helped them out.
"Leave that pine cone in the garage, Adam."
"No, it's a souvenir of our best vacation ever."
"Yes, Mom, it's our magic pine cone."
"You, too, Evelyn? Okay, bring it in."
Their father supported them up the steps to the house while their
mother unloaded the van. "These kids are as heavy as logs."
'Time to get up," called their mother. "First day of school!"
The words came from far away, dimly penetrated the dream of
an immense continental forest. Rising from slumber was like up-
rooting a small tree. Adam and Evelyn pulled themselves out of
bed and went to the kitchen for breakfast. The morning newspa-
per reported the bizarre growth of a mixed deciduous and ever-
green forest centered on the southbound lane of Interstate 5.
Trees were spreading east and west despite attempts by road
crews with chainsaws and bulldozers to clear the highway.
"That's terrible!" said Adam.
"That's strange," said their father. "I didn't see any trees."
80 JacL Oakley
"It must have happened just after we passed by."
Adam and Evelyn smiled at each other.
"You kids are going to be late. You'd better make like trees
and leave."
They laughed and got their backpacks. Adam put the cone in
his and they went out the door. During show and tell, when ev-
eryone was telling what they had done during the summer, he
took it out and said, "We went camping and I got this magic
cone. It grows trees."
His classmates snickered, and the teacher said, "Yes, Adam, it
is magical the way new life sprouts from a seed."
"No, it isn't like that. You breathe on the seeds and part of you
goes into them and trees grow up right away."
Mrs. Hargrave looked concerned and everyone else laughed
out loud. He regarded them steadily with the clear gaze of a
spreading forest. "Watch," he said, and shook the cone, breathed
on the seed
rippled in all directions. The spreading roots tilted the van forward
and supple green trunks broadened and browned. In a few minutes
they sat in the peaceful shade of small stand of live oak.
"Cool," she agreed. "Can I do it?"
"There isn't enough room for more."
"How do you know?"
"I just do. We have to go somewhere else now. You can do it
when we get back on the freeway."
Their mother and father returned with a grocery bag. "Where
did these trees come from?"
"What trees?" asked Evelyn.
"There weren't any trees here when we parked."
"Oh, Daddy, you never pay attention."
"There weren't, were there, Marie?"
"I didn't notice."
"I swear, when I opened the door, I was standing in the blaz-
ing sun."
"Are you okay, Glen? Do you want me to drive?"
"No, I'm fine." He closed the back door. "Still," he muttered,
"it's weird." They bumped out of the parking lot to the freeway.
FIAT SILVA
79
Good-bye trees. Good-bye Adam.
"Okay, my turn now, please, Adam."
"I don't know ... Are you sure? It does something to you."
"Yes, yes, please, please."
"How can we do it now? We're on the freeway."
"We can open the window. Please, Adam."
Without turning her head their mother called back, "Adam,
just let her do it, whatever it is."
"Okay, open the window. Here." He gave her the cone and she
shook a few seeds into her hand. "Now breathe."
"I feel dizzy."
"I know. Do you feel yourself moving into the seeds?"
"It's like they're part of me now. Here you go, seeds." She
dropped them one by one out the window. "Ooh, it almost hurts."
'They're sprouting."
The van sped rapidly along but they could see a green haze
appear far behind. Soon there were no cars following. "I think
we blocked the road."
They laughed happily. "Cool!"
"Let's do it again!"
By the time they reached the city at dusk, they were vegetat-
ing in a peaceful stupor, a vast part of themselves strewn along
a finger of forest for hundreds of miles through the valley to the
park. They leaned against each other drained. Their parents
opened the door and helped them out.
"Leave that pine cone in the garage, Adam."
"No, it's a souvenir of our best vacation ever."
"Yes, Mom, it's our magic pine cone."
"You, too, Evelyn? Okay, bring it in."
Their father supported them up the steps to the house while their
mother unloaded the van. "These kids are as heavy as logs."
'Time to get up," called their mother. "First day of school!"
The words came from far away, dimly penetrated the dream of
an immense continental forest. Rising from slumber was like up-
rooting a small tree. Adam and Evelyn pulled themselves out of
bed and went to the kitchen for breakfast. The morning newspa-
per reported the bizarre growth of a mixed deciduous and ever-
green forest centered on the southbound lane of Interstate 5.
Trees were spreading east and west despite attempts by road
crews with chainsaws and bulldozers to clear the highway.
"That's terrible!" said Adam.
"That's strange," said their father. "I didn't see any trees."
80 JacL Oakley
"It must have happened just after we passed by."
Adam and Evelyn smiled at each other.
"You kids are going to be late. You'd better make like trees
and leave."
They laughed and got their backpacks. Adam put the cone in
his and they went out the door. During show and tell, when ev-
eryone was telling what they had done during the summer, he
took it out and said, "We went camping and I got this magic
cone. It grows trees."
His classmates snickered, and the teacher said, "Yes, Adam, it
is magical the way new life sprouts from a seed."
"No, it isn't like that. You breathe on the seeds and part of you
goes into them and trees grow up right away."
Mrs. Hargrave looked concerned and everyone else laughed
out loud. He regarded them steadily with the clear gaze of a
spreading forest. "Watch," he said, and shook the cone, breathed
on the seed
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