The Frutababob Trees of Gnerresh

Wandering for a while through some wilderness, I chanced upon a dried mud landscape of an interesting texture, but barren for all around. I decided to try to cross the wastes on my own, throwing caution and fortune a little to the wind. It must have been about an hour after I started when I was set upon by a thick and heavy fog which blinded my sight and made travel nearly impossible. After a few minutes, I gave up and sat down, camping to wait it out. The night passed quietly and I woke up feeling quite refreshed in the morning - I could see the sunlight breaking through in my small tent. Hastily, I put on some clothes to assess the situation anew when I was struck by a most beautiful sight!

Trees! Wonderfully colored trees of a most unusual species lay growing in the dried mud, sprawling before me. They thrust up with their great trunks and wide branches, reaching out towards the sky with a prodigious grace. The rolling yellowish fogs and beautiful crimson clouds had just barely begun to drift away, the gorgeous blue sky showing through. What a wonderful vision! In this drab brown and scruffy landscape, to find such creations of nature - I marveled at the sight of them!

I spent the day wandering through a little grove I found further down, picking up a few sticks for my collection, and some interesting leaves. Then, I came upon a small village on the outskirts of this mud plain where the inhabitants welcomed me gladly and informed me that the trees are unique to this area. They call them The Frutababob Trees of Gnerresh, the local name of the plains. The mud in that dreary place is rich in unique minerals that the trees feed upon and cannot be moved or the tree dies in a few days time. Thus, a yearly pilgrimage is made by the villagers to celebrate the trees and to care for them in an age-long tradition of care-taking for the land around.

- Traveling Uncle Nat. :)

02/10/00