The Olive Tree and the Guardian

All the creatures living above these clouds go by the names given to them by their mothers and fathers.
The olive tree's name is Olly. I don't know who decided that. Until now, I hadn't even thought to ask. That is because, as far as I could see, I had never seen another tree besides myself.

That day came suddenly.
The clouds shook violently, and the animals, thinking an earthquake had occurred, were making a racket of shrieks, squeaks, moos, hops, and bleats around Olly. They huddled together, and for once, even Olly stretched his branches out toward them.

With a thud and a rumble, the shaking grew stronger and stronger.
Then, from a gap between the clouds, a large person appeared. The person was wearing clanking, hard-looking clothes.
A human. It was the first time any of them had seen a human above these clouds.

"Who are you?"
It was Doe the monkey who gathered his courage to speak. He was shielding his wife, Mimiko, behind him.

(What wonderful love that is.)
That is what Olly thought, feeling all fuzzy inside.

"Haha, sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I am the guardian of these clouds."

"A guardian? I've never heard of or seen such a thing."

"I suppose so, I suppose so. Oh, but you've seen me now, haven't you?"

Olly sighed.
(A sophistical old man has arrived.)

"Olly, you were just thinking something rude, weren't you? I just had my four-thousandth birthday, and since no one gave me any presents, I came to check on you out of concern."

"Four thousand years old!?"
The animals cried out in surprise.

"Indeed, indeed."
For some reason, the person looked very proud.

"O-Olly. Do you know this... guardian?"
Meeko the sheep asked timidly.

Olly tilted his trunk forward to confirm.

"Now, now, calm down. For now, you can all go back to your daily routines. I have something to discuss with Olly."
With that, he sent everyone away.

Left with just the one person and the one tree, Olly felt a bit restless, but he told himself he had done what was necessary.

"So, Olly. There must be a reason you intentionally forgot the birthday present you hadn't missed for three thousand years since you were born, right? What did you want to ask me by calling me out?"

Olly answered, gently holding a leaf between his branches.
(...Do you know of the dream-eating beast?)

"Oh. I know of it. Though I don't know the details. Why do you ask such a thing?"

(I am... looking for the fox cubs.)

"Ah, those little ones... I don't know if they are still alive, though. Even so, will you search for them?"
The guardian spoke with a grim expression.

Without hesitation, Olly moved its trunk forward.

Hmm, I see. Understood. Then, you should go to the Kingdom inside a bottle that traps the sky. The name of that country is Curaria. It is where your godfather lives.

(Godfather...?)

Ah, you didn't know yet, did you? Before you were born, there was nothing above these clouds. Not the monkeys, cows, rabbits, or sheep that are skulking in the shadows of the clouds now. And no trees either. All that existed in this world were air and clouds. I planted a single tree there. That was you. I tried to give you a name, but nothing good came to mind. I couldn't even tell what kind of tree you were. So, I decided to rely on an old friend who lives in Curaria. They are very knowledgeable about both plants and animals. I forget the exact meaning now... but anyway, you became Olly.

Olly felt a warm, tingling sensation somewhere in the middle of its trunk. It gently covered that spot with two of its branches. It thought this was joy. It thought this was love. It was the same emotion that small creatures feel toward their parents, lovers, or spouses.

(How...?)

Olly wanted to go to Curaria more than anything. However, it was a tree. It could neither move nor fly.

Ah. That's right, isn't it? Oh, wait a moment. I'll make one now.

(Make one...?)

While Olly was twisting its trunk, something began to take shape in the air. Even though there was nothing there, it looked as if the Guardian was waving a staff.

What appeared there was the figure of a knight. It wore the same clanking clothes as the Guardian. Its face was covered by a helmet, so it could not be seen. The only difference from the Guardian was that its shadow was not cast upon the clouds.

Try touching this with your branch?

Olly did as it was told and reached out with a branch. It touched the hard, cold clothing with a tap. And then, what do you know? Its field of vision suddenly began to spin round and round, and it found itself blurting out a loud, "Whoa!!!"

Whoa?

Hahaha. I'm sorry, I startled you.

Eh? Is this... a voice? Am I... speaking?

You have become a knight. In other words, a human. You should take that form when you travel. If you wish, you can return to your tree form or take the form of a knight. Isn't it wonderful? My magic. Now, go to Curaria. For the sake of the poor little foxes.

The Guardian winked and walked away with heavy, thumping steps, just as he had arrived.

I have become... a human...

The animals that had been hiding in the clouds jumped out. "Olly! You've become a human!" Kotaro the rabbit hopped around in excitement.

"Hey, Olly. Why don't you take off that thing covering your face? I think you'd be able to see your surroundings much better."
Meeko the sheep said politely.

"Yes, I think I will."

Olly removed the hard helmet that had been covering his face.
The first thing he thought was that it was dazzling. And what he felt after that was the colorful scenery.

Olly turned around.
"Ah. So the world... extended behind me as well," he muttered, then said to the animals,
"I'm going to go to Curaria. What will you all do?"

Doe the monkey stepped forward and answered.
"We'll stay here and guard this place while we wait. It'll be fine. Take care, and go on ahead."

The animals behind Doe all spoke up one after another, telling him it would be fine and to rest easy and enjoy himself.

"Thank you, everyone."

Olly beamed with a full smile. The animals gasped at its beauty.
"Safe travels, Olly."

Though he had never been there before, Olly was returning to his godfather.The Return of the Knight Without a Shadow it was.

I wrote this for Mikan Katagiri's #3 Topics for Imaginative Inspiration [43rd Edition].

Topics: "The Beast That Eats Dreams," "The Kingdom in a Bottle That Trapped the Sky," "The Return of the Knight Without a Shadow"

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