The Last Glowtree of the Jafari People
At last a new adventure to set out upon. After my long stay and study with the Monks of the Haspiran Mountain, I gathered up my pack and traveled yet again. Due to the remoteness of the mountain, it took me a long time to find a passing ship that could take me to yet another world. At last, one finally did arrive that was willing to have me aboard in return for working as entertainment for the crew with my stories and pictures, and I also did lend a hand when needed in the cargo decks below. We passed through a few systems along the way, trading little things here and there at every port where we made a landing. And, after a few months of space travel, I arrived at the world of the Jafari people.
No soft natural scenes here, my friends. The ship was headed this way to make large purchases and sells of the technological kind, for this is a highly technological world. The Jafari people, having long since built great cities to live within, finally managed to wipe out all their natural world in their folly as they pursued the lifestyle of ones who live only for the machine. Yes, Jafari is completely covered in metal and steel, glass and cement. No longer are there forests in which to rest one's weary head, or mountainsides to climb upon and gaze at the beauty of the natural world. Yet, it is not an ugly place. It has form and graceful lines that many architects voyage for long periods of time to study the tall spires that sweep along and dot the horizon entire. Alas, it was only but a short while ago when the Jafari people realized that they had almost killed off one of the greatest rarities of their world, and of the universe as well: The Glowtree was in danger of becoming a thing of the past.
Once, these trees clustered in tight formations along selected areas of the natural world, their leaves shining brightly like crystals that shimmer in the air. The Jafari used to lay under these trees, telling tales and stories in the darkness of light, softly lit by these marvels, and for centuries, they were revered. Yet, they were all gone now. All, save a single lone tree that was discovered on the last patch of fertile earth that had yet to be covered by the mechanical hand. Quickly, they realized that this tree had to be saved. But how? The trees only grew in special places where unique nutrients in the ground permitted these gems to thrive, and all such places were gone. Only that lone patch of land, barely the size of a house, remained yet untouched; and even that was faltering and slowly dying off.
So, finally using their massive technology for the good of nature, lest it was too late, they constructed a haven for it made of the same glass and steel and other alloys that previously ensured the doom of the trees, and they placed the tree lovingly within this great chamber. There, they nurture it and feed it the nutrients it needs, manufacturing it within their advanced laboratories, to keep the tree alive, the hope being that they shall be able to clone and resurrect the great forests some day in the near future.
So, my friends, here sits the last of the Glowtrees - and the first of it's kind as well. For the Jafari looked back upon their world and saw that not all was good when things were made easier and more convenient, and they came to realize once more that they had a need for the beautiful things that, long ago, flourished on the land. And, as you can see, the tree still glows, thick flexi-tubes of nutrients being pumped into it's planter. The room has panels that light up like the sun and dim slightly during the night at very carefully monitored intervals. And people come far and wide to see the last and the first of the great trees once more, and to think about the meaning of what it conveys in it's silent glimmering message to all people people nearby and beyond the stars themselves.