Entry #24

The Final Cut
by Roger Dale Trexler


They came.

The loggers ventured into the forest looking for us.

We heard their saws in the distance, and the screams of our brethren as they died. For centuries, we’ve battled the men with axes in the forest, bringing our limbs crashing down, painfully ripping our own appendages from our bodies, and crushing them. One by one, they came; one by one, they died. Many times, others came looking for their fallen friends and met their death. They gave our soil nourishment and helped us grow in God’s light.

Before man, for eons, we lived in peace. We were born, lived our lives, and died in the quiet of the forest. Eventually, man began running amongst us, hunting the wild game. We did not care; it was not our way and we did not understand it, but we were tolerant. We saw them kill for pleasure. We saw and did not understand. Even then, we knew they had no respect for the other creatures of the forest.

Still, they left us alone.

Until they needed our wood.

We know now that it is only a matter of time before they come in larger numbers and destroy us. It is their way. So, we have decided to destroy ourselves before they can. There is a saying amongst men: “if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?”

The answer is Yes.

It screams.